The Longest Ball Ever Hit at Busch
The most shocking fact from Tuesday night isn’t the score. It is the sheer distance of the ball Bryce Eldridge launched into the right field bleachers. According to the Associated Press, a 2-1 slider was crushed 461 feet deep into the stands by Eldridge. That single hit is now the longest home run recorded at Busch Stadium this entire season.
This wasn’t just a lucky swing. Viva El Birdos reported the exit velocity hit 112 mph, turning a routine pitch into a disaster for the Cardinals. The ball traveled so far it snapped a 48-inning homerless streak for Andre Pallante. That is a massive number to break, and it happened in the first inning. The Giants got off to a fast start, and that distance gave them a 2-0 lead before the crowd even settled.
Eldridge didn’t stop there. He finished with three runs batted in, leading a 10-3 victory that crushed the St. Louis Cardinals. With two hits and two runs driven in each, Christian Kross and rookie Turner Hill helped the Giants end a four-game losing streak. The team needed this win badly, and Eldridge delivered the biggest hit in the process.
Pallante Crumbles Under Pressure
Andre Pallante usually keeps his team in games. Prior to Tuesday, he had surrendered no more than one run in four of his five most recent starts. That streak ended badly when the Giants lineup decided to attack him immediately. Pallante went five innings, giving up eight hits and eight runs, six of those earned.
The damage started early and kept coming. After the long home run, Jonah Cox reached first on a catcher’s interference call and stole second. Turner Hill then singled to score Cox, pushing the lead to 3-0. The Cardinals defense did not help the issue, with Drew Gilbert reaching on an error from Masyn Winn.
The third inning turned into a total collapse. San Francisco scored four runs in that frame to stretch their lead to 7-1. Alex Burleson hit a two-out homer in the first inning for the Giants, his 23rd of the season. He has driven in a league-leading 111 runs. In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals attempted a counterattack, yet Ivan Herrera’s sacrifice fly provided the sole run they managed.
Pallante managed to survive five full innings, but the damage was done. Over 6 2/3 innings, Blade Tidwell performed well for the Giants by giving up three hits and two runs. Following his recall on Aug. 4, the Giants hold a 2-6 record across his eight starts, though both victories were against the Cardinals. That is a strange trend for a young pitcher, but it worked on Tuesday.
The Cost of a Bad Start
The Cardinals defense simply could not stop the bleeding. An Osleivis Basabe double with two outs in the fourth scored Eldridge, pushing the lead to 8-2. The teams each scored in the eighth, with Eldridge doubling home a run and Nolan Gorman driving in a run for St. Louis. But the game was already out of reach.
In the ninth inning, Turner Hill launched his first career home run to finish a dominant offensive showing. The Giants cruised to a 10-3 win, leaving the fans at Busch Stadium frustrated. The Cardinals had a chance to hang around, but they never really threatened to take control.
Andre Pallante’s struggles were the main story, but the Giants offense was too much to handle. Eldridge has posted a .343 average with 28 RBI over his final 28 games. That kind of hot streak is hard to stop, especially when you are facing a pitcher who is struggling with command. The Cardinals need to figure out how to get him out before he hits another 461-foot bomb.
The series continues on Wednesday with a new matchup. Giants RHP Anthony Munoz starts opposite Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore in the series finale. Munoz carries a 3-1 record and a 5.24 ERA. Liberatore has a 5-14 record with a 5.53 ERA. The Cardinals must find a way to score runs if they want to avoid a sweep.
