Cubs LF Kyle Schwarber trips over shoe, gets up to make catch

ST. LOUIS - It was the last thing Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber needed.

After being unable to track down a fly ball that plated two runs for the St. Louis Cardinals? in the fourth inning on Saturday, Schwarber tripped over his shoe and fell to the ground on another fly, this time in the sixth with the Cubs leading by a run, 5-4.

But he kept his eyes in the air as he recovered in time to make the catch.

Then he pointed at his right shoe before taking it off and heading into the Cubs dugout for a replacement.

"Schwarber (showed) his off-season program by being able to fall down and get up," manager Joe Maddon said after the game.?"All the Burpees he probably did during the off season were demonstrated right there."

Schwarber was easily tracking Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter's fly - a ball Statcast rated a 99 percent chance of being caught - when all of a sudden he went to the ground.

?"It looked like he may have blown out his shoelaces," Maddon said. "I've had that happen. It looked like it was spread open and he couldn't put them back on. I think he popped the laces."?

Schwarber wasn't available after the game for comment. Maddon was just grateful he finished the play.

The manager was asked if he had ever seen that happen before. "In high school football, but I haven't seen in baseball," Maddon said.