Szczur has ways of helping

LOS ANGELES — A valued pinch hitter and role player during the regular season, Matt Szczur wasn’t much use to the Cubs in the division series. They left him off the roster — a mild surprise to some — and made do with Albert Almora instead. In the NLCS, Szczur was left out again and became a forgotten Cub.

Until Wednesday in Game 4, that is, when Anthony Rizzo used Szczur’s bat and broke out of a slump with a home run and two singles. After the game, Szczur was a media darling in the Cubs’ clubhouse.

“He’s done that a few times, grabbed my bat,” Szczur said. “It’s the same weight and size, just a different model. So he just grabbed one.”

On the other side of the world, in Ukraine, Szczur is a hero every day to 4- year- old Anastasia Olkhovsky, who owes her life to the 27- year- old Cub. While a two- sport star athlete at Villanova, he signed up to be a bone marrow donor. Turns out he was a match for Anastasia. Shortly after he led Villanova’s football team to an FCS national title in the fall of 2009, Szczur interrupted his baseball season to have the procedure done.

Diagnosed with leukemia at 3 months old, Anastasia received Szczur’s marrow when she was 3 years old. The leukemia is in remission.

ESPN’s “E: 60” feature on her story and Szczur’s part in it aired a second time Wednesday. Rizzo, a cancer survivor, pointed to Szczur after his homer and said after the game he was inspired by the “E60” piece.

Szczur spoke to Anastasia via Skype about a week ago.

“She’s doing well,” he said.