PHOENIX — Jordy Mercer had an 8 o’clock flight to catch. That wouldn’t necessarily have been a problem, except the Pirates’ Sunday afternoon game on Aug. 19, 2012, went 19 innings, and Mercer played in the final six. The Pirates finally beat the St. Louis Cardinals after six hours and seven minutes; as usual, Mercer shook hands with his teammates and returned to the clubhouse. His pregnant wife, Kasey — who was going to be induced the next morning — had texted him several times.
“She was like, ‘What are you doing on the field, shaking hands? Get the heck off the field!