What happened between Joey Bart and Endy Rodriguez? Examining the massive collision during Cardinals and Pirates showdown

During the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates game on Wednesday, the Pirates' Joey Bart and Endy Rodriguez had a nasty collision. But the collision will also be remembered for a smart defensive play from 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes in the aftermath.

The incident occurred in the eighth inning with reliever Caleb Ferguson on the mound. The game was tied scoreless with the Cardinals having one runner in scoring position at 2B in the form of Thomas Saggese. With the last out in the inning remaining, Willson Contreras stepped to the plate and hit a 94 mph 2-2 pitch for shallow pop-out in the infield.

Pirates catcher Joey Bart was lining up to catch the ball and end the inning, but looking skyward, he didn't notice Endy Rodriguez positioned as first baseman also running near the home plate to grab it. The two collided and the ball landed safely.

Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, who was also converging in the infield to take the catch, swiftly took the ball and tagged out Saggese who had in the meantime rounded off third and looking to score a run. Hayes' clever thinking preserved the game's stalemate while also ending the innings.

“Ke’Bryan is a crazy smart player,” Bart said. “A really, really instinctual player. He has the best internal clock I’ve ever seen by a player on the field. He slows the game down better than anybody. That’s why he is who he is."

Hayes also commented on the incident.

“I just instinctively grabbed the ball, and he happened to be right there, so I just tried to tag him,” Hayes said. “It’s definitely a play I’ve never had happen to me in my life, but I’m just glad we were able to get the out.”

Joey Bart earns the win for the Pirates in the 13th inning

In a game that went as deep as the 13th inning, something had to give, and the Pirates were able to come out on top. Joey Bart, despite the nasty collision, was able to brush it off and hit a single that drove in the walk-off run for the 2-1 win against the Cards.

“That’s just what hit me right there at the end,” Bart said afterward in the clubhouse. “I’m just glad we won. Games like that [are] so long and tough. Somebody’s going to pull through. It’s not as exciting, just because of how long the game was, but this win’s huge, and the series win also.”

Bart and the Pirates, in the process, took the series against St. Louis. They play the Cincinnati Reds in a two-game series before a rest day.