Saturday at Busch Stadium had an extra little competition tucked between innings: Nationals shortstop Nasim Nuñez and Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn drew up a tic-tac-toe game in the infield dirt while their clubs went about an 11-inning ballgame.
Key takeaways
- Washington beat St. Louis, 8-5, in 11 innings.
- Nuñez and Winn turned the dirt near shortstop into a quick X-and-O board between innings.
- The result of their friendly game was not known.
- Nuñez entered the day leading the Majors with 46 stolen bases.
- Winn remains one of baseball’s premier defensive shortstops, with a notably strong throwing arm.
A shortstop’s side game
There is no shortage of competitive energy around a Major League clubhouse. Players carry it into fantasy football leagues, college rivalries and just about any contest that can fill a few minutes before first pitch or after the final out.
Nuñez and Winn found a more old-school way to pass the time during Saturday’s game. With the Nationals and Cardinals changing innings, the two opposing shortstops marked their squares directly into the Busch Stadium dirt and played a round of tic-tac-toe.
Neither player’s usual baseball tools could settle the score. Nuñez’s speed has made him the stolen-base leader in the Majors, while Winn’s glove and arm have made him a standout on the St. Louis infield. For one brief stretch, though, it came down to where each man placed an X or an O.
Another entry in baseball’s tic-tac-toe file
The moment was not without precedent. In 2022, pitchers Joe Musgrove and Chad Kuhl, former Pittsburgh teammates who were on opposing sides in San Diego, shared an in-game tic-tac-toe matchup.
Brothers Josh Jung of the Rangers and Jace Jung of the Tigers also made time for the game during a meeting in Detroit last season.
Saturday’s version had no confirmed winner, but the larger contest did. Washington left Busch Stadium with an 8-5 victory after 11 innings, while the two shortstops left behind one of those small, easygoing moments that can still surface in the middle of a long Major League season.
