Field Level Media
Jun 2, 2018
Kolten Wong led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off homer to break a tie and give the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-2 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
It was Wong's fourth homer of the season, his first hit of the game, coming against reliever Richard Rodriguez (1-2).
St. Louis has won two of the first three games in the four-game series.
Pittsburgh has lost 11 of 15, including two games this series in which St. Louis has won in a walk-off manner. The Pirates endured a gut-wrenching game in the series opener when they overcame one- and four-run deficits to take a three-run lead, only to lose in the bottom of the ninth.
Austin Meadows, the National League Rookie of the Month for May, hit a leadoff homer, his fifth, to right in the top of the ninth off Cardinals closer Bud Norris to pull Pittsburgh into a 2-2 tie.
Norris (2-1) blew a save after converting each of his first 11 opportunities but picked up the win.
Cardinals starter Luke Weaver went five innings, giving up one run and four hits, with four strikeouts and no walks. Left-hander Austin Gomber relieved Weaver in his major league debut, pitching three scoreless, hitless innings.
Pittsburgh starter Chad Kuhl allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. It was his third straight start going six innings, and he has given up a total of four runs in that stretch without a win.
Marcell Ozuna hit his fourth homer, to center, to lead off the second to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. The homer is the 100th of Ozuna's career.
The Pirates answered in the fifth when rookie Colin Moran hit a one-out, first-pitch solo homer to right, his fifth, for a 1-1 tie.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kuhl issued a one-out walk to his counterpart, Weaver, and a two-out walk to Greg Garcia. Tommy Pham followed with a single to left to bring home Weaver for a 2-1 St. Louis lead.
--Field Level Media