Cardinals take Game 1 from Padres 7-4 in National League Wild Card playoffs

Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run during a four-run first inning, St. Louis' bullpen held strong after starter Kwang Hyun Kim stumbled in his playoff debut and the Cardinals ruined the San Diego Padres' long-awaited return to the playoffs with a 7-4 victory Wednesday in the opener of their NL wild-card series.

in his MLB playoff debut after joining the team from the Korean KBO in the offseason, Cardinals 32-year-old rookie pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun allowed three runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings, struck out two and walked two.

The Cardinals are an improbable playoff participant after having their season suspended for 14 games from late July to mid-August after 10 players and eight staff members tested positive for COVID-19 and had to scramble to fit in the makeups.

They were forced to make up the missed games by finishing the season with a grueling 53 games in 44 days, including 11 doubleheaders, with only two days off.

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