WASHINGTON — The low point for Felipe Vazquez came at the end of May. Called upon to protect an 8-5 lead against the St. Louis Cardinals, he surrendered five runs without recording an out. The Pirates lost for the 10th time in 13 games. Vazquez had blown four saves.
“I just decided that enough was enough,” he said.
An effort to enjoy himself more coincided with a superhuman stretch of baseball that earned Vazquez a trip to the All-Star Game. On Monday, the lone Pirates representative sat behind a table at the end of a narrow concourse at the ballpark he used to call home, fielding questions about returning to Washington D.