Shagging (baseball)

[3] This pre-game activity is widely disliked by pitchers,[4][5] who argue that it does not benefit them at all, since it drains their energy[5] and actually increases the risk of stiffness in the lower back and leg as a result of prolonged standing.

In 1943, just one season after collecting his 3,000th hit, Paul Waner accidentally gashed his foot while shagging a fly ball in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his former team.

While helping out in pre-game batting practice, Rivera attempted to catch a fly ball from Jayson Nix when he twisted his knee on the warning track of Kauffman Stadium and fell to the ground.

[18] Despite the seriousness of Rivera's injuries, pitchers from across Major League Baseball (MLB) who engaged in shagging flies during batting practice said they would not drop the activity or modify their training routine.

[19] Furthermore, several MLB managers at the time—namely Dale Sveum,[23] Joe Maddon,[19] Jim Leyland and Terry Collins[22]—confirmed they would not order their pitchers to stop shagging.