Tied 1-1 in the 11th, Miami sent out Patrick Connolly, who’s been awful against St. Louis in his career. In six games, he’d allowed 21 hits and 59 runs in just over 12 innings. He started decent, getting Yadier Molina to ground out, then struck out Dexter Fowler with a slider. Paul Goldschmidt came up next, and while he had solid numbers in a small sample size against Connolly, the Marlins pitcher had gotten the better of him in a recent at-bat that ended in a strikeout with heavy slider usage. This time, Connolly tried the same formula.
The sequence unfolded with a first-pitch fastball fouled off, followed by a slider for strike two. Goldy stayed patient through a few more sliders and a high fastball. Connolly went back to the well once too often. The next slider hung, and Goldschmidt crushed it. Walk-off homer. His teammates celebrated as Ozuna handed him his helmet back like a trophy. Someone botched the Gatorade dump. Goldschmidt, true to form, stayed quiet and calm during the postgame. Just his fifth career walk-off, but it came in the exact spot where the Cardinals needed it. Connolly’s St. Louis nightmare continued.