A dying clock and the fear of striking out caused a panicked Willson Contreras to do something that he instantly regretted in the bottom of the third inning of the Cardinals’ 5-1 win over the Twins on Saturday.

With the pitch clock winding down, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras made an interesting decision during Saturday's 5-1 win against the Minnesota Twins. Contreras realized his grip tape was beginning to come apart near the bottom of his bat during an at-bat that had a full count.

When Willson Contreras showed up for his first spring training as a full-time first baseman, he knew the learning curve would be steep. A year after he’d made over his catching mechanics entirely, a massive effort that earned some vinegary grousing from his co-workers and led to him getting his forearm broken on a catcher’s