Why do baseball players spit? It seems like a strange question. After all, they’re not exactly in danger of getting food poisoning, are they? Well, yes and no. Spitting is not something that’s exclusive to baseball players.
In fact, it’s common for most people when chewing anything that’s chunky or strong-tasting (like hard candy). It may not seem like much at the time, but if you catch yourself doing it a lot more than usual, then there may be a reason behind it.
For baseball players, the primary purpose of spitting is to keep their mouth moist and clean while they’re playing. They wear mitts almost every game, and saliva evaporates from the palm of their hand very quickly.
In addition to that, their saliva also has mint dissolved in it which helps freshen their breath right away as well as fight any bad odors or smells coming from the ball field.
How to Brush Up On Your Baseball Skills
From the time you first picked up a baseball until you retire, you’ve got to learn a lot of skills. Whether its hitting, throwing, hitting again, fielding, or bunting, there’s a ton of moving parts that go into the game.
With so many skills to learn, you probably don’t have the time to spend hours upon hours at the batting cages and on the field to hone them. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to sharpen your skills and keep your body healthy at the same time.
One of the best things you can do is to focus on core strength, flexibility, and balance. Core strength and flexibility help create a stable base from which you can move throughout the entire body.
A strong core can help prevent injuries by keeping your back strong and straight, your hips and shoulders aligned, and your core stable so that you can move through the entire kinetic chain with ease.
The Benefits of Baseball Player Spit
Baseball players and other athletes who participate in sports that involve a lot of chewing like to spit because it helps keep their mouth moist, inhibiting bacteria from building up in their mouth and causing bad breath.
The saliva also helps maintain tooth enamel by covering the teeth and gums by lubricating them, keeping them cleaner and healthier. The saliva also helps wash down any excess food particles in the mouth, helping to keep the mouth clean while they’re playing.
The Disadvantages of Baseball Player Spit
The main disadvantage of baseball player spit is that it can be a little disgusting to watch, especially when the player spits on the ground.
However, the advantage of keeping your mouth moist and clean while you’re playing outweighs the trivial disadvantages, so let’s move on. The second disadvantage of baseball player spit is that it can also be dangerous in some instances.
If a player has a bad case of the stomach flu and/or a stomach virus, then spitting can make the situation worse. If a player is experiencing repeated vomiting or stomach cramps, then spitting on the ground can cause some of that saliva to land on the ground where other people may walk, leading to a potential health risk.
Conclusion
Baseball players have to spit a lot because it keeps their mouths moist and clean while they’re playing and prevents bacteria buildup inside their mouths.
The saliva also helps to keep their teeth healthier and their breath fresher. There are some disadvantages to the practice, including how disgusting it may look and how dangerous spitting can be in some cases.
But for the most part, it’s a good thing when done correctly. So don’t worry too much about spitting, and instead focus on keeping your mouth clean and healthy as you play baseball.
