
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Rookie JJ Wetherholt hit two home runs off left-handed pitchers in the Cardinals' 6-5 comeback win over the Guardians. This marked Wetherholt's first multi-homer game in his MLB career.
Cardinalsā manager Oli Marmol discusses his teamās seventh comeback win of the season and the talent of rookie JJ Wetherholt, who homered twice on Tuesday night.
ST. LOUIS ā Ready to hit ā even against a couple of hard-throwing left-handed pitchers ā Cardinalsā standout rookie JJ Wetherholt did damage on two first pitches with two totally different swings on Tuesday night.
One of his two homers from the Cardinalsā wild 6-5 win over the Guardians in 10 innings already has earned a spot in his memory bank as the favorite of his rookie season ā even when stacked against the long ball he smacked on Opening Day and felt Busch Stadium throb with raw emotion for the first time.
Wetherholt, 23, homered twice in a game for the first time in his MLB career ā the third-inning solo shot being a dead-pull swing hit over the right-center wall and the two-run long ball in the eighth being drilled to the opposite field. Both came off lefties and both came off the first pitch of his at bats, but clearly Wetherholt had a distinct favorite on the biggest night of his young MLB career.
āLefties sometimes can clean up my direction because Iām trying to stay inside the ball, and I was really happy that I went the other way because Iāve really not (done that) since being here,ā Wetherholt said. ā(Driving balls to the opposite field) is something for me that if things arenāt going well for me, itās usually because Iām not hitting the ball the other way. So, that one felt better than the pull-side (homer), to be honest.ā
The kid came up BIG tonight! šŖ pic.twitter.com/4ZfiwmxvHP
ā St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 15, 2026
Wetherholt was just one of the St. Louis stars on a night when it pulled off a seventh comeback win and improved to 4-0 in extra-inning games. Down to their last strike in the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals got a reprieve when replacement second baseman Juan Brito botched a ground ball off the bat of Masyn Winn. After Winn moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch, Yohel Pozo delivered a clutch double to the right-center gap to the knot score at 5.
āItās something that I learned last year to calm myself during those moments and just let things happen,ā said Pozo, who had six hits and seven RBI as a pinch-hitter for the Cardinals in 2025. āThatās what I did ā I calmed myself to see what could happen. I just try and see what the game is telling me to do, and I tried to do that there.ā
After Riley OāBrien worked a scoreless 10th and Cardinalsā extra-innings runner Thomas Saggese moved to third on a wild pitch, Nathan Church lofted a sacrifice fly into right field to set off a wild celebration complete with fireworks filling the downtown St. Louis skyline.
āWe said it in Spring Training, weāre going to compete every night,ā Pozo said. āWeāre a young team, but weāre hungry and we want to win.ā
The Cards almost certainly wouldnāt have been in position to win without the exploits of their standout rookie. In between his two homers, Wetherholt also made the defensive play of the game by propelling his 5-foot-9 body high into the air to snag a 104-mph liner off the bat of Clevelandās Bryan Rocchio.
Said Wetherholt: āI was smiling because Masyn was yelling at me, because thatās just how he is. When I do something cool, Iāll show emotion in certain situations and sometimes Iāll just keep a keen face. But thatās hard to do when Masyn is screaming and hyping you up.ā
MULTI-HOMER GAME FOR JJ WETHERHOLT! š¤š¤ pic.twitter.com/MPOxaSdXq8
ā St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 15, 2026
Wetherholt was smiling in the eighth inning after hitting the first pitch he saw from left-hander Erik Sabrowski some 366 feet and just over the wall in left field for a two-run homer ā but not for the reasons many would expect. The blast drew the Cards within 5-4, but Wetherholt was the last to realize that apparently.
āGoing into that at bat I honestly donāt even think I knew the score,ā he admitted candidly. āAnd thatās usually when stuff like that happens because when you know the score you kind of let the moment get too big. ā¦Then, when Iām rounding the bases Iām like, āOh shoot, now itās a close game!ā But it was definitely a good feeling.ā
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JJ Wetherholt hit two home runs, marking his first multi-homer game in his MLB career.
The Cardinals won 6-5 in a comeback victory that went into extra innings, securing their seventh comeback win of the season.
Wetherholt expressed satisfaction with hitting to the opposite field against lefties, noting it was a key aspect of his performance.
Wetherholt's two home runs were significant as they showcased his ability to hit well against left-handed pitchers and contributed to a memorable night in his rookie season.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
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