Down by five runs after four innings and seemingly out of it, the St. Louis Cardinals delivered one of the most remarkable turnarounds of the season by rallying to a 9–6 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night at Progressive Field—their biggest comeback win of 2025.
The Guardians had dominated early action, exploding for a six-run fourth inning that featured solo homers from Gabriel Arias and Kyle Manzardo, briefly gripping control at 6–1. Cleveland’s offense momentarily cracked a prolonged slump, collecting timely hits and energizing the crowd.
But the Cardinals showed why their mantra is “relentless.” In the fifth inning, Alec Burleson delivered a two-run single to cut the lead to 6–3, igniting the comeback that would extend in the sixth.
St. Louis unleashed a barrage of seven hits across the fifth and sixth innings, capitalizing on every Guardians reliever. Victor Scott II ignited a tying two-run double in the sixth—a dramatic swing against southpaw Tim Herrin, designed by hitting coach Brant Brown.
Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol praised the team’s composure:
“Man, they’ve done this all year, and it feels like we’re never out of a game,” Marmol said. “When we gave up that six-spot … you refocus and try to chip away. … We know there’s a time to slug and a time to hit and we were able to string together some hits.”
Brendan Donovan delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly, and Masyn Winn added an RBI groundout, vaulting St. Louis ahead for good.
Milestones & Dominance on the Road
The Cardinals’ 21st come-from-behind victory of the season—tied for sixth most in MLB.
Their fifth consecutive road win, the team’s longest such stretch since 2021.
Several players hit personal milestones: Matt Svanson notched his first MLB win, Phil Maton recorded his 500th career strikeout, Willson Contreras collected his 900th hit, and Ryan Helsley added his 100th career save with a scoreless ninth.
Cleveland’s bullpen collapse was a crushing blow, sailing to their worst blown lead in a home loss since August 2020.
The defeat dropped them to 40–41, marking their first drop below .500 since April, and extending their home series skid to 1–4 .
The series concludes Sunday with Logan Allen starting for Cleveland and Matthew Liberatore taking the mound for St. Louis. Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt remains optimistic: “We need to reset and get back on track,” Vogt said. “This team has fight, but we’ve got to clean it up—fast.”