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Close call, Gyorko’s jack keep Cards in race
- Updated: October 1, 2016
ST. LOUIS — Jedd Gyorko’s home run in the eighth inning Saturday that gave the Cardinals the 4-3 win over the Pirates almost didn’t happen.
Gyorko took on a 2-2 pitch from Felipe Rivero that was called ball three, an 82-mph slider, according to Statcast™. Both Rivero and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said they thought it was strike three. Gyorko was just elated to stay alive.
“It was a good pitch,” Gyorko said. “I probably didn’t swing at it because I knew I couldn’t hit it, and that’s what it comes down to.”
Three pitches later, the Cardinals second baseman swung at the ninth pitch of the at-bat — a 100-mph fastball — and it landed just over the wall in right field. It was the third-fastest pitch hit that resulted in a home run in the Majors this season, and Gyorko felt like it was the biggest in his career.
The call and subsequent homer helped save the Cardinals’ postseason hopes, too. They sit one game back of the Giants for the second National League Wild Card spot …
