One pitch. It took all of one pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals to get a runner to third base against Cliff Lee, as Rafael Furcal led off Game 2 of the NLDS with a first-pitch triple off the right-center fence. The ball bounded away from Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino, and Furcal made it to third easily.
Phillies vs. Cardinals: Cliff Lee Works Out Of Early Jam
So all the Cardinals needed to do was advance Furcal another 90 feet and they could take an early lead on the road. Simple, right?
Not so much. Because, you know, Cliff Lee.
Allen Craig - playing for the injured Matt Holliday - struck out on four pitches, the last being a high-inside fastball that tied him up. That brought Albert Pujols to the plate, and there's no one the Cardinals would've rather had standing in, but Pujols popped the first pitch up to second base. Suddenly it was all up to Lance Berkman to make sure the opportunity didn't go to waste.
It went to waste. Berkman grounded out, Lee worked around the triple, and now the Cardinals have a half-inning they might come to really regret in an hour or two.
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