ST. LOUIS (AP) – Milwaukee’s Travis Shaw and Jonathan Villar each hit a tape-measure home run as the Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 in 10 innings in Major League Baseball on Monday night.
Shaw’s three-run shot off the Cardinals’ South Korean reliever Seung Hwan Oh (0-2) traveled an estimated 451 feet and broke a 4-all tie with two outs in the top of the 10th. Villar’s two-run drive in the third soared 450 feet to right-center and gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.
“That was pure reaction right there, too,” Shaw said. “Down and in, slider, for me it was just trying to put the ball in play. I reacted and I backspun it.”
Shaw was hit in the hand by a pitch Saturday against Atlanta. At first, the pain made it difficult to grip a bat.
“It’s still a little bit sore, but not enough to keep me out of there,” he said.
Jedd Gyorko hit two late homers for the Cardinals and finished with four hits. Aledmys Diaz and Matt Carpenter connected back-to-back in the fifth.
Oliver Drake (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth and Neftali Feliz earned his seventh save.
Milwaukee starter Zach Davies allowed at least one runner in every inning. He gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings, stranding six. The Brewers turned two of their four double plays behind him, and center fielder Keon Broxton made a diving catch in the third.
Cardinals starter Michael Wacha gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings, on a rough night for team-mate Kolten Wong.
Wong ran into a rally-killing out to end the sixth. Cardinals pinch-hitter Matt Adams singled and Wong went from first to third, but fell down after rounding third. He was retired in a long rundown that was scored 8-6-2-5-6.
Wong’s error in the 10th led to Shaw’s home run. Hernan Perez opened the inning with a liner off Wong’s glove and the second baseman threw wildly to first, allowing Perez to reach safely. The extra out allowed Shaw to bat with two outs. All the runs Oh gave up were unearned.
“I have to catch it somehow,” Wong said. “The ball got in my glove and I think panic took over, which I kind of pride myself on this year – not to panic. And it’s one of those where I’ve got to settle down and understand I’ve still got time to make a play and I didn’t.”
