Cubs have ‘pajama party’ for flight back to Chicago after Arrieta’s no-hitter

On August 30, 2015, in Chi Cubs, Curve Balls
LOS ANGELES -AP- When the Cubs wrapped up their six-game West Coast trip, it was time for manager Joe Maddon and the club to break out the pajamas.
PJs for the Cubbies? Yep.
The plan was set in place before Sunday night's 2-0 victory, a no-hitter by Jake Arrieta at Dodger Stadium. Maddon had no idea the PJ theme party would turn into a celebration of the no-no Arrieta tossed moments earlier.
The right-hander pitched his first career no-hitter, the majors' sixth of the season and the Cubs' 14th in team history. Two Dodgers reached base, the first on a third-inning error by Cubs second baseman Starlin Castro and the second by way of a sixth-inning, two-out walk.
After Arrieta struck out the side in the ninth and the Cubs were done celebrating on the field, it was back to the clubhouse to get dressed for the overnight flight to Chicago.
Known for coming up with inventive themed apparel for his team at the end of a trip, Maddon's latest stab at sartorial splendor involved one-piece pajamas. Some have feet in them, just like the ones little kids wear.
"Mine's got a front trap and not a back trap door,'' he said, declining to reveal any other details. ''That's the most necessary thing on the plane ride.''
After the historic pitching gem, which included 12 strikeouts, several teammates took pictures with Arrieta, who was in a onesie covered in mustaches.
Castro smiled in a Super Mario Bros. T-shirt and pants bearing the characters' faces, pitcher Hector Rondon wore a Superman onesie and pitcher Pedro Strop sported a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt and pants in a photo he posted on Twitter.
Reliever Fernando Rodney wore a blue-and-white top with matching pants, infielder Jonathan Herrera went low-key in a white T-shirt and plaid bottoms and center fielder Dexter Fowler donned a navy number.
Maddon said the PJs were optional for the players, but he hoped everyone would dress accordingly as a way to have fun together during their bid for a wild-card playoff spot.
With unseasonably hot temperatures in Los Angeles during their visit, Maddon said he was concerned about the bus to the airport and the plane being properly air-conditioned so the Cubs won't overheat in their jammies.
''I really thought that by this time of the year here, it was going to be cooler at night and they would play perfectly,'' he said. ''Bad call.''
Earlier in the season, Maddon had his players dress in Blackhawks gear for the city's hockey team, and sport coats with shorts or chinos another time.
In 2010, when he managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Maddon came up with what he called a ''BRayser,'' a combination of Rays and blazer. Mohawks and hair dye have figured into Maddon's version of building team unity, too.
 
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