In a crucial moment for the St. Louis Cardinals’ playoff hopes, designated hitter **Ivan Herrera** delivered a clutch two-run homer on Tuesday night, propelling his team to a much-needed win over the Oakland Athletics at Busch Stadium.
The game was a pitchers’ duel for much of the night, with **Luis Severino** (A’s) and **Miles Mikolas** (Cardinals) keeping things tight. The A’s struck first with an RBI double from **Nick Kurtz** in the third inning, but the Cardinals answered in the sixth. That’s when **Herrera crushed a 414-foot home run**, shifting the lead — and momentum — in St. Louis’ favor.
Speaking after the game, Herrera kept things simple:
> “I don’t know, I’m just trying to hit the ball hard,” he told **John Denton of MLB.com**.
Herrera’s home run wasn’t just timely — it was historic. The blast tied him with **Kyle Schwarber** for the most **go-ahead home runs in the sixth inning or later** this season in the National League.
> “If I’m hitting \[home runs] in the late innings, that’s good, right? Helping the team win, that’s what I want to do at the end of the day,” he added.
During the at-bat, Herrera fouled off the first pitch, took a ball on the second, and then smashed the third — an 83 mph slider from **Michael Kelly** — deep to left-center.
The 25-year-old is now on a two-game home run streak, having also gone deep in Monday’s loss. With this homer, Herrera now sits at **13 home runs**, **53 RBIs**, and a slash line of **.287/.368/.450** for the season. He also spent some time in the minors earlier this year.
> “This means a lot because all we care about is winning,” Herrera said. “We got Miles a win because he pitched really good today. I want to help him as much as I can.”
Despite the win, the **Cardinals (69-71)** remain **16.5 games out of first in the NL Central** and **6.5 games back of a Wild Card spot**, still facing an uphill battle for the postseason.