As Paul Goldschmidt stepped into the box and looked for his fourth home run of the night, tension gripped St. Louis Cardinals fans everywhere. But when Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell ordered the intentional walk, anticipation was replaced by fury about the breaking of one of baseball’s “unwritten rules.”
The walk was certainly disappointing; I, like every other Cardinals fan, wanted to see Goldschmidt hit his fourth dinger of the night. But I also understood and even somewhat respected Counsell’s decision.
Baseball’s unwritten rules include not stealing a base when you have a large lead, not bunting to break up a no-hitter and, apparently, not walking a batter when he’s shooting for four home runs.