ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — In a stunning and chaotic Opening Night reversal, the St. Louis Cardinals erased a six-run deficit with an eight-run sixth inning to storm past the Tampa Bay Rays 9-7 on Thursday at Busch Stadium.

A crowd of 45,037 watched the Cardinals open their 2026 season with a comeback victory that defied pregame projections and shifted momentum with breathtaking speed. The game time was 3 hours, 4 minutes.

The contest appeared to be following a script of missed opportunities and solid pitching until the fateful sixth. Tampa Bay, which amassed 17 hits but stranded 13 baserunners, broke a 1-1 tie by sending 11 men to the plate in the top of the inning. The Rays scored six runs on seven hits, chasing Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore and reliever Chris Roycroft.

The rally was a cascade of singles. Nick Fortes, Carson Williams and Yandy Díaz loaded the bases with one out. Pinch-hitter Chandler Simpson drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single. Jonathan Aranda added a sacrifice fly, Ben Williamson dribbled an RBI single past the mound, and Jonny DeLuca lined a two-run single to center. Fortes capped the outburst with his second hit of the inning, another RBI single, to give Tampa Bay a commanding 7-1 lead.

The Cardinals’ response in the bottom half was immediate and explosive, turning a quiet afternoon for the home offense into a barrage. Alec Burleson, who finished with three hits, started the rally with a single off Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger. Masyn Winn followed with a double, and Nolan Gorman sliced the deficit to 7-3 with a two-run single.

After Jordan Walker’s ground-rule double, Nathan Church delivered a two-run single to make it 7-5 and end Cleavinger’s night. The Rays’ bullpen offered no relief. Pedro Pagés and Victor Scott II greeted Yoendrys Gómez with singles to re-load the bases. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera then delivered back-to-back sacrifice flies to tie the game at 7.

Burleson, batting for the second time in the inning, then provided the decisive blow. He launched a two-run homer to right field off Gómez, completing the eight-run frame and giving St. Louis a 9-7 advantage. The Cardinals sent 13 batters to the plate, collecting eight of their 14 total hits.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly that bottom of the sixth inning. It transformed a contest defined by Tampa Bay’s persistent offensive pressure and a 7-1 lead into a shocking turnaround. The Cardinals’ inning was a model of relentless, productive offense: six consecutive batters reached with one out, and the team capitalized with timely hitting, including two sacrifice flies and the climactic two-run homer. It erased the Rays’ big inning entirely and shifted all momentum permanently to the home side.

Tampa Bay threatened in the ninth against Cardinals closer Ryne Stanek, loading the bases with two outs on two walks and a hit batter. But Stanek struck out Richie Palacios swinging to end the game and secure his first save.

The win went to Cardinals reliever Riley O’Brien, who recorded the final out of the Tampa Bay sixth. Cleavinger took the loss for the Rays, charged with five runs while recording just one out in the Cardinals’ sixth.

Cardinals rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt provided the early offense with a solo home run to center field in the third inning, the first of his career. Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda had tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth.

The result flipped several pregame metrics. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 1-0 Tampa Bay victory, and while its ELO system gave St. Louis a 51.9% win probability, the Rays had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite. The 16 total runs sailed over the over/under line of 7.5.

With the victory, St. Louis begins the season 1-0. Tampa Bay starts 0-1. The teams continue their opening series on Saturday.

Tampa Bay’s next 10 games continue on the road, with two more in St. Louis before a three-game set in Milwaukee and a series in Minnesota. The Rays’ home opener is set for April 6 against the Chicago Cubs.

St. Louis hosts Tampa Bay twice more before welcoming the New York Mets for a three-game series. A road trip to Detroit and Washington follows.