Sep 20, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

2 Times Miles Mikolas Shined Brightest for Cardinals

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Feb 12, 2026 4:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals missed the postseason last year after enduring a ton of issues with their starting rotation. At the center of those woes was Miles Mikolas, who went 8-11 with a 4.84 ERA and ultimately was not re-signed.

Instead, Mikolas is headed to the Washington Nationals after signing a one-year, $2.25 million contract, thus ending his time in St. Louis. He had struggled over the past several years and hadn't been the same pitcher he was in his All-Star years.

But it wasn't all bad. Cardinals fans got to experience some very good moments with Mikolas as well. Here are two of them.

Near no-hitter vs. Pirates

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Mikolas was the Cardinals' best pitcher in 2022, especially after Adam Wainwright began to struggle a bit. But on June 14 of that year, he took the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed an unearned run on a sacrifice fly early in the game, but he settled in after that, and took a no-hitter to the ninth inning.

The veteran right-hander was just one out away from finishing the job when Cal Mitchell came to the plate. Unfortunately, Mitchell lined one just out of the reach of Harrison Bader in center field, which ended up being the one hit he allowed that night. He was pulled after allowing that hit, but got a nice standing ovation from the crowd at Busch Stadium.

Burning sage

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Nearly a month later, the Cardinals were shut out in back-to-back home games against the Philadelphia Phillies. Following the third game of the series, Mikolas could be seen burning sage while out on the field, and he later claimed it was intended to bring good vibes to the clubhouse.

It was one of Mikolas' many lighthearted moments as a Cardinal, and it ultimately led to them winning the final two games of the series, and he pitched a gem in the finale to avoid a series loss.

Mikolas would finish the season with a 3.29 ERA and later appear on the All-Star roster with Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Ryan Helsley and Albert Pujols, but the Cardinals were also hot in the second half of the season and ended up winning the National League Central for the first time since 2019.

The sage burning ultimately may have turned the tide on the 2022 season, as St. Louis finished with 93 wins.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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