In a game defined by shifting momentum and sudden bursts of power, Iván Herrera provided the definitive final blow.
The St. Louis catcher crushed a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday night, lifting the Cardinals to a thrilling 9-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium.
With two strikes against him in the extra frame, Herrera turned on an 86 mph curveball from Pirates left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery (1-1). The 410-foot blast into deep right field sent the home crowd into a frenzy and secured the Cardinals’ fifth walk-off win of the season. For Herrera, it marked the first walk-off RBI of his major league career.
Herrera’s game-winner capped a dominant night for the St. Louis offense, which launched four home runs to keep their unblemished 5-0 record against their NL Central rivals intact this season.
JJ Wetherholt opened the scoring in the third inning, breaking a scoreless tie with a two-run shot off Pirates starter Mitch Keller.
Nolan Gorman delivered a go-ahead, two-run blast in the sixth, launching an Evan Sisk offering 436 feet over the right-centerfield wall to put St. Louis ahead 5-4.
*Alec Burleson provided what looked to be crucial insurance in the eighth, leading off the inning with a solo home run off Brandan Bidois to extend the lead to 6-4.
The Cardinals initially jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the fourth, but the Pirates refused to quietly fade away.
St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore was sharp early, racking up a career-high nine strikeouts. However, the wheels fell off in the top of the fifth. Fueled by a wild pitch, a two-run double by Bryan Reynolds, and an RBI single from Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh dropped a four-run frame on Liberatore, chasing him from the game after 4 2/3 innings.
The Cardinals answered through Gorman’s long ball, but the Pirates mounted another comeback in the top of the ninth. Facing Cardinals reliever Riley O’Brien, Pittsburgh engineered a two-run rally, capped by a Spencer Horwitz pinch-hit RBI single to knot the game at 6-6 and force extra frames.
The top of the 10th belonged to George Soriano (2-0). Tasked with keeping the automatic runner at second base from crossing the plate, Soriano delivered a flawless, perfect frame. He struck out Jake Mangum before retiring Endy Rodriguez and Nick Gonzales in quick succession, earning his second win of the season and putting the bat right back in the hands of the St. Louis offense.
Herrera didn’t waste the opportunity, driving the first pitch he could handle into the night sky to end the marathon contest. With the victory, the Cardinals improve to an impressive 7-1 in extra-inning contests this year.
The series continues Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. The Pirates will send right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3, 4.40 ERA) to the mound to face Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy (3-2, 2.10 ERA).
