WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. 鈥 It鈥檚 difficult enough to get ejected twice from the same spring training game, let alone from two far apart spots in the ballpark while only pitching the equivalent of two innings.
Lance Lynn sure knows how to make an entrance.
Back with the Cardinals and making his first start of this spring, the veteran right-hander got two batters into the third inning against Washington when umpire Angel Hernandez tossed him for suggesting he go ahead and call a strike. That ejection spun into theater and eventually contradicted a guiding purpose of spring training 鈥 getting pitchers ready for the regular season. Games like Friday night鈥檚 exhibition are designed around building pitch counts, so Lynn, once ejected, went to Cacti Park鈥檚 visitors鈥 bullpen to complete his prescribed work. Hernandez stalled the game and ejected Lynn from there and also, to keep him company on the walk across the outfield, manager Oliver Marmol.
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鈥淭hat鈥檚 just Angel being Angel,鈥 Lynn said, with his signature wryness. 鈥淔or me, I鈥檓 on to the next one. He鈥檚 in midseason form.鈥
The bearded right-hander spent the first half of spring training building arm strength on the back fields so that when he emerged for a Grapefruit League start he would be on pace with his peers. A budding All-Star starter with the Cardinals almost a decade ago, Lynn watched John Lackey prepare similarly. He thought he could get more from controlled settings as he went from one inning to two innings, 20 pitches to 30 pitches, and not have to 鈥渨orry about all the game action.鈥
He made up for game action in his first appearance on the main field.
Lynn faced seven batters in the first inning, walked three of them, and pushed home a run with a bases-loaded walk. He struck out Joey Gallo with a 78-mph curveball in the middle of the mess. Three of the runs scored on a bases-clearing double on Lynn鈥檚 27th and final pitch of the inning. The goal was to get Lynn to at least three innings 鈥 or 鈥渢hree ups,鈥 as pitchers call it 鈥 so the choice was made to let prospect Brycen Mautz finish the first and Lynn could start fresh with the second inning. That鈥檚 permitted in spring games.
Rules are malleable in spring to avoid pitcher injuries and permit them to build strength and stamina for the regular season.
Except, evidently, when a pitcher has been ejected, or by Hernandez.
鈥淔irst time I鈥檝e seen that,鈥 said one longtime MLB executive.
鈥淚 guess I got ejected from out of play, too, technically,鈥 Lynn said.
Asked after the game if the goal of spring training is to get the pitcher鈥檚 ready, shouldn鈥檛 the pitcher have somewhere to throw those pitches after being ejected, Marmol answered: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the reason I鈥檓 dressed (in street clothes).鈥
In the third inning, with one out, Lynn delivered a pitch at the edge of the strike zone to Gallo. Voices from the Cardinals鈥 dugout suggested Hernandez missed the call. Both dugouts shared their thoughts throughout the early innings about the strike zone. Hernandez turned to the Cardinals dugout, and then, according to Lynn, told him, 鈥淟et鈥檚 go.鈥 Lynn nodded to the 5 seconds he had remaining on the pitch timer.
He delivered the next pitch in time.
鈥淭here鈥檚 your strike,鈥 Lynn said he told the umpire.
And he was ejected.
Told to clear the dugout so the game could resume, Lynn went to the bullpen. The Cardinals鈥 dugout, including Marmol, bought him time to throw 20 more pitches by continuing to talk with Hernandez. That鈥檚 what got Marmol ejected. Hernandez sent another umpire out to eject Lynn again 鈥 first from the ballgame, then second from the ballpark. The whole comedic exchange began with Hernandez urging Lynn to pick up his pace and, in the end, delayed a 7-6 Cardinals victory that took 3 hours, 3 minutes to play.
鈥淯m, crazy,鈥 Washington starter Josiah Gray said, capturing the circus succinctly. 鈥淚t just all escalated so quickly. And, you know, I think he warned him. He was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 enough.鈥 And then he threw him out. I was like, 鈥楥ome on, it鈥檚 a spring training game.鈥 Angel doesn鈥檛 have the best reputation. So it was just interesting. And then it kind of snowballed from there. Thought I鈥檇 never see something like that, so it was just really interesting.鈥
Through all the extracurriculars, Lynn threw a total of 64 pitches, including 44 in competition. He did not get the final out of the first inning but collected six total outs and appeared in three different innings.
Lynn allowed four runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out two.
One of the pitches Lynn has been workshopping out of sight on the back fields is a changeup, and he dropped one against Jesse Winker for a strike and a double-take from the hitter. Lynn touched 93 mph and 94 mph with his fastball, though said later the life on his pitches and feel for that zip on the fastball contributed to the walks. He had to downshift for control.
鈥淭hat was an accident,鈥 Lynn said of the higher velocities. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 trying to do that. Had to back off a little bit. It鈥檚 too early for those. You don鈥檛 need to show that off yet. That鈥檚 for the regular season.鈥
Usually so are ejections.
The Cardinals had several game ejections back in 2011 during a fracas with the Nationals that included several batters being hit by pitches. Tony La Russa, the Cardinals鈥 manager in that game, later told Hall of Fame sportswriter Rick Hummel that the volatility in that game 鈥 a spring training game 鈥 influenced his decision to retire at the end of the season. While with the White Sox, Lynn was tossed from a game in August 2021 when, during a foreign-substance check, he threw his belt to the umpire from the dugout.
On Friday night, Lynn just rushed through those extra throws in the bullpen, perched his glove on top of his head, and walked from the left-field bullpen to the right-field corner. Marmol met him in right field for a stroll together.
As he reached the gate, Lynn waved goodbye to the crowd.
Lance Lynn sure knows how to make an exit.
鈥淚 had to walk all the way across the field anyway,鈥 the right-hander said. 鈥淚 went down there to get out of the way because he wasn鈥檛 going to start until I got out of the dugout 鈥 and then he needed to make sure that he stopped the pace of play even more.鈥
Outfielders pick up pace
A few hours after the Cardinals detailed left fielder Lars Nootbaar鈥檚 fractured ribs and an official said it was 鈥渄oubtful鈥 center fielder Tommy Edman would be ready for opening day, two of the youngest candidates in camps to now play for longer looks took off. Michael Siani, a gifted defensive outfielder, went two-for-three in the win Friday night. He had a stand-up triple and an RBI single to pair with two runs scored.
Victor Scott II, a Gold Glove-winning center fielder this past season in the minors, led off for the Cardinals against the Nationals and went two-for-four with his third steal of spring.
Extra bases
Ryan Helsley returned from a stomach bug to throw an inning vs. the Nats, touching 98 mph with his fastball. 鈥 Ahead of Friday evening鈥檚 game, the Cardinals trimmed two pitchers from their camp roster, optioning Adam Kloffenstein to Class AAA Memphis and reassigning former first-round pick Cooper Hjerpe to minor-league camp. Hjerpe, as a non-roster invitee to camp, can return to games, if needed. Kloffenstein, added to the 40-player roster this past winter, has been optioned for the first time. The cuts reduce the spring roster to 56. 鈥 In the ninth inning Friday night, former Cardinal Juan Yepez hit a pinch-hit solo home run for the Nationals.
Adam Wainwright goes Opry
Only a few months removed from his 200th win, Cardinals standout starter Adam Wainwright will make his Grand Ole Opry debut as a country musician Saturday night. He鈥檚 a featured part of a show in Nashville that also includes The Oak Ridge Boys and Old Crow Medicine Show. Wainwright recently gave a concert and filmed music videos in Orlando, but the Opry 鈥 showcased by a radio show that鈥檚 nearly 100 years old 鈥 will be his Music City debut and first show after his first single dropped.
鈥淗ey Y鈥檃ll,鈥 the lead single from Wainwright鈥檚 debut album, became available on spots like iTunes on Friday. It鈥檚 one of the songs he played for the crowd at Busch Stadium following a Cardinals game this past year.