Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Flamethrower Going Back To Minors After Monumental Night

The Cardinals got a great outing from the young fireballer...
Patrick McAvoy|
Mar 6, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hat and gloves lay in the dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Mar 6, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hat and gloves lay in the dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had one of the best days of the 2025 Major League Baseball season so far on Wednesday.

St. Louis took on the National League Central rival Cincinnati Reds in a day-night doubleheader and won both games in convincing fashion. The Cardinals took Game 1 by a score of 6-0 and finished the day with a 9-1 thumping of the Reds in Game 2.

With it being a doubleheader, both teams were able to bring up a 27th man for the roster. The Cardinals opted to bring up young flamethrower Gordon Graceffo. He made his big league debut last year and appeared in just two games. Before Wednesday's tilt, he had appeared in one game already this season but struggled while allowing six earned runs against the Boston Red Sox on April 6th.

It was a completely different story on Wednesday night. He pitched five innings of one-run ball against the Reds and earned the first won of his young Major League Baseball career. He unsurprisingly was returned to the minors last night after the big outing, as shared by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.

"Gordon Graceffo was returned to Class AAA Memphis last night after his five strong innings and burst of velocity," Goold shared.

This isn't shocking by any means as he was recalled specifically because of the doubleheader, but he did impress in his opportunity. He's been knocking on the big league door for a while and certainly just gave the team something to think about.

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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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