ST. LOUIS — Branch Rickey's unwritten rules of baseball etiquette may have been violated Saturday at Busch Stadium when Cardinals pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk burst out of the dugout to take a curtain call.
Grichuk's pinch-hit home run in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series had cut the Cardinals' deficit to three runs in a 6-3 loss to the Cubs that tied the series at one game apiece.
Curtain calls usually are reserved for big moments, and though it certainly was nice for Grichuk, it did not meet the minimum standards required for running out of the dugout and taking a bow.