ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dustin May took a perfect game into the seventh inning before finishing a one-hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 3-0 on Monday night.
Jimmy Crooks had a two-run double and Alec Burleson added an RBI double for the Cardinals, who won for the eighth time in 11 games.
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San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill jumps at the wall and catches a fly ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado (13) is out at second base as St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, right, turns a double play in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May, center, is doused after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May throws in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May celebrates after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
May (5-6) struck out nine and walked one. He threw 69 of his 101 pitches for strikes during his first complete game in 71 major league starts.
The 28-year-old right-hander didn’t allow a baserunner until he walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to begin the seventh. Manny Machado singled one out later, putting runners at the corners, but Gold Glove shortstop Masyn Winn turned a nifty double play on Gavin Sheets’ grounder up the middle to keep it 3-0.
May struck out the side in the sixth and eighth. He became the first Cardinals starter to get an out in the eighth inning this year and the first to go the distance since Sonny Gray threw a one-hitter against the Guardians on June 27 last season.
It was the ninth complete game and sixth individual shutout in the majors this season.
Center fielder Jackson Merrill robbed Burleson of a home run against Lucas Giolito leading off the fourth. Giolito retired eight in a row before Lars Nootbaar and Winn had two-out singles. Crooks followed with a double to left-center for a 2-0 lead.
Iván Herrera walked with two outs in the fifth and advanced on a wild pitch before scoring on Burleson's double.
Giolito (2-2) allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings of relief after opener Wandy Peralta pitched a scoreless first. Kyle Hart gave up one hit over two innings.
Hart was recalled from Triple-A El Paso when the Padres placed closer Mason Miller on the bereavement list. Miller, who leads the majors with 19 saves, will miss the series.
Padres manager Craig Stammen served a one-game suspension after Major League Baseball ruled that reliever Ron Marinaccio intentionally hit Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson with a pitch on Saturday. Marinaccio received a three-game suspension, but he appealed and remains eligible to pitch.
Padres RHP Michael King (4-5, 3.46 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Cardinals RHP Andre Pallante (7-4, 3.88).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill jumps at the wall and catches a fly ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado (13) is out at second base as St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, right, turns a double play in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May, center, is doused after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May throws in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May celebrates after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in a baseball game, Monday, June 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Several hundred Iranian Americans protested outside Iran's first World Cup match Monday, calling for change in Tehran and waving the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag, while thousands of fans poured into the stadium in the heart of the largest diaspora community to see the team play.
Iran's participation in the World Cup has been beset by challenges since the war's outbreak, dividing the community in the United States. Fans cheered and booed loudly while Iran's national anthem was played at the game against New Zealand, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Some spectators held large lion-and-sun flags in the front rows just hours after a court upheld FIFA's ban on the flags.
Outside the stadium, demonstrators contended the team is synonymous with Tehran's government, while fans, their cheeks striped with red-and-green face paint, filed past, saying they were separating soccer from politics. At one point, protesters snatched an official Iran flag from a fan and stomped on it and ripped it.
Southern California is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, many who arrived after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Rameileh Jaffrey, 46, of Los Angeles, left Iran a dozen years ago and said she feels the team’s players are aligned with the current government in Iran.
“They are not my team. They are a government team,” she said.
As kickoff neared, event security broke up shouting matches between protesters and fans and were eventually joined by sheriff’s deputies. A woman protesting jeered Kia Keanh and his family as they walked by wearing T-shirts supporting the team.
“I’m just here to watch the sport, it’s not about the regime,” he said. “I’m just here for a World Cup game, to enjoy it with my family.”
Some of the demonstrators also went inside the stadium to see the team play, like 42-year-old Ella Bah, who brought extra clothing to conceal the lion-and-sun flag she wore tied around her like a dress.
“We’re not here to cheer them on,” she said. “We’re here to be the voice for the people inside Iran.”
Iran's participation in the tournament has been fraught with conflict because of the country's war with U.S. and Israeli forces. Late Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a deal with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the region and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.
After the war's outbreak, the team moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, and some of the country's soccer officials were not granted visas to enter the United States. Many in the diaspora have mixed feelings over how to show their support of the Iranian people, but not the government.
“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran. People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live,” team captain Mehdi Taremi said at a press conference Sunday.
Kourosh Safavi, 42, traveled to see Iran play from Dallas, Texas, with his 11-year-old son Jibreel. While he was born in the U.S, Safavi said he wanted to cheer on the country of his ancestors, where soccer means so much.
“They’re playing for the people, and I just hope and pray that they have success, that they can bring the people in Iran happiness,” he said.
Still in their street clothes, many of the Iranian players walked onto the field nearly two hours before kickoff. Thousands of fans already in the building greeted them with loud cheers and whistles.
Some fans said the large Iranian American crowd in Los Angeles made it feel like Iran had the support of a home team. New Zealand fans were also in attendance, and other spectators wore soccer jerseys from countries spanning from Mexico to Croatia.
Some Iranian American soccer fans said they don't support the squad because they believe it is tied up in politics. In the past, Iranian athletes have faced serious consequences for speaking out. In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership, and star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for this year's World Cup squad, reportedly because of a social media post that angered authorities.
The controversy also has been playing out in a push by Iranian Americans to be allowed to carry the lion-and-sun flag at World Cup games. The Iranian American Institute for Voices for Liberty filed a lawsuit last week to try to circumvent FIFA's ban on the pre-revolutionary flag at matches.
Despite a judge upholding the ban, fans held up large lion-and-sun flags in the front rows of the stadium during Monday's game. Others carried the official flag of Iran.
Parsa Ezati, 21, and his mother brought the official Iranian flag to the protest outside the stadium so people could stomp on it. Many passersby took the opportunity to walk over it, some giving it an extra scuff or taking a minute to spit on it.
“It represents the ayatollahs that killed so many Iranians and have massacred people in my generation,” Ezati said. “FIFA only accepts this flag on the floor.”
AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Fans cheer as Iran players warm up before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Fans of Iran smile for a photo prior to the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
An attendee boos during the National Anthem as others hold the pre-revolutionary flag before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
An attendees holds an Iranian flag with an "X" on it before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Pre-revolutionary Iranian flags stand during a protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A woman has her face painted during a protest in reaction to FIFA's ban of Iran's pre-revolutionary flag inside World Cup stadiums Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)
Iran head coach Amir Ghalehnoy, right, and player Mehdi Taremi listens to a question during a press conference ahead of their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
People carry a giant Iranian flag during a protest in reaction to FIFA's ban of Iran's pre-revolutionary flag inside World Cup stadiums Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)
Iran's Mehdi Ghayedi, center, and teammates walk onto the pitch at the stadium one day before their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Iran players walk onto the pitch at the stadium one day before their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
