Matt Szczur may not be on the Chicago Cubs’ postseason roster, but his impact on the Cubs has been significant.
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo used Szczur’s bat during Game 4 of the NLCS on Wednesday and the change helped him break out of a slump. Addison Russell similarly wore Szczur’s underwear (leggings to be exact) in Game 4 and also broke out of a slump. Russell wore the leggings in Game 5 as well and hit a 2-run home run for the second consecutive game.
The Szczur effect led Rizzo to joke about the situation in a postgame interview with FS1 on Thursday night.
“I tell you what, we might be sleeping with Szczur pretty soon. Team party,” Rizzo joked.
“He’s such a gamer. He’s obviously not on the (postseason) roster, but he’s with us every pitch,” Rizzo said of Szczur.
.@Cubs' star @ARizzo44 joined the guys to discuss the team heading home w/a 3-2 lead, his big hits & Matt Szczur. https://t.co/PmWF2QLBAD
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 21, 2016
You may think this talk is somewhat odd, but it really isn’t in baseball. Players will do anything to gain a mental edge. We’ve heard of even more odd good luck charms in baseball, too.
