Cardinals Nearly No-Hit by Pirates-Shock Pittsburgh in 9th Winning 4-2

TL;DR

The St. Louis Cardinals rallied in the 9th inning to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2, overcoming a near no-hitter. JJ Wetherholt's home run and a double from José Fermín were key to the comeback.

Key points

Cardinals rallied in the 9th inning to win 4-2
JJ Wetherholt hit a game-tying home run
Pirates nearly achieved a no-hitter
José Fermín's double secured the lead
Dustin May pitched 6 solid innings for the Cardinals

St. Louis CardinalsPittsburgh PiratesJJ WetherholtJosé Fermín

Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second basemen JJ Wetherholt (26) fields a ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz (2) during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images Spoiler alert: There weren’t going to be many highlights to share from tonight’s St. Louis Cardinals game in Pittsburgh as the Pirates bullpen nearly no-hit the birds. However, the St. Louis Cardinals broke the heart of the Bucks thanks in part to a loud homecoming from JJ Wetherholt and a rally for the ages. The Pittsburgh Pirates tossed a potpourri of pitchers on the mound for Monday night’s game versus the St. Louis Cardinals and nearly made history. Mason Montgomery tossed 1 inning. He was followed by Justin Lawrence who also served his team with a perfect inning. Wilber Dotel was responsible for the heart of the game and he was also perfect through his 4 innings. It wasn’t until Evan Sisk in the top of the 7th inning that a St. Louis Cardinal reached base and that was barely beating out an infield hit tapped to third baseman . The Pittsburgh Pirates offense wasn’t exactly on fire either as held them to 2 runs on just 7 hits through a solid 6 innings. Dustin May’s start was nearly overlooked when Mangum singled in Gonzales in the bottom of the 1st inning and O’Hearn scored Lowe on a single in the bottom of the 2nd inning to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. It’s too bad that the Cardinals offense didn’t give him support earlier. The Cardinals offense was such a dud (for the first 8 innings) Monday night that the TV play of the game was a groundout to third base in the 7th inning. *Seriously.* That changed in the 9th inning, though, when hit a one-out home run into the left field bleachers. The Pagés bomb was followed up by who grew up just 18 miles from PNC Park. With many friends and family in the stands to watch, JJ ripped a bomb over the right-center field wall to tie the game 2-2. Welcome home, rookie, indeed. The cardiac Cardinals were not done. walked and was pinch-run for by Victor Scott II. Alec Burleson then hit a dribbler that hugged the third base line and refused to go fowl for an infield hit. then walked to load the bases. followed that with a blazing double down the left field line to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead. was brought in to close out the heart of the Pirates lineup in the bottom of the 9th representing a still-exhausted bullpen. Soriano was nearly lights out with Pittsburgh managing a 9th inning single, but future superstar Konnor Griffin was the final out. The St. Louis Cardinals will try for an encore Tuesday night when takes the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time again at PNC Park.

Q&A

What was the final score of the Cardinals vs. Pirates game on April 27, 2026?

The St. Louis Cardinals won the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a final score of 4-2.

Who hit the game-tying home run for the Cardinals against the Pirates?

JJ Wetherholt hit the game-tying home run for the Cardinals in the 9th inning.

How close was the Pirates' pitching to achieving a no-hitter against the Cardinals?

The Pirates' pitching staff nearly achieved a no-hitter, with the first Cardinal hit occurring in the 7th inning.

What key play allowed the Cardinals to take the lead in the 9th inning?

José Fermín's double down the left field line allowed the Cardinals to take a 4-2 lead in the 9th inning.

Cardinals Nearly No-Hit by Pirates-Shock Pittsburgh in 9th Winning 4-2

TL;DR

Key points

Q&A

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