St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar (left) and catcher Andrew Knizner (7) celebrate after the Cardinals executed a double play on two run-downs on the same play against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Cardinals pull off rare 9-2-5-2-4 double-play against Pirates

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Sep 9, 2022 11:45 PM ET

Baseball can be a beautifully chaotic game.

On Friday night, the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals pulled off one of the more unique double plays in baseball history against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

A single by Pirates' second baseman Rodolfo Castro in the bottom of the seventh inning set off a chain reaction of ridiculousness.

What an insane series of events! pic.twitter.com/XV51DMWc3m
— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2022

The Pirates had the last laugh on Friday night despite the gaff, knocking off the Cardinals, 8-2.

Rookie dynamo Oneil Cruz led the way, finishing 3-of-5 with a team-high three RBI.

The Pirates are in the midst of another down year. Sitting in last place in the NL Central, the Pirates at 51-86 are just four games better than the Washington Nationals (49-90), who own the worst record in the National League.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals still own a 7.5-game advantage over the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the division.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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