51黑料

The reaction to what happened next definitely was.

鈥淲hen I hit the ball,鈥� Pozo said, 鈥渋t was loud.鈥�

He was describing the scene back home in Venezuela, but that fits for his teammates from the dugout, on the bases, or in the clubhouse at Wrigley Field. After a week spent aching for runs 鈥� and sometimes just aching in general 鈥� the Cardinals roared as Pozo鈥檚 419-foot pinch-hit home run cleared the bleachers and landed somewhere out there on Waveland Avenue. The three-run homer, Pozo鈥檚 third game-winning hit in only his 33rd appearance as a Cardinal, snapped a tie in the eighth inning and launched the Cardinals toward an 8-6 victory against the rival Cubs.

In the training room, Matthew Liberatore was recovering from his five innings and watching his longtime friend and boyhood teammate Nolan Gorman tie the game, 5-5, to get Pozo up with two runs in and two runners on.

Trainer Chris Conroy nodded to the TV and said Pozo was 鈥済oing to go deep.鈥�

Pozo connected and Liberatore replied.

鈥淗e went more than just deep,鈥� the lefty recalled saying. 鈥淭he ball was out of the stadium.鈥�

Standing at third base with one out, Lars Nootbaar felt certain Pozo would put the ball in play 鈥� because that鈥檚 pretty much all the Cardinals have seen him do since he joined the clubhouse midway through big-league spring training and made immediate noise with his bat. The backup catcher has a knack for making contact even on pitches that might bounce over the plate, and the home run was his third pinch-hit base hit of the road trip.

鈥淭here are certain guys, and he鈥檚 one of them, that you have the ultimate confidence that he鈥檚 going to put a bat on the ball, and it鈥檚 probably going to be hit hard,鈥� Nootbaar said. 鈥淧inch-hitter is the toughest thing to do in this sport, so you never just assume. It would be unfair to assume he鈥檚 going to go up there and get a hit. But if there鈥檚 anybody who is going to do it 鈥� for me, at third, pretty good idea he鈥檚 going to get the job done. It鈥檚 impressive to have that outlook from us as teammates when he (has) limited at-bats.鈥�

How the Cardinals tied the game, how Nootbaar got to third base to be that confident, and how Pozo became a factor required a series of contributions in the five-run eighth inning that was the story of the Cardinals鈥� comeback and emblematic of them at their best.

It started with Alec Burleson鈥檚 solo bop.

Then it took a bloop.

It took a bunt.

It took a bouncer.

And it ended with Pozo鈥檚 blast.

鈥淭he selflessness,鈥� manager Oliver Marmol said. 鈥淣o one is trying to be the hero. You鈥檝e got the leadoff homer, which is great. But then you get the flip to right, which we鈥檝e needed. We鈥檝e had a lot of balls right at people that were hit hard. Then you get the bunt. The selfless single through the six-hole by Gorman. And then Pozo does damage. The mentality of getting the next guy up.鈥�

The Cardinals trailed 5-3 going into the eighth inning. Their early 2-0 and 3-1 leads had been vaporized by the Cubs due in part to a couple of wild pitches and Michael Busch getting hits in seven consecutive at-bats. Busch homered for a fourth time in the series to lead off the second, and by the time he scored on a wild pitch to break the 3-3 tie, he was a triple shy of the cycle. It was just the sixth inning.

The Cubs tried to cobble together the game using relievers, and the Cardinals capitalized by prolonging at-bats against opener Drew Pomeranz. Brendan Donovan opened the game with a 10-pitch walk, and by the time the Cubs dipped into the bullpen for the first time, three of the four batters Pomeranz faced had reached base. Thomas Saggese was a last-minute addition to the lineup at third base to replace Nolan Arenado due to a sore shoulder. The game immediately funneled to Saggese with the bases loaded and on out.

鈥淭he game will find you; that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� Marmol said.

Saggese roped a two-run single to end his personal 0 for 19 skid. His RBIs put the Cardinals ahead before the Cubs carved away at the lead, broke through against the Cardinals鈥� bullpen, and carried a two-run lead with six outs to get.

Make that one-run lead.

Burleson drove a solo homer to center field in the eighth to stir the Cardinals鈥� rally.

The game found Saggese again.

The Bloop

The young infielder who had gone 12 days without a hit before his first-inning single, lobbed a ball toward right field. It was the kind of softly hit looper that the Cardinals had been longing for all week 鈥� just something that slipped between fielders and plopped into the grass, not rocketed to them. The Post-Dispatch asked Saggese when he knew it would be a hit.

鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking about this a lot,鈥� the infielder said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a hopeful thing. When I saw it, as soon as I saw it, I was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 going to drop. Let鈥檚 go. Let鈥檚 go.鈥� I鈥檝e been thinking about that moment a lot. It鈥檚 a weird thing. You鈥檙e excited. But it鈥檚 happening so fast, too. Ones like that I鈥檓 like yeah, yeah, yeah, that鈥檚 going to be a hit. And then you see it. You know pretty fast.鈥�

Saggese鈥檚 broken-bat bloop put a runner at first with one out for Nootbaar.

The Bunt

Against Cubs reliever Brad Keller, Nootbaar read the situation and freelanced a bunt. At worst, he was going to get Saggese 鈥� the tying run 鈥� to second base for Gorman. At best, he was going to be the go-ahead run on base with Gorman up. Nootbaar鈥檚 bunt stopped at the point where Keller and catcher Carson Kelly converged. To avoid each other, neither picked up the ball.

鈥淎t the very least, I鈥檓 getting Saggy into scoring position,鈥� Nootbaar said.

Marmol joined the media around Nootbaar, saying he wanted to hear the explanation.

鈥淲hen the manager has to touch your bat before you go to the plate sometimes to see if there鈥檚 anything in there,鈥� Nootbaar continued, laughing. 鈥淚 just thought in that situation, Gorman behind me, he鈥檚 seeing the ball well 鈥� I was just thinking at the very least getting a guy in scoring position. I was going for the hit there and that gets myself, the leading runner, on first base with one out.鈥�

The Bouncer

Gorman made the bunt look even better when he poked a bounding grounder to the shortstop side of second base for the game-tying single. Both of Gorman鈥檚 RBI hits went to the opposite field 鈥� something he鈥檚 been working on to expand his game at the plate.

鈥淭he next step for him,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淏ig part of that inning.鈥�

Saggese scored.

Nootbaar reached third.

Gorman stood at first.

Pozo came up to pinch-hit for Pedro Pages and take an at-bat he鈥檇 been preparing for since the fifth.

The Blast

In the bottom of the fifth inning of every game he鈥檚 not catching, Pozo heads to the batting cage. He starts loosening up his swing. He hits against the velocity of the fastball pitching machine. He hits against the breaking ball pitching machine. When the Cardinals are in the field, he鈥檚 hitting in the cage below. When they鈥檙e hitting, he鈥檚 in the dugout in case he鈥檚 needed.

鈥淎t the beginning, when I was doing it I wasn鈥檛 comfortable,鈥� Pozo said of pinch-hitting.

鈥淚n Triple-A you don鈥檛 do that. Now, I鈥檓 getting comfortable. I鈥檓 getting used to it. I get ready. Get your body sweating a little bit. Every time I go to the plate I try to do what the game is telling me to do. I was trying to put the ball in the air. Other games, it鈥檚 just a base hit that we need. I don鈥檛 have to be big on that. Every time the game is telling me something, I try to execute.鈥�

Signed to a minor-league deal in late January without an invitation to major-league spring training, Pozo moved camps on March 10. John Vuch, the team鈥檚 director of baseball administration who signs many of the minor-league free agents, advocated for Pozo when the front office discussed concerns about catching depth. He impressed quickly in camp, and he arrived in the majors quickly too 鈥� promoted April 7 when the Cardinals needed a catcher. He has not returned to Class AAA.

Pozo, 28, has talked often about how his father and grandfather taught him the game, and what it means for him to reach the majors when his father, a pro ball player, did not. The young Pozo said he sends pictures of his day-to-day activities to share the big-league life with his father. And he purchased a streaming subscription and app so his family could watch Cardinals games in Venezuela.

They watch every game, even when he doesn鈥檛 play, just in case.

In case, Saturday happens.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure when I come to the bat, he鈥檚 more anxious than me, of course, watching the game,鈥� Pozo said of his father.

Pozo saw two sliders from Keller and fell behind in the count fouling both off.

When Keller went back to the slider for a full-count pitch, Pozo was ready 鈥� not sitting on it he said, but aware Keller was unlikely to go with the fastball.

The right-hander hung a slider.

Pozo turned it into a souvenir, scarred by the pavement of Wrigleyville.

There was much celebration as close as his teammates at home plate and in the training room, and as far as away as Venezuela. Pozo said he saw that on video sent by family.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 scare. He loves it,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淚f you understand a little bit of his history, he鈥檚 going to make the most of every moment. He approaches every single day that way. I love moments like that for him. That鈥檚 a big swing in a big series.鈥�