Dan Haren Explains What It’s Like in the Dugout When a Teammate Is Pitching a No-Hitter

On today's Pardon My Take... Dan Haren! One of the first guests to ever appear on the show joined Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter today to discuss all things baseball, the unfortunate news that his pug passed away, pimping home runs, and more. As a pitcher, Haren knows how hard it is to throw a no-hitter and/or a perfect game. With that said, he gave us a cool perspective on the etiquette behind what to do when a teammate is in the midst of throwing one and trying to make history. Do you approach them or leave them alone? Here is what he said:   

Mr. Cat: Because no-hitters are becoming so commonplace, do you think that the rules of not talking to a guy during a no-hitter still apply? In Edwin Jackson's case, is everyone staying away from him when he's pitching a no-hitter, or are people fucking with him? How does it actually work in the dugout? Because I know everyone thinks jinxes are real and we don't even tweet about it. But how does it actually work when you're in the game?

Dan Haren: I mean, I don't think it's a situation where Edwin and I are getting a Gatorade and I'm reminding him that he's got a no-hitter going in the ninth inning. I don't think that's happening. But, yeah, I think some pitchers, you know, a lot of pitchers are different. Just some want to be talked to. Some, you know, some you don't talk to. Everybody is kind of different. I think Edwin was more, he wanted everyone to talk to him. He was like top step on everything.

Mr. Commenter: At what point do those rules kick in, though? Like, at what point does it become something that you don't talk about? Is it like the sixth inning? The seventh inning?

Dan Haren: I think the turn is about the fifth inning, and once you get through the sixth, then you start thinking about it. Didn't happen too often for me, like I said. But I think once five complete, you kind of start thinking and six, it gets serious.

Mr. Cat: I'm thinking about it right now. I don't think that I would be able to help myself in the dugout. Like, I would be like, "Hey, Edwin, good job, dude. You've got a no-hitter going." I would be that guy. Imagine if I was a sick pitcher, but [my career] it got cut short just because I kept on jinxing everyone's no-hitters.

Mr. Commenter: You would just literally sit next to people and just tell them like, "Hey, I'm not going to say it, but I'm not going to say it..."

Mr. Cat: "But it would be a shame if you gave up a hit."

Mr. Commenter: "Yeah. This is historical."

Dan Haren: To be honest, you sound like a terrible teammate. 

Mr. Cat: Yeah, a terrible teammate. But also kind of funny, right? Like, that would be kind of funny. 

Dan Haren: Yeah, it's funny until everybody is losing their no-hitters and wants to kill you. It's hilarious until he loses the no-hitter, then he loses the shutout, loses the game, and he wants to punch you.

Mr. Cat is spot on. He would 100% bring up the fact that one of his teammates has a no-hitter, whether you believe in jinxes or not. I can only imagine the elephant in the room (or in this case, a dugout) when someone is building up their bid for a no-hitter. It has to be extremely, extremely intense.