After a rocky defensive performance in Game 5, Dodger first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has reportedly asked to borrow utility-man Matt Szczur’s glove for the remainder of the NLCS.
“It’s just sitting there,” Gonzalez stated in the Dodger dugout Thursday night. “We’ve all seen what [Anthony] Rizzo and [Addison] Russell were able to do with his bat and underwear, so if I can get a little piece of that magic, I’ll take it.”
When asked how he, a left-handed first baseman, would handle his defensive duties with a right-handed outfielder’s glove, Gonzalez replied, “I’m not worried about it. It’s the playoffs, you know. We’ve been doing this a long time, and sometimes all it takes is a small adjustment to get the momentum back in our favor.”
For his part, Szczur seems to be enjoying his newfound celebrity.
“It’s really flattering,” he said from his spot on the Cubs’ bench. “I mean, I’d love to, you know, actually be playing in this series. But if I can’t, this is really the next best thing.”
“He’s been a great sport about it,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said during his postgame press conference. “He really is a team-first guy. Back in June I forgot my toothbrush on a road trip, and wouldn’t you know it, Matt stepped up and lent me his. It says a lot about the culture we’ve built around here.”
At press time, a distraught Joe Blanton could be heard frantically asking a number of teammates if they knew what size shoe Szczur wore.
