SEATTLE • With one Cardinals' first-round pick standing at the plate and ignoring a wild pitch, another saw the opportunity to take off for home and his first run scored as a professional athlete.
This afternoon in Jupiter, Fla., the Cardinals' first overall selection, shortstop Delvin Perez, made his professional baseball debut. He tripled in his second at-bat, scored on the wild pitch, and by the end of the sixth inning had three hits and two runs for the GCL Cardinals. Perez started as the team's leadoff hitter and shortstop, and he was not alone in his debut Friday.