ST. LOUIS, MO – The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals split a hard-fought day-night doubleheader on Thursday, with the Cardinals taking Game 1 in extra innings and the Royals bouncing back to win Game 2.
Game 1: Cardinals Edge Royals in 10-Inning Thriller
The St. Louis Cardinals secured a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the opening game, thanks to Willson Contreras’s RBI single in the 10th inning.
After the Royals took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 10th on a Vinnie Pasquantino single, the Cardinals rallied. Yohel Pozo scored on a fielder’s choice to tie the game, setting the stage for Contreras’s game-winning hit to left field off Carlos Estévez (2-1), scoring Lars Nootbaar.
Royals starter Noah Cameron continued his impressive early season form, delivering six scoreless innings, striking out three, walking two, and allowing just two hits, lowering his ERA to a stellar 0.85.
Jonathan India led off the game with a 401-foot home run to left-center, his fourth career leadoff homer against Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas. Jac Caglianone added to the Royals’ early lead in the fourth with his first major league hit, a double that scored Salvador Perez, making it 2-0.
The Cardinals chipped away at the lead, with Contreras doubling and scoring, and Nolan Arenado scoring on Yohel Pozo’s sacrifice fly in the seventh to cut the deficit to 3-2. Iván Herrera then blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning, giving St. Louis a 4-3 lead. India tied the game in the ninth with a sacrifice fly off Ryan Helsley, scoring Nick Loftin.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol’s strategic pinch-hit call in the seventh with the bases loaded led to a tense moment. Facing Royals manager Matt Quatraro’s counter with left-hander Daniel Lynch IV, Marmol brought in Yohel Pozo, who delivered a sacrifice fly before Lynch closed out the jam.
Game 2: Royals Even the Series Behind Garcia’s Big Bat
The Kansas City Royals responded in the nightcap, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5. Maikel Garcia was the offensive hero for the Royals, homering, doubling, and scoring three times.
Garcia’s two-run homer in the first inning gave the Royals an early 2-0 lead. Freddy Fermin ignited a three-run rally in the third with a 406-foot solo home run into the third deck. Jonathan India singled and scored, and Garcia doubled and scored on a Salvador Perez single, extending the Royals’ lead to 5-1.
Royals starter Cole Ragans, returning from the 15-day injured list with a left groin strain, pitched three innings, allowing five runs on five hits. Angel Zerpa (3-0) provided crucial relief, tossing three scoreless innings. Carlos Estévez earned his 18th save of the season.
The Cardinals mounted a comeback in the third inning, with Willson Contreras hitting a two-run double and Nolan Arenado following with a two-run homer to tie the game at 5-all.
However, the Royals retook the lead in the fourth with Nick Loftin’s RBI single, scoring Mark Canha. Garcia walked and scored on a Perez single in the fifth, further solidifying the Royals’ lead.
Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore (3-5) struggled, allowing a season-high seven runs on eight hits before being pulled in the fifth due to fatigue-related issues.
The Royals will now head to Chicago to open a three-game series against the White Sox on Friday night. Pregame coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. on SuperStar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM KQNK, with the first pitch from Rate Field set at 6:40 p.m.
