Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Legend Yadier Molina Must Be Proud Of Rising Star After Angels Slugfest

The young St. Louis slugger is making a name for himself
Nate Hagerty|
Oct 8, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) reacts after the third out in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Oct 8, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) reacts after the third out in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsLos Angeles Angels

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday after losing back-to-back games at Busch Stadium to the American League West rivals.

After Cardinals ace Sonny Gray sacrificed a gut-wrenching grand slam in the top of the 7th inning to Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe, the youth-laden St. Louis lineup rallied for nine unanswered runs to seal a commanding 12-5 victory.

Although the Cardinals played exceptionally well Wednesday afternoon, one young slugger's outstanding performance will go down in franchise history.

"Iván Herrera becomes the first catcher in Cardinals history with three home runs in one game," the organization announced shortly after Herrera belted his third dinger of the day off Angels left-handed pitcher Brock Burke.

Considering that future Hall of Fame catcher and 19-year Cardinals veteran Yadier Molina never smashed three home runs in a single game, Herrera's Wednesday performance is especially great.

After Wednesday's slugfest, Herrera is batting .467 with seven hits including three home runs, five extra-base hits, eight RBIs and an astronomical 1.729 OPS in 15 at-bats across five games played for the Cardinals this season.

Although the Cardinals will continue to utilize Pedro Pagés behind the plate, Herrera's electric offensive starting in 2025 will quickly help solidify his role as St. Louis' future catcher if he continues to dominate.

Some were concerned with three-time All-Star Willson Contreras moving to first base for this season but considering how well Herrera has performed, it's safe to say the Cardinals have strong catching depth.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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