Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 12, Angels 5
By Rob Rains
Ted Simmons never did it. Neither did Yadier Molina, Tim McCarver, Walker Cooper or any other catcher in the history of the Cardinals.
Until Wednesday.
Ivan Herrera became the first St. Louis catcher to hit three home runs in a game, the final blow capping a seven-run eighth inning that carried the Cardinals over the Angels at Busch Stadium.
Herrera hit a solo homer leading off the fourth inning and added a two-run homer in the sixth – giving him the first multi-homer game of his career – before finishing his six-RBI day with a three-run shot in the eighth.
It was the fourth three-homer game by a Cardinal at Busch 3. Albert Pujols did it twice in 2006 and Paul Goldschmidt did it in 2023. It was only the second six-RBI game for a Cardinals catcher since 1991.
The win allowed the Cardinals to salvage the final game of the series against the Angels and finish their first homestand of the season with a 4-2 record.
Here is how Thursday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals’ 12-hit attack included the first hits of the season for both Masyn Winn and Willson Contreras. Winn broke his 0-of-20 streak with a single in the seventh, then added one of two bunt singles for the Cardinals that helped set up the big eighth inning … Contreras had been 0-of-22 for the season before he doubled in the seventh as the Cardinals came back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the game … In the eighth, a single by Jordan Walker and the bunt hits from Victor Scott II and Winn loaded the bases before back-to-back walks forced in the first two runs of the inning. Nolan Arenado followed with a two-run single in front of Herrera’s third homer.
On the mound: Sonny Gray carried a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning but two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases and Logan O’Hoppe hit Gray’s next pitch for a grand slam. Gray also gave up a home run to Mike Trout in the first but had allowed only one other hit until the seventh … Phil Maton, Kyle Leahy and JoJo Romero stopped the Angels’ scoring at that point, allowing only one infield single over the final three innings.
Key stat: The Cardinals have had 10 or more hits in each of their first six games of the season, the first time they have done that since 1966. The franchise record for the longest streak with 10 or more hits to begin a season is seven, set in 1956.
Worth noting: In the six games the Cardinals have scored 42 runs on 64 hits, including 11 home runs. They did not hit their 11th home run last year until the 13th game of the season and did not have six games with 10 or more hits until the end of April … With his two singles on Thursday, Lars Nootbaar has reached base 16 times in the first six games, which ties the team record last done by Mark McGwire in 1998 … The win snapped the Angels’ seven-game winning streak in St. Louis that dated back to 2019.
Up next: After a day off on Thursday the Cardinals will begin their first road trip of the season on Friday with the first of three games in Boston. Erick Fedde is the scheduled starter. They also will play three games in Pittsburgh before returning home.
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