Sunday’s Game Report: Cardinals 10, Rockies 8
By Rob Rains
Four years after he was drafted, and after missing almost two years because of elbow injuries, Cooper Hjerpe got the call to the major leagues on Sunday.
The long wait was worth it.
Pitching in relief of starter Kyle Leahy, Hjerpe entered the game to start the fourth inning and worked four perfect innings for the Cardinals, striking out six of the 12 hitters he faced.
His performance, and a six-run fifth inning by the offense, gave Hjerpe the victory in the final game of the series against the Rockies in Colorado.
Hjerpe underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2025, after missing part of the 2023 and 2024 seasons as well, and got back on the mound in June of this year. He made 10 combined starts between Springfield and in Memphis, and at the Triple A level, he had allowed just two earned runs in 19 innings.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Hjerpe’s debut was that ne did not issue a walk. At Memphis, he had issued 17 walks in his 19 innings.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Eleven of the Cardinals’ 15 hits came with two outs, and all 10 of their runs scored with two outs … In the big fifth inning, six consecutive batters reached base in the two-out rally, which started with the Cardinals losing 5-1, capped by a two-run homer by Nolan Gorman … Thomas Saggese continued his great road trip ith two hits, including a double, and two runs scored … Ivan Herrera’s third hit, a double, drove in two of their three runs in the eighth inning … Leo Bernal also had two hits, including a two-run single in the fifth … Burleson had a three-hit day.
On the mound: A Colorado native, Leahy again was working on a limited pitch count and worked three innings. He allowed five runs, including a three-run homer by Mickey Moniak in the third … After Cade Winquest got the final out in the third, Hjerpe started the fourth and over his four innings threw 54 pitches, 41 of them strikes … He left with a 10-5 lead but Jake McCarthy homered off Luis Gasteium in the eighth and Ryne Stanek was charged with two runs in the ninth when the runners he left on base scored off George Soriano before he was able to get the final out.
Key stat: Hjerpe became the first pitcher in the majors to work four perfect innings in relief in his major-league debut since St. Louis native Max Scherzer threw 4 1/3 perfect innings for the Diamondbacks in 2008, striking out seven of the 13 hitters he faced.
Worth noting: In the first six games of the road trip to Los Angeles and Colorado, Saggese has gone 10-of-19 with three doubles, three homers, eight RBIs and nine runs scored … Alec Burleson’s double in the fifth was his first extra-base hit since he doubled on Aug. 18, a span of 63 at-bats … To make room for Hjerpe on the roster, reliever Hancel Rincon was optioned to Memphis.
Up next: The final stop on the three-city road trip will be San Francisco, where the Cardinals will open a three-game series on Monday night. Michael McGreevy is the scheduled starter.
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