NLCS Game 2, Giants vs Cardinals final score: Kolten Wong walks off, Cardinals win 5-4

By Hayden Kane | Oct 13, 2014

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

33. 4. 40. Final. 5

The St. Louis Cardinals couldn’t hold onto a lead in the 9th inning, but Kolten Wong delivered a walk-off home run as his team defeated the San Francisco Giants by a final score of 5-4 to even the series at 1-1.

Let’s just say that the memories of Cardinals’ second baseman as one of the goats of the 2013 World Series are long gone. For the second time this postseason, Wong came through with a clutch home run. Wong blasted a walk-off home run to lead off the bottom of the 9th inning against Sergio Romo as the Cardinals won 5-4.

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Cardinals’ closer Trevor Rosenthal was one strike away from saving this game in the top of the 9th. Just one more pitch, and he could have put Joe Panik away and sent the NLCS to San Francisco tied 1-1.

Not only did Rosenthal fail to retire Panik: he threw a gnarly wild pitch to issue ball four. The pitch got so far away from back-up catcher Tony Cruz that Giant’s pinch-runner Matt Duffy scored from second base to tie the game at 4-4. After that blown save, it felt like the Giants were going to win another typical Giants game. Pablo Sandoval left the bases loaded against Seth Maness, however, and then Wong delivered the winning home run in the bottom half of the inning.

We all knew it would hurt the Cardinals not to have Yadier Molina behind the plate after he exited the game with an oblique strain. We just maybe didn’t know that the effect would be felt this immediately and this directly. That is the number one story in this series moving forward, even if the Cardinals are taking a moment to celebrate tonight.

There were three clutch home runs for the Cardinals in this game. Matt Adams had an opportunity to hit an 8th inning home run thanks to the heroics of rookie Oscar Taveras in the 7th to tie the game up at 3-3. Adams got a fastball to handle and did not miss it.

Wong had the chance thanks to a blown save. Before that, it was Matt Carpenter hitting yet another postseason home run to put the Cardinals on the board early.

The Giants scored one run at a time, putting a single run across in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th innings. Those runs scored on a ground-out, two RBI singles from Gregor Blanco and Hunter Pence, and the aforementioned wild pitch, respectively. They were typical Giants rallies, but when they needed one most the Giants ultimately came up short.

Giants’ starter Jake Peavy lasted just four innings and gave up two earned runs. Lance Lynn also allowed two earned runs, his over 5.2 innings. Neither starter factored in the decision.

The Cardinals were clinging to a small lead at multiple points in this game, but as they are known to do, the Giants simply refused to go away. In a game that had a number of lead changes and will go down as a classic, it was the Cardinals who ultimately came out on top.

The NLCS will resume Tuesday in San Francisco.

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