Cardinals Score 4 Runs in 9th Inning, Hold off Braves for Thrilling Game 1 Win

The St. Louis Cardinals used a late offensive outburst to rally for a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the 2019 National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on Thursday.

St. Louis trailed 3-1 after seven innings, but it got two runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth to stun Atlanta in the series opener. Marcell Ozuna, who was playing in his first career playoff game, gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game with a two-run double with one out in the ninth.

By winning Game 1 on the road, the Cardinals stole home-field advantage from the Braves.

Notable Performances

St. Louis 

SP Miles Mikolas: five innings, three hits, one run, two walks and two strikeouts

OF Dexter Fowler: 1-for-4, walk, RBI, run scored

1B Paul Goldschmidt: 2-for-4, home run, RBI

LF Marcell Ozuna: 2-for-4, walk, double, two RBI

2B Kolten Wong: 2-for-4, walk, double, 2 RBI

CF Harrison Bader: 1-for-3, stolen base, run scored

Atlanta

SP Dallas Keuchel: 4.2 innings, five hits, one run, three walks and zero strikeouts

RP Luke Jackson: 0.2 innings, three hits, two runs, zero walks and one strikeout

RP Mark Melancon (losing pitcher): one inning, five hits, four runs, two walks and one strikeout

CF Ronald Acuna Jr.: 3-for-4, walk, home run, 2 RBI

1B Freddie Freeman: 2-for-4, home run, RBI

Paul Goldschmidt Trade Pays Off for Cardinals

When St. Louis acquired Goldschmidt last offseason, it envisioned the first baseman coming up clutch in the postseason. 

So far, so good.

Keuchel and Co. held the Cardinals offense in check for much of the first seven innings. But when Braves manager Brian Snitker had to adapt on the fly following an injury to reliever Chris Martin, Goldschmidt found a way to spark his team.

On the second pitch from Martin's replacement, Luke Jackson, Goldschmidt launched the ball deep into the second deck in left:

As Christopher Kamka of NBC Sports Chicago noted, Goldschmidt has made a habit of doing yardwork in October:

His latest blast brought St. Louis to within one run and proved to be just the beginning of a comeback.

Matt Carpenter later evened the score with a two-out blooper:

And that set the stage for Ozuna and Wong to play the role of hero in the ninth:

The Braves made things interesting with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but the Cardinals held on—and it's all thanks to a bold offseason move.

Cardinals Overcome Rare Miscues

Whether it be rust or just tough luck, the NL Central champs made some uncharacteristic mistakes in their first postseason game since 2015.

And it nearly cost them.

Rust appeared to be an issue for Mikolas early on, as he entered Game 1 on 10 days' rest. Making his first appearance since Sept. 22, he started the game by walking back-to-back batters and subsequently giving up a base hit to the third hitter. If not for a caught stealing, he could have been in serious trouble right out of the gates.

He nearly escaped the jam altogether, but second baseman Kolten Wong—who had not played since Sept. 19 due to a hamstring injury—mishandled a potential inning-ending double play:

Mikolas would eventually settle in, retiring 11 in a row at one point. And that bought his team some time to hang around.

The Braves loaded the bases against the Cardinals bullpen in the bottom of the sixth. St. Louis had an opportunity to escape the inning with the score tied 1-1, but third baseman Tommy Edman was unable to field a hard-hit ball by Dansby Swanson. Matters were made worse when the throw from shortstop Paul DeJong got away from Wong, allowing a second run to score.

This was a Cardinals team that committed the fewest errors (66) in baseball during the regular season.

Atlanta's first three runs scored on plays involving an error. It wasn't until the ninth that the Braves managed to manufacture runs on their own. 

Fortunately for the Cardinals, the offense did just enough to pick up the defense.

What's Next

Game 2 will be played at SunTrust Park on Friday at 4:37 p.m. ET. Right-hander Jack Flaherty will take the mound for St. Louis, while right-hander Mike Foltynewicz will get the nod for Atlanta.