CINCINNATI • Long before Scooter Gennett took a swing at history Tuesday and did something rarer than even the feat baseball calls a “perfect game,” there was the tradeoff.
In hope of a close-scoring game, one the Cardinals’ soporific offense could join, manager Mike Matheny elected to give up an out to get a run back. He challenged a call on a ball his own fielder caught, had the sacrifice fly overturned, and put faith in starter Adam Wainwright to slip free from the inning, even with an extra out. The result was not the ground ball or strikeout needed, but a walk that ushered in Gennett’s game of a lifetime and a rout.