There was an incredible moment in an incredible series during the Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners baseball matchup that demonstrated an enduring lesson for performance—and really, for all of life.
In game one of the series, the Detroit Tigers are the heavy underdogs. On the pitcher’s mound is 24-year-old rookie Troy Melton. It’s his first-ever playoff start, in a hostile environment. Through the first three innings, he’s hanging in there, holding the Mariners at bay in a 0-0 game.
And then, in the bottom of the fourth, he gives up a monster home run to Julio Rodriguez. The next batter he faces (Josh Naylor) sends a rocket that is mere inches away from being yet another home run. In nearly any other stadium, the ball would have been gone, but the thick maritime air of Seattle saves Melton. He’s getting crushed. He got lucky.
The camera shifts to his face, and here’s what you see:
A big old smile. He looks like the Joker in Batman. The near-home run doesn’t faze him one bit. He goes right back to dealing heat and proceeds to get the next handful of outs.
Sometimes, when the odds are against you, the best thing to say to yourself:
“F*ck it. The odds are against me, but someone’s got to do it, so I might as well give it a shot.” And then you let it rip.
Performance Avoidance Mindset vs. Performance Approach Mindset
A performance avoidance mindset is when you play not to lose. You are tight and fearful and trying to prevent things from going wrong. A performance approach mindset is one where you play to win. You are loose, relaxed, and having fun.
Research shows that a performance approach mindset is almost always advantageous. It shifts you out of a threat response, which is associated with a rush of the stress hormone cortisol, and into a challenge response, in which you get flooded with the biochemical dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), resulting in increased focus, confidence, and motivation. It’s the difference between terrible body language—hunched shoulders; fear-struck, deer-in-the-headlight eyes—and Melton’s grin.
It’s easy to adopt a performance approach mindset when the odds are in your favor. But what about when this isn’t the case? Your nervous system knows when you are lying to yourself. There’s no point in trying to convince yourself you are in some great position when you aren’t. Melton was a rookie facing some of the best sluggers in baseball. These guys could hit him. And that’s okay. It’s precisely when you tell yourself some version of: Here I am, odds against me, but f*ck it, and let it rip.
It doesn’t mean you’ll always overcome the odds, but it gives you the best chance.
I was watching the game with his 7-year-old son, Theo. I went back and showed Theo the videos of the huge hits, and then paused when the camera landed on Melton’s face. “What does Dad always say are the two most important rules in sports?”
Theo answered:
Try your hardest.
Have fun.
It’s true for 8U baseball. It’s true for the best in the world. It’s true for sport. It’s true for life.
The next morning, I was scheduled to attempt a max-triple deadlift. When I arrived at the gym, I was feeling off, tired from a workweek that included travel and staying up late to watch the Tigers play. My legs felt like jello. The warm-up lifts weren’t great. When I walked up to the bar, I didn’t say I’ve got this, nothing can stop me. That would have been a white lie. Instead, I said, Today doesn’t feel great, I actually may not make this lift, but f*ck it, let’s let it rip. I somehow gutted out 485lbs for three solid reps, a new PR.
Taking big swings is hard. Sometimes the odds are truly against you. Most rookie pitchers don’t win game one. More small businesses fail than succeed. When you step into the arena, there are going to be highs and lows. You are going to have good outings and bad outings. Whatever just happened is in the past. Whatever could happen is a fantasy. You’ve only got the moment you are in. Cliche? Sure. But also the truest statement there is.
Just a few days later, in a must-win Game Four for the Tigers, the starting pitcher, Casey Mize, was only able to complete three innings. The Tigers needed someone who could hold the Mariners scoreless in the middle frames and give them a shot. They called on Melton. He gave the Tigers three scoreless innings. The team won, forcing a deciding game five.
And though the Tigers lost in a 15-inning heartbreaker Friday night to close out the series, Melton pitched a scoreless inning in what is bound to be a classic MLB postseason game.
For all the over-intellectualizing we do around performance, sometimes the best thing is the simplest:
Try hard. Have fun. F*ck it. And let it rip.
Thank you for the well timed mantra Brad. I will carry these words on my arm through the Chicago Marathon tomorrow morning. I am hopeful to stay in a strong performance mindset based on the joy of having put in the work to be ready.