The St. Louis Cardinals dropped back to .500 on Saturday afternoon, losing 11-6 against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Dustin May struggled for the second consecutive outing, but there were some positives, mainly in the form of Jordan Walker.

The former top prospect, who is trying to solidify himself as a big leaguer once-and-for all, went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and five RBIs. He's hitting .296 with a .960 OPS in the early going.

As noted by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Walker also did something the Cardinals haven't seen in the last 29 years of their history.

Jordan Walker today is the first Cardinals outfielder with a grand slam, a stolen base, and at least three hits in the same game since Ray Lankford on May 7, 1997.

I have yet to find a player who matches all of those criteria and had an OF assist, as Walker did today.

Joining Lankford in any history is a good thing, as he's one of the best Cardinals players of the 1990s. A 14-year veteran that spent 13 years in St. Louis, Lankford was an All-Star in 1997. He hit .272 for his career with 238 homers and 874 RBIs. He also stole 258 bases, including two seasons of 40 or more. His 15 triples in 1991 led baseball. He had six seasons of 20 homers or more as well.

He's a member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame as well.

Still just 23 years old, Walker made his major league debut in 2023. So far, he's hit .239 with 28 homers and 115 RBIs. His best season was his rookie season, when he hit .276 with 16 homers in 117 games. If the Cardinals can get him right, he can pair with JJ Wetherholt, Victor Scott, Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn to make up the core of the future Cardinals.

The Cardinals Tigers will be part of the second 'Sunday Night Baseball' broadcast on NBC Sports Network and Peacock. 

First pitch is set for 6:20 p.m. CT as Kyle Leahy takes the ball against Keider Montero. Leahy is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA while Montero is making his first appearance of the season.

He pitched for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, helping Venezuela win its first WBC gold medal. The 25-year-old went 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 2025.

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