Chicago Cubs pitcher Luke Little was forced to change his gloves because the Stars and Stripes patch was white during his team’s 4-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.
Little was called into the game with one out in the seventh inning. Umpires inspected Little’s glove regularly, and the pitcher was told it needed to be replaced. Few had Stars and Stripes patches and Cubs patches on their black gear.
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Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Luke Little pauses on the mound during the bottom of the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“The problem was he had the American flag on his glove,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “When it comes to pitchers’ gloves, there are pretty strict rules that say you can’t paint a pitcher’s glove white. Apparently, there was something on that flag that could distract the batter.”
A clubhouse attendant tried to find a replacement glove. The first pair of gloves the staff member chose also had an American flag patch on them. The next pair of gloves had not yet been used.
“I had to try to beat it a little bit and bend it,” Little told reporters. “Of all the things you need to do, it’s important to get your gloves used during the game.”
Chicago Cubs No. 43 Luke Little pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Houston Astros on April 24, 2024 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
seemed to have little reaction to sequence on X.
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“Proud to be an American… Go Cubs Go,” he wrote, along with an American flag emoji and a GIF of Hulk Hogan playing guitar in front of the American flag.
The 25-year-old has owned the glove since his days in Single-A minor league baseball.
“Club officials said they received an email from MLB prohibiting them from wearing them,” Little told The Associated Press. “But I didn’t assume they were just going to cut me. It’s not going to give me any advantage in the game. It’s not going to blind the batsmen. It’s just to represent my country. is.”
“It’s a complete disaster. We have to prepare and get through it without it.”
Little struck out one batter in 0.2 innings.
Luke Little changed gloves against the Houston Astros. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
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He got his first real chance to play in Chicago this season. He has appeared in nine games so far this season, pitching 8.1 innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He appeared in just seven games last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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