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Last summer, while occupying a spot on the Cardinals' bench, catcher Yohel Pozo had to find ways to acclimate to a role he had not seen over the years in the minors.

A third catcher on the Cardinals鈥� roster at that time, Pozo had received regular at-bats but had limited experience being used as a pinch hitter across 10 seasons in the minors. The role off the bench in 2025 required him to find ways to prepare for late spots in games when manager Oli Marmol called upon him.

Before Cardinals manager Oli Marmol opened his postgame interview with media members on Friday night at Busch Stadium, he had a statement to make after his club made yet another statement with a thrilling win over the Royals.

鈥淏efore you guys ask a question, whoever started that in right field, I'll do whatever I need to do to make sure they come every game, because that was awesome,鈥� Marmol said in reference to the group of fans in right field whose presence grew bigger and louder as the Cardinals remained pesky and persistent in the late innings against Kansas City. 鈥淣ot only them, but everybody that showed up today. That was a fun environment.鈥�

The Cardinals topped the Royals in 11 innings Friday on Yohel Pozo's single and with the help of a group of rowdy, shirtless fans in right field.

Here's what manager Oliver Marmol as well as Pozo, Pedro Pages, Dustin May and Gordon Graceffo had to say afterwards.

Back at Busch Stadium after completing a ninth-inning comeback before flying home from California, the Cardinals found yet another way to come away with a win in dramatic fashion on Friday night vs. the Royals. This time, the late-night heroics came after some back-and-forth between the cross-state counterparts.

With two outs and the game tied 4-4 in the 11th inning after Alec Burleson鈥檚 10th inning single matched Bobby Witt Jr.鈥檚 RBI double in the top half of that frame and after Gordon Graceffo escaped the top half of the 11th by stranding runners on first and third base, Yohel Pozo delivered a game-winning, pinch-hit single to right field to seal a 5-4 win over Kansas City.聽

Ted Turner left a monumental legacy as a profound businessman, philanthropist, ladies' man and bon vivant who was a maverick with an outspoken, don't-give-a-damn-what-they-think demeanor that led to some people loving his style and others rolling their eyes.

He built his empire in Atlanta, most notably by launching the cable television 24-hour news cycle with CNN in 1980. Turner, who died last week at 87 after dealing with Lewy body dementia for several years, also had many ties to sports that were deep聽鈥� including owning MLB's Atlanta Braves and the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

I'm not the biggest golf enthusiast. I don't spend much time at all around golf courses. Despite that, even I could tell the vibe in the air was different Monday. Honestly, it didn't take that much detective work to figure that out.

A few minutes into my wandering around, Ozzie Smith, 鈥淭he Wizard,鈥� pulled up in a golf cart wearing a striped polo shirt and a white baseball cap, and he flashed his warm, welcoming smile.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.聽鈥� While there was still a sting from the hit by pitch that changed the ninth inning, changed the game, and may have even changed the feel of the Cardinals鈥� road trip, JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker had a similar thought.

Wetherholt took the bruise and stood at first base, the Cardinals down by a run.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.聽鈥� Less than three hours before his club gave him another example of how a rebuilding Cardinals roster is developing a resilient, even feisty personality to go along with its winning ways, Chaim Bloom stood outside the visiting clubhouse and praised what he feels has become a constant.

鈥淪o many of the things that we鈥檝e talked a lot about is the culture and caring so much about that,鈥� the president of baseball operations said. 鈥淲hen I zoom out, it鈥檚 been one of the things that I鈥檝e been the happiest about. You know there are going to be hot streaks, cold streaks and that results can go every which way in the course of a few days or just a week.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. 鈥� Outfielder Lars Nootbaar officially begins his rehab assignment Friday with Low-A Palm Beach, making his season debut and beginning the climb back to the majors from offseason surgeries.

The Cardinals wanted to see how Nootbaar recovered from going through pregame workouts and warmups Thursday before finalizing his rehab start date. He has been participating in batting practice and other pregame activities with the Palm Beach affiliate while rehabbing from bilateral heel surgery in Jupiter, Florida. Nootbaar had growths on both his heels addressed with procedures in October meant to alleviate pain, swelling and limited range of motion in his feet.