Imagine the confidence the Cardinals would have felt in the same situation last season.
They're down by a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Runners on first and third. Next up: Jason Heyward.
The right fielder averaged a club-best .293 as a Cardinal in 2015. He totaled a team-high 160 hits. Eleven turned a Cardinals' deficit, or tie, into a lead.
Now imagine the stomachs that knotted in a packed, postseason-like Wrigley Field late Monday night, when Heyward stepped into the box against Cards closer Trevor Rosenthal.
Yes, Rosenthal has been suspect this season.