CHICAGO -- It was a big moment in the game. The Chicago Cubs were trailing 2-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of their doubleheader on Tuesday night but had a man on first base with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Manager Joe Maddon sent one of his most trusted role players to the plate to pinch hit -- except Jonathan Herrera wasn't ready.
"He couldn't find his helmet," Maddon said laughing afterwards. "How does that happen?"
Herrera scrambled to find it but when teammate Mike Baxter offered his, he grabbed it. There was only one problem.
"I didn't know he had a small head," Herrera said. "He said ‘wear mine' but it was too small."
Herrera used it anyway, at least for a few moments before retreating to grab another one.
"It looked like the give-away helmet with the ice cream on top of his head," Maddon joked. "Eventually we got the right one."
Herrera exchanged Baxter's for teammate Chris Coghlan's. This time it fit nicely and Herrera promptly singled to right contributing to a 3-run rally and the come-from-behind 5-3 victory.
"It disappeared inside the dugout," Herrera said of his own helmet.
It turned out the helmet was hidden deep inside the bat rack so no one could find it until after Herrera at-bat. Next time up he used his own.
"The magician was in New York but not in our clubhouse," Maddon joked. "I might have to consult with Simon (the magician). Simon please return Johnny's helmet."
