The Mental Toll of the MLB Slog

As The Guardian reports, Major League Baseball's 162-game schedule creates a unique psychological burden for players on struggling teams. Jamie Moyer, a former All-Star and World Series champion who played 25 years in the majors, told The Guardian that enduring a losing campaign is akin to "pulling a tractor trailer with no tires behind you all season."

Moyer notes that while winning masks a team's flaws, losing exacerbates them. This tension often manifests in the clubhouse as disputes over effort; Moyer describes teammates confronting one another over a lack of hustle on the basepaths, which can lead to anything from brief conversations to "fisticuffs." He also recalls managers immediately benching players who failed to run hard to first base.

To maintain sanity during a slog, Moyer emphasizes focusing on controllable factors and personal accountability. Alex Avila, a former All-Star catcher for the Detroit Tigers, told The Guardian that avoiding self-pity is essential. Avila suggests that players must remember they are the "best of the best" to avoid wallowing, focusing instead on "stepping stones" and small wins even when a team is no longer in playoff contention.

Avila also highlighted the importance of player-led initiatives, noting that he participated in informal, player-only meetings in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse to address struggles and determine how to change the team's trajectory. While current teams like the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners have faced painful losing stretches, Avila and Moyer suggest that the mental game is what allows a player to survive the marathon.