Sticky ball sells for $ 2K in auction

Talk about some serious sticker shock. The baseball that curiously stuck to St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier-Molina’s chest protector during a game this-month against the Cubs was sold for $ 2,015 in a Cardinals online auction. There were 58 bids for the ball, and the winner was declared when the auction closed late Sunday.

By now, most fans are familiar with the bizarre play: Cardinals reliever Brett Cecil struck out Cubs pinch hitter Matt Szczur on a pitch in the dirt April 6. The ball bounced up and somehow stuck to Molina’s chest protector as he looked around trying to find it. By the time he did, Szczur was safe at first base.

Major League Baseball looked into the play and determined there was no rules violation. Molina said he had no idea how Cecil’s pitch clung to his equipment. He was asked after the game if he put something sticky there and dismissed it as a ‘‘ dumb question.’’

Lance Lynn allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings, Kolten Wong hit a home run and the Cardinals ended a three- game losing streak with a 2- 1 victory against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, who had their three- game winning streak broken. The Cardinals still have the worst record in the National League at 4- 9.

New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia pitched a 1- 2- 3 inning for Class AA Binghamton as he prepares to return from a 15- game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic- violence policy. He is eligible to return to the Mets’ roster Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Major League Baseball said the average time of a nine- inning game has increased five minutes to 3: 05 during the first two weeks of the season. The 2016 average for nine- inning games ended at exactly three hours, a four- minute increase from 2015.