Brewers' Unusual Cigarette Pregame Ritual Revealed After First World Series Title

MILWAUKEE, WI — The Milwaukee Brewers' first World Series title may have come with an old-school assist.

Brewers hitters lit cigarettes in the batting cage before every game, home or away, treating them as good-luck charms, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday in a behind-the-scenes look at the championship team.

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The logic behind the "rally heaters," as Passan explained it, was simple: smoke heaters in the cage and the hitters would smoke heaters, or fastballs, in the game.

It seemed to work.

Milwaukee hit .278 against fastballs in the World Series, while Tampa Bay hit .159. Christian Yelich told ESPN that seeing the cigarettes lit in the cage meant "the boys are ready to rock." The tradition carried right through the celebration, too, with Jake Bauers, Sal Frelick and Brandon Woodruff lighting up on the team bus after Wednesday's 4-1 Game 5 win at Tropicana Field clinched the franchise's first championship.