The Mad Hungarian Why “The Mad Hungarian”? Hrabosky was of Hungarian descent and leaned hard into the persona. His famous pre-inning routine on the mound became legendary: • He would storm off the mound toward second base • Turn his back to the batter • Slam the ball into his glove • Take a deep breath while psyching himself up • Then spin around with a fierce glare and a huge fu Manchu mustache/beard combo He called this ritual “going into my cocoon.” Hitters absolutely hated it; fans loved it. He was basically the 1970s version of a wrestling heel who could actually pitch