PITTSBURGH • Even before the Cardinals saw a pitch Sunday they were having trouble making a connection.
Manager Mike Matheny alerted the umpiring crew that the video replay system was uncooperative and then unavailable in the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park, forcing a delay of the season opener and improvised replay rules by officials. Both teams were given an unlimited amount of challenges, and Matheny warned them that he would request replay if “anything I see doesn’t look right.” He didn’t care how long it made the game.
They needn’t have worried.
It’s rarely the call that’s missed in a strikeout.