Joe Maddon brought in a magician to perform for the Chicago Cubs before Tuesday's game against the New York Mets.
"Joe started talking about [baseball] magic and the next thing I know there was a magician there," Addison Russell said.
Maddon thought of the idea "on the plane or bus" after the Cubs' weekend series in St. Louis, where they were swept. They were on a season-high five-game losing streak, having fallen 11½ games behind the Cardinals going into Tuesday's games.
"It was about time," Maddon said. "Tough series in St. Louis. I don't want our guys to get all distraught for the wrong reasons. We played a good game. They beat us. Let's keep moving it forward."