Unflappable: Helmet switch suits Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo just fine

One flap or two, at the moment, Shin-Soo Choo is unflappable in the batter’s box.

The Rangers outfielder is not a superstitious man, either, but he knows you don’t mess with a good thing.

That’s why he’s likely to stick with his new helmet, the one he’s worn while knocking seven hits in the past two games, including four Thursday night in the Rangers’ 8-2 win over the Astros at Globe Life Park. The first-place Rangers open a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners at 7:05 p.m. Friday night.

On Tuesday night, Choo slammed his usual helmet to the turf after flying out against Oliver Perez in the eighth inning. The blow cracked the helmet, which is different than most because it offers protection over both ears.

Most hitters use one-flapped helmets that cover their ear pointed towards the pitcher when they’re in the batter’s box.

The Rangers didn’t have a red-colored double-flap replacement for Wednesday’s game so Choo went with the single-flap style. He knocked three hits, including a double, and scored three runs.

“It was just one game, so OK,” Choo said. “But I got three hits and my teammates said, ‘Choo, why don’t you use it?’ And [Thursday] I got four hits so I’ll probably use it for a while.”

Choo has raised his average to a season-high .267. He was hitting .235 a month ago. In 16 games in September, he’s hitting .424 with 25 hits, four doubles, two homers, 10 RBI, and 15 runs scored.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 1:39 AM with the headline "Unflappable: Helmet switch suits Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo just fine."