Sometimes, it’s best to trust your gut.
That’s the lesson that Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales learned on Friday.
With the Pirates holding a 2-0 lead over the Cubs with one out and the bases empty in the seventh inning, Gonzales quickly fell behind in the count, 0-2. Facing left-hander Caleb Thielbar, Gonzales took a four-seam fastball that zipped along the outer edge of the plate.
Home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz promptly punched Gonzales out on strike three. Gonzales looked back toward Ortiz and tapped his helmet, indicating that he wanted to challenge the pitch.
But Gonzales quickly second-guessed his original decision. As Ortiz walked around the plate to announce the challenge to the Wrigley Field faithful, Gonzales attempted to rescind his helmet tap.
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With Gonzales and Ortiz still discussing the matter -- and Gonzales seemingly pleading his case -- the replay review signaled that Gonzales’s initial hunch was right. The pitch was off the plate, and the call was overturned. Gonzales stayed alive.
He nearly made the most of his second opportunity, working an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a 352-foot flyout to the base of the left-field wall.
This odd scenario doubled as the first successful challenge of Gonzales’s career. He entered Friday 0-for-1 in challenges this season, and also went 0-for-1 while playing for Triple-A Indianapolis last year.