Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 4 |
| STL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 3 |
The Story
The Washington Nationals erased a late deficit and pulled away in extra innings to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 at Busch Stadium on September 19, 2026, in a game that required 11 frames to decide. The DiamondIQ model entered the night giving St. Louis a 55 percent home win probability, but the Cardinals were unable to hold leads late, and the model's estimate fell to zero by the final out. Washington scratched across runs in the first and sixth innings before the Cardinals responded with two in the seventh and one in the ninth to force extra innings, setting the stage for a dramatic finish that was ultimately defined by Washington's four-run eleventh.
The biggest swing plays told the story of a back-and-forth contest decided in clutch moments. Jorbit Vivas delivered the single most impactful offensive play of the game when his single off Riley O'Brien in the top of the tenth inning shifted win probability by 35.3 percent in Washington's favor. Keibert Ruiz followed with a similarly decisive single off Gordon Graceffo in the eleventh, adding another 32.0 percent swing as the Nationals broke the game open with four runs in that frame. St. Louis had its own critical moments, as Pedro Pagés singled off Erik Tolman in the bottom of the ninth for a 26.5 percent swing, and Nathan Church's double in the same at-bat sequence added 25.1 percent to keep the Cardinals alive, though Thomas Saggese's groundout in the bottom of the tenth, grading at plus-23.7 percent for Washington, ultimately extinguished another St. Louis threat.
Among individual performers, José Fermín led all batters with a WPA of plus-40.7 and a RE24 of plus-2.1, pacing Washington's offense throughout the contest. Vivas was close behind at plus-40.1 WPA with a RE24 of plus-1.3, and Church contributed plus-37.0 WPA despite his double coming in a losing effort for the Cardinals. On the mound, Andrew Alvarez was the standout performer for Washington, posting a WPA of plus-41.3 to lead all pitchers, with Jack Sinclair adding plus-27.9 WPA in relief. The Nationals' pitching staff ultimately overcame a rocky night defensively — Washington committed four errors — while holding St. Louis to five runs on 14 hits over the full 11 innings.