Elly De La Cruz Delivers First Career Walk-Off Hit in Reds 6-5 Win

Elly De La Cruz recorded his first career walk-off hit in the 10th inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Elly De La Cruz secured a 6-5 victory for the Cincinnati Reds over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night, driving a walk-off single into left field during the 10th inning. The game-winning hit deflected off the glove of third baseman Blaze Jordan, allowing automatic runner Tyler Stephenson to cross home plate. This result earned the Reds a split of the day's doubleheader after St. Louis took the opening contest 2-1. Emilio Pagán earned the win to move to 5-1 on the season after throwing a hitless top of the 10th, while Justin Bruihl took the loss to fall to 0-1.

Cincinnati forced extra innings by rallying with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Dane Myers, entering as a pinch hitter, launched his fifth home run of the season into the left-center seats to tie the game at 5. This marked the second home run of the day for Myers, who also homered during the first game of the twin bill. The late-inning surge snapped a three-game losing streak for the Reds.

Lowder Matches Career High on Mound

Starter Rhett Lowder provided 6⅔ innings of work, matching his career high for length in a single outing. During his time on the mound, Lowder surrendered four runs on eight hits. He recorded five strikeouts and did not factor into the decision. The Reds' pitching staff limited the Cardinals to five runs total, despite St. Louis holding a multi-run lead late into the middle innings.

St. Louis initially built their advantage through consistent contact. Iván Herrera leveled the score in the fourth inning by hitting his 14th home run of the year. Following the solo shot, Masyn Winn drove in a run with a single to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. The visitors extended that margin to 4-1 in the sixth inning behind consecutive RBI singles from Nathan Church and Blaze Jordan.

Rookie Héctor Rodríguez Sparks Sixth-Inning Rally

The Reds erased a three-run deficit in the bottom of the sixth to pull even at 4-4. JJ Bleday reached base and scored when Michael Toglia doubled to center field, marking Toglia’s first RBI since joining Cincinnati. The momentum continued when rookie Héctor Rodríguez, ranked as the organization's No. 4 prospect, singled to center. That hit drove in both Eugenio Suárez and Toglia, providing Rodríguez with the first two major league RBIs of his career.

Suárez had previously opened the scoring for Cincinnati in the first inning with a sacrifice fly. After the Cardinals regained a 5-4 lead, the Reds relied on the ninth-inning heroics of Myers to stay alive. The victory at Great American Ball Park concluded at 10:11 PM ET on August 17, 2026. The two teams combined for 11 runs and multiple home runs across the 10-inning span, leaving the Cardinals with a split for the Monday series.