“It was a good way to end the off day.”
Tommy Hyun-Soo Edmon (St. Louis Cardinals) came on as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 10th inning to deliver the winning run against the San Diego Padres during the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, on June 30 (ET).
Edmon, who represented South Korea in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), was injured last month. He made his comeback on Aug. 2 against the Minnesota Twins. He was scheduled to be rested for the game, but came up to bat in the bottom of the 10th inning with a crucial opportunity.
With the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 10th, the Cardinals had runners at first and third on a sacrifice bunt by Rich Palacios. San Diego elected to walk Paul Goldschmidt on an automatic high-five, which prompted the Cardinals to bring Edmon to the plate to pinch-hit for a surprised Gorman.
Edmon stepped up to the plate and took a Josh Hader fastball. He hit a 96 mph (about 154 km/h) body sinker. The pitch sailed out of the zone and landed in front of the left-field fence. Left fielder Juan Soto had no choice but to give it up. Edmon’s game-winning hit helped St. Louis snap a four-game losing streak.
“He was ready to go,” St. Louis manager Oliver Mamol said, according to Harold Bulletin.
“It was a good way to end the off day,” said Edmon, who had his fourth career walk-off hit. “I thought I could contribute in some way. We haven’t had that many wins lately. It felt good.”
If Edman was the one to close out the game, it was Wilson Contreras who pushed the game into extra innings. Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double, two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Trailing 2-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Contreras hit an 80 mph (128 km/h) curveball from Seth Lugo for a one-run home run. Trailing 3-5 in the eighth, he tied the game with a two-run homer off Robert Suarez.
Contreras’ parents were at the game. When Contreras returned from his home run, he looked at them and did a little ceremony. ”I was just trying to do something nice for them,” he said, “I hadn’t been playing well lately. I needed something to make me feel better.”온라인바카
Meanwhile, San Diego’s Ha-Sung Kim, who started at first base, went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. It was his 11th hit in 11 games and his 50th RBI of the season. However, the bullpen collapsed and the team suffered an upset loss.