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Fermin's Ninth-Inning Double Lifts Cardinals Over Pirates

4/28/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Jose Fermin hit a two-run double in the ninth, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
The Cardinals broke up a perfect-game bid in the seventh and tied the game at 2-2 in the ninth when Pedro Pages and rookie JJ Wetherholt homered.
Ryan Fernandez earned the win while George Soriano recorded his save for St. Louis, ending the Cardinals’ four-game losing streak.

History

Historical Context

Tom Browning’s September 16, 1988 perfect game— the 12th in MLB history and the first left-handed perfect game since Sandy Koufax in 1965—came against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who later captured the World Series that year. The rarity of such feats (only 24 perfect games through 2025) underscores the Cardinals’ recent disruption of Pittsburgh’s bid as a notable continuation of baseball’s scarce perfect-game moments.

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Story summary

Jose Fermin hit a two-run double in the ninth, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
The Cardinals broke up a perfect-game bid in the seventh and tied the game at 2-2 in the ninth when Pedro Pages and rookie JJ Wetherholt homered.
Ryan Fernandez earned the win while George Soriano recorded his save for St. Louis, ending the Cardinals’ four-game losing streak.

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