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Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel said he needed alcohol to calm his nerves at the start of the 2001 season.
In an interview on The Ryan Kelley Morning After on 590 The Fan, Ankiel explained his drinking before the game in his first start of the year as a 21-year-old:
Before that game…I'm scared to death. I know I have no chance. Feeling the pressure of all that, right before the game I get a bottle of vodka. I just started drinking vodka. Low and behold, it kind of tamed the monster, and I was able to do what I wanted.