When Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan needed a lift, his teammates stepped up in a big way.

Hannahan's wife went into labor this month while the team was in Boston. The journeyman ballplayer was desperate to get back to Cleveland, but the next available flight wasn't until the next morning.

The Indians then pitched in to secure a private plane that got Hannahan home in time for the birth of his first child, John Jack Hannahan V. Hannahan's wife had a difficult pregnancy, but he says John is doing great.

The Indians tried to keep the kind gesture quiet, but news trickled out in the past couple days, and Hannahan delivered a public thank you before last night's game at the Chicago White Sox.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)