The Cardinals walked off winners in dramatic fashion Sunday night, as Pedro Páges delivered the decisive blow—a two-run homer in the ninth—to sink the Cubs 3-2 in a tense NL Central showdown. St. Louis had struggled to solve Shota Imanaga all evening, mustering just four hits through 6.2 innings, but Páges ambushed a Brad Keller fastball with two outs, sending a no-doubter into the left-field seats to turn Busch Stadium into a frenzy. The rookie catcher, who entered the game hitting just .211, had been quiet at the plate—until his first career walk-off shot erased Chicago’s late lead and handed the Cardinals their second straight series win over their division rivals.

Chicago’s offense sputtered against Sonny Gray, who bent but never broke over seven gritty innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven. Matt Shaw’s two-run homer in the sixth had briefly given the Cubs hope, but St. Louis’ bullpen—led by JoJo Romero’s clutch 1.1 scoreless frames—shut the door late. The loss stings for Chicago, who squandered a chance to gain ground in the wild-card race, while the Cardinals, now riding momentum, prove once again that late-game heroics are becoming their signature.

The Cardinals walked off winners in dramatic fashion Sunday night, as Pedro Páges delivered the decisive blow—a two-run homer in the ninth—to sink the Cubs 3-2 in a tense NL Central showdown. St. Louis had struggled to solve Shota Imanaga all evening, mustering just four hits through 6.2 innings, but Páges ambushed a Brad Keller fastball with two outs, sending a no-doubter into the left-field seats to turn Busch Stadium into a frenzy. The rookie catcher, who entered the game hitting just .211, had been quiet at the plate—until his first career walk-off shot erased Chicago’s late lead and handed the Cardinals their second straight series win over their division rivals.

Chicago’s offense sputtered against Sonny Gray, who bent but never broke over seven gritty innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven. Matt Shaw’s two-run homer in the sixth had briefly given the Cubs hope, but St. Louis’ bullpen—led by JoJo Romero’s clutch 1.1 scoreless frames—shut the door late. The loss stings for Chicago, who squandered a chance to gain ground in the wild-card race, while the Cardinals, now riding momentum, prove once again that late-game heroics are becoming their signature.