WATCH: Russell breaks his belt on diving stop |
CHICAGO — When laying out to make a diving stop of a grounder hit up the middle, Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell destroyed an article of clothing in the process. Snapping his belt by colliding with the infield dirt on the all-out attempt, Russell prevented the baseball from leaving the infield but required a new belt after doing so.
Marking the final at-bat of pitcher Kyle Hendricks's start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong smacked a hard-hit chopper to deep shortstop that Russell chased down and dove to his left to corral. Despite being unable to make a throw on the bases-loaded play, which resulted in a run scoring, Russell prevented the Cubs from suffering the additional damage that would have occurred had the baseball left the infield. @Addison_Russell how the heck did you manage to break your belt like this? I never seen anywhere else before. Wow ??! But in all seriousness, good luck in the second half of baseball! #scnottop10 #STLvsCHC pic.twitter.com/jn8s1OFju1 As a result of the wardrobe malfunction, a member of the Cubs staff rushed a belt out to Russell, who quickly donned his new sash and returned to action. Although no outs were recorded on the fifth-inning infield hit, the defensive prowess showcased by Russell arguably made for one of the most important plays of the game, as the Cubs went on to score five runs in the bottom half of the same inning to take a lead that they did not relinquish. ?@UniWatch? ?@PhilHecken? Addison Russell broke his belt making a diving play at shortstop. They brought him a replacement during a pitching change right after. pic.twitter.com/aHxqbyaP34
