Before throwing what would be the first of 86 pitches, Tyler Cloyd — the Marlins’ mop-up man — knelt behind the mound at Wrigley Field and prayed.
Cloyd prayed for his health and he prayed for his family back home.
“Do it every time,” said Cloyd, a player of deep religious faith.
The Marlins were praying, too, praying that Cloyd — a 30-year-old journeyman — could get them through the final four innings of a blowout loss to the Cubs on Monday so that they could preserve the other members of the bullpen for another day.