“Swing and a, hello fourth of July.” As we celebrate Independence Day in the United States of America, it always reminds me of one of Mike Shannon’s greatest calls. Read below to see our special fourth of July article.
Today is the day that we celebrate the birthday of our great country. When you think of the staples for July 4th, what do you think of? Grilling, barbecues, warm weather and baseball?
The origin of the call comes from a July 4th game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Kerry Wood was pitching for the Cubs when he threw up and in on Albert Pujols. Pujols saw the next pitch and blasted the ball for a home run.
This is my all-time favorite Mike Shannon call. Happy baseball season. @KMOXSports #stlcards 🎙 pic.twitter.com/URElul2imv
— Tom Ackerman (@Ackerman1120) March 27, 2019
It created a great fourth of July memory and an all-time call by the long-time radio voice of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cardinals vs. Phillies series wrap-up
In the opening game on Friday night, history was made as Nolan Arenado hit for the cycle for the second time in his career. The Cardinals squandered an early 3-0 lead and ended up losing the game, 5-3. Solo home runs from Darick Hall and Rhys Hoskins carried the Phillies to a win.
Add a cycle to Nolan Arenado's fantastic season! pic.twitter.com/mG6yQlgwDd
— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2022
Arenado made history on Friday night and the Cardinals as a team made history on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals hit four consecutive home runs, yes, that would be back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs. Arenado started the party, Nolan Gorman followed him, followed by Juan Yepez and Dylan Carlson to end the parade.
FOUR STRAIGHT HOME RUNS BY THE CARDINALS. 😱 pic.twitter.com/cbyBtFRXWT
— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2022
Philadelphia would come back to tie the game, but Arenado’s second home run of the day in the ninth inning gave St. Louis the lead and the win, 7-6.
The St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up a three-game series last night, resulting in the series loss. The Cardinals lost the third game on Sunday night, the featured game on ESPN, 4-0.
Adam Wainwright started on the mound for St. Louis and pitched relatively well but received no run support. A few mistake pitches did it in for Wainwright and St. Louis on the evening. Home runs by Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto sealed the win on July 3rd for the Phillies.
Cardinals visit reigning champions
The Cardinals continue their road trip, heading south, to take on the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are making a great effort to tie the New York Mets before the All-Star break. They are currently 3.5 games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East.
The Braves are coming off one of the best months in franchise history, tying the franchise record for the most wins in the month of June with 21. The Braves have already won two of their first three games of July.
Dakota Hudson will start for St. Louis tonight in Atlanta. Hudson, who started off the season in a good groove, has started to struggle in his last few starts. He brings a 6-4 record with a 3.83 ERA into this start.
Kyle Wright will start for the Braves and he has better numbers than Hudson. Wright has a 9-4 record with a 3.03 ERA on the year. Wright has also thrown 12 more innings than Hudson.
NL Central Breakdown
The Cardinals cannot afford to lose many more games after the series with Philadelphia. St. Louis trails the Milwaukee Brewers by two games and Milwaukee is starting a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs.
The Brewers are in a great position to control the NL Central because of their pitching. St. Louis does not have the pitching and it is taking notice. Frankie Montas would have been a name on the radar for St. Louis but after he was pulled from his start yesterday due to back tightness.
Regardless of what happens with Montas, the Cardinals need to make an effort to add quality starting pitching at the trade deadline.
