Rick Ankiel admitted that he drank vodka before his first two starts of the 2001 season, which came after his meltdown in the 2000 playoffs when he became the first Major League pitcher to throw five wild pitches in one inning in more than 100 years.

Ankiel made his comments to 590 The Fan while discussing his upcoming book, "The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life."

He said he started throwing balls again in that start as the "anxiety took over the alcohol" and he realized after that start that drinking wasn't an answer for his problems.