For the second time in three nights at Sutter Health Park, the St. Louis Cardinals showed they refuse to go quietly. Trailing by a run and down to their final strike in the top of the ninth, the Cardinals erupted for two runs to secure a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Athletics on Thursday afternoon, clinching the series and improving to 25-18 on the season.
Jordan Walker, the 23-year-old cornerstone in right field, delivered the decisive blow. After clubbing a solo home run in the sixth to help St. Louis build a 3-1 lead, Walker stepped to the plate in the ninth with the game tied and promptly ripped a go-ahead RBI double. It capped a day in which he also made a highlight-reel defensive play, robbing Tyler Soderstrom of extra bases at the wall earlier in the contest. Walker finished with two hits, two RBIs, and his 12th homer of the young season.
The Cardinals’ offense had sputtered through much of the late innings after a promising start. Michael McGreevy turned in another gem on the mound, tossing six innings of one-run ball on five hits with three strikeouts to lower his ERA to a sparkling 2.10. Victor Scott II provided the early equalizer with a solo shot in the fifth, and Nolan Gorman added an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth.
Oakland, however, refused to fade. Zack Gelof launched his second homer in as many days in the seventh, and Shea Langeliers delivered a two-run single later in the frame to flip the score to 4-3 in favor of the A’s. Jack Perkins, who entered the ninth looking to close it out, could not contain the Cardinals’ top of the order.
With two outs and the tying run on first in the form of Yohel Pozo, rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt was plunked by a 2-2 pitch. Iván Herrera then lined a first-pitch single past third baseman Zack Gelof to plate the tying run. Walker followed with his clutch double to right, sending Wetherholt home with the go-ahead tally.
Riley O’Brien slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two in a perfect frame for his 13th save of the season. Matt Svanson bridged the gap effectively with a scoreless eighth.
This marks the Cardinals’ third victory when trailing after eight innings this season, underscoring a resilience that has defined their play on this seven-game road trip. For the Athletics (22-21), it was a bitter defeat in what had been a winnable game after they stormed back from an early deficit.
St. Louis now returns home to face the Kansas City Royals, while Oakland turns its attention to the San Francisco Giants. In a season still young, moments like Thursday’s showcase why the Cardinals remain a dangerous club capable of manufacturing magic when it matters most.
