NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Burleson was so relieved to stay with the St. Louis Cardinals that he produced one of the best power displays in team history.After the frenzy of Monday’s trade deadline, Burleson hit a trio of two-run homers off three different pitchers, including a drive into the second deck in right field that capped a seven-run eighth inning as St. Louis outslugged the New York Yankees for a 13-7 victory despite blowing a six-run lead.“He’s human and there’s a lot of conversations around it, but he was able to kind of stay focused on the things he could control,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
“I’d give him credit for prepping the way he did today, knowing that his name was still being thrown around and having the type of night that he did.”Burleson had the biggest night of his five-year career after the Cardinals traded outfielder Lars Nootbaar to Arizona and pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee. About an hour before the first pitch, Burleson met with Marmol in his office and learned he was staying with the young Cardinals (56-57), who were nine games over .500 on June 16.“He kind of messed with me a little bit,” Burleson said. “He kind of brought me in like I was being traded and just said, ‘Hey, you’re staying here’ and just shook my hand.
He just kind of messed with me a little, and he just told me to be myself.”Burleson had the first three-homer game by a Cardinals player since catcher Iván Herrera did it April 2, 2025, against the Angels. The 27-year-old became the first Cardinals first baseman with a three-homer game since current Yankees slugger Paul Goldschmidt on May 7, 2023.On a muggy night when the teams combined for 10 homers and 18 of the 20 runs were scored via longballs, the left-handed-hitting Burleson used the short porch in right field to his advantage.Three batters into the game, he pulled a 1-2 fastball from hard-throwing Yankees starter Cam Schlittler into right-field seats for a 350-foot drive. In the fourth, Burleson sent an 0-1 sinker 15 feet further into the right-field seats off reliever Tim Hill.After the Yankees took a 7-6 lead on a two-run homer by newcomer Luis García Jr.
in the seventh, the Cardinals scored seven times in the eighth for their second-biggest inning this season. Following a go-ahead, three-run homer by Nathan Church and a two-run drive by fellow rookie Jimmie Crooks, Burleson fouled o… NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Burleson hit three two-run homers, including a drive into the second deck in right field that capped a seven-run eighth inning as the St.
Louis Cardinals outslugged the New York Yankees for a 13-7 victory Monday night after blowing a six-run lead. Burleson homered to the short porch in right off Cam Schlittler three batters into the game. The first baseman also sent a drive to the short porch off lefty reliever Tim Hill in the fourth for a 6-0 lead.
Burleson became the first Cardinals player with a three-homer game since catcher Iván Herrera on April 2, 2025, against the Angels when he lifted a 2-2 slider from Angel Chivilli (1-1) to right field for a 13-7 advantage. Burleson launched the 418-foot drive after fouling off three straight pitches. The left-handed hitter also became the eighth visiting player with a three-homer game at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.
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