A 28-Year-Old Made History Against the Padres — and What He Said Next Says Everything

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Dustin May didn’t just pitch a gem Monday night — he pushed through a moment that could have unraveled a lesser arm and walked away with the first complete game of his career. And the admission that followed? It felt more like a confession than a celebration.

May carried a perfect game into the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres before issuing a walk and surrendering a hit. But instead of crumbling, he locked back in and closed out the win, finishing what he started for the very first time in the big leagues.

According to MLB.com, May said the Cardinals have revived a competitive fire he wasn’t sure still burned.

“It’s fun,” May said. “They definitely rejuvenated a lot more spark in me than I initially thought that I had. It’s been fantastic.”

A Fresh Start in St. Louis

May spent his first five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, missed all of 2024 due to injury, and pitched for both the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox in 2025. The Cardinals took a flier on the 28-year-old this winter, and so far that gamble is paying off.

Now sitting at 5-6 with a 3.75 ERA, May hasn’t allowed a run across his last 15 innings. His manager, Oliver Marmol, didn’t hold back when describing what the righty has meant to the rotation.

“We placed a bet on — if this guy was healthy, coming out of everything that he’s had over the last couple of years, and got back to his fighting weight, had a real offseason and got after it the way we know he’s capable of — he can do some pretty impressive things,” Marmol said. “He’s done exactly that. So, to have his story and be able to pitch the way he did tonight is awesome to see.”

Never Coming Out

Even after the seventh-inning hiccup, May had zero intention of handing the ball to the bullpen. Marmol approached him on the mound to check his tank.

“I asked him if he had enough in the tank,” Marmol said. “He gave me a quick glance and walked away.”

May’s recollection of the exchange is just as unfiltered.

“Oh, a hundred percent,” May said. “He walked down and said, ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘Is that a question?’ Like, I’m going back out there.”

For a Cardinals team searching for consistency in the rotation, May’s emergence — and his blunt, competitive honesty — might be exactly what the clubhouse needed.