Major League Baseball's laundry operations are intricate and demanding. The clubhouse staff forms a close-knit community that shares tips and advice. Riley Halpin, 29, a San Francisco Giants clubhouse attendant, highlights this camaraderie, calling it "really close." Kiere Bulls, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, echoes the sentiment, saying: "There's not a guy in the league I don't think that I can't call with a laundry question that won't answer it."
As the MLB season kicks off, staff face unique challenges with various stains and clays. Rob Warren of the Chicago White Sox advises patience with dirt stains, saying: "We'll throw it in, and then usually check it again," starting laundry within 15-20 minutes post-game. Sam Hindes from the Cleveland Guardians underscores the importance of soaking uniforms, particularly for players like José Ramírez, known for tough stains due to his playing style, saying: "José Ramírez is one that you always know is going to come back that night and it's going to need some work on it."
Lou Cucuzza Jr., of the New York Yankees, emphasizes the role of pretreatment in dealing with different types of clay, saying: "The clay at Yankee Stadium, I have no problem getting visiting uniforms clean." The Philadelphia Phillies' Sean Bowers focuses on using the right chemicals, noting the difficulty of removing paint stains. Bulls recommends pre-spraying dirt before washing and prefers OxiClean and Shout for home use, noting: "There's a lot of times that if a player's real, real bad that it may have to get washed three times just to get the stains out."
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Halpin describes laundry as a trial-and-error process, with long days extending from noon to 1am. Despite the demanding nature, staffers like Halpin find joy in their roles, saying: "It's long days. But it's kind of what you sign up for, you know, with this job. And it's super cool just to obviously get to do what we get to do." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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