Iván Herrera belted three home runs, the first multi-homer game of his career, to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.
Herrera capped a dominant night at the plate with a three-run blast off Brock Burke in the eighth inning, his third long ball. He had launched a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth, both off Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi.
Tied at 5-5 entering the eighth, the Cardinals broke the game open with a seven-run frame. Willson Contreras drew a bases-loaded walk from Burke to put St. Louis in front for good, while Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar scored on a pair of misplays and a double from Contreras to extend the lead.
Logan O’Hoppe briefly gave the Angels life with a seventh-inning grand slam — the second of his career — off Cardinals starter Sonny Gray, putting Los Angeles ahead 5-3. Gray finished with nine strikeouts over six-plus innings but was charged with five runs on five hits.
Mike Trout opened the game with his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the top of the first.
JoJo Romero (1-1) picked up the win for St. Louis with 1.1 scoreless innings in relief. Ian Anderson (0-1) took the loss after giving up three hits to start the decisive eighth inning.
Kikuchi allowed three runs on four hits over five innings, but issued five walks while striking out six.
Key Moment
St. Louis loaded the bases to start the bottom of the eighth with a single by Jordan Walker and back-to-back bunt singles by Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn, setting the stage for the go-ahead run.
Key Stat
Herrera became the first catcher in Cardinals history to hit three home runs in a single game.
Up Next
The Angels return home Friday for their opener against the Cleveland Guardians with José Soriano facing Gavin Williams.
The Cardinals visit Boston, where Erick Fedde (1-0, 1.50 ERA) is set to face Walker Buehler on Friday.
