Iván Herrera on Wednesday became the first catcher in St. Louis Cardinals franchise history to hit three home runs in a game. In all, the 24-year-old Herrera went 3 for 4 with a walk, six RBI, and three runs scored in the Cardinals’ 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels in the series finale at Busch Stadium.
Here’s a look at his history-making blast off Halos reliever Blake Burke:
Herrera also went deep off starter Yusei Kikuchi in the fourth and sixth innings. His three homers on Wednesday traveled a combined 1,234 feet. His second homer was his hardest-hit ball of the day, as it left the bat at 112.1 mph.
In all, the Cardinals have gotten two-homer games from a catcher on 34 occasions, mostly recently Willson Contreras in August of last year. Yadier Molina had nine such games in his career, and Ted Simmons had six. Not until Herrera, though, did a Cardinals catcher hit three in a single game.
Herrera on the season is now batting .467/.529/1.200 with three home runs, two doubles, and two walks in 17 plate appearances. Herrera has done nothing but hit as a big-leaguer, and the Cardinals have prioritized his development behind the plate. Following the shift of Contreras from catcher to first base, Herrera and Pedro Pagés entered the 2025 season with a job-sharing arrangement at catcher. While Pagés is regarded as the superior defender, Herrera’s offensive performance – and his long-term upside as a hitter capable of doing elite damage on contact – may be tilting things in his favor.
Thanks in large measure to Herrera’s day at the plate, the Cardinals were able to avoid the sweep at home and now stand at 4-2 on the young season.
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