Herrera’s walk-off – Iván Herrera hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the St. Louis Cardinals past the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. St. Louis finished with four home runs, won for the fifth time in extra innings this season, and impr
ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals kept showing up in the late innings, swinging with the kind of urgency that turns every pitch into a decision. In the bottom of the 10th, Iván Herrera made that decision for Pittsburgh.
Herrera launched a 410-foot, three-run walk-off home run off Mason Montgomery in the bottom of the 10th, lifting St. Louis to a 6-6 comeback win that ended the night immediately. It was his first career walk-off RBI.
The Cardinals had already provided plenty of thunder. They hit four homers total, and the walk-off marked the fifth walk-off win of the season for St. Louis, which improved to 7-1 in extra-inning games. Their success against Central Division rivals continued as well: the Cardinals improved to 5-0 this season against the Pirates.
Pittsburgh didn’t roll over. JJ Wetherholt, Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson each homered to keep St. Louis ahead at different points, but the Pirates answered with rallies of their own.
Wetherholt began the scoring with a two-run homer off Pirates starter Mitch Keller in the third inning. breaking a scoreless tie. Three of Wetherholt’s nine career home runs have come against the Pirates. Burleson singled to lead off the fourth and later scored on a Gorman double play, pushing St. Louis to a 3-0 lead.
Gorman changed the game again in the sixth. He hit a pitch from Pirates reliever Evan Sisk 436 feet over the right-centerfield wall to put the Cardinals ahead 5-4.
Burleson then added insurance in the eighth with a solo home run to extend the St. Louis lead. But the Pirates kept their pressure going. In the ninth, Spencer Horwitz delivered a pinch-hit single off Riley O’Brien, capping a two-run rally that tied the game at 6.
In the 10th, George Soriano (2-0) pitched a perfect inning for the win. The Cardinals’ pitchers had worked through earlier damage, too.
Starter Matthew Liberatore struck out a career-high nine, but the Pirates still found a path in the fifth. Liberatore allowed four runs after pitching 4 2/3 innings before being pulled. He finished having allowed seven hits and walked two.
Pittsburgh’s offense took shape in the fifth as well. Brandon Lowe singled and scored on a wild pitch, helping ignite a four-run rally. Bryan Reynolds’ two-run double tied the game, and Oneil Cruz’s RBI single gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead.
Keller lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs. He allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one.
The game set up Wednesday’s next matchup: Pirates RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3, 4.40 ERA) will face Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (3-2, 2.10).
Cardinals Pirates Iván Herrera walk-off homer Mason Montgomery St. Louis Pittsburgh extra innings MLB