Two games into his MLB career and JJ Wetherholt already has two huge moments. After homering in his MLB debut, Wetherholt delivered a two-run, walk-off single on Saturday in a 6-5 winner for the Cardinals.
ST. LOUIS – Calm and confident enough to glance down at the Bible verses on his bracelets and playfully hum his Christian hip-hop walk-up song, Cardinals’ standout rookie JJ Wetherholt again showed his readiness for the big stage by delivering his second significant moment in as many MLB games.
Wetherholt, who homered in the first game of his MLB career two days earlier, came through in the clutch again on Saturday by drilling the first pitch he saw in the 10th inning for a two-run, game-winning single. Wetherholt’s hard chopper through a drawn-in infield scored Nathan Church and Jordan Walkler and made the Cardinals 6-5 winners over the Rays at Busch Stadium.
Afterward, a joyful Wetherholt chest-bumped with Masyn Winn and had his helmet palmed by teammate Victor Scott II before bracing for the impact of his Cardinals teammates sprinting toward him. The 23-year-old rookie, who was later doused with ice-cold water, admitted afterward that he was more intimidated by the teammates rushing toward him than he was being at the plate in Saturday’s decisive moment.
“I read those (Bible verses) every time when I’m in big situations like that and it’s just a constant reminder that God is with me,” said Wetherholt, who has three hits and five RBI in the first two games of his MLB career. “That’s what I take to the plate. … I just get up there and sing my song to get in the zone and then do my thing.”
Wetherholt doing his thing again on Saturday was proof that the top-rated prospect in the Cards system isn’t rattled by being in pressure-packed situations. That’s something that Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol learned about him in the 2025 Spring Training, and he’s continued to show that he belongs on baseball’s biggest stage.
“Man, I feel like we’re going to continue to see a lot of that just because of his overall demeanor,” Marmol said of Wetherholt, who became the first Cardinals rookie with a walk-off RBI since 2021. “He’s not going to make too much of any situation, and I love that about him. He doesn’t scare and his personality lends itself to doing this well for a really long time.”
Wetherholt’s heroics bailed out a Cardinals club that took a 4-0 into the ninth inning only to see its bullpen surrender four runs, three hits and a walk. Wetherholt also played a role in that shaky inning with the first fielding error of his MLB career when his flip to the first base bag was wild while trying to beat Tampa Bay speedster Chandler Simpson.
After Scott bunted Church and Walker into scoring position, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash declined the chance to walk Wetherholt and load the bases for catcher Pedro Pages, who had entered the game an inning earlier as a defensive replacement. Wetherholt made the Rays pay by smacking Griffin Jax’s hanging, 88.6 mph sweeper into right field for his second hit of the day.
Wetherholt said he wasn’t surprised that the Rays pitched to him considering his rookie status. Clearly, Wetherholt is no typical rookie – something he showed in his MLB debut with a 425-foot homer and a deep sacrifice fly during the Cards’ eight-run rally on Thursday.
“I feel like the nature of it is they are going to challenge me and want me to prove myself,” Wetherholt admitted candidly. “Maybe situationally, I could understand (an intentional walk) because the bases would be loaded and the double play would be a factor. But I’m happy they didn’t (walk him).”
The stirring finish allowed right-handed starter Michael McGreevy to enjoy one of the finest outings of his young MLB career. Mixing seven pitches beautifully and keeping the Rays off balance with a darting changeup, McGreevy pitched six scoreless innings before departing the game.
McGreevy, 25, was lifted after six innings and 96 pitches. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander labored in the sixth inning while going to a sixth full count before walking Jonathan Aranda. He got a running catch from right fielder Jordan Walker to retire Jake Fraley to close out six no-hit frames.
McGreevy was dominant despite his average fastball velocity shockingly being down more than 2 miles per hour and his first pitch of the game was driven 393 feet to the wall in right-center. He also got just six swing and misses among his 96 pitches, but proved to be highly effective by deftly mixing his pitches.
“The changeup was great and that’s a pitch I really tried to focus on this offseason because I wanted it to be a pitch I could go to,” McGreevy said. “Besides that walk to Aranda and I yanked a changeup, that was probably the only one I was displeased with all day. But I was able to keep their hitters off balance by using all seven of my pitches to lefties and righties.”
McGreevy got two runs of support in the first inning, and he made them stand up by striking out five and getting four ground ball outs. Another sign of McGreevy’s effectiveness was how he performed against the six left-handed hitters that the Rays stacked their lineup with. Those hitters went a combined 0 for 12 as McGreevy threw 25 four-seam fastballs, 19 changeups, 16 cutters, 15 sinkers, eight sweepers, seven sliders and six curveballs.
McGreevy wasn’t surprised at all that Wetherholt proved himself calm under pressure and delivered another big hit in just his second MLB game. McGreevy said the rookie’s calmness is something he has exhibited since joining the Cards in Spring Training.
“He’s such a great hitter and a great baseball player,” McGreevy gushed. “Over spring, where he walked a ton, you could tell that he wasn’t trying to do too much even though he’s the guy. He knows the pressure that is one him for this organization, but he’s able to just take it pitch by pitch.
“After a walk (earlier to Walker), most might have wanted to take a few pitches. But the moment wasn’t too big for him and he just trusted himself.”
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