ICYMI: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar makes jaw-dropping catch late on to help his team past the New York Yankees in series opener

The St. Louis Cardinals showed incredible resilience last night. They came from behind and won 4-3 against the Majors-leading New York Yankees.

Shortstop Paul DeJong hit a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to put the Cardinals ahead. His go-ahead strike wasn’t the only addition to the highlight reel from that inning.

Shortly before DeJong’s hit, Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar made a jaw-dropping catch off Josh Donaldson during the top of the eighth.

“LARS NOOTBAAR WITH A SICK DIVING CATCH” - Talkin’ Baseball

Nootbaar channeled his inner Spiderman. He dashed into right center and made an incredible leaping catch off Josh Donaldson to save an extra-base hit. He and DeJong weren’t the only heroes for St. Louis.

Rookie reliever Andre Pallente (5-4) threw four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits with two strikeouts and threw 65 pitches in total.

The Yankees went ahead via Donaldson’s early RBI-double before Yadier Molina’s single leveled matters in the second inning. Donaldson restored the Yankees’ advantage in the third with an RBI single.

Gleyber Torres added another one in the fifth. The Yankees were threatening to pull away. Cardinals LF Tyler O’Neill singled to reduce the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth. De Jong’s go-ahead double in the bottom eighth sealed the comeback.

St. Louis Cardinals claim bragging rights on Matt Carpenter’s emotional homecoming

Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees

Matt Carpenter has been a Cardinal at heart ever since he was drafted by St. Louis during the 2009 MLB Draft. Carpenter batted .262 with 155 homers and 576 RBI with St. Louis from 2011-21.

Even after joining the Yankees, Carpenter still checks the St. Louis box scores every night and supports his old teammates.

Not a single person appeared to be seated as Carpenter walked to the plate to a resounding standing ovation from the home crowd. He tipped his cap to the fans and then to the Cardinals’ dugout. It was an extremely emotional homecoming for the Cardinals legend.

It ultimately didn’t matter as the St. Louis Cardinals went on to complete a memorable comeback. They have now won a season-high five straight, extending their home winning streak to six games.

The Yankees, on the other hand, have now lost three games in a row for the first time this year. Friday’s defeat was their fourth of the campaign when leading after seven innings.