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Tempers flared at Busch Stadium on Saturday night as the San Diego Padres defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in a heated contest that saw both teams' benches clear for the second night in a row. The tensions peaked in the ninth inning after Padres star Manny Machado was hit by a pitch from Cardinals reliever Andre Granillo, his second HBP of the game.
Machado, clearly frustrated, exchanged words with Granillo and Cardinals first base coach Jon Jay. The situation escalated, resulting in both benches clearing and minor shoving between the two sides. Jay was ejected from the game for his role in the altercation.
The hostility had been brewing throughout the series. A night earlier, Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch from Nick Pivetta, which led to a separate bench-clearing incident. On Saturday, Contreras was hit twice more, once on the wrist by Randy Vasquez in the fourth and again in the ninth inning by Robert Suarez. He now leads the National League with 16 HBPs this season.
Umpires issued warnings to both teams after Machado was hit earlier in the fifth inning by Kyle Leahy. No ejections occurred at that time, but the tension continued to build until the incident in the ninth.
Nevertheless, the Padres secured a crucial victory in the National League Wild Card race. Jake Cronenworth was instrumental, going 1-for-3 with a double and scoring two of San Diego's three runs. He was hit by a pitch in the second inning and later scored on Bryce Johnson’s RBI single. In the fourth, he doubled again and came home on a sacrifice bunt by Johnson.
Fernando Tatis Jr. added an insurance run in the ninth when his sharp grounder off Masyn Winn's glove allowed Johnson to score, extending the lead to 3-1.
Starter Randy Vasquez delivered 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball, while the Padres’ bullpen shut the door. Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, and closer Robert Suarez combined to hold the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way. Suarez allowed one baserunner, hitting Contreras, but finished the game with a groundout.
The Padres and Cardinals wrap up the four-game series Sunday at 11:15 a.m. before a rematch set next weekend in San Diego, with postseason implications continuing to mount.
