Monday night may have been one of the best moments in JJ Wetherholt's life.
Regardless of how the evening played out, it was already a big day (and a big week) for the former West Virginia standout. For the first time since being called up to the major leagues earlier this season, Wetherholt traveled to his hometown of Pittsburgh to play in an MLB game. But by the time the game had come to a close, Wetherholt shined in front of a crowd of supporters and put his name on a rare list.
Former WVU baseball star leads St. Louis Cardinals to win over Pittsburgh Pirates in first MLB game in hometown with Mountaineer Nation in attendance
Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals opened a four-game series at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night, and a large crowd of Wetherholt's hometown supporters, as well as a sizable contingent of West Virginia fans, turned out to watch.
But for awhile, it seemed as if Wetherholt's homecoming might fall flat as the Cardinals trailed 2-0 entering the ninth inning. That's when Pedro Pages stepped up and sent a home run into the stands that bring the score within one run.
Then, Wetherholt approached the plate for his fourth at-bat of the night, and in one swing of the bat, blasted the Cardinals' second straight homer out of the park in front of his people, tying the game at 2-2. The Cardinals would end up bringing home two more runs to take the game in a 4-2 victory.
Wetherholt makes history in Pittsburgh homecoming
With his game-tying bomb on Monday night, Wetherholt has now record six home runs this season. That puts him among rarefied air in the major leagues.
Why is that? Well, he now has 22 runs and an on-base percentage of .359 to go along with his six homers. That makes him one of just 13 players younger than 24 years old to record six or more home runs, 20 or more runs, and an on-base percentage of .355 or higher in their first 28 games.
He joins Davis Schneider, Will Smith, Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, Rhys Hoskins, Rafael Devers, Gary Sanchez, Kyle Schwarber, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Jeff Francoeur, and Adam Dunn on that list. He's the first player to achieve the feat since Schneider in 2023, and just the seventh player to do it in the past decade.
Add us as a preferred source on Google