Jordan Hicks first appearance in two years lasts only one batter … because it took 22 pitches

Closer to the cardinals Jordan Hicks, he from the 101 to 103 mph fastball, was returning from Tommy John’s surgery last year when he decided to leave the 2020 partial season. Understandable. His debut this year is the first time in a long time that he has played in the major leagues.

Today, he was making his first appearance in a “real” game of any kind in two years, playing for Mets in spring training. The appearance lasted only one hitter, but not for lack of three-digit strikes. It turns out that Mets midfielder Luis Guillorme did not want the beat to end. Ever.

I started seeing tweets about the pitch around the 13-pitch mark, so I decided to turn on my MLB.tv quickly to see how it worked. Honestly, I just wanted to see what Hicks looked like, given his importance to the Cardinals and his return. It was crazy. Foul after foul after foul after foul, with Guillorme’s teammates going crazy with everyone. Eventually, Hicks missed from the inside with a quick ball to make it 3-2 and then another foul later, he tried a curved down ball, and Guillorme stopped for the walk.

Nobody wanted to give up in that situation, especially after she went into double-digit pitches. So Hicks kept grinding and Guillorme kept the balls dirty. Just crazy things. And yes, if it had been the regular season, it would have been a record appearance.

During the walk, Cardinals coach Mike Schildt came out to end Hicks’ day, because obviously, but technically he was not allowed – Hicks had not faced at least three hitters. The feet!

Craziness:

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