The Cardinals and Pirates kicked off a doubleheader with a weird mix of solid defense, umpire confusion, and a near blown finish. Early in the game, the Cardinals turned a nice play at first despite some bobbling and got a laugh from teammates with a little showmanship. The real chaos came late, with the Cardinals just one out from sealing the win. A 99 mph fastball made the count 0-2, then things got muddy. A borderline pitch didn’t get called for strike three. A few pitches later, after several balls in the dirt, the batter appeared to draw a walk. He didn’t take first, though, and nobody said anything.
Both teams seemed confused. The Pirates’ dugout thought it was ball four, the umpire said it was still a full count, and the batter just stood there. A mic picked up an honest moment where the tallest ump in the league admitted he probably messed it up. After some back and forth, a review finally confirmed it was ball four. The batter went to first, and then the Cardinals unraveled. A routine grounder turned into an error, loading the bases. Another walk pushed things further, but a deep flyout ended the game before it could get worse. The Cardinals won, but the botched count nearly opened the door for a collapse.