For as long as he can remember, Wilson Ramos has helped keep alive one of baseball’s oldest and strangest traditions.
When a pitcher records a strikeout with no runners on base, Ramos usually stands and zips the ball to third. The third baseman throws it to the shortstop. The shortstop throws it to the second baseman. The second baseman throws it back to third. And the third baseman tosses it to the pitcher.
For Ramos, throwing the ball “around the horn” after a strikeout sits somewhere between routine and ritual. Sometimes he throws the ball to first base instead.