Giants-Cardinals gets off to awkward start before first pitch

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Apparently, you can’t use a glove in an MLB game that has a light gray and red color combination.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks learned that the hard way, literally right as he was about to deliver the game's first pitch to LaMonte Wade Jr. against the Giants on Friday at Busch Stadium.

Crew chief Greg Gibson walked in from second base, gesturing to his hand and telling the pitcher that the glove was not okay.

According to Rule 3.07 in the official MLB Rule Book, “the pitcher’s glove may not, exclusive of piping, be white, gray, nor in the judgement of an umpire distracting in any manner.”

Someone from the Cardinals’ dugout delivered another glove to the mound that appeared to be more straight red with a little bit of black and gray -- but Gibson didn’t like that one, either.

Fed up and with the home crowd getting restless, Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux finally brought out three more different gloves for Gibson to deliver to Hicks so that he could pick one. This time, all of them met the umpire's color standards.

And then the game could get under way.

At least everyone involved appeared to have a little bit of fun with the awkward situation, as both Maddux and Gibson were laughing. 

Though, assuming the umpires were watching Hicks warm up, perhaps they could have told him to change gloves before he was about to throw the first pitch.

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And interestingly enough, Hicks' original glove looked like the same glove he used to pitch against the Giants at Oracle Park last week -- and nobody stopped him then.

It didn’t seem to affect Hicks, though, since the Giants didn’t score in the first inning.

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