Despite a tough season for Miles Mikolas, the veteran pitcher delivered a rare and memorable moment for the St. Louis Cardinals. On September 2 against the Oakland Athletics, Mikolas threw a three-pitch inning**—a feat not achieved by a Cardinals pitcher since 2000.
Earlier in the season, Mikolas had tied a team record by allowing six home runs in just three innings against the Cubs, making his recent accomplishment even more surprising. While he’s struggled mightily on the road (with a 6.79 ERA), he’s been much more effective at home, sporting a 3.57 ERA at Busch Stadium before this start.
In the 2-1 victory over Oakland, Mikolas pitched six solid innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits. The highlight came in the sixth inning when he retired Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, and Shea Langeliers on just three pitches—each batter making an out on the first pitch they saw.
This marked the first three-pitch inning by a Cardinals pitcher since Mike James did it back in April 2000.
While Mikolas is unlikely to receive a new contract from St. Louis after this season and may struggle to find interest from other teams due to his overall poor performance in 2025, he can at least add this rare achievement to his career résumé.
Pedro Pagés’ Red-Hot August Could Secure His Future with the Cardinals**
After a sluggish start to the season, **Pedro Pagés** turned things around in a big way in August, becoming the Cardinals’ top offensive performer during the month and potentially solidifying his role heading into 2026.
Though fans were frustrated seeing Pagés in the lineup nearly every day despite a .201 batting average and just six home runs through July, patience paid off. In August, he hit an impressive **.351 with five home runs, four doubles**, and a team-high 15 RBIs. His OPS for the month was a scorching 1.097, and his **201 WRC+** would have led all of MLB if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Pagés’ offensive breakout adds to his already solid defensive reputation and ability to manage the pitching staff—an area that’s hard for fans to measure but still valued internally.
Even with promising prospect **Jimmy Crooks III** recently called up and hitting his first MLB home run, he hasn’t yet pushed Pagés out of the starting role. As the season winds down, if Pagés can keep this momentum going, he’s likely to enter 2026 as the Cardinals’ starting catcher.