Doctors are really, really smart people, but what the Chicago Cubs’ doctor prescribed to right-handed pitcher Jason Hammel is something that you or I could have probably just done.
After leaving a start earlier this month due to muscle cramps in his throwing hand, the pitcher was told to eat more potato chips by the team’s doc because he needed more potassium—which is single-handedly the greatest news I’ve ever heard a doctor give to someone.
Per MLB.com:
Hammel had to leave his previous start on July 7 against the Braves after five-plus innings because of cramping in his right hand. So, the Cubs’ team doctor called the right-hander over the All-Star break and suggested Hammel needed more potassium in his diet. His prescription? Potato chips. How many doctors suggest that?
On Saturday, Hammel held the Rangers to one run on three hits over six innings in the Cubs’ 3-1 win. And he munched on chips between innings in the tunnel to the dugout.
“For my cramps, if it’s a chronic thing, [the doctor] said, ‘Potato chips,’ because they have a lot of potassium and the sea salt helps retain water,” Hammel said. “So I focused on that over the break and ate a lot of potato chips, and I think it turned out pretty well. Potato chip prescription … that’s what I’m going to try to go with.”
So while your girlfriend or wife yells at you for always snacking and eating like shit, we’ve got pro athletes over here stuffing their faces thanks to doctor’s orders—and now you have the perfect excuse to continue eating what you really want to, bros.