St. Louis, Mo. – The St. Louis Cardinals swept the New York Yankees in their three-game series, reminding fans that they are not an indestructible team. Here’s a quick summary for fans of both teams.
Game 1: Yankees Blow A Lead
Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson went into the ballgame in style. An RBI double scored DJ LeMahieu in the top of the first inning. In the top of the third, Donaldson didn’t waste any time again, hitting another RBI to send Aaron Judge to home plate. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were only able to respond with Yadier Molina’s RBI single to score Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the first.
Gleyber Torres stretched the scoring gap even further in the middle innings, reaching an infield single on the pitcher to allow Judge to score for the second time in the game. It took a full inning before St. Louis could respond, with Tyler O’Neill’s RBI single to score Paul Goldschmidt to make the score 3-2.
Heading into the late innings the Yankees had the lead. They lost it in the bottom of the eighth with Paul DeJong’s rocket, earning an RBI double to score O’Neill and Arenado to take the lead. The Cardinals took game one as they shut out the Yankees in the top of the ninth.
Pitcher Clay Holmes was credited with the loss, while Andre Pallante got the win.
Game 2: Yankees’ Trade Became a Thorn in Their Side
On trade deadline day, the Yankees bet on outfielder Harrison Bader being more valuable than Jordan Montgomery according to Ken Rosenthal’s article in the Athletic. Before the 2023 postseason arrives, fans saw the damage that Montgomery is capable of during the second game of this series.
The left-handed pitcher went five innings against his former team, not allowing a single run while on the mound. Didn’t look like there was any bad blood towards his former teammates.
A single run, scored in the bottom of the first, was all that St. Louis needed to give New York a clean shutout. Arenado’s RBI single was exactly what the doctor prescribed to send Goldschmidt across the home plate.
Montgomery was credited with the win while starting Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán got the loss.
Game 3: Cardinals Complete Their Sweep
With one game left in this series, the Yankees gave it their all. Frankie Montas, recently traded from Oakland Athletics, opened the final matchup between the two teams.
Both teams scored a run each to set the pace for the day.
The second inning heated up in record time when Aaron Hicks hit an RBI single to score Torres. Judge hit an RBI single almost immediately, scoring Andrew Benintendi and Hicks, bringing the score to 4-1. The Cardinals weren’t in the mood to tolerate it, going on a rampage in the bottom of the second. Carlson doubled to right field, scoring DeJong. On the first pitch he received, Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly to score Molina. To one-up Goldschmidt, Arenado hit a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw for a 6-4 lead in the second inning.
The scoreboard had a blank space until Judge’s at-bat in the top of the fifth for Benintendi and Hicks to score again to make it a tie game.
Back with a vengeance was DeJong in the bottom of the fifth, hitting an RBI double to score Lars Nootbaar. After a questionable call by the umpires was overturned, the Cardinals had another chance to add insult to injury. This allowed Tommy Edman an RBI single to lawfully score DeJong, bringing the score up to 8-6.
With the bases loaded, Goldschmidt was issued a walk, forcing in the ninth run of the day by Edman.
In the top of the sixth, the Yankees caught a break with catcher Jose Trevino’s RBI single to score Donaldson. While Marwin Gonzalez grounded out into a force-out, Torres capitalized on the chance to make it a one-run game.
A three-run homer from DeJong in the bottom of the eighth drowned any hopes of a late-inning rally, concluding the game with the score at 12-9.
The Cardinals’ record improved to 60-48, making them the top team in the National League.
The Yankees look for redemption in their road series against the Seattle Mariners while the Cardinals look to continue their winning streak in an upcoming series against the Colorado Rockies.
