Lars Nootbaar stepped up to the plate for the Cardinals with some personality. A former two-sport athlete from USC, he brought some humor with an old tweet about being scared of the dark. Facing Royals pitcher Brad Keller, Nootbaar started his at-bat in a light-hearted exchange, even tossing a comment toward the umpire. Things got awkward when the umpire prematurely called him out on strike two, then quickly corrected himself. On the very next pitch, Nootbaar struck out for real, ending the quirky sequence.
Later in the game, Nootbaar got another chance. His next at-bat followed a similar rhythm, with the umpire again losing track of the count. Once more, a pitch was wrongly called strike three before the error was acknowledged. Nootbaar stayed composed and worked the count. He finished the at-bat strong, drilling a single up the middle. The dugout celebrated, and the moment showed Nootbaar’s ability to keep things light while staying focused. Despite the umpire’s repeated mistakes, he kept his cool and came away with a hit.