Cardinals bullpen, defense falter as Phillies score six in the ninth for improbable victory

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The St. Louis Cardinals were two outs away from putting the Philadelphia Phillies on the brink of elimination. And then they absolutely crumbled. 

Shoddy relief pitching and poor defense from St. Louis changed the game and, ultimately, the series. 

The Cards are now one loss away from having their season end after the Phillies' miraculous 6-3 win Friday.

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The Philadelphia Phillies' Edmundo Sosa (33) scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina during the ninth inning in Game 1 of a National League wild-card series, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

The Cards called on Ryan Helsley for a five-out save with a 2-0 lead. The eighth inning was easy, and the Phillies had just four baserunners through that frame. But the ninth was a different story.

After starting the inning with a strikeout, Helsley loaded the bases by surrendering a single and back-to-back walks. Then, he hit Alec Bohm to bring in a run. Helsley was taken out — by an athletic trainer, not by the decision of manager Oliver Marmol — and in came Andre Pallante to get the final two outs with the bases loaded. 

But Jean Segura squeaked a two-run single under the glove of second baseman Tommy Edman, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Bryson Stott then laced a grounder that MVP favorite Paul Goldschmidt stopped on a dive, but pinch runner Edmundo Sosa darted for home, and the throw to the plate was late, making it a 4-2 game.

Brandon Marsh then hit a routine double play ball, but it went under the glove of nine-time Gold Glove Award (and five-time Platinum Glove Award) winner Nolan Arenado, and it was a