Cardinals Rally Past Nationals in Thriller

Cardinals Vs Nationals

The Cardinal Comeback: A Wild Night in D.C.

It was a humid Friday night in Washington, D.C., and Nationals Park was buzzing. The St. Louis Cardinals, fighting to stay in the NL Central race, were in town to face the surging Washington Nationals, who had won seven of their last ten. The pitching matchup was electric: Cardinals’ ace Miles Mikolas against Nationals’ young flamethrower, Cade Cavalli.

Early Drama

The Nationals struck first in the 2nd inning when Lane Thomas, a former Cardinal, launched a two-run homer into the left-field bullpen. The crowd erupted, and the Nats looked in control. Meanwhile, Cavalli was dealing—his fastball touched 98 mph, and his curveball had the Cardinals’ hitters flailing.

By the 5th inning, it was 4-0 Nationals, thanks to an RBI double by Luis García Jr. and a sacrifice fly from Keibert Ruiz. The Cardinals’ offense was lifeless, and frustration was mounting in their dugout.

The Turning Point

Then, in the 6th, everything changed. Cavalli, who had been dominant, suddenly lost command. He walked Nolan Arenado on four pitches, then hit Paul Goldschmidt with a fastball. With two on and no outs, Nationals manager Dave Martinez pulled Cavalli, calling on veteran reliever Kyle Finnegan.

Big mistake.

The Cardinals’ rookie sensation, Jordan Walker, crushed a first-pitch slider into the upper deck—a three-run bomb that stunned the crowd. 4-3. The momentum had shifted.

Ninth-Inning Chaos

The Nationals clung to a 5-4 lead heading into the 9th, thanks to a solo shot by Joey Meneses in the 7th. Martinez brought in closer Hunter Harvey to seal the deal.

But the Cardinals had other plans.

Harvey walked Lars Nootbaar on a close 3-2 pitch, then gave up a single to Brendan Donovan. With two on and one out, Goldschmidt stepped up—and ripped a double down the line, tying the game! The Nationals intentionally walked Arenado to load the bases, setting up a force at any base.

Then came the wildest play of the night.

Willson Contras hit a sharp grounder to shortstop CJ Abrams, who fired home for the force-out. But Ruiz, the catcher, hesitated before throwing to first—and his toss sailed wide! Two runs scored on the error, and suddenly, the Cardinals led 7-5!

Final Showdown

In the bottom of the 9th, Ryan Helsley took the mound for St. Louis. The Nationals didn’t go quietly—Thomas singled, and García walked. With two outs, Meneses came up again.

On a 1-2 count, Meneses lifted a deep fly ball to right… but Nootbaar tracked it down at the wall, robbing the game-tying homer by inches!

Final: Cardinals 7, Nationals 5.

Aftermath

The Cardinals celebrated a stunning comeback, while the Nationals were left stunned by their late-game collapse. Post-game, Martinez criticized his team’s defensive miscues, while Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised his squad’s resilience.

'Baseball’s a game of inches,' Marmol said. 'Tonight, those inches went our way.'

And just like that, a classic D.C. showdown entered the history books.

Cardinals Rally Past Nationals in Thriller

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