Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Oli Marmol Robs Veteran Of Baseball Immortality In Stellar Pirates Outing

St. Louis' skipper will take some heat for a decision he made Wednesday
Nate Hagerty|
Jun 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) shares a laugh in the dugout before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
Jun 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) shares a laugh in the dugout before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol made a questionable decision during Wednesday's National League Central matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is bound to ruffle some feathers.

After overpowering Pirates phenom ace Paul Skenes on Tuesday, the Cardinals placed themselves in a solid position to win the final chapter of their three-game series against Pittsburgh.

Despite the Cardinals' pitching staff struggling so far this year, a St. Louis hurler showcased one of the best performances of his career on Wednesday, which might be overshadowed by Marmol's head-scratching decision.

Cardinals right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde logged six hitless and scoreless innings with two strikeouts and four walks in 88 pitches. Although the veteran was only three innings away from becoming the 11th player in St. Louis' franchise history to pitch a no-hitter, Marmol pulled Fedde from the game and called Phil Maton down from the bullpen to take the mound in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals' red-hot offense failed to give Fedde any run support. When Marmol pulled the 32-year-old from his potential no-hit performance, St. Louis and Pittsburgh were both scoreless.

Considering how competitive Wednesday's pitching duel against the Pirates was, Marmol's decision to remove Fedde from the mound makes sense. Still, throwing a no-hitter is every starting pitcher's dream. To be pulled from the game while being so close to reaching baseball immortality must've been painful for the eight-year veteran.

Marmol has a low approval rating among Cardinals fans, so even though taking Fedde out of Wednesday's rubber match can logically be explained, it's doubtful the already frustrated fan base will let his latest blundered decision slide.

It's becoming more common to see starters pulled from potential no-hitters with all the technology and science organizations use to gain competitive advantages in today's game. It would've been awesome to see Fedde earn his first-career no-hitter against the division-foe Pirates but sadly, Marmol wasn't concerned with making history.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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