With a first pitch less than 10½ hours after they left the ballpark that morning, manager Mike Shildt chose to unleash his “Bench Mafia” and started only one regular, Tommy Edman. His commitment to getting everyday players a breather after playing the entirety of the 19-inning slog was so certain that it took a ninth-inning rally to bring Paul Goldschmidt up as a pinch-hitter. The four leading home run hitters on the roster combined to take one at-bat, Goldschmidt’s, in the final road game of the regular season.
“There was nothing about today’s game that indicated we weren’t all-in.