The Cardinals were in control early on and their 10-5 win over the Marlins was never in doubt Thursday. David Eckstein and Hector Luna drove in three runs apiece, while Albert Pujols drove in his 100th run of the season. His fifth-inning triple scored So Taguchi and put Pujols in the history books. He is only the fourth player in the history of Major League Baseball to drive in at least 100 runs in each of his first five seasons. The only other players to do it were Al Simmons, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio.
Eckstein got the scoring going last night with his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot. Yadier Molina drove in a run later in the inning to put St. Louis ahead 2-0. Eckstein later singled in the seventh inning to drive in two runs.
Luna drove in his runs with a two-run homer in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh.
The Marlins were down 10-0 when rookie Jeremy Hermida did something that has only been done one other time in the history of the Major Leagues. He hit a grand slam the first at bat of his career. Hermida took a 1-1 pitch from Al Reyes over the right field wall in the seventh inning to put the Marlins on the board. Hermida joined William “Frosty Bill” Duggleby, who accomplished the feat for the New York Giants in 1898. Bobby Bonds is the only other player to hit a grand slam in his first game, but he did it on his third at bat in June of 1968.
Cardinals’ starter Jeff Suppan lasted five innings to get his 13th win of the season.