St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning and rookie Andre Pallante recorded his first major league win as the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 6-3. Paul Goldschmidt, who was batting just behind him in the order, also hit a two-run home run.
Gorman, a 22-year-old picked in the 2018 amateur draft, hit his first major league home run on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers’ Adrian Houser. He also had three hits and a .387 batting average. His home run came off Nick Martinez, who was struggling with his control.
Gorman said he learned a lot about himself during his first few weeks in the major leagues. The 22-year-old said that he had to be able to adapt quickly to his new surroundings and learn how to hit the ball hard and far.
Gorman had a single and a walk in his first major league game. He also tried to stretch his single into a double. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised him after the game, saying the player could put fear in the hearts of the opposing team.
Andre Pallante starts in major league
In 3 1/3 innings, the 23-year-old right-hander Andre Pallante allowed one run and five hits. Pallante also struck out five and walked none. He was the second Cardinals pitcher to throw in an all-bullpen game.
After being in the minor league for a long time, The 23-year-old said it was “pretty cool” to finally get the opportunity to pitch in the major league. He said he wanted to continue playing well and not get carried away with his success.
After his first major league game, the young pitcher gave his father a pair of baseballs.
“I’ve learned a lot about how to be a reliever. I’ve had bad outings and I’ve had good outings,” Pallante said.” What I’ve been trying to learn is how to eliminate the bad outings. I’ve been learning from the experienced guys.”
Goldschmidt’s stellar performance continues
Goldschmidt continued his impressive season by hitting his 11th home run. He has been on a 21-game hitting streak and is currently on a career-high 35-game streak, the longest active streak in the league.
In May, Goldschmidt recorded 32 RBIs. He has been on a multi-hit streak this season, and 17 of his 29 hits so far were for extra bases. the 34-year-old said he just wanted to help his team win.
Through May, Goldschmidt recorded 22 extra-base hits, tied with Albert Pujols and Stan Musial for the most in a single month in the Cardinals’ history.
Before Goldschmidt’s home run, he had already popped up to the second base. Marmol made a joke about it during a pitching change in the sixth.
“I was starting to think you’re not human,” Marmol told Goldschmidt. “He’s able to laugh. He has a complete and another level of confidence. What he’s doing right now is highly impressive.”
Cardinals shut down San Diego’s offense
In his first major league game, Packy Naughton started for the Cardinals. He allowed one run and three hits in 2 1/3 innings. The only run that he allowed came from a single by Jurickson Profar. San Diego manager Bob Melvin said that his team was struggling to get hits.
Goldschmidt said he was pleased to see how the Cardinals’ bullpen could shut down San Diego’s offense. It allowed the team to claim the win. Two of the Cardinals’ relief pitchers, Génesis Cabrera and Giovanny Gallegos, threw scoreless innings.
