Randal Grichuk waited for his pitch.
Five times, he prepared.
Five times, he returned to the dugout.
He didn’t hit a sinking drive, caught at the shoelaces by the left fielder.
He didn’t hit a sharp ground ball, snared by the third baseman on a dive.
The first baseman never did stretch for the ball, somehow keeping his toe on the bag while making a catch.
He didn’t hit the ball in play.
Poor Grichuk struck out in every single at bat last night.
Five.
In arbitration hearings, a fourth starter might point to five strikeouts as evidence of a quality start.
Maybe a third starter would try it, too.
But he played again today, Grichuk did.
With Peter Bourjos at first base, he hit a line drive over the left fielder’s head.
Bourjos ran at the crack of the bat, speeding around the bases until sliding into home.
Grichuk stood at second with an RBI double.
In the third, he tripled, and scored on a hit by Jhonny Peralta.
In the sixth, with the bases loaded, he hit a ball of the left field wall, scoring two more.
Today: three extra base hits.
Yesterday: Five strikeouts.
This was last done in 1914.
Tomorrow: put him in the lineup again.
by 