Dustin May spent six years in Los Angeles, won a World Series ring, and threw a lot of hard sinkers. But he never once threw a complete game for the Dodgers. On Monday night, wearing a St. Louis Cardinals uniform, the 27-year-old right-hander finally checked that box — and he did it in style against a division rival.
Facing the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium, May went the full nine innings, allowed just one hit, and didn’t surrender a single run. It was the first complete game of his MLB career, and it came against a Padres lineup that ranks among the National League’s most dangerous. According to Statcast, May generated 14 swings-and-misses and induced weak contact all night, a sign that his best stuff might finally be back.
The Cardinals signed May this past offseason to a one-year deal worth a reported $5 million, a low-risk gamble on a pitcher who’d battled elbow and back issues since 2023. His numbers through the season’s first two months were inconsistent — a 4.21 ERA coming into Monday — but his underlying metrics told a different story. His Fielding-Independent Pitching (FIP) sat at a much sharper 3.22, suggesting he’d been better than the surface stats suggested.
In his previous outing, May threw six scoreless innings against the New York Mets. Before that, he limited the Colorado Rockies to one run over six frames. Over his last five starts, he allowed two runs or fewer three times. The Cardinals have not commented directly on May’s turnaround, but pitching coach Dusty Blake has publicly emphasized mechanical adjustments that helped May regain the extension and vertical approach angle on his four-seamer that made him effective in 2022 and 2023.
That 2023 season in Los Angeles was a breakout of sorts: a 2.63 ERA in 48 innings, striking out nearly a batter per inning. Then came the elbow surgery in July 2024 that ended his season and, eventually, his time with the Dodgers. Los Angeles non-tendered him after the season, making him a free agent. St. Louis, looking for rotation depth, grabbed him.
The Cardinals entered Monday with a 39-31 record, currently sitting second in the NL Central. Their rotation, led by Miles Mikolas and Sonny Gray, has been solid. But May’s emergence as a reliable arm could shift the team’s postseason outlook. His old team, the Dodgers, own a 46-27 mark and lead the NL West. A potential playoff meeting between May and Los Angeles would add a layer of narrative: the ex-Dodger who never finished a game in blue now doing it in red.
Fans on X noted the irony that May’s first complete game — and first shutout — came against the Padres, the Dodgers’ in-state rivals. “Dustin May chose violence against San Diego for old times’ sake,” one user posted. The Cardinals have not confirmed whether May will get an extra day of rest before his next start, but given the innings jump from 80 last season to now over 100, the organization is taking a watchful approach.
For now, May has a career highlight, a gradually dropping ERA, and a team that believes in him. The Dodgers let him go. The Cardinals might end up being the ones who benefit most.
Leave a Comment