Cardinals Shockingly Blowout Yankees To Clinch Series; Is Epic Playoff Run Imminent?

St. Louis is off to Milwaukee

Sep 1, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrates with catcher Iván Herrera (48) after scoring in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a hot start in Sept. after the offense came alive Sunday afternoon to defeat the American League-leading New York Yankees in a dominant 14-7 victory.

With only 25 games left this season, the Cardinals must play their best if they hope to erase a 5 1/2 game deficit in the National League Wild Card race.

Overcoming such a deficit this late in the season won't be easy but it's certainly doable. If it has been done before, then it can certainly be done again.

"Though the Cardinals had begun 2021 with a decent shot at winning the National League Central, by Sep. 10 they were 15.0 games out of first place and out of the money in the NL Wild Card race," Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer wrote when talking about the miraculous 17-game winning streak the Cardinals pulled off during Sept. three seasons ago to help propel St. Louis to another playoffs appearance.

The Cardinals didn't make it far that postseason after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in the NL Wild Card game, ending an incredible run to end the season.

St. Louis is missing quite a few stars from that 2021 roster, so going on another 17-game winning streak is highly unlikely. Luckily, St. Louis' deficit is erasable and probably won't require such a run.

The Milwaukee Brewers will next host the Cardinals in a three-game series starting Monday night that is crucial for St. Louis to win. If they can beat the Yankees, they should be able to beat the National League Central leaders.

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