St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church sailed in the sky, snatching a ball above the wall for a game-winning home run robbery in Pittsburgh.
Church gloved the final out of the 5-4 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday at PNC Park. The rookie’s theft came against Pirates infielder Nick Gonzalez.
“That was some of the work that we did right when we got here,” Church told reporters, according to MLB.com. “Knowing the walls and how they’re going to play.
“Just doing that homework beforehand. So when plays like that happen, you’re ready for it.”
The Cardinals led 5-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. Pirates pinch hitter Nick Yorke hit a two-run single in the fifth exchange of the half inning. The Pirates cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the eighth. They continued their rally when Ryan O’Hearn singled in the second at-bat of the bottom of the ninth.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna struck out in the next exchange, bringing Gonzalez to the plate. The infielder smacked the first pitch he saw — a 90.2-mph slider from Riley O’Brien — deep to left field.
The ball flew 373 feet at 97.8 mph. Church watched the flight and hovered to his right. He then elevated while flying sideways. Church then stuck his gloved right hand in the air and snatched the last out of the night — which could have been a game-winning two-run homer for the Pirates — to steal the victory.
NATHAN CHURCH ROBS A WOULD-BE WALK-OFF HOMER @CARDINALS WIN! pic.twitter.com/4cz5zHWJXm— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026
Wednesday’s catch marked the third home run robbery this season for Church. The Cardinals rookie went 0 for 4 at the plate. Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson hit a 411-foot, two-run homer in the fifth inning. Second baseman J.J. Wetherholt went 2 for 5 with an RBI double. Catcher Ivan Herrera and right fielder Jordan Walker also recorded RBIs in the victory.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante allowed five hits and a run over six innings to earn his third win this season. Pirates starter Bubba Chandler allowed three hits and three runs over five innings to drop to 1-3.
First baseman Spencer Horwitz hit his third home run of the season in the loss.
The Pirates (16-15) will look to prevent a four-game sweep and five-game losing streak when they host the Cardinals (17-13) in the series finale at 12:35 p.m. EDT Thursday in Pittsburgh.
