Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Might've Just Berthed Beginning Of Cinderella Story In 8-4 Loss To Pirates

St. Louis could have an unexpected star on its roster
Nate Hagerty|
May 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the tarp on the field as storms move through the St. Louis region delaying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
May 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the tarp on the field as storms move through the St. Louis region delaying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsPittsburgh Pirates

The St. Louis Cardinals dropped a crucial National League Central-match series opener to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday but there were positives to take away from the loss.

For instance, rising star Masyn Winn crushed his first home run of 2025 after struggling at the plate to begin his sophomore campaign. Fortunately, the 23-year-old is known for getting off to a slow start offensively, so hopefully, he's beginning to turn the tide.

Winn's compelling performance during Monday night's 8-4 loss to Pittsburgh wasn't the only highlight for the Cardinals. A recently promoted slugger quickly made his name known and could be at the beginning of writing an incredible story if he continues to produce offensively.

Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo, who was promoted from Triple-A Memphis on Monday after Iván Herrera was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a bruised left knee, pulled a towering home run to left field and caught Isiah Kiner-Falefa attempting to steal second base in the bottom of the 4th inning during his first big-league appearance with St. Louis in the club's series-opener loss to the Pirates.

Pozo, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers in Aug. 2013, has endured a rollercoaster career but has refused to quit on his big-league dreams -- even in the face of homelessness and while struggling to feed his family.

The 27-year-old's then-infant son, Paul, suffered a stroke around the same time as the shortened 2020 COVID-19 season, leaving Pozo and his family struggling to pay medical expenses. Sadly, he and his family were forced to live out of the young catcher's Hyundai Sonata while spending many nights hungry, according to MLB.com's John Denton.

Despite struggling to feed his family while keeping up with his son's high medical expenses, Pozo continued to grind in the minor leagues for Triple-A Round Rock and Triple-A Las Vegas, batting above .300 with at least a .826 OPS throughout the four previous seasons.

The Cardinals eventually signed Pozo to a minor league contract this past winter -- giving the Venezuela native his first major league appearance since debuting with the Rangers in Aug. 2021.

Although Pozo has only played one game for St. Louis, his incredible background story makes him an intriguing player to watch as the season progresses. The Cardinals don't have any immediate plans to replace Herrera but if he can't stay healthy, perhaps a Cinderella Story could be in the works for the former Rangers' top prospect.

More MLB: Cardinals Offense Among MLB's Best While Pitching Staff Falls Far Behind Curve

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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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