FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Cardinals manager Mike Matheny always takes the road trip when his team plays split-squad games in Spring Training. But this time, there was a sweet reward for his near three-hour journey across the state of Florida.
Red Sox manager John Farrell selected Tate Matheny (Mike's son) as one of the Minor League extras to come off the bench for Monday's Grapefruit League game, a 7-2 win by the split-squad Cardinals.
"That's pretty special stuff," said Mike Matheny, who didn't know his son would play until he arrived in Fort Myers.
Tate Matheny came on as a pinch-runner for Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the fifth and played right field the rest of the way, striking out in his only at-bat.