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You never know what you will see in football.
During the ninth inning of St. Louis Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Busch Stadium, fans began moving into the empty right field section and taking off their shirts.
The game was tied 3-3 in the ninth inning when a group of fans walked into an empty stadium. About 100 fans started the movement, and as the game went into extra innings, the entire stadium was filled with shirtless fans, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Yohel Pozo of St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a shutout hit to defeat the Kansas City Royals in the 11th inning of a baseball game in St. Louis. Louis, Missouri, May 15, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP)
Caleb Cummings, a 20-year-old on the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team, came up with the idea.
“I looked at my friend and said, ‘What if we go up there to the right bleachers and start waving our shirts?’ Cummings told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “They’re like, ‘You know what, that’s a good idea.’ We had no intention of getting that big – we were just going out to have fun. We got up there, and we’re all standing there, and we’re like, ‘Who’s going to do it first?’
Bryce Bradford was the first to take off his shirt and wave it around, and it quickly drew the crowd.
“He started waving it around and he went crazy,” Cummings said. “So it spread, and a few kids in the section next to us came to join in. And soon, I see people from 80 years old to children doing it. Dads come with their kids, running around with their shirts off.”
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Yohel Pozo of St. Louis Cardinals teammate Masyn Winn celebrates after hitting a single to beat the Kansas City Royals in the 11th inning of a baseball game in St. Louis. Louis, Missouri, May 15, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP)
When Yohel Pozo hit a pinch-hit line drive on a 100 mph fastball to win the game in the bottom of the 11th inning, the shirtless team in right field took the lead. It was the Cardinals’ fourth road win of the season.
Cardinals manager Olli Marmol opened his postgame press conference by praising the energy the shirtless fans brought.
Whoever started that in the right field, I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make sure they get to every game,” Marmol said. “Because that was good. Not only them, but everyone present today. That was an interesting place.”
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St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo celebrates after striking out Mikel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals in the top of the 11th inning at St. Louis. Louis, Missouri, May 15, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP)
The manager said the fans had a real impact on the game.
“It creates a situation where, not only does this place fill up, it makes it difficult for other teams to come in and play,” said Marmol. “That was really cool. I’ll sign up for that, any day.”
The Cardinals (26-18) will look to keep their momentum going when they play the Royals (19-26) again in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday.
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