
Rookie JJ Wetherholt turned a routine single into a viral moment during a game against the Padres, leading to a 'Little League grand slam.' His play helped the Cardinals secure a 6-0 victory.
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JJ Wetherholt turns routine single into chaos as Cardinals rookie sparks viral moment originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The St. Louis Cardinals have spent the first month of the season searching for signs that their young core can help carry the franchise into its next era. On Friday night in San Diego, rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt delivered one of the strangest, and most entertaining moments of the MLB season so far.
What started as a sharp ground-ball single quickly turned into a full-speed sprint around the bases, a stunned Petco Park crowd, and a âLittle League grand slamâ that instantly exploded across social media.
The play gave the Cardinals a four-run lead in what became a dominant 6-0 victory over the Padres, but it also perfectly captured why Wetherholt has quickly become one of the most fascinating young players in baseball.
The chaos unfolded in the top of the fifth inning after singles from Masyn Winn and Nathan Church, followed by a walk to , loaded the bases for Wetherholt. Facing Padres starter , the rookie slapped a ground ball through the right side. Padres star charged aggressively, but the ball skipped underneath his glove and rolled all the way to the wall.
JJ Wetherholt transformed a routine single into a chaotic sprint around the bases, resulting in a 'Little League grand slam.'
His play contributed to a four-run lead, helping the Cardinals achieve a dominant 6-0 victory over the Padres.
Wetherholt's ability to create unexpected and entertaining moments, like the viral play, has quickly made him a standout in the MLB.
The moment occurred at Petco Park during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres.

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Suddenly, everybody was running. All three baserunners scored easily, and Wetherholt never slowed down as he rounded third and raced home standing up. Officially, the play went into the books as a single plus an error on TatĂs. Unofficially, it became the latest viral âLittle League grand slamâ clip baseball fans couldnât stop replaying.
According to MLB.com, Wetherholt joked afterward that it was âthe most I've ran in probably four years.â He also admitted the result wasnât exactly what he had in mind when he stepped into the box.
âI was really trying to hit the ball to left because I was really early on that guy,â Wetherholt said. âSo that's not exactly what I wanted, but found a hole.â
For Cardinals fans, Friday night felt like another snapshot of why the organization has such enormous expectations for Wetherholt moving forward. The former first-round pick already made headlines earlier this season when he homered in his MLB debut on Opening Day. He also became the first Cardinals rookie since 1949 to debut in the leadoff spot.
Now he has added a Little League grand slam to the résumé.
Even more impressive is how naturally the 22-year-old continues to fit into meaningful moments. The Cardinals entered Friday with a 22-15 record and have started climbing back into the National League race behind a mix of young talent and strong pitching performances. Wetherholtâs bizarre fifth inning provided the offense, while fellow rookie-era building block Michael McGreevy handled the rest.
McGreevy dominated the Padres lineup for six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out a career-high nine batters in front of dozens of friends and family members near his Southern California hometown.
The funniest part of the entire sequence may have been the Cardinals dugout reaction. As Wetherholt rounded third, the entire St. Louis bench reportedly started waving him home simultaneously. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol later joked the rookie had â30 third-base coachesâ directing traffic during the play. Wetherholt also admitted after the game that he had experienced something similar once before during his college days at West Virginia.
Still, even he understood how bizarre Friday nightâs play looked in real time.
âA no-doubt grand slam might be a little more exciting because you feel like you earned it more,â Wetherholt said. âBut at the end of the day, four runs scored in a big spot.â
The Cardinals probably do not care how the runs looked on the scoreboard. They all counted the same.