JJ Wetherholt’s Little League Grand Slam Was Pure Cardinals Chaos

There is no quit in the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals, that's for sure.

St. Louis took down the San Diego Padres on Friday night, 6-0, and now is 23-15 on the season. The Cardinals have sole possession of the fourth-best record in the National League now. Before Friday's game, the Cardinals were tied with the Padres. The Cardinals are just one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the third-best record in the National League and are 3 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central.

There are just two teams in the American League with a better record than the Cardinals right now with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. All of this is to say that the Cardinals are very good. It's also not as if the club is just dominating in one area. The Cardinals' starting rotation has the 16th-best ERA in the league at 4.09. The bullpen has the 24th-ranked ERA at 4.67. The Cardinals' offense has scored the 10th most runs with 182. With numbers like that, you'd think that the Cardinals would be closer to the middle of the pack, rather than among the game's very best.

But the Cardinals just find ways to win games. It doesn't matter who they're facing as St. Louis is now 9-2 against teams above .500. This club just finds a way.

The Cardinals Just Find A Way

May 8, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26), right, celebrates with center fielder Victor Scott II (11) after scoring during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

For example, in the fifth inning of the Cardinals' matchup against the Padres, JJ Wetherholt hit a single through the infield that got by San Diego's right fielder. The bases were loaded and everyone scored, including Wetherholt.

A LITTLE LEAGUE GRAND SLAM FOR JJ WETHERHOLT!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/icKJTaZX40
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 9, 2026

JJ was off to the races 🏃 https://t.co/L8TzXGGObG pic.twitter.com/65TVMSSGpK
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2026

This gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead over one of the best teams in the National League and the Cardinals didn't take their foot off the gas.

It's a small example, but it's one of the reasons why the Cardinals have had success. They do the little things right and take advantage of mistakes by opposing teams and then they hold on.

This team is different than the one the Cardinals rolled out over the last three seasons. Some of the faces are the same, but the club is different. There's a different energy around St. Louis that hasn't been there since 2022 when the club last won the division. That also was the season Albert Pujols chased 700 homers.

The Cardinals do the little things right. And, this is a team that is extremely young. They are just scratching the surface of what they can be.

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