Cardinals manager Oli Marmol fired up the offense with another timely ejection

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has developed a knack for timely ejections. With the Cardinals in the basement of the NL Central and his job in question at the start of the 2024 season, Marmol was tossed for arguing balls and strikes on Mother's Day against the Milwaukee Brewers, leading to a comeback victory and a prolonged run as the best team in the National League, thrusting the team back into contention. Though not quite as dramatic, Marmol was ejected on both April 21st against the Braves and May 1st against the Reds, and they've looked like a different team ever since.

Both ejections this season came prior to a stretch where the Cardinals were among the league's best once again, and though they weren't basement dwellers this time, they still were thrust back into playoff contention after being largely written off by analysts and fans alike before the season even started.

Whenever Oliver Marmol gets ejected from a game, the Cardinals seem to go on a run.

Since each of Marmol's first two ejections, the Cardinals have the second-best record in the National League, just behind the red-hot Phillies, at 21-10 and 16-6, respectively. For a team in a "reset," "retool," "rebuild" year, or whatever they're calling it these days, projected to miss the playoffs and sell off massive pieces at the trade deadline, this resurgence has been quite the surprise. Credit to the players first and foremost, but Oli Marmol's impression on this team has been felt tremendously.

With the universal DH removing the need for double-switches, a manager's role in baseball has become increasingly less quantifiable and based on the intangibles. While Marmol's management of a shaky bullpen has left little to be desired as well, his uncanny ability to fire up his young ballclub is his strongest attribute.

After dropping their first series in a month to the Detroit Tigers, the Cardinals were off to a slow start Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it certainly wasn't helped by home plate umpire Ron Kulpa's wide strike zone. With a runner on first base in the bottom of the 4th inning, Ivan Herrera was rung up on a full count on a pitch far too low. That was enough for Marmol to leap out of the dugout and stand up for his players.

Though Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen pitched five strong, the Cardinals rallied back to score four runs in the 6th inning, headlined by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of struggling third baseman Nolan Arenado, just enough to win the game for St. Louis. Whether spurred on by their skipper's dramatic exit in the 4th or by pure coincidence, the Cardinals followed up the ejection by winning back-to-back games against the Diamondbacks, continuing a red-hot stretch against tough opponents this May.

Whether he will remain the manager in St. Louis will be at the discretion of president-in-waiting Chaim Bloom, but Marmol has certainly proven that he can get the best out of his young players so far this year. He's blossomed as a true leader whom the Cardinals have rallied around, and he should be in serious consideration to keep the role for years to come.