When Anthony Santander regarded extra intently on the black T-shirt Rougned Odor handed him within the clubhouse Friday, the Orioles outfielder belted out fun. The entrance of it featured a cartoon model of catcher Robinson Chirinos’ face with the phrases, “Robbie’s Playlist.”
And on the again are the entire sayings Chirinos so ceaselessly yells from the dugout throughout video games — a serious a part of Baltimore’s power because it entered Friday’s residence sport in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates a season-high three video games over .500 and two video games out of a wild-card spot. Santander went down the checklist, cracking up in any respect 12 of the sayings.
“He says them all the time: ‘Be estupid and hang it!’; ‘Feeling sexy today,’” Santander mentioned, draping the shirt over his chair. “It’s amazing cause it keeps the energy up and it’s helpful to us stick together and try to win games.”
When Chirinos, 35, entered the clubhouse after a hitter’s assembly, donning his personal likeness on his chest, he picked up an additional copy of the shirt and held it up. Each saying has a particular circumstance . Some are simple — “base hit, ball four” — whereas others are extra area of interest.
It’s a part of a clubhouse and dugout setting filled with power, with Chirinos among the many lightning rods.
“Everywhere I’ve been when there’s a winning atmosphere, there’s always a good dugout, a loud dugout, people messing with each other, trying to lift each other up,” mentioned Chirinos, an 11-year veteran who’s frolicked with six main league groups and reached the World Series with the Houston Astros in 2019. “All this does that. It makes people relax and be accountable and play together and enjoy the moment. The game is hard already. All this is just trying to make people relax and have fun.”
In the clubhouse Friday, Chirinos regarded on the sayings on the again of the shirt with pleasure earlier than going by means of all 12 to elucidate their meanings.
‘Ugly finder’
When a foul ball is hit into the dugout, Chirinos pays shut consideration to wherever it lands. “If it hits you,” Chirinos laughed, “that means you’re ugly.”
‘He said it’
If Chirinos is busy and considered one of his teammates says considered one of his strains earlier than the veteran backstop can yell it, Chirinos snaps his finger and provides credit score to whomever mentioned it first. He talked about outfielder Ryan McKenna particularly as a serious dugout voice, usually beating Chirinos to the punch.
‘Hey! Base hit, ball four!’
It’s a basic baseball adage, from little league to the Orioles’ dugout. When a batter faces a full depend, Chirinos yells to remind him working a stroll is as worthwhile as hitting a single.
‘You had your chance, you blew it!’
This one took Chirinos a second to ponder. When an Oriole reaches first base on a single, and a pitcher instantly makes an attempt a pickoff throw, Chirinos will get up in a rush.
“Like, why you throwing to first base?” Chirinos mentioned. “You already had your chance” to report an out.
‘Hey, we got ice!’
Here’s one other basic, a reminder to Orioles batters to not dive out of the best way of an errant pitch once they can earn their group a free cross to first base.
“Most of the time, we say a bunch of stuff,” Chirinos mentioned. “Cold water, ice it, all that stuff.”
‘Be estupid and hang it!’
Occasionally, when Chirinos takes a break from advising his personal pitchers, he takes a second to present some recommendation to the opponent on the mound. That’s when he yells for him to “be estupid and hang a slider.” Most of the time, his opponents keep away from these phrases of counsel.
‘Feeling sexy today’
For Chirinos, that is an iteration of “Look good, play good,” along with his personal private twist.
“Sometime when a guy is struggling, I say, ‘Hey, feeling sexy today, let’s go,’” Chirinos mentioned. “Feel good, you know?”
‘Hey, how you hold that?’
Chirinos usually has messages to pitchers. For one, it’s his job as a catcher. But he additionally likes to chirp.
If there’s a very poor pitch, both one bouncing effectively earlier than the plate or flying effectively over the backstop’s head, Chirinos questions the grip that pitcher should be utilizing.
‘Right on it’
“So many ways we use ‘Right on it,’” Chirinos mentioned, struggling to search out only a easy method to summarize a catch-all phrase. There may very well be a swing that resulted in a blast — or perhaps a hard-hit foul ball — that prompts this saying. Other occasions, when a pitcher delivers a very good pitch, he’ll yell it out.
“We use it hitting and pitching,” Chirinos mentioned.
‘Same seats, please!’
There’s no cause to mess with what’s working, so as soon as the Orioles rating a run, Chirinos sends out a plea to his teammates within the dugout: Stay in the identical seats.
“We high-five, right away, it’s like, ‘Same seats!” Chirinos mentioned. “Keep it going.”
‘Open the gates’
Once one run crosses residence, Chirinos isn’t glad. He needs to maintain including on, so he requires his teammates to “open the gates” and let these runs are available.
‘Hey, you’re getting paid right this moment’
Chirinos laughed earlier than he defined the twelfth and closing saying on the black T-shirt. Early within the yr, when Chirinos labored to “make the dugout fun,” he’d remind individuals of the truth that they’re getting paid to play a sport.
“Normally, the starting pitchers don’t talk much,” Chirinos mentioned. “I’m like, ‘Hey, you’re getting paid today. You’re not playing, but you’re getting paid. Say something.’”
It’s been the most important change he’s seen from the start of the season to now, going from himself as the one participant speaking to a whole dugout filled with noise. Santander mentioned he’s by no means been in a dugout as full of life in his profession, and Chirinos, Odor and McKenna are the important thing voices.
“It’s been cool to see the growth,” Chirinos mentioned, “of how the dugout is different.”
And it’s all spelled out on a T-shirt.
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