Jameson Taillon, playing for Team Canada, is getting the start on Sunday against Panama.
He's preparing with bullpens, he's talking to his coaches, he's watching video of Panamanian hitters. That's just how proven big league starters get to work. He's been doing it for years.
But, he also has one other very important thing that he needed to do while here in Puerto Rico. A routine that he says "sets the tone" for his start days: Coffee. He needed to find his coffee.
"Yeah, I spent a lot of time on Yelp and Google," Taillon said on Saturday. "I found a place the other day, it was called either Coffee 787 or 787 Coffee. I got a pour-over. It was really, really good."
And it wasn't just any old coffee. It was San Juan-style.
"I think the coffee was soaked or aged in a rum barrel," Taillon smiled. "I feel like I was getting the Puerto Rican experience. It was really good."
Coffee aged in rum barrels is apparently a technique used all over the world -- it helps to add sweetness to the morning pick-me up. But it definitely seems to be a thing in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny even has a song called "Cafe Con Run" (although that seems to be more about having a coffee in the morning and rum at night, not mixing the two at once).
Either way, Taillon has found his fix in a new place -- likely helping to ease his mind before his game this weekend.
"Whether I'm in Puerto Rico, we opened in Tokyo last year, or if I'm just on a road trip during the season, I try to get out and explore and find places," Taillon said.