Monday’s Game Report: Cardinals 13, Yankees 7
By Rob Rains
Alec Burleson and the Cardinals did not expect a Home Run Derby to break out Monday night when they began a three-game series against the Yankees in New York.
But Burleson and the Cardinals were glad it did.
Burleson hit three of the Cardinals’ five homers, driving in a career-high six runs, =to lead the offensive attack that carried them to the victory.
Burleson’s big night started with a two-run homer in the first inning, followed by another two-run homer in the fourth and capped by his third long ball of the night, which came in a seven-run eighth inning after the Cardinals had blown a 6-0 lead.
Neither Burleson nor the Cardinals had been displaying much power of late. He came into the game with no homers in his last 21 games, since July 8, covering a span of 80 at-bats.
As a team, the Cardinals had hit six home runs in 17 games since the All-Star break, in a total of 578 at-bats.
The Cardinals also gave up five home runs in the game, three in the seventh inning when the Yankees pulled ahead of the Cardinals 7-6.
Here is how Monday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Burleson’s third homer was one of three the Cardinals hit in the eighth inning when they regained the lead. Nathan Church flipped the game with a three-run homer, following a pinch-hit triple by Blaze Jordan and a walk to Masyn Winn … Jimmy Crooks followed a single by Jose Fermin with a two-run blast and a single by JJ Wetherholt set Burleson up for his third two-run homer … Burleson became the first NL player to hit three home runs in a game at Yankee Stadium since interleague play began in 1997.
On the mound: Starter Michael McGreevy gave up the first of the five New York homers, a two-run shot by Austin Wells in the fifth. Those were the only runs allowed by McGreevy, who was pulled at that point after 4 1/3 innings while leading 6-2 … Justin Bruihl relieved and allowed a home run to the first hitter he faced, then Ryne Stanek allowed home runs to the first two hitters he faced in the seventh … The final Yankees homer, and third of the inning, came off George Soriano that briefly put the Yankees in front.
Key stat: The last Cardinal to hit three home runs in a road game was Paul DeJong, in 2019 at Pittsburgh. The last Cardinal to hit three home runs in a game in New York was Stan Musial, against the Mets in 1962.
Worth noting: The last time the Cardinals allowed five home runs and won the game was on May 10, 2009 at Cincinnati. That was the only other time they won a game in which their opponent hit five or more home runs since 2003 … After the trades of Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar, Hunter Dobbins was recalled from Memphis … Two of the top prospects in the organization, outfielder Tai Peete and pitcher Tanner Franklin, are being promoted from Peoria to Springfield.
Up next: Dobbins is expected to get the start in the second game of the series on Tuesday night.
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