Thomas Saggese's Crushing Dodgers Like No Other Cardinal Since 2003

The St. Louis Cardinals have shown a lot throughout their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers so far with one game to go on Thursday.

St. Louis kicked off a three-game series against Los Angeles on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium and has taken both of the first two games. On Tuesday, the Cardinals took down Los Angeles, 13-8. On Wednesday, the Cardinals came from behind to top Los Angeles, 8-6 in extra innings.

When you take the two-time reigning champs in back-to-back games, a lot has to go right. That has certainly been the case for St. Louis over the last few days. This is a team that isn't even close to full strength with Andre Pallante, Hunter Dobbins, Blaze Jordan, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and Everson Pereira all on the Injured List. Somehow, that hasn't stopped the Cardinals. This young roster just won't quit and now it's back to .500 on the season at 70-70.

Thomas Saggese Is Red-Hot

Sep 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Thomas Saggese (25) catches a ground ball from Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman (25) during the tenth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Contributions have come from all over the place, in large part because of the injuries. For example, 24-year-old utility man Thomas Saggese is back in the majors and this stint is going much better than the beginning of the 2026 season.

In the Dodgers series alone, Saggese has gone 4-for-7 so far with three homers, six RBIs, one walk, and five runs scored in two games.

Thomas Saggese cuts the Dodgers' lead to one 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rxSuUnhctL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 3, 2026

Saggese has just four homers in total this season in the majors in 36 games. Three have come in the last two days. He certainly got the memo that the Cardinals needed a boost and he has provided. He has also made obscure team history in the process as well.

Cardinals team reporter Dani Wexelman shared on X that Saggese became the first member of the Cardinals to club three homers or more against the Dodgers in a season since Scott Rolen back in 2003.

"Per Cardinals PR: The last time a Cardinal hit more than 3 HR in a single-season against the Dodgers was Scott Rolen with 4 in 2003, since then 17 times a Cardinal have hit 3 including Saggese," Wexelman wrote.

Saggese wasn't even in the majors a week ago. He wasn't promoted back up to the majors until Aug. 28 in place of Jordan. Before that, he hadn't played in a big league game since June 3. Now, a week later he's one of the Cardinals' hottest hitters and has helped to power St. Louis past Los Angeles.

That's the beauty of baseball. Saggese was the next man up, and he's made a legit impact for a club not technically out of the mix for a playoff spot. A feel-good story right now, to say the least.

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