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Matt Barnes Spills the Beans on Craig Kimbrel’s Secret Workout

NESNSome Major League Baseball players like to wind down after games. Not Craig Kimbrel. The Red Sox closer has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball for the last decade, and it’s perhaps due in large to his impressive work ethic, which fellow Boston reliever Matt Barnes recently shed light on in a conversation with Chad Jennings of The Athletic. “Every game after he pitches, it doesn’t matter if it’s 1 o’clock in the morning or it’s 3:30 in the afternoon, (Kimbrel)’s going to go upstairs and he’s going to run a mile on the treadmill,” Barnes told Jennings. “Every game. One mile.” MLB players can be creatures of habit, with each having a specific gameday routine. Kimbrel just so happens to do more after games than before games, and it’s a strategy that’s worked well for the seven-time All-Star.

Thats it? Really?

So let me get this straight, Matt. The reason Craig Kimbrel has been one of the most dominant closers in the game for years is because he runs after the game? One mile? I am far from a peak athletic specimen, but what does that take him like seven minutes tops? That lede had me all jacked up thinking there was going to be some psychotic Tiger Woods running in combat boots military workout. Nope, he just heads upstairs to the treadmill to run one mile after pitching for like 10 minutes. Well shit, theres the secret guys. Not HIIT cardio, not running iron mans, just a solid 1,600 meters ought to do it.

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