There is no good way to make the final out. Making the final out -- that is to say, the one that ends the game -- means your team lost, which is never fun. There are, however, particularly poor ways to make the final out. Like, say, for example, getting picked off second base in a one-run contest because you weren't keeping an eye on the pitcher. That's how Thursday's extra-innings tilt between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins came to a conclusion.
The wildest part? The baserunner in question was a pitcher ... who had already made the final out in a different game this week.
Here's how it went down. Right-handed starter Jack Flaherty had checked into the game to pinch-run for Yadier Molina following a two-out double that cut Miami's lead to one. Before Sergio Romo, the Marlins pitcher, had so much as thrown a pitch, Miami put on a pickoff play that caught Flaherty flat-footed. Romo's throw wasn't on the money, but Yadiel Rivera was able to corral the ball and make the tag to end the game. Take a look:
Afterward, Flaherty remained positioned at second base for some time:
Jack Flaherty wouldn’t leave the field... pic.twitter.com/SSDuVgTUkg
— Tara Wellman (@tarawellman) June 21, 2019
For as disappointed as Flaherty appeared, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt accepted the blame as his own, saying Flaherty wasn't as prepared as he needed to be for the assignment:
"The reality is, he wasn't prepped well enough and I take responsibility for that"--Mike Shildt on Jack Flaherty being picked off second to end the game #STLCards
— Brian Stull (@StullySTL) June 21, 2019
It's worth noting Shildt has trusted Flaherty as a pinch-runner on three other occasions this season, the most of any Cardinals player. In fact, no other Cardinals player has been used as a pinch-runner more than once. We can debate the merits of using a pitcher -- particularly a good one -- in this capacity, but we can all agree that this week has been an argument against.
On Saturday, Flaherty pinch-ran for Molina in a one-run game against the New York Mets. He was thrown out at the plate to end that contest.