PHOENIX -- There's a long way to go, but when you look back on the 2026 season, it's possible that Sunday was the turning point for the Cardinals and Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card race.
The Diamondbacks overcame a seven-run deficit to walk off the Redbirds, 8-7, in 10 innings at Chase Field.
Max Kepler delivered the game-winning hit with a one-out double that scored automatic runner Jorge Barrosa from second base.
So much happened in the game, it's hard to keep track of it all, but here are the key details:
A historic comeback
The victory matched the largest come-from-behind win in Diamondbacks franchise history. The only other time the Diamondbacks rallied from seven runs down was on Aug. 29, 2022, in outfielder Corbin Carroll's big league debut, as they beat the Phillies, 13-7.
"Obviously, we needed it as a team," third baseman Nolan Arenado said. "Just a well-fought game for us, just to come back like that was incredible. Arguably, our best win of the year, but just to see us -- the way we fought and didn't give in, we could have easily done that. We didn't, so that was great."
Don't forget the tiebreakers
With the win, the Diamondbacks pulled to within a half-game of the Cardinals in the Wild Card race and secured their fourth victory against St. Louis this season.
That's important because with just one game left between the two teams this year, the Diamondbacks have clinched the season series, which would be the first tiebreaker in case they finish with identical records.
More than any other team, the Diamondbacks know the value of owning a tiebreaker over a team, a lesson they learned the hard way in 2024.
That year, Arizona tied with the Braves and Mets for the final Wild Card spot with all three teams winning 89 games. However, because the Diamondbacks lost the season series to both of those teams, they were the odd team out.
Not the best of days for E-Rod
Eduardo Rodriguez has been the Diamondbacks' best starter this year and one of the best in the NL as evidenced by his All-Star Game selection, but Sunday he did not seem to have it.
After holding the Cardinals scoreless in the first two innings, things fell apart for him in the third, as he allowed five runs and was forced to depart with just two outs in the frame.
"I feel like I missed a lot of spots with the changeup," Rodriguez said. "The four-seam [fastball] wasn't working great today. I had a good plan, they had a good plan. They executed, and they took advantage of it."
Message from the coaches
After watching the Cardinals score five runs in the third and two in the fifth to go up 7-0, bench coach Jeff Banister and first-base coach Dave McKay had some things to say to the team in the dugout, according to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.
To celebrate the win and the coach's role in it, Perdomo dumped a Gatorade bucket on Banister during the celebration and just missed getting McKay, as well.
"All the credit to the coaches," Perdomo said. "We didn’t have enough energy until the sixth, until we pissed off Mac. After that, I think we got some energy and things started getting better.
“[Banister] is like my dad. Like I said, all the credit to the coaches. Him and McKay, they were a little bit upset because we didn’t have energy. We got that energy and we injected it into the game."
An interesting home run
With a runner on first and two outs in the seventh, Perdomo hit a sinking line drive to left. José Fermín came in on the ball, stopped and tried to body it up but it got by him and rolled all the way to the wall.
That allowed Perdomo to come all the way around on an inside-the-park homer that cut the St. Louis lead to 7-5.
"The way I saw it, the way I viewed the play, I was thinking in my mind it was a simple base hit," Perdomo said. "Honestly, I was running slow, too. I hit the line drive and I just saw it was under his glove. I tried to get to third base. When I saw [third-base coach] J.R. House sending me home, I just kept going."