ARLINGTON, Texas — Cardinals rookie outfielder Alec Burleson didn’t hesitate to wind up and exuberantly slap hands with third base coach Pop Warner as he round third on his way to the plate as the lone run scored in a nail-biter against the Texas Rangers.
Burleson didn’t feel any discomfort in that moment, despite the palm of his right hand looking vaguely reminiscent of a paint by numbers collage.
Burleson had just delivered the decisive blow, a solo home run, which give the Cardinals a 1-0 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field in the finale of a three-game series.