The St. Louis Cardinals secured a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Apr. 29, overcoming a six-inning perfect game bid by the opposing pitchers and ending their four-game losing streak.
The game drew attention for JJ Wetherholt’s home run, which tied the score and marked a notable moment for the Mars, Pennsylvania native returning to PNC Park. Wetherholt had previously told reporters that his West Virginia Mountaineers team had consistently beaten Pitt at this venue when he played.
Despite being held hitless through nearly seven innings, the Cardinals remained composed. “We knew we were getting perfect gamed,” Jose Fermin said. “But we were not freaking out. We knew that, at some point, it was going to happen.” Alec Burleson broke up the no-hit bid with a single in the seventh inning, followed by another single from Fermin in the eighth.
Manager Oli Marmol reflected on how the team’s mindset was shaped during spring training: “In spring, you have to create some framework for how you want this group to operate mentally,” Marmol said over the weekend as they entered Pittsburgh on a losing skid. “What you have to build into that framework is we can’t care about gut punches and let them last longer than a night.” Down two runs in the ninth inning, Pedro Pagés hit a one-out home run before Wetherholt tied it with his own homer.
A walk by Iván Herrera and another single from Burleson set up Jordan Walker’s crucial plate appearance. Walker worked through tough counts and eventually walked to load the bases ahead of Fermin’s game-winning hit. “It’s a big part of that game,” Marmol said about Walker’s at-bat. “Sets that bases-loaded situation up, and if he doesn’t control the strike zone, that doesn’t happen… him starting to do that in meaningful situations is also important.” He added regarding Walker’s progress: “Now you stack those on top of each other over time… That’s what’s important.”
By refusing to accept another loss despite early setbacks against Pittsburgh pitching staff, St. Louis demonstrated its determination and ability to overcome difficult odds.
