Ryan Dempster

FORT MYERS, Fla. — When you watch Ryan Dempster pitch from the windup, you will notice a unique element to his delivery: He twitches his glove ever so slightly just before delivering each offering. Why? Here are the reasons he gives:

1. “Keep myself cool”
2. “To wave the catcher out mid-pitch”
3. “To show off my Rawlings sponsorship and make sure the camera sees it”
4. “For timing”
5. “To be able to scuff the ball in my glove as I’m twisting it”
6. “I like the smell of leather. Fresh leather smells really good”
7. “Prevent myself from tipping pitches”

The real reason? Here is what he explained in a 2011 interview with Baseball Nation:

“Ah my glove wiggle, I think my glove wiggle started just before spring training in 2008. Tyler Colvin was standing in the batter’s box and said he could see my hands moving. Kevin Millar suggested I try moving the glove a little and changed my grip. Started wiggling and now I can’t stop, you should see me take a casserole out of the oven, and I do the same thing with my oven mitt on.”