CHICAGO -- Before he takes the mound each start, Andrew Heaney delegates a responsibility to someone in the dugout. If he points at his shoe, that means his shoelace has probably exploded and you need to run up to his locker to grab another.
It’s not paranoia. It has been a semi-regular occurrence throughout his career, and it happened again in the sixth inning Thursday night in the Pirates’ 3-2 loss at Wrigley Field. The southpaw was gearing up to face the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki but needed to tear out the old lace and tie on another.
Heaney, an 12-year MLB veteran, knows a thing or two about delivering under pressure, but those 54 seconds from when he threw away the old lace to when he completed his double knot is nerve-racking.
“It’s funny. It’s easier to pitch in a big league ball game than it is to try to lace your shoelaces,” Heaney said with a chuckle. “You’re already shaking from adrenaline. You’re trying to be fast, but you’re also trying to not sit there and keep missing the eyelet and taking forever.”
This is the second time this year Heaney needed to re-lace mid-start, having done some spike surgery on April 17. At the time, Heaney said it was either the fourth or fifth time it has happened to him during a game, adding it usually happens during day games when it’s drier.
There’s not much he can do to rectify the matter. He already replaces his shoelaces after starts, with New Balance sending him a 50 pack to help get through the season.
It’s just always at risk of happening because of his mechanics.
“If you go watch the video of how I throw, I just drag the top of my foot,” Heaney said. “Just eventually sheers apart.”
Heaney usually gets ribbed by umpires when he’s tying his shoes again, but on Thursday, the Wrigley crowd gave him a slight cheer when he wrapped up. It was a nice gesture, because usually Pirate pitchers get a tongue-lashing from fans here.
“It is what it is,” Heaney said. “It’s how I throw and I like the spikes.”