It has been a season to forget for the Cardinals, who sit at the bottom of the NL Central, 16 games under .500.
And yet, it somehow got worse on Wednesday when St. Louis surrendered a painful walk-off loss to the Marlins.
St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks found himself in a pickle with one out and two ducks on the pond in the bottom of the ninth inning. He didn't react too well to the stress, following up a decent outside fastball with a throw that would make Tim Tebow quiver.
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Hicks saw his toss to first base sail over Paul Goldschmidt's head, allowing both the tying and winning runs to cross the plate.
HOW DO YA LIKE THAT?!?!?!??!?!?!
— Bally Sports Florida: Marlins (@BallyMarlins) July 6, 2023
THE MARLINS WALK IT OFF AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@Marlins | #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/QPsFitCWmT
It was a tale of two cities in the broadcast booths. As seen in the clip above, Miami's crew caught in a wave of delirium.
For the St. Louis announcers, on the other hand, less was more.
Here's how the Cardinals' meltdown vs the Marlins looked and sounded on the St. Louis broadcast.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 6, 2023
Chip Caray on the call for Bally Sports Midwest. ⚾️🎙️😬 https://t.co/3UantJGH1x pic.twitter.com/FWfCjGmikB
The internet was brutal as fans berated Hicks for his inability to find the target. The perks of being an athlete in the internet age.
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Here are some of the more comical takes from various social media users:
Jordan Hicks struggling with MLB The Show’s fielding meter pic.twitter.com/BoBJt7MF0o
— Mike Dro (@MikeDro_) July 6, 2023
LMAO JORDAN HICKS IS A REAL ONE
— Alex Ferrer (@PastyA_) July 6, 2023
It shouldn't be possible for it to happen this many times pic.twitter.com/B4zDWyudIF
— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) July 6, 2023
I did not think it could get worse than yesterday’s 15-2 loss.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) July 6, 2023
I was wrong.
We survived another horrible pitching performance and take the lead in the 9th!
— The Cardinal Way (@STL_Cards_nut) July 6, 2023
Jordan Hicks: pic.twitter.com/1iHGjUgD6Y
Shout out to Jordan Hicks for having Marlins ML pic.twitter.com/ETkjHSjROQ
— Tito Benach (@TitoBenach) July 6, 2023
I just let out an audible laugh watching that Jordan Hicks throw oh my god
— JD (@StromsLab) July 6, 2023
“Jordan Hicks with a basic throw to first” pic.twitter.com/hrclm5bqzZ
— Will 🇩🇪 #CoraOUT (@WillExists__) July 6, 2023
JORDAN HICKS TO SAVE THE GAME pic.twitter.com/uqREfQlCaa
— ɹǝʇunɥ (@HJohnson81) July 6, 2023
Jordan Walker hits a massive clutch HR to give the Cardinals the lead in the 9th
— Jacob Zanolla (@jz2016cubs) July 6, 2023
Jordan Hicks ready to erase it all away: pic.twitter.com/MKJpxDccqt
Hicks' gaffe was certainly embarrassing — and painful — for Cardinals fans to witness, but it won't change the future outlook of the team much. St. Louis now finds itself with a record of 35-51 after their latest defeat, good for the fifth-worst record in baseball.
As such, the biggest question facing the team is not related to the postseason. It's about who will remain on the roster when the Aug. 1 trade deadline passes.