Lars Nootbaar hit a tiebreaking, bases-clearing double in the seventh inning as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals blew a five-run lead before earning a 14-7 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon.
Nootbaar snapped a 7-7 tie when he hit a 2-2 changeup from Tommy Kahnle over right fielder Juan Soto near the warning track. As Soto was slow to retrieve the ball, Nolan Arenado, Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker scored.
Walker had a career-high five hits, hitting four singles and a two-run homer in the fifth that gave the Cardinals a 7-2 lead. Walker set up Nootbaar’s clutch hit with a base hit to right field on Kahnle’s fastball.
After Nootbaar’s clutch hit, the Cardinals (69-68) added two more for a 12-7 lead. They finished with 21 hits.
Nootbaar scored on a double by Victor Scott II. Scott scored the final run of the inning on a throwing error by reliever Phil Bickford.
Walker got his fourth single of the game in the ninth and scored when Nootbaar homered off Ron Marinaccio.
After Walker’s first homer since Sept. 17, 2023, the Yankees rallied with three in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI double and Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres hit run-scoring singles for the Yankees (79-58).
Anthony Volpe hit an RBI single and Torres lifted a tying sacrifice fly in the sixth. After Torres’ sacrifice fly, Soto flied out to the warning track after hitting into a double play in the fifth.
Jo-Jo Romero (6-2) retired Soto to end the threat and got the decision after yielding no runs, one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.
Giancarlo Stanton homered and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored on a throwing error by St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas as the Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the second.
Masyn Winn hit a two-run double and Luken Baker hit a two-run homer off Nestor Cortes in the fourth for a 5-2 St. Louis lead.
Mikolas allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits in four-plus innings.
Cortes allowed five runs on nine hits in four innings. Jake Cousins (1-1) took the loss after yielding two runs on one hit and one walk with one strikeout in 2/3 of an inning.
–Field Level Media
