Rally Pants helping River Cats get back in race

Elk Grove native Brad Kilby may be on the River Cats' disabled list, but the relief pitcher hasn't stopped doing all he can to help his team win.

Kilby has recently gone toward a lucky pair of skin-tight Rally Pants to help the River Cats overcome late-inning deficits. Just as the Rally Monkey helped spring the Los Angeles Angels to the 2002 World Series, Kilby's pants seem to be having a positive effect of the River Cats' record.

Here' a glance at the Rally Pants:

Who wears them? Relief pitcher Brad Kilby.

What are they? Skin-tight baseball pants, made before minor league baseball switched to more loose-fitting pants earlier in the decade.

How does Kilby get in the pants? Because the pants are several sizes too small, Kilby requires the help of two clubhouse managers to get inside the pants.

When does Kilby wear them? When he is serving as first-base coach and the River Cats need to score late-inning runs.

What luck have they had? On June 17, Kilby went back to put on the pants before the eighth inning. After he came back to coach first base, Sacramento scored three runs in the eighth to take an 8-6 lead and went on to win. Two days later, after Reno tied the game in the top of the ninth with a three-run homer, Sacramento scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning with Kilby in the Rally Pants.

Kilby on the Rally Pants: "The guys like it. It gets everyone relaxed and have a little laugh before we go out and hit. It's caught on a little bit. I'll keep going with it, if I can't play I'm going to do anything I can to help the ball club right now."