Try not to flinch! Foul ball shatters camera

MIAMI -- In baseball's version of the trick shot, Cardinals left fielder Tyler O'Neill achieved quite the feat during St. Louis' 4-2 win Tuesday night at loanDepot park.

In his second-inning at-bat, O'Neill took a big cut at Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara's second pitch of the at-bat -- an 89.8 mph slider -- and fouled it back, shattering the lens of the home-plate camera in the process.

The replay caught the attention of Bally Sports Florida's broadcast team of Paul Severino and Todd Hollandsworth.

"Uh oh. Oh no. Oh, here it comes right in your living room," Severino said.

Added Hollandsworth: "The sound was pretty good, too. It went down a winner."

But the quirky situation didn't end there. Home-plate umpire Jerry Layne went on to ask if there was someone to clean up the glass. Because COVID-19 protocols don't allow Tier 3 individuals on the field, Bally Sports Florida's technical crew couldn't take care of the mess. Two batboys -- one with a shovel and another with a broom -- swept the shards of glass off the track and the wall that used to house the Marlins' fish tanks. Play was delayed a few minutes.

"I've never seen it," said Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, "but it's one thing that's great about our game. You can go to a ballpark, and you have a good chance to see something that you've never seen, regardless of how many times you've walked in the stadium. One of the beautiful things about our game."

Both Bally Sports Florida's and Bally Sports Midwest's broadcast teams estimated the cost of the equipment, with St. Louis' crew saying it was a $20,000-$25,000 camera and a $15,000 lens.

O'Neill struck out swinging on the next pitch -- a 98.4 mph four-seam fastball.

"Take that," Severino quipped. "You break our camera, you sit down. Poor thing. It went down a winner. Thank you for your service."