Seattle Mariners Complete Series Sweep Against St. Louis Cardinals

Apr 26, 2026, 22:48

Introduction

The Seattle Mariners defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday at Busch Stadium, finishing the series with three consecutive wins. The game was decided in the ninth inning by a home run from pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder.

Main Body

Both starting pitchers delivered strong performances. The Cardinals' Michael McGreevy pitched six innings, giving up only one run on five hits. Meanwhile, the Mariners' Emerson Hancock also pitched six innings and allowed two runs. Analysts noted that Hancock had a better walk rate than last season, even though a fingernail injury limited his ability to use certain pitches. Scoring was low for most of the match. The Cardinals first took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with a home run by JJ Wetherholt, but Cal Raleigh equalized for Seattle in the fourth. St. Louis regained a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning through Nathan Church. However, the Mariners tied the game 2-2 in the seventh inning after a double by Connor Joe and a hit by Cole Young. In the final stages, the Mariners' relief pitchers were highly effective, keeping the Cardinals scoreless for three innings. In contrast, the Cardinals struggled in the ninth. After a strikeout call was overturned by a challenge, Rob Refsnyder hit a 412-foot solo home run to secure the victory. Furthermore, the game was marked by the frequent use of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system, which both teams used successfully four times to change the umpire's decisions.

Conclusion

The Mariners ended the series with a 3-2 victory, while the Cardinals are set to begin a four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.

Vocabulary Learning

challenge (n.)

request to review a decision / 挑戰

Example:They filed a challenge to the umpire's call.

overturned (v.)

reversed a decision / 逆轉

Example:The strikeout call was overturned after the review.

pinch-hitter (n.)

substitute batter / a batter who replaces another batter during a game代打者

Example:The team's pinch-hitter hit a home run in the ninth inning.

relief (n.)

additional pitcher who enters the game after the starter / 補投手

Example:The team's relief pitchers kept the opponents scoreless.

walk rate (n.)

frequency of walks per inning or per pitch走球率

Example:His walk rate was higher than last season.

Sentence Learning

After a strikeout call was overturned by a challenge, Rob Refsnyder hit a 412-foot solo home run to secure the victory.

Passive Voice: The phrase 'was overturned' is a passive construction, indicating the action was performed on the strikeout call by an unspecified agent. The rest of the sentence is active.被動語態: 該句子使用被動語態 'was overturned'，表示動作是對 'strikeout call' 進行的，主語是 'a challenge'。

Furthermore, the game was marked by the frequent use of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system, which both teams used successfully four times to change the umpire''s decisions.

Relative Clause: The clause 'which both teams used successfully four times to change the umpire's decisions' is a relative clause providing additional information about the ABS challenge system.關係子句: 句子中的 'which both teams used successfully four times to change the umpire's decisions' 是關係子句，提供關於 ABS 挑戰系統的額外資訊。

Analysts noted that Hancock had a better walk rate than last season, even though a fingernail injury limited his ability to use certain pitches.

Conjunction: The phrase 'even though' introduces a subordinate clause that contrasts with the main clause, indicating a concession.連接詞: 'even though' 用於引入一個對比的從句，表示儘管……

In contrast, the Cardinals struggled in the ninth.

Contrast: The phrase 'In contrast' signals a contrast between the Cardinals' struggle and the preceding context.對比: 'In contrast' 用於表示兩個觀點之間的對比。

In the final stages, the Mariners'' relief pitchers were highly effective, keeping the Cardinals scoreless for three innings.

Participial Phrase: The participial phrase 'keeping the Cardinals scoreless for three innings' describes the action of the relief pitchers and functions as an adverbial modifier.分詞片語: 分詞片語 'keeping the Cardinals scoreless for three innings' 描述投手在比賽中的行動。