Herrera Walks It Off as Cards Beat Pirates in 10 to Open Divisional Gauntlet
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The Cardinal Chronicle
Herrera Walks It Off as Cards Beat Pirates in 10 to Open Divisional Gauntlet
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals opened their divisional gauntlet Tuesday night with the kind of win that can carry more weight than one line in the standings.
St. Louis beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 in 10 innings at Busch Stadium, and it ended with a swing Iván Herrera will not forget.
Herrera, whose season has already included plenty of attention on his bat and increased focus on his defensive work behind the plate, delivered the biggest moment of his young career in the bottom of the 10th inning. With the game tied and the Cardinals looking for one final answer, Herrera launched a three-run walk-off home run to give St. Louis a 9-6 win in the opener of a three-game series against Pittsburgh. It was the first walk-off home run of Herrera’s major league career.
That is how a division stretch ought to begin.
The Cardinals had already been through enough turns Tuesday night to make the game feel like three different contests. They built an early lead, watched Pittsburgh punch back, reclaimed control, gave it up again, then finally ended the night with one clean, decisive swing.
JJ Wetherholt started the scoring in the third inning with a two-run homer, continuing to inject energy into the top of the Cardinals’ lineup. St. Louis added another run in the fourth when Alec Burleson scored on a Nolan Gorman double-play grounder, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
For a while, Matthew Liberatore had enough cushion. Then the fifth inning arrived, and the Pirates turned the game around.
Pittsburgh scored four times in the inning, using a wild pitch, a Bryan Reynolds two-run double and an Oneil Cruz RBI single to take a 4-3 lead. It was the kind of inning that can turn a clean night into a long one, and it forced the Cardinals to answer instead of cruise.
They did.
Gorman answered in the sixth with a go-ahead two-run homer, putting St. Louis back in front 5-4. Burleson added a solo homer in the eighth, stretching the lead to 6-4 and giving the Cardinals what looked like needed insurance.
As it turned out, it was not enough.
Pittsburgh scratched back late, tying the game and forcing extra innings. That left the Cardinals in a familiar place — another close game, another late test, another chance to prove whether this early-season run has some backbone to it.
Herrera provided the answer.
In the bottom of the 10th, with the game tied 6-6, Herrera stepped in and ended it with one swing, driving a three-run homer that turned Busch Stadium loose and gave the Cardinals a 9-6 walk-off win.
For Herrera, the moment carried an extra layer. The Cardinals have been asking more of him behind the plate this season, and he has been open about the work required to improve defensively, particularly in controlling the running game and earning trust as a catcher. But nights like Tuesday remind everyone why the Cardinals have continued to invest in him. His bat changes games.
This one changed in a hurry.
The win also came without Masyn Winn in the starting lineup. Winn, who left Sunday’s game against Kansas City with left knee discomfort, was held out Tuesday after remaining sore. The encouraging news is that his MRI came back clean, and the Cardinals remain hopeful he can return soon. He is considered day to day.
That matters because Winn is one of the tone-setters on this club. The Cardinals can survive a night without him, as they did Tuesday, but they are better when his glove, arm and energy are at shortstop.
Still, this was exactly the kind of win St. Louis needed to begin this stretch.
The Cardinals are now into a run of division games that will help define the rest of their month. Pittsburgh came to Busch Stadium looking to make noise. The Cardinals answered with power from Wetherholt, Gorman, Burleson and, finally, Herrera.
It was not tidy. It was not calm. It was not the kind of game that lets a manager sit back and enjoy his coffee.
But it was a win.
And in the bottom of the 10th, Iván Herrera made sure it was one worth remembering.
Final: Cardinals 9, Pirates 6 — 10 innings
Up next: The Cardinals and Pirates continue the series Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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