PHILADELPHIA — Everything was back to normal when the Phillies' clubhouse opened before batting practice Friday afternoon.
Not only was Cole Hamels in the room but his belongings were too.
Hamels had already left the park by the time the clubhouse opened postgame on Thursday and his locker was empty and nameplate gone, leaving reporters and teammates confused. Friday he admitted to the pulling the joke.
"We've kind of been battling some tough morale, so just something to distract everybody," Hamels said. "… It's something where you have to lighten the mood somehow. It's been unfortunate, the timing an the places we've been through, so that's kind of what it was.