Yadier Molina took a foul ball in the worst possible place and the Cardinals got a costly walk-off win vs. rival Cubs
Afterwards, Kolten Wong got in a quality troll in the spirit of one of MLB's best rivalries
The Cardinals and Cubs played the second game of their three-game weekend set at Busch Stadium on Saturday. The Cardinals took the opener on Friday night after a ninth-inning comeback attempt by the visitors, but on Saturday it was the Cubs who forged an early lead.
Chicago took a 4-0 lead in the second, the Cardinals tied it with a big fourth, and then homers by Javier Baez in the sixth and Anthony Rizzo in the seventh gave the Cubs a two-run cushion. The Cardinals clawed back in the ninth, and a clutch, two-run double by Marcel Ozuna tied it up again, this time at 6-6. With that, Cubs closer Brandon Morrow not only blew his first save opportunity of the season but also allowed his first runs of the season.
All of that brings us to the home half of the 10th. One on, no outs for Kolten Wong ...
Sending the opposing fans home feeling blue! #STLCardspic.twitter.com/A5AuHQy8xe
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 5, 2018
That's the Cardinals' biggest comeback of the season and their eighth come-from-behind win of 2018. As for Wong, he was struggling pretty badly this season just prior to that walk-off bomb (the third walk-off homer of his career), so he no doubt relished that one. Speaking of which ...
A message from @KoltenWong, presented without comment 😶👀 pic.twitter.com/IXtIrAdTle
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 5, 2018
And in case you require a transcript ...
Kolten Wong to @TheCatOnFox: “A lot of Cubs fans came out. I’m glad we could piss them off today. Cardinals Nation, let’s go baby.”
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) May 5, 2018
Yep, the rivalry is alive and well.
Alive but not particularly well are a number of Cardinal core contributors. This was a big win for St. Louis -- for the moment they have a one-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central -- but it came at a cost ...
- CF Tommy Pham was forced to leave the game after his first plate appearance because of groin tightness. Pham missed a bit of time earlier this season with a groin issue.
- C Yadier Molina departed late in the game after Jordan Hicks bounced a pitch directly in his groin area.
- CL Bud Norris left with an undisclosed injury in the 10th.
As for the Molina injury, we'll reluctantly roll some tape ...
Yadier Molina has exited the game. pic.twitter.com/ryrFmDc60p
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) May 5, 2018
And keep in mind that Hicks regularly hits triple digits. Also, don't forget that setup man Dominic Leone exited Friday night's game with a biceps issue. No doubt, the Cardinals are most pleased to take the first two games of this key series, but some roster moves are likely forthcoming.
















