CJ Wilson’s start was affected by ‘Game of Thrones’

An episode of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” was so emotional it affected Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson, who watched the show prior to his start Saturday night against the Oakland A’s.

Wilson, who is 4-5 with a 3.60 ERA this season, says he usually spends time with his wife, model Lisalla Montenegro, and his dogs the day of his starts because it relaxes him. The two watched “Game of Thrones,” but he might not have had he known how emotional it was going to be.

“I watched the last episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ today and I was really drained,” Wilson told the media after the Angels’ 1-0 win via MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. “It was very up and down. I was very worried it wasn’t going to turn out well for Daenerys Targaryen. My wife and I are big fans of her. Part of my routine is to spend time with the wife and the dogs. Usually it relaxes me, but today it was like, ‘Oh man.'”

Wilson pitched a gem going seven scoreless innings allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out eight for the win. He received an extra boost midway through his start in the form of an ammonia hit.

“That got me jazzed up. I got a little more outwardly aggressive,” Wilson said via Gonzalez.

Wilson also referenced “Game of Thrones” in his postgame interview on the field with FOX Sports reporter Alex Curry.

“I was a little bit drained from having to make so many tough pitches and catching up on ‘Game of Thrones’ today with my wife. It’s getting really emotional,” he said.

Even though the flurry of emotions led Wilson to take a hit of some smelling salts, you can’t really argue with his results. Heck, I’d even advise Wilson to watch “The Shawshank Redemption” before his next start if emotional TV leads to him throwing shutouts. Or if he doesn’t like riding an emotional roller coaster, he should stick with a simplified pregame routine like this guy.

Image via Ari Kaye