Yankees star Harrison Bader credits his strange mouthguard as calming influence, explains how it helped him achieve postseason success

Harrison Bader came out hot in the postseason for the New York Yankees. In the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians, Bader went 4-15 with three home runs. In the ALCS against the Houston Astros, he went 6-15 with two home runs.

He seemed to be the only Yankees hitter to come to play in both of their postseason series. He gave credit for his recent success at the plate to his mouthguard:

"In my first at-bat, I just felt relaxed."

Harrison Bader explained that he used to clinch his jaw tight before the ball was pitched. While working with a mental performance coach in St. Louis, he tried using a mouthguard to help loosen up his jaw as he swung his bat.

He explained that he had used mouthguards before and had been hooked up to various machines to measure output. When he did those measurements with a mouthguard, his numbers increased.

The mouthguard he was explaining isn't the normal mouthguard you see most football players wearing. This is a performance mouthguard. It is created specifically to press the athlete's tongue down to help create a more open airway. This helps the athletes breathe more efficiently when they're performing.

Most athletes, like Bader, clinch up and almost stop breathing. When an athlete stops breathing, they become weaker. These performance mouthguards help train athletes’ tongues to be in the right place.

Harrison Bader credits working with a mental performance coach

Championship Series - New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros - Game 2.

More and more athletes have been coming out and praising the work that they have been doing with their mental performance coaches. Mental performance is starting to become a major focus for elite athletes.

While athletes need to focus on their physical attributes, the mental side of sports is just as important. Working with a mental performance coach helps athletes develop confidence, manage anxiety and unlock a part of an athlete's game with simple techniques.

Harrison Bader mentioned that after working with his coach, a "lightbulb went off." That's basically the goal when working with a mental performance coach.

It's not about giving the athlete some secrets that nobody knows about, it's about helping the athlete understand why something is happening. For Bader, it was easy to realize that he might not have much power at the plate when he clinched up and stopped breathing. He didn't think about this until it was pointed out to him.

Given how hot Harrison Bader got in the postseason, we could see a rise in the use of performance mouthguards in baseball.