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ST. LOUIS — You know what Miguel Cabrera did to Mike Napoli on Wednesday?
Yeah, Jerry Hairston did the complete opposite of that to Yadier Molina on Thursday.
While Detroit's plodding slugger*tried to steamroll Napoli and was called out for his efforts, Milwaukee's nimble utility man managed to work his way around Molina during the Brewers' 4-2 victory over St.Louis in Game 4 of the NLCS at Busch Stadium.
And hey! He was even called safe! The run resulting from Yuniesky Betancourt's single was a big one — it tied the score at two in the fourth inning.
Watch it here:
So how does one manage to make his way down to the plate while also avoiding the swinging arm of the catcher? Hairston said after the game that such a do-si-do is an inexact science.
"I'm not the biggest guy out there, so running over a catcher is usually not an option," said Hairston, who officially measures both below 6-feet (5-10) and 200 pounds (190). "Yadi does a great job behind the plate and so I just wanted to get there as soon as I can and avoid his tag. It's not that easy, but you just want to try and find a way to find the plate. I was able to do that."
Hairston joked that he would have been better off Betancourt "hit like a 35-hopper" to center fielder Jon Jay so the play at the plate wouldn't have been as close.
But he was still able to beat out the relay throw from Albert Pujols to extend what has been a stellar postseason for the veteran. Hairston is hitting .375 (12-for-32) over nine games with six runs and four RBI. Not bad for a guy who already owns a World Series ring.
"I had so much fun with the Yankees team in '09 when we won it," Hairston said. "This time, I'm really getting a chance to play, which is great. I'm really enjoying it."