It took 39 seconds, this duration of duress that saved the Cardinals’ season (for now, anyway).
When you zoom out, Adam Wainwright’s start in Wednesday’s doubleheader opener was yet another masterwork for the man who is the Cardinals’ team MVP.
But to fully appreciate it, you need to zoom in to the 39 ticks in the fifth inning, because it was the most-important at-bat in the most-important game of the season.
The 39 seconds for the 39-year-old Wainwright exemplified his confidence, his coolness and his conviction in his pitches, with 76 of them already thrown in 4 2/3 innings.