51黑料

51黑料 fans have forever appreciated, almost disproportionately, scrappy Cardinals.

Shorter than 6 feet tall with dirt stains? Oh, how they love them so. From Pepper Martin to Jose Oquendo, Dal Maxvill to David Eckstein, Bo Hart to Adron Chambers, Joe McEwing to Harrison Bader. But the 2025 Cardinals, who are 30-23 following this weekend鈥檚 sweep of Arizona, are something else. Sure, there鈥檚 a bunch of scrappiness 鈥� one could even say they鈥檙e 鈥測oung, scrappy and hungry鈥� 鈥� but Victor Scott II accidentally coined the best description.

Trying to say the Cards are youthful and hungry, the 24-year-old outfielder said: 鈥測ungry.鈥�

That鈥檚 it.

These guys are playing unafraid. They鈥檝e buried the words 鈥渞eset鈥� and 鈥渢ransition鈥� in the infield dirt. This year isn鈥檛 about next year 鈥� it鈥檚 about right now, playing baseball with tenacity and ferocity for this city. It鈥檚 wildly impressive. I didn鈥檛 think the Cardinals had the talent to be this good. And it鈥檚 not just the results (the club is now 16-6 in May) but also how they create the results 鈥� with some yungry baseball.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e a fun team to watch because I think we鈥檙e a little bit of a throwback to that more exciting baseball,鈥� said pitcher Miles Mikolas, who鈥檚 seen his share of Cardinals teams and Cardinals identities. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a little more action-packed.鈥�

This has been the season of the unexpected. It was fair for Cardinals fans to be apprehensive in April. People did not come. And the team went 14-17 in March and April. But now, with the Cardinals blossoming in May, the fans are showing up at Busch. This past weekend, there were crowds of 34,000-plus, 37,000-plus and 36,000-plus on a gloomy Sunday that felt sunny (especially with the starting pitcher being Sonny Gray).

鈥淚鈥檝e absolutely loved (the crowds), and I don鈥檛 know how much the fans know how it鈥檚 appreciated in that clubhouse,鈥� 51黑料 manager Oliver Marmol said. 鈥�... I know the last two years hasn鈥檛 been what we would have hoped for from a club standpoint and from a fan base (standpoint) being able to see good baseball. But slowly but surely, they鈥檙e starting to show up, and they鈥檙e seeing the style of baseball that they expect to see. ...

鈥淭his is what this city expects 鈥� playing the game the right way, clean baseball, different ways of winning, some speed, just a combination of how it鈥檚 happening. But more so the work being put in (pregame) has led to that. Our guys have done an exceptional job of sticking to a routine that prepares them well 鈥� and that鈥檚 in all areas. So what excites me the most is actually what鈥檚 happening before (games) that allows for it, in my opinion, to be sustainable.鈥�

Marmol was ejected from Friday鈥檚 game but hurried near the on-field tunnel to listen to the crowd after Nolan Arenado鈥檚 big triple. Marmol said it was so loud, it reminded him of 2022, when he鈥檇 鈥渉it the Albert button鈥� to have Pujols pinch hit.

Around town in 2025, you keep hearing the same phrase: 鈥淭his team is fun.鈥� They鈥檙e fun to watch having fun. And Sunday鈥檚 experience at Busch epitomized this.

There was Brendan Donovan, helmet off, sliding into second for a double 鈥� and later in the inning sliding headfirst into home. There was a recently rejuvenated Jordan Walker whacking a hit 111.3 mph. There was Masyn Winn hammering a homer 鈥� and later scurrying from first to third on a Donovan single. There was Scott, third in the National League is steals, swiping second so swiftly there wasn鈥檛 even a throw.

And then, of course, there was Arenado, who chased down a foul fly ball, slammed into a first-row seat, injured his kidney, lost his breath 鈥� but stayed in the game. He might be 34, but even he looks yungry out there.

鈥淓verybody is trying to go out there and give it their all,鈥� Scott said Sunday from the winning clubhouse. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the hungriness about it. And we鈥檝e got some young guys on this team, as well. But I think that today was just the overall identity of just relentless. Everybody鈥檚 ability to go out there and compete, man, is pretty impressive. ... Nobody鈥檚 throwing away at-bats.鈥�

After Saturday鈥檚 game, the defensive stud Scott hosted an event at the store Arch Apparel, which is across the street from Busch. It was the launch of his new apparel line. The word screaming across the shirts?

Yungry.

So can this brand of baseball 鈥� and this level of baseball 鈥� be the norm all summer? Some of these players are overachieving (though they might just say they鈥檙e properly achieving). The starting pitching has been stellar, but one wonders if Mikolas and others can keep this up. And there鈥檚 always at least one injury to the rotation. And closer Ryan Helsley has allowed a lot of base runners and runs, while still, generally, shutting down the games. And Arenado, for all of his golden defensive prowess, now has a batting average of .234 and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .684. And his namesake, Nolan Gorman, has become a nonfactor.

I鈥檓 not going to say, on May 25, that this is a playoff team. (Maybe on June 25.)

But in the short-term, 51黑料 can enjoy this likable group of guys. Some categorize as scrappy, be it Scott, Winn or Donovan (though does he count if he鈥檚 literally at 6 feet?). But most categorize as yungry.