SF Giants try burning away offensive woes with sage incense

SF Giants hitting coach Justin Viele led the charge to burn sage incense in the batting cages on Saturday to try and end a slump.

There was a distinct scent in the SF Giants dugout prior to Saturday's loss to the Texas Rangers. It turned out that the Giants had burned sage incense in the batting cage to try and wake up their bats. In fact, according to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants burned some bats too.

Manager Gabe Kapler is an out-of-the-box thinker. He likes to throw batting practice and make it as difficult as possible for hitters. Kapler has theorized that men should sunbathe naked to expose their genitals to UV rays. He's so strict about his diet that he's been known to peel the skin off Chicken McNuggets and "eat" ice cream by licking it for the taste, then immediately spitting it out. However, it was hitting coach Justin Viele who was responsible for the incense.

"JV is into that sort of thing," Kapler told reporters prior to the game on Saturday. "Into astrology too. We always joke like 'Is the moon out today? How big is the moon? Where is the moon?' It seemed like over the last couple of years we win games when the moon is like right there and really big."

It seemed to work for outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who has resumed baseball activities this weekend after rehabbing his hamstring injury, and "took some really good swings" with sage burning near him.

Lol incense/sage burning in Giants hitting cage and Kapler says they had some going when Yaz hit earlier “and he took some really good swings.”

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 12, 2023

Sage "smudging" is a Native American ritual that's become very popular in the world of wellness. While it's commonly used as a way to banish negative energy - for example, a major league baseball team that's hitting .200/.277/.291 for the month of August and scoring 3.4 runs per game - the practice was originally used for the opposite effect.

According to Oglala Lakota spiritual leader Warfield Moose, Jr., burning sage has been traditionally used to "welcome the good back into our lives." He dismisses the idea that sage should be used to cleanse bad spirits from a home, or for the end of yoga classes. "We use it when we feel down, fearful, or even when we’re happy," Moose said.

While sage smudging may raise issues of cultural appropriation, it does fit in the long tradition of deeply superstitious baseball rituals. Like not stepping on the chalk lines running on and off the field. Or ignoring a pitcher throwing a no-hitter. Players wear "rally caps" in the dugout, as if the direction of their cap will make their teammates hit in the clutch.

Brewers shortstop Willy Adames even sweet-talked and kissed his bat, calling it "Mi amor" during a Sunday Night Baseball game in 2021. It worked, as he went 1-3 with a walk, breaking an 0-15 slump.

Willy Adames has an emotional discussion with his bat pic.twitter.com/gSKKMNG27r

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 26, 2021

Yasiel Puig took it a step further and regularly licked his bats for good luck. He said he pretended the bat was vanilla ice cream and explained, "At least I'm giving love to my bat." Licking ice cream but not eating anything? Puig might be a lot like Gabe Kapler.

Yasiel Puig got a nice lick of the bat pic.twitter.com/FcrbppTvnG

— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) October 10, 2017

Even fictional baseball players will do anything to break out of a slump. In "Major League," slugger Pedro Cerrano made offerings to Jobu, a small voodoo doll, in hopes that it would help him hit breaking balls.

Fifteen years ago, you'd see multiple players on every team wearing magnetic necklaces before a lawsuit forced the company to stop advertising their health benefits. When he was on the Atlanta Braves, Joc Pederson wore a pearl necklace throughout their World Series run, though we haven't seen any imitators yet.

So comparatively, burning sage and incense is minor stuff. At least the batting cage will have a nicer aroma than its usual scent - sweaty baseball players. If the SF Giants do manage to start hitting again, you can be sure that smudging will become a regular addition to the hitting cage. If not, then J.D. Davis may have to start licking his bat.