The Cardinals' searching cleanup hitter shuffled back toward the dugout with his head down. One big, freeing swing still wanted.
In order to best capture how unique this September has been for Ozuna, consider his history, or lack thereof, with Octobers.
Of the 930 games the Cardinals’ cleanup hitter has appeared in since he made his Marlins debut in 2013, just five occurred in October. Zero were postseason games. Add in the fact that Ozuna is a pending free agent trying to put himself in position to capitalize on a contract season, and there are countless reasons a player who has pressed in the past might find himself doing so now.