A tipping point in the Cardinals’ weekslong program to build Jordan Hicks into a starter arrived Tuesday night, and with it came a great reckoning on a big role.
In the days leading up to Hicks’ start against Toronto, manager Oliver Marmol identified it as the game in which decisions would shift from how many pitches Hicks needed to throw to increase his stamina to, simply, how Hicks pitched. He had started games, but this would be the first game in which he’d be treated as a starter – able to pitch as long as his performance earned.