The St. Louis Cardinals entered the ninth inning of Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series with a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. Somehow, the team lost that game on Friday night 6-3.
It's hard to point to one specific reason for why the Cardinals imploded in the ninth. And it doesn't seem as if St. Louis is interested in pinpointing that right after the brutal loss that puts their season at risk.
“We just needed two more outs,” Cardinals star Nolan Arenado said, via The Athletic. “And we just couldn’t do it.”
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley began the ninth inning on the right foot. He struck out Rhys Hoskins to start the inning. However, he gave up a single to JT Realmuto, and things spiraled from there.
Helsley walked the next two batters, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos. He then hit Alec Bohm to drive in a run to make it 2-1. The Cardinals turned to Andre Pallante after Helsley left due to injury.
Pallante couldn't stop the bleeding, however. Jean Segura singled to right field, driving in Harper and Castellanos to give the Phillies the lead for good.
After the game, Arenado shared his big regret regarding a ball hit towards him by Brandon Marsh. The ball skipped under his glove and found its way into left field.
“I was thinking double play, so I wanted to go get it, but it was just the wrong play. I probably should’ve gone back, just get the safe out,” the Cardinals star said.
The Cardinals and Phillies meet in Game 2 on Saturday. If the Phillies win, it will end the Cardinals season, and Philadelphia will move on to the National League Division Series.
Follow Us
Subscribe