ST. LOUIS – The Toronto Blue Jays emerged victorious against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-4 win in an exhilarating game on Monday night, thanks to Alejandro Kirk’s exceptional performance, which included a decisive double in the 10th inning. Kirk’s offensive prowess was on full display as he tallied four hits, including a crucial go-ahead double that brought automatic runner Addison Barger home, putting the Blue Jays ahead.
Toronto’s victory was secured when Jeff Hoffman delivered an impeccable 1-2-3 inning, securing his 16th save in 19 opportunities, cementing the Blue Jays’ winning trend with their 10th win in 12 games. The winning succession came despite Toronto initially letting go of a three-run lead in the eighth inning. The team managed to equalize at 4 in the ninth with Jonatan Clase hitting a significant home run off Cardinals’ closer Ryan Helsley, marking Clase’s first homer of the season and only the second in his career.
Earlier in the eighth inning, Kirk had already demonstrated his power with a full-count home run off reliever Riley O’Brien, increasing Toronto’s lead to 3-0. Nevertheless, the Cardinals responded in the bottom half when Willson Contreras hit a single, and Iván Herrera delivered a menacing three-run homer off Blue Jays reliever Yariel Rodríguez, pulling St. Louis ahead 4-3. Rodríguez was tasked with a tough challenge, entering with two St. Louis runners in scoring positions, although he had keeping inherited runners from scoring for most of the season.
José Berríos, the starting pitcher for Toronto, was instrumental to the team’s defensive efforts, as he pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings, relinquishing only two hits. The Blue Jays capitalized early on George Springer’s double in the first inning and an RBI single by Bo Bichette in the second that had given them a 2-0 lead against Cardinals starter Andres Pallente, who allowed seven hits across six innings.
The game’s turning points came with Berríos departing after a masterful pitching session, invigorating the Cardinals momentarily before Toronto’s Clase and Kirk dashed their comeback hopes. The Blue Jays, leading the all-time series with a narrow 15-14 margin, had managed to win all encounters against the Cardinals at Toronto the previous season.
Next up for the Blue Jays, right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt (6-3, 3.56 ERA) is scheduled to start on Tuesday as they face Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.96).