Pete Fairbanks just gave baseball fans a crash course in one of the game’s most uncomfortable experiences. And no, it’s not what you think.
The Marlins reliever sat down with ESPN’s Jeff Passan on his “Sources Tell Jeff Passan” podcast and explained the art of getting “dry humped” in the bullpen. It’s baseball terminology that sounds way worse than it actually is.
Here’s what it means: You’re warming up in the bullpen, ready to enter a tight game. Your arm’s loose, you’re mentally prepared, and then… nothing. The manager doesn’t call you in.
“You start warming up,” Fairbanks explained. “Obviously, there’s degrees to it. The worst dry humps are the ones to which you then have to fire it off and be as warm as you would be to go in a game with no guarantee that you go in the game.”
It’s every reliever’s nightmare. You go through the full warmup routine – stretching, loosening up, getting your arm ready for battle – only to sit back down and watch from the sidelines. Your arm’s burning, your shoulder’s tight, and you’ve got nothing to show for it.
“One dry hump is usually okay, two dry humps does not feel very good,” Fairbanks said.
The eight-year veteran knows this pain all too well. He’s been dry humped three times in his career, and one instance left him practically immobilized.
“I felt like I couldn’t move my arm for about eight hours,” Fairbanks said of one particularly brutal occurrence.
"One dry hump is OK. Two dry humps does not feel very good. I have been dry humped three times once. I felt like I couldn't move my arm for about eight hours."
Pete Fairbanks on what it's like to for relief pitchers to get dry humped. pic.twitter.com/Hbkez2WkTI
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 6, 2026
It’s the kind of thing that happens in close games when managers are trying to match up relievers with specific hitters or situations. A guy starts warming up as insurance, but the starter works out of trouble, or the situation changes, and suddenly that reliever’s left hanging.
For Fairbanks, who’s carved out a solid career with the Rangers, Rays, and now the Marlins, these moments stick with you. The Webster Groves, Missouri native has been one of baseball’s more reliable arms over the past six seasons, posting a 2.94 ERA with 304 strikeouts in 244.1 innings from 2020-2025.
His lively fastball and solid breaking ball mix earned him a nice payday this offseason – a one-year, $13 million deal with Miami that makes him the ninth-highest paid reliever by average annual value, according to Spotrac.
But even established guys like Fairbanks aren’t immune to the occasional dry hump. It’s part of the job when you’re sitting in the bullpen, never knowing when your number might get called – or when it might get uncalled just as quickly.
The physical toll is real. Getting ready to pitch isn’t just a mental exercise – it’s a full-body preparation that leaves you ready for battle. When that battle never comes, you’re left dealing with all the physical stress and none of the release.
It’s why relievers dread the practice, and why managers try to avoid it when possible. Nobody wants to waste bullets in the bullpen, especially over the course of a long season where every arm matters.
So the next time you see a reliever sitting back down in the bullpen after warming up, just remember – he might be dealing with something a lot more uncomfortable than disappointment.
