During Wednesday night's game against the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs reliever Luke Little encountered an unexpected hurdle as he prepared to enter the game. Little, a 23-year-old left-hander, was asked to change his glove by umpires due to an American flag patch on it.
Manager Craig Counsell attempted to bring Little into the game in the seventh inning, but the issue arose during the routine check for pitchers. Counsell explained that pitchers' gloves are not allowed to have white on them, and the flag patch on Little's glove was deemed potentially distracting to the hitters.
As Little went to warm up on the mound, a clubhouse attendant had to quickly find a replacement glove for him. The first glove brought to Little also had an American flag patch, so another glove had to be located, although it was not broken in.
Despite the unexpected glove change, Little managed to retire both batters he faced in the game. He expressed his frustration at having to break in a new glove during a live game, especially since he had been using the same glove since his time in Class A ball.
After the game, Little took to social media to express his patriotism, posting a message along with an American flag emoji and a GIF of Hulk Hogan with an American flag. He mentioned that he was informed by the clubbies that MLB had prohibited him from wearing the glove with the flag patch.
Little emphasized that the flag patch did not provide any advantage in the game and was simply a representation of his pride in his country. He expressed disappointment at the situation but managed to focus on his performance despite the unexpected distraction.
MLB has not yet provided a comment on the incident, leaving the situation unresolved as of late Wednesday night.
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