Jimmy Crooks turned a rain interruption into the deciding swing Friday, driving a late home run that pushed the Cardinals past the Braves at Busch Stadium. The game had been stopped in the fourth inning, but the Cardinals finished the night with the only result that mattered: a win.
That is why Crooks is the name being searched now. His homer came after the delay, after the long pause, and after the game had already been pushed into a different rhythm, with the Cardinals needing one clean swing to separate themselves from the Braves on Friday, July 10, 2026.
Jordan Walker was part of the delay itself, walking off the field in the fourth inning when the weather halted play. Kyle Leahy had already thrown in the first inning, and the Cardinals still found a way to keep the game within reach long enough for Crooks to finish it. The final turn was simple, but the timing was not: a game interrupted in the fourth inning became a game decided after play resumed.
The late homer also fits the larger shape of what the Cardinals are showing right now. The club had already been tied to a separate 3-0 shutout win over the Cubs on Saturday in Chicago, and the broader coverage around Jordan Walker has centered on a breakthrough season and an upcoming All-Star selection. But on this night, none of that mattered more than the swing Crooks put into the game after the delay.
What the Cardinals have now is a win that survived bad weather, a stop-start fourth inning and enough uncertainty to blunt momentum. What remains unanswered is how far Crooks can carry that kind of finish if the game is still tight when the next big swing comes.
