It became obvious as Monday’s game progressed that the afternoon sun above Busch Stadium was going to cause problems.
Fielders lost baseballs that flashed through the shadows, feeling foolish when they guessed wrong.
Hitters shook their heads on their way back to the dugout, wondering how they were supposed to hit what was invisible.
But we knew it was over when Cardinals manager Mike Shildt doubled down on Carlos Martinez, trusting the embattled closer to handle a tie game in the ninth inning with Martinez’s nemesis, Ronald Acuna Jr., coming to the plate. Of course Acuna smacked a ground-rule double on a Martinez slider, the same pitch that betrayed Martinez in his blown save Sunday.