Uehara, the closer for the Boston Red Sox, said he did not read a scouting report. He assumed Wong was fast because he had entered the game as a pinch-runner for Allen Craig. And he knew what Beltran could do.

I was aware that if there was a home run, it would tie the game, Uehara said. Obviously a big relief.

Relief did not come from a coachs signal to the catcher, as it did in the 2007 World Series when the Red Sox used a pivotal pickoff play to win Game 2 against Colorado. This was all Ueharas idea.

I did nothing, David Ross, the Red Sox catcher, said. Just make sure to quote me on that: I had no idea what was going on.

Neither did the bench. Manager John Farrell was talking with his coaches, Brian Butterfield and Torey Lovullo, about infield positioning, worrying that Beltran might bunt for a single to bring up the dangerous Matt Holliday. Uehara solved that problem in a flash.

He stood upright, from the stretch, looking in for the sign with his glove resting nonchalantly on his upper left arm. Wong, a rookie, took a wide lead at first, then took a short hop toward second for a secondary lead. Just as he did, Uehara moved.

He quickly lifted his back foot, planting on the dirt behind the rubber and firing to first baseman Mike Napoli. Wong tried to stop his shift, but his left foot gave out just enough to slow his progress as he dived back to the bag. Ueharas throw was straight and true and Napoli knelt to catch it, tagging Wong on his right forearm.

Napoli held up his glove for the umpire, Bill Miller, who punched the cold air: game over. Wong spiked his helmet to the dirt, Napoli lifted his arm in triumph, and Uehara danced off the mound to high-five him. For the first time, a World Series game had ended on a pickoff.

I knew I was dead once it happened, once I went to plant and push and felt nothing go, said Wong, who fought back tears in the Cardinals clubhouse. My foot just slipped out.