Elly De La Cruz absolutely delivered his first career walk-off hit in the tenth inning, sealing a wild 6-5 comeback victory for the Cincinnati Reds over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. This monster win, coming after Dane Myers crushed a pinch-hit, game-tying homer in the ninth, split a tough doubleheader and surely left St. Louis fans fuming.
The Rally That No One Saw Coming
Talk about a comeback! The Reds were staring down the barrel, trailing the Cardinals 4-1 before they decided to flip the script in the sixth inning. It all started when Michael Toglia smacked a double, bringing home JJ Bleday for Toglia’s very first RBI with the Reds. But Cincinnati wasn’t done yet. Rookie Héctor Rodríguez, who is the Reds’ No. 4 prospect, stepped up and drove a single to center field, scoring both Eugenio Suárez and Toglia. Just like that, the game was tied at 4, and Rodríguez snagged his first two major league RBIs in one swing. What a moment for the kid, right? The Cardinals had jumped out early, with Suárez getting a sacrifice fly for the Reds in the first, but then Iván Herrera hit his 14th homer in the fourth for St. Louis, followed by Masyn Winn’s RBI single, and then Nathan Church and Blaze Jordan adding RBI singles in the sixth to make it 4-1. It looked bleak, but Cincy wasn’t quitting.
From Down and Out to Walk-Off Victory
The drama really cranked up in the late innings. Down to their absolute final out in the ninth, the Reds needed a hero. Enter Dane Myers, stepping off the bench cold. This guy had already homered in the opener, and he did it again, launching his fifth home run of the season into the left-center seats to tie the game at 5! Can you believe it? The crowd must have gone absolutely nuts. Then, in the tenth, with automatic runner Tyler Stephenson on second, Elly De La Cruz grounded a single into left field. It took a deflection off third baseman Blaze Jordan’s glove, and that was all Stephenson needed to score the winning run. Game over. Emilio Pagán earned the win, pitching a hitless tenth inning to improve his record to 5-1. And huge props to starter Rhett Lowder, who matched a career high with 6 2/3 innings pitched, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out five. That’s a gutty performance, helping the Reds snap a three-game skid. Poor Justin Bruihl took the loss for St. Louis.
Looking ahead, the series continues Tuesday. You’ve got Cardinals’ RHP Kyle Leahy (9-4, 3.38 ERA) on the bump, facing off against Reds’ LHP Andrew Abbott (6-7, 4.13 ERA). With the doubleheader split, this next game is massive. Can the Cardinals bounce back, or will the Reds carry this momentum forward? It’s going to be a battle, that’s for sure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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