Cardinals drop first-ever postseason game with a two-run lead entering the ninth after collapse

The St. Louis Cardinals made history in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies — just not in the way their fans wanted them to.

St. Louis entered the ninth inning of Friday night’s contest with a 2-0 lead, but it completely collapsed, allowing six runs in the top of the inning. It got one of those back in the bottom of the ninth, but that wasn’t enough as Philly took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 6-3 win.

Entering the game, the Cardinals were 93-0 in franchise history — which dates back to 1882 — while leading by two runs entering the ninth inning in the postseason. That streak has now come to an end, and St. Louis’ season will be on the line in Game 2 on Saturday night.

Entering today, the Cardinals were 93-0 in their playoff history when leading by 2+ runs heading to the 9th.

Thanks to the @Phillies, they are now 93-1 pic.twitter.com/F0FPzvbq5X

— ESPN (@espn) October 7, 2022

Champions of the NL Central, the Cardinals came into the MLB Playoffs with a 93-69 record, the fourth-best in the National League. The Phillies, meanwhile, clinched the final Wild Card spot by one game despite finishing third in the NL East and 14 games behind the Atlanta Braves with an 87-75 record.

Philadelphia will hope its run as the No. 6 seed will continue into the NLDS, and it can secure a spot in the next round with a win on Saturday in the best-of-three series.