LIVE BLOGGING - Game 162 - Saint Louis Cardinals - 2019

I thought I’d try to live blog this winner-take-all final game of the MLB season, a la my microblogging buddy @kordumb.

If the Cardinals win today, they win the NL Central Division. It’s one of those rare instances where a team’s magic number is 1… with just one game to go. ⚾ 🔴 ⚪

  • Chicago begins the game knowing that their championship-winning manager will be parting ways with the Cubs’ organization at the end of the day, win or lose. That has to make for a strange atmosphere in the dugout.

  • The Cubs’ Derek Holland starting off incredibly wild. Can’t seem to place his fastball in the strike zone. Cards up 2-0.

  • After Flaherty reaches first with his team-leading 10th base-knock by a Cardinal pitcher, right fielder Dexter Fowler crushes a 415-foot home run to left center. Saint Louis up 4-0.

  • Tremendous running, diving, over-the-shoulder catch in right-center field by Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman. What a play!

  • Holland still not showing much control…. Ozuna, who’s been in a brutal slump for weeks doubles home another run, pulling an inside off-speed pitch from Holland into the left-field corner. Cardinals up 5-0.

  • All Hell has broken loose… Cards go up 8-0 after a Matt Carpenter tater high over the right-field wall; of course, then the Cubs’ pitcher plunks the very next Cardinal to come to the plate. 🤷🏼‍♂️

  • Redbirds keep adding on runs. Goldy (Paul Goldschmidt) powders yet another 400-foot+ long ball for Saint Louis. The score is now 9-0.

  • The Cardinals’ big, young right-hander Jack Flaherty is pitching like an ace today, and for once he’s getting run support from his teammates. He’s kept the Cubs scoreless through 6 innings, with five strikeouts. If that was his last inning, Flaherty would finish the season with a 2.75 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Pretty impressive.

  • Matt Carpenter looks better at the plate, like he might be getting his swing back for the Cardinals after a prolonged slump. If so, couldn’t ask for better timing.

  • Flaherty did end up pitching one more inning, but he faced the minimum and held Chicago scoreless. He pitched like a real veteran today, throwing strike after strike. What a second half of the season for this kid.

  • Well, that’s a winner. 9-zip. Happy this one turned out to be a laugher. See you in Atlanta, Cardinal fans!

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