ST. LOUIS — Bob Forsch would have been smiling. The last Cardinals pitcher to author a no-hitter in St. Louis was not on hand Saturday night at Busch Stadium to witness potential history, having died in 2011.
But Forsch’s second wife, Jan, and daughters Amy and Kristin were here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1982 Cardinals World Series championship. There was almost much more to celebrate, though.
Adam Wainwright, 18 days shy of 41 years old, flirted with the first no-hitter tossed here since Forsch threw one on Sept. 26, 1983 against the Montreal Expos. He took it 6 2/3 innings before Milwaukee’s Andrew McCutchen singled with two outs in the seventh.
Nolan Gorman’s one-out double to left center scored Paul Goldschmidt from first base for the first run of the game in the home seventh as the Cardinals struck first. The Brewers tied the score in the eighth on a Luis Urias homer. Wainwright, who threw 109 pitches, gave up only three hits and fanned eight for nine innings but he did not get the complete game or the win.
Nor did the Cardinals. The Brewers scored two runs off reliever Giovanny Gallegos in the 10th inning to pull out a 3-2 triumph and cut the Cardinals' lead in the National League Central Division back to one-half game.
Milwaukee's win on Saturday ensured that whichever team wins Sunday's series finale will depart the series in first place. Through 14 meetings this season, the teams are 7-7.
With the Brewers possessing the automatic runner at second base in extra innings, Hunter Renfroe tripled out of the reach of potentially gimpy Corey Dickerson, just inserted into right field, to score McCutchen. Kolten Wong's sacrifice fly added the second run.
Paul DeJong's single and Dylan Carlson's sacrifice fly produced a run in the Cardinals' 10th off Matt Bush. But Yadier Molina struck out and and so did Tommy Edman
Wainwright allowed only a one-out walk in the first to Willy Adames before retiring 18 men in succession into the seventh. His record remains at 8-8.
