Trailing by a run and watching their season drain, inning by inning, toward its possible conclusion, the Cardinals’ infielders gathered on the mound for a late-game pitching change Monday. That’s when Kolten Wong saw it, right there as their sensei, the soul of their team lifted his catcher’s mask.
Like St. Elmo’s fire, the legendary spark that alights the top of a ship’s mast in a thunderstorm, Molina's grin — knowing and glowing — offered direction. He told his teammates they were “right where we’ve got to be,” pushing deep into Atlanta’s bullpen, still in a close game.