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 The rookie pinch-hitter picked the bottom of the eighth inning
Friday night to launch his first major league homer, a solo shot
that erased a 2-1 deficit and helped St. Louis notch a 3-2,
10-inning win over the Chicago Cubs at sold-out Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals (49-24) scored the winning run in equally preposterous
fashion. Chicago right fielder Mike Baxter, brought in to play on
the infield's right side when the Cubs opted for a five-man infield
with the bases loaded and no outs in the 10th, committed a throwing
error as he tried to erase pinch-hitter Peter Bourjos at the plate
on a bouncer by shortstop Jhonny Peralta.
But none of that happens without Garcia, who didn't homer in 61
games and 250 at-bats this year at Triple-A Memphis before earning a
call up to the majors June 19.
"I'm just trying to get on base," he said. "I'm not a power hitter
by any means. I hit a fastball and put a good swing on it, and I was
fortunate that it got out of here. I haven't played here long enough
to know what is and isn't a homer here."
A .283 hitter in more than 2,000 minor league at-bats, Garcia
walloped just 27 long balls, hitting no more than 10 in a season.
But he connected with a 3-1 fastball from reliever Pedro Strop,
driving it 408 feet into the first row in center field as the
sellout crowd of 45,558 erupted.
Firing his fist in the air between first and second, Garcia sprinted
around the bases and later took a curtain call at the urging of
manager Mike Matheny.
"His reaction was the best," Matheny said of Garcia. "I knew he'd
put together a good at-bat, but I didn't expect the ball to be
leaving over the center field wall. It's a special day."
There have been a lot of special days and nights for St. Louis,
which improved to 27-7 at home and maintained an eight-game lead in
the National League Central over Pittsburgh with its fourth straight
win.
Meanwhile, Chicago (39-33) absorbed its third straight loss and
dropped 9 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, wasting a strong outing
from starter Jake Arrieta. After allowing an RBI triple to left
fielder Randal Grichuk in the second, Arrieta retired 17 of the last
19 men he faced.
Arrieta gave up just three hits and a run in seven innings, walking
two and fanning seven, and departed with a 2-1 lead, courtesy of a
sacrifice fly by third baseman Kris Bryant in the seventh.
"I got into a groove and was able to hold them off most of the
night," Arrieta said. "But they did what they do. They fought back
and got us. This was a tough one. We were right there."
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The Cubs outhit St. Louis 12-6 and had starter John Lackey in
trouble for most of the game, but couldn't produce a hit with a
runner in scoring position except for Baxter's game-tying RBI single
in the fourth.
Lackey scattered eight hits in seven innings, yielding two runs with
three walks and five strikeouts. Four Cardinal relievers teamed up
for three scoreless innings, with Seth Maness (2-0) picking up the
win by fanning pinch-hitter Jonathan Herrera to strand two men in
the 10th.
Bourjos touched reliever Justin Grimm (1-2) for a leadoff double to
start the winning rally. Second baseman Kolten Wong followed with an
infield hit which caromed off second base and third baseman Matt
Carpenter drew an intentional walk to set the stage for St. Louis's
sixth walk-off win.
However, Garcia, the grandson of former big league manager Dave
Garcia, a native of nearby East St. Louis, Illinois, was the
unexpected star in the Cardinals' latest victory.
"It's indescribable," Garcia said. "You can't recreate that feeling
anywhere else in this world."
NOTES: St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia (groin cramp) is in line to make
his next start Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox,
according to general manager John Mozeliak. Garcia left Wednesday
night's 6-1 win in Miami in the eighth inning after limping home
following a base hit. ... Chicago 3B Kris Bryant (flu-like symptoms)
was back in the lineup Friday night after leaving Thursday's game
with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the third inning. ... Cardinals
LF Matt Holliday (quad) will try running next week to gauge his
progress. If he can run without pain, Holliday, who has been out
since June 9, could go on a rehab assignment.
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