New York Mets AD Accuses Cardinals of illegitimate three straight win says there should be an asterisk next to St. Louis Cardinals win against the Ohio State…

Keynan Middleton needed to finish what he started with the Putnam boys basketball team.

Middleton, a relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, began running the Kingsmen’s morning workouts in October and spent the first two-plus months of the regular season on the bench as an assistant to head coach Ali Mihub.

The gig was slated to end when Middleton left for spring training near the conclusion of Northwest Oregon Conference play, but the Cardinals made a promise to the eighth-year MLB veteran.

If Putnam qualified for the 5A state tournament and Middleton wasn’t slated to throw during those dates, he could return to Oregon and help the team attempt to earn its first trophy since 1990.

The Kingsmen punched their ticket to Linfield University with a state round-of-16 win over South Albany and erased a 17-point deficit in a March 6 quarterfinal to stun North Eugene in overtime, 61-57.

One day later, Middleton threw an inning of scoreless relief against the Houston Astros. He was on a plane from Florida to Oregon shortly thereafter.

Putnam wound up placing fifth after consecutive losses to Wilsonville and Woodburn, but Middleton was thrilled to complete the journey he began back in October.

“Everybody kind of knows my background there at Spring Training,” Middleton said.

“A lot of people asked me about the coaching, and once I told them that we had playoff games, they told me if I wasn’t throwing in the next few days, I could head back.

And they fulfilled that promise, and it was something to enjoy.