The St. Louis Cardinals’ rough start to the 2025 season took another hit on Friday night. After battling back to tie the game in the top of the ninth against the New York Mets, the Cardinals turned to struggling reliever Ryan Fernandez to force extra innings. Instead, Fernandez surrendered a walk-off home run to Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, igniting a celebration at Citi Field and adding to St. Louis’ early-season frustrations.
Friday night’s loss marked the Cardinals’ third defeat in their last four games, dropping them to 9-11 and into fourth place in the NL Central. With frustration mounting, fans have begun searching for someone to blame — and on this night, manager Oli Marmol found himself squarely in the crosshairs.
The criticism centered around Marmol’s decision to send Ryan Fernandez to the mound in the bottom of the ninth, facing the top of the Mets’ order. Fernandez, a bright spot in 2024, entered the night with a 7.71 ERA this season and has struggled to regain form. Yet he was chosen over All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, a move that drew ire from fans after Francisco Lindor launched a walk-off homer to seal the Mets’ win.
At first glance, it’s an easy second-guess: letting your struggling reliever face the opponent’s best hitters while your elite closer sits unused. But the situation may not be as cut-and-dry as it appears. Marmol defended his decision postgame, making it clear he wasn’t willing to shoulder the blame without context — and that the choice, while unpopular, was made with a bigger picture in mind.
Cardinals fans shouldn’t use Oli Marmol as a scapegoat after tough Mets loss
When asked why Ryan Fernandez, not Ryan Helsley, was pitching in the ninth inning of a tie game on the road, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol didn’t mince words.
“No manager in the league brings their closer in on the road in the ninth [in a tie game],” Marmol told Katie Woo of The Athletic.
His response highlighted a common managerial philosophy — saving the closer for a potential save situation in extra innings rather than using them in a tie game on the road. While the decision sparked backlash from fans in the moment, Marmol’s explanation underscored that his approach aligned with standard bullpen strategy, even if the result didn’t go St. Louis’ way.
And that’s exactly the point — Marmol followed a time-tested, widely accepted bullpen strategy, even if the optics of it blew up in real time. The idea of holding your closer for a potential save on the road is as old as modern bullpen usage itself. You don’t burn your best reliever in a tie unless you’re at home, where a walk-off is on the table and you’re managing to avoid immediate defeat.
The numbers back it up too: Marmol hasn’t used Ryan Helsley in that spot all season. The only time Helsley’s pitched in a non-save, tie-game situation on the road was in the 11th inning against Pittsburgh — and that game still ended in a loss. It’s not just a Marmol thing either. Managers across the league, including those in heavy analytics-driven front offices, approach late-game bullpen usage the same way.
Had the Cardinals scored in the 10th and then had to send Fernandez out there with a ghost runner on second — a high-leverage spot by default — fans likely would’ve been just as furious, if not more. In that light, Marmol’s decision isn’t the egregious blunder some made it out to be.
He’s certainly not beyond critique — no manager is, especially when expectations are unmet — but in this instance, the outrage misses the mark.