Story by
JJ Wetherholt’s first 2 games of Cardinals career have never been matched
- Story by
- JJ Wetherholt’s first 2 games of Cardinals career have never been matched
JJ Wetherholt's first 2 games of Cardinals career have never been matched appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The St. Louis Cardinals have a promising young slugger in shortstop JJ Wetherholt . Wetherholt is having a stellar start to his 2026 season. In fact, his start is simply historic .
Advertisement
"JJ Wetherholt of the Cardinals is the first player in MLB history with a home run in his first career game and a walkoff hit in his second," the X account OptaSTATS reported.
The Cardinals are getting a big boost from their young prospect. Wetherholt is hitting at a .333 batting average so far this season, with four RBIs. St. Louis is 2-0 on the season, and looking to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
The Cardinals spent this offseason shipping off several of their veterans, including starting pitcher Sonny Gray . The team's mindset was to start fresh with a core of young players. Wetherholt was one of those players, and is making his mark .
"He became just the second Cardinals player with a walk-off hit in his first or second MLB game in at least the divisional era (1969), joining Curt Ford (June 22, 1985)," MLB.com reported.
Advertisement
In just nine at-bats so far this season, the young shortstop has posted an OPS of .967. Wetherholt is impressing his manager.
"He's not going to make much of any situation, and I love that about him," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. "He doesn't scare, and his personality really lends itself well to do this for a long time. Some really good at-bats. That situation there, he stays within himself and does exactly what the game is calling for. It was perfect."
St. Louis is coming off a 2025 season that saw the team struggle. The Cardinals finished fourth in the NL Central, and posted a losing record. Cardinals fans are hoping Wetherholt can help lead the team to success in 2026.
The Cardinals play Tampa Bay on Sunday at 2:15 ET.
Advertisement
Related: Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt makes first MLB hit memorable with home run
