What they made clear that final weekend of the season will become official soon after this World Series. The Cardinals do not plan to exercise Holliday’s option for 2017, and thus the longtime Cardinal will become a free agent. Holliday had expressed interest for the previous year about working out an extension with the Cardinals that would allow him to retire with them. General manager John Mozeliak said the team had not reached a conclusion on how to approach Holliday for 2017 and beyond, and he agreed when asked if the fractured thumb essentially made that decision for them.

In the hours after he hit Holliday with the pitch, Montgomery was also not sure what to do. He asked a teammate for advice. He asked a clubhouse attendant for a phone number. Eventually he texted Holliday about the incident.

And waited.

And waited.

“They might be (peeved) and not text you back and not be interested and you just never know,” Montgomery said. “He was really great about it. He did. Told me it’s a part of the game.”