St. Louis led this one by three entering the 9th inning.
Trevor Rosenthal faced Gregory Polanco, who squinted at strike one and weakly knocked the next pitch into the stands.
Foul.
After a ball, Rosenthal sneered at his catcher, firing a pitch that sailed past home plate.
Yadier Molina leaped from his stance to catch it.
The next ball was outside, and the pitcher faced a 3-2 count with the leadoff hitter.
Walk’s as good as a hit.
Former MVP Andrew McCutchen was due up third, with his team down three.
But Polanco weakly chopped a ball to second baseman Kolten Wong for the first out.
In lieu of a walk, Neil Walker took his stance.
He couldn’t catch up with 99 miles.
A little more zip than other pitches, but 99 versus 96 only seems meaningful en route to a hospital or vacation home.
Walker couldn’t hit a changeup at 88, either.
Still, Rosenthal took the count to 2-2, the fourth pitch bouncing out of the webbing of Molina’s glove.
Walker timed the next one, driving a ball to left center.
He stopped at first.
McCutchen, a righthander, waved his bat through strike one.
Rosenthal blinked.
He threw a pitch back home.
And McCutchen drove it to second baseman Wong, who nabbed and fired the ball to Mark Reynolds, who stepped on first base.
Walker dove back, stretching his hand toward the bag.
The ball arrived first.
by 