On Wednesday afternoon, in a big game against rival Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny wanted a live bat in the lineup, so he asked Randal Grichuk to get in there.
The only problem? Grichuk had just returned from the DL with a strained right elbow. He could hit — just the day before he had knocked out a pinch-hit home run — but he couldn’t throw. Like, at all. He was not supposed to throw a baseball.
But the Cardinals needed him, so they put him in center field. He played center field without throwing a baseball. Whenever he got it, he’d hand it off to a teammate who would throw it in.
“We walked through every potential scenario that could possibly happen and told him exactly what his expectation is,” manager Mike Matheny said. “We told the other players too what the expectation is, and he understands. That was the only way this will work, and it’s the only way it’s an option. He gets it and … he’s concerned enough, too, to make sure he doesn’t do anything that sets himself back.”“When teams see that, they’re going to run,” Heyward said.” I haven’t done that before. I don’t think I’ve seen it the whole time playing baseball — from five until now.”
The Cardinals won the game 4-3.
(Thanks to MLB for sharing.)
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