Heartbreak losers four days earlier when they just needed one more strike for a victory, the cardiac Cardinals flipped the script when they were the ones down to their final strike on Thursday.

On a full count with two outs in the top of the ninth, JJ Wetherholt was hit by a pitch for an MLB-most 10th time to extend the inning. Iván Herrera then delivered a game-tying single through the left side and Jordan Walker dropped an RBI double into right field to propel the Cardinals back into the lead.

When the dust cleared at Sacramento’s Sutter Home Park on Thursday, the Cardinals escaped with a 5-4 victory over the Athletics for their 12th come-from-behind win of the season.

“It feels amazing and I think today summed up our season because, man we’re never out of it,” Walker told Cardinals.TV after hitting his 12th homer of the season and driving in the winning run. “We’re always fighting and I just love seeing another (win) like that, for sure.”

The ninth-inning rally allowed the Cardinals to win their MLB-most ninth one-run victory of the season. Their 12 come-from-behind victories are tied for fifth in MLB. This comeback gave the Cards a 4-3 record on their trip to the West Coast, and it rid them of the bad taste of losing in San Diego on Sunday when they led by two with two outs and two strikes in the game before Riley O’Brien surrendered a game-tying homer.

On Thursday, it was fitting that O’Brien got his 13th save in one of the Cardinals’ most improbable wins of the season.

“That was interesting to be able to snatch that one back,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, whose club improved to 15-8 on the road and 25-18 overall. “That was a tough series. Coming from San Diego and playing here, that’s a tough group across the way and it is one of our most exhausting series. So, it’s nice to be able to take two (of three).”

Down to what could have been their final pitch, Wetherholt took a 3-2 sweeper from Jack Perkins off the right knee. His 10 hit by pitches are two more than the next closest player and they have factored into his .364 on-base percentage for the season, good for third on the Cardinals. That just set the stage for Herrera and Walker to retake the lead in a game they led 3-1 before a disastrous seventh inning.

Walker drilled a 1-2 pitch on the outer portion of the plate 381 feet for a solo homer in the sixth inning. In the ninth, he went the opposite way again – this time powering an elevated fastball down the line for a double that scored JJ Wetherholt for a 4-3 lead.

“Really, I wanted to take anything that (Perkins) had to the back side of the field, and I was a little late on the heater,” Walker said. “It was in my (bat) path, and I was able to muscle it out there in the outfield and it ended up working out.”  

Seldom-used DH Yohel Pozo, one of the unlikely heroes in Tuesday’s win, had three hits on Thursday – including the single to start the ninth-inning rally. Victor Scott showed some growth against spin by drilling a slider for his second homer of the season. And Nolan Gorman singled in Masyn Winn in the sixth inning for a much-needed RBI.

Fresh off strong outings against the Dodgers and Padres, Michael McGreevy saw his 14-inning scoreless streak end on the first batter of the top of the first. Nick Kurtz, who smashed a go-ahead grand slam on Wednesday, smashed a center-cut fastball from McGreevy 442 feet for a lead-off homer.

As he’d done all season, McGreevy regained his composure and finished the game strong. He retired 12 of the last 13 hitters he faced, including a strikeout of Kurtz looking after he had fallen behind 3-0 in the count.

Marmol appreciated McGreevy’s effort and he appreciated the support his team got while playing in the non-traditional MLB city of Sacramento.

“I know that we’re on the West Coast, but to see that many Cardinals fans (in the seats near the first base dugout), it was pretty cool,” Marmol said.

Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!