In the moments between innings, as Royals pitcher Matt Strahm marches back to the dugout, he can evoke the image of a certain NBA superstar.
A mouthguard dangles from his lips. He hops over the baseline with aplomb. The confidence and swagger carries over to the dugout.
“That Steph Curry look,” teammate Danny Duffy says, recalling the Golden State Warriors star who has become famous for chewing on his mouthpiece during games.
For Strahm, a left-handed reliever, the mouthguard is not a piece of unnecessary flare. He began wearing it last season after the muscles in his neck kept tightening up after pitching appearances.