After falling behind 5-1, the St. Louis Cardinals pulled off a miracle Wednesday night when they rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off the Washington Nationals.
Hits from Nolan Arenado, Yadier Molina, and Tommy Edman saved the day as St. Louis expanded their lead in the NL Central to 9.5 games and lowered their magic number to clinch to 17.
The Cards are red-hot and are a serious threat to win title No. 12.
But with their comeback win, they pulled off a first for 2022.
Before last night, teams were 0-817 in games where they entered the bottom of the ninth trailing by four or more runs.
The Cards put a stop to that trend.
The St. Louis Cardinals are the 1st team this season to win a game in which they trailed by 4 or more runs entering the bottom of the 9th inning.
All teams in MLB combined were 0-817 in such games this season.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 8, 2022
Cards Pull Off A Miracle
Crazy comebacks from large deficits are common in baseball.
But when it’s 5-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, your chances of winning are slim to none.
That didn’t faze the Cardinals though.
Granted, the Cards are no stranger to comebacks, with Game 6 of the 2011 World Series being a prime example of their trademark resilience.
They put it on display again last night, becoming the first team all season to win a game when trailing by four or more runs in the bottom of the ninth.
The win was also their 81st of the season, which assures them of at least a .500 season for the 15th consecutive year.
People may be focused right now on the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves, the Houston Astros, and others, but the Cardinals can’t be counted out as they attempt to win their 12th title and send Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright, and Yadier Molina off in style.
For now, they’ll go for a series win over the Nats, sending Wainwright to the hill for the finale today.
NEXT: Video Shows The Cardinals' Thrilling Wednesday Comeback