ST. LOUIS — Cardinals reliever Brett Cecil knew the video of the ball getting stuck on Yadier Molina’s chest protector would go viral.

“I fully expected that because I’ve never seen it,” Cecil said before St. Louis played Cincinnati on Friday. “I’ve been playing baseball for a long time and I’ve never seen it, so I’m sure there is an uproar about it. But if I could explain it I would, but I can’t.”

Whatever happened, it’s over. Major League Baseball has looked into the bizarre play involving the star St. Louis catcher and determined there wasn’t any rules violation.

Molina said he had no idea how Cecil’s pitch bounced into his protector and clung to it Thursday against the Cubs. He was asked postgame if he put something sticky there and the Gold Glove star dismissed it as a “dumb question.”

The Cardinals led in the seventh inning when Cecil got Cubs pinch hitter Matt Szczur to strike out on a pitch in the dirt. The ball skipped up and stuck to Molina’s protector by the time he located it, Szczur was safely at first base.

The Cubs turned their good fortune into a four-run rally and a win at Busch Stadium.

“I really don’t have any explanation for it,” Cecil said. “I don’t use any foreign substances. You guys saw Yadi spinning around and the ball didn’t even come off.”

DODGERS: Pitcher Rich Hill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

The 37-year-old left-hander spent more than a month on the DL last season while dealing with blisters on his fingers.

ANGELS: Right-hander Garrett Richards went on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right biceps. The Angels also recalled reliever Mike Morin.

ATHLETICS: Pitcher Sonny Gray moved another step closer to a return to the starting rotation with a 35-pitch bullpen session at Arlington, Texas.

Gray is recovering from a right lat injury that had him on the disabled list to start the season.

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