Former major leaguer Rick Ankiel said Monday that he drank vodka before his first two starts of the 2001 season for the St. Louis Cardinals, which came after his meltdown in the 2000 playoffs when he became the first major league pitcher to throw five wild pitches in one inning since 1890.
Ankiel made his comments to 590 The Fan while discussing his upcoming book, "The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life,"co-written with sportswriter Tim Brown, that will be released on April 18.
On Monday, he discussed drinking vodka before his first start of the 2001 season, in which he was the winning pitcher against Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks.