Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals 11-Year Veteran Made Obscure St. Louis History

The veteran made some history on Thursday...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals began yet another doubleheader on Thursday with a win over the Chicago White Sox.

St. Louis came out on top 5-4 to move to 39-35 on the season. It was a good start to the day and there was a bit of odd history made. 11-year big league veteran Steven Matz came into the game to relieve starter Erick Fedde and in the bottom of the sixth inning recorded four strikeouts because Lenyn Sosa was able to reach first on a wild pitch.

Matz actually became the second Cardinals hurler on record with a four-strikeout inning along with Bob Gibson, as shared by MLB's Sarah Langs.

"Steven Matz is the second Cardinals pitcher on record with a four-strikeout inning, joining: 6/7/66 Bob Gibson (4th)," Langs said.

What an interesting stat. Matz had a tough outing overall on Thursday, allowing two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched. On the season, he now has a 2.66 ERA in 21 appearances. It's not every day you see a four-strikeout inning. You might see a couple overall across baseball in a season but it's clearly very rare. Now, Matz can at least say that he has found a niche and very exclusive piece of Cardinals history.

The most important part of the game was the club's win over Chicago. The Cardinals entered the series struggling but has started to turn a corner. But, there's still a lot of work left to do.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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