Sonny Gray had a bizarre way of celebrating his catcher Ivan Herrera’s recovery from a scary foul tip to his crotch.
Gray started for the Cardinals in their 4-3 win against the Cubs on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball”, and faced Ian Happ with a runner on second and two outs in the fourth inning.
On a 1-2 pitch, Happ fouled the ball directly into Herrera’s groin region and the catcher proceeded to wail out in pain and double over.
Fortunately, Herrera was ultimately able to get up and complete both the inning and the game.
After Gray struck out Happ to keep the lead at 2-0, he approached his catcher and gave him a friendly tap in the vicinity of where Herrera had been struck by the ball.
Herrera had a good sense of humor, laughing at the gesture.
Gray, who pitched for the Yankees in 2017 and 2018, signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals this past offseason worth $75 million.
The Cardinals held on to complete the mini two-game sweep of their division rivals after a Friday rainout.
St. Louis is one fire to close out May, winning five games in a row and going 10-2 in its last 12 games.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have lost four in a row and are 3-9 over their last 12.
The Brewers hold a 3.5-game division lead over the Cubs, who are one game ahead of the Cardinals.
When Herrera initially went down, ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Karl Ravech referenced “another injury to a Cardinal catcher.”
Earlier this month, starting catcher Willson Contreras fractured his left arm when he was struck by a swing by Mets outfielder J.D. Martinez.
“This is the most pain I’ve been through, for sure,” Contreras said after the game. “I knew right away it was a bad situation, and then when I got to sit down in the dirt, it was numb. I knew it wasn’t right.”