May's Historic Comeback
Dustin May Throws One-Hit Shutout for Cardinals, Completing Comeback from Injuries
Key Points
After the 3-0 one-hitter, Dustin May said, “This is about as good as I’ve felt in a long time,” and his complete game featured 69 strikes on 101 pitches—capping it with his ninth strikeout.
The no-hit bid was broken in the seventh when Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk, followed two batters later by Manny Machado’s single to left field.
In the final out sequence, May’s clinching strikeout came on a ball described as breaking “low and away” so sharply that Tatis was unable to check his swing; the pitch “skipped off the dirt” and into catcher Jimmy Crooks’ glove for strike three.
ESPN noted this was a specific team milestone: May became the first Cardinals starter this season to record an out in the eighth inning—something he previously failed to do during a seven-inning, no-hit bid against Milwaukee last month. ESPN also tied the decision to keep him in to his prior workload-management moment versus the Brewers on May 27, when he left in the eighth and took the loss.
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Dustin May carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished with a 3-0, one-hit complete-game shutout against the San Diego Padres on Monday night at Busch Stadium. May struck out nine, walked one, and threw 101 pitches — 69 of them strikes — in the first complete game of his 71-start career. CBS Sports reported May allowed just a single hit, a seventh-inning single to Manny Machado.
The win pushed St. Louis to eight victories in its last 11 games. After the final out, May told reporters, "This is about as good as I've felt in a long time."
A Perfect Bid Broken, Then Saved by the Defense
May set down the first 18 Padres in order before Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk in the seventh to end the perfect game bid. Two batters later, Manny Machado lined a single to left field, ending any hope of a no-hitter as well. But shortstop Masyn Winn bailed May out. Winn turned a key double play on a Gavin Sheets grounder to strand both runners and keep the shutout alive. May later called Winn "an incredible baseball player."
May then cruised through the final two innings. He retired the last seven batters he faced. The final out came on his 101st pitch — a breaking ball that skipped low and away off the dirt and into catcher Jimmy Crooks' glove, catching Tatis unable to check his swing for strike three.
May's Career Nearly Ended Before This Moment
May's complete game is impossible to separate from what he survived to get there. Between 2021 and 2024, he underwent Tommy John surgery, a flexor tendon repair, and a Tommy John revision. He pitched just 101 innings over that four-year stretch and missed the entire 2024 season. The most frightening moment came in July 2024, when May suffered a life-threatening esophagus tear while eating a salad. He has said he "probably wouldn't have made it through the night" without emergency surgery.
FantasyPros noted that May's performance fits a clear trend heading into Monday's start. He had shut out the Mets and allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last five outings. His FIP — a stat that measures pitching quality independent of defense — sat at 3.22 before the game, well below his 4.21 ERA, suggesting his underlying performance was even better than his results showed, according to ClutchPoints.
Manager Marmol Lets May Finish What He Started
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol made a pointed decision to leave May in for the ninth inning. That choice carried extra weight given what happened on May 27 against Milwaukee. In that game, May took a no-hitter into the eighth but was pulled for workload reasons. The bullpen then blew the lead and May took the loss. On Monday, Marmol chose differently, saying May's competitiveness "fed off" the crowd and the Cardinals' defense.
ESPN noted the milestone within the milestone: May became the first Cardinals starter this season to record an out in the eighth inning. Monday's performance was also the first shutout by a Cardinals starter at Busch Stadium since 2019, according to live research. Marmol said before the season the team had "placed a bet" on May's health — and Monday night looked like a payoff.
Padres Enter Series Already Undermanned and Distracted
San Diego arrived in St. Louis in rough shape. Closer Mason Miller was placed on the bereavement list before first pitch, removing their most dominant reliever from the series. Manager Craig Stammen served a one-game suspension tied to a June 13 incident in Baltimore, where reliever Ron Marinaccio hit Gunnar Henderson with a pitch and triggered ejections. Randy Knorr managed the Padres in Stammen's place. Marinaccio himself faces a separate three-game suspension, which he is currently appealing, Sports Grid reported.
The Cardinals' offense did enough damage early to make it a non-contest. Crooks hit a two-run double in the fourth inning. Alec Burleson added an RBI double in the fifth to make it 3-0. May never needed more. The Cardinals, now 39-31 on the season according to ClutchPoints, have quickly become a team postseason analysts are watching — especially given May's history with his former club, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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