ST. LOUIS -- In another thrilling win for the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, Nolan Gorman had one of the most impressive swings that his teammate and fellow left-handed slugger Alec Burleson could recall.
Gorman turned around a sinker out of the hand of stalwart lefty reliever Evan Sisk, becoming the first left-handed batter in the big leagues to beat Sisk for a blast.
In 81 lefty plate appearances against Sisk, Gorman stands alone after Tuesday night’s swing.
"That's one of the most impressive home runs I've seen,” Burleson said. “Not just left on left, but just off that guy.”
Sisk has some truly funky stuff to face in the batter's box. Even after Gorman's homer, he boasts a 1.80 ERA on the year and a lifetime ERA well below 3.00 in the bigs. So, mark that as a notable win for Gorman's development.
Nolan Gorman drives a no-doubt go-ahead homer 🚀 pic.twitter.com/o1O3QKt96T
— MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2026
Getting a handle on Gorman’s growth can be a dizzying endeavor. Do you hold out hope for his superstar turn to come, a la Jordan Walker so far this season?
Or is he simply what he is? And if so -- is it possible that what he is… is good enough, and everyone should stop nitpicking?
While Gorman has certainly taken to his role as the regular third baseman for the Cardinals defensively this season -- with multiple spinning plays at the hot corner in Tuesday’s win as prime examples -- he came into Tuesday with pedestrian numbers at the plate.
His .683 OPS equated to a 98 OPS+, meaning Gorman has been about two percent below league average as an offensive contributor.
In particular, Gorman’s output against left-handed pitching had been minimal, with the lefty hitter posting a paltry .536 OPS in 28 plate appearances against southpaws.
The numbers weren’t great, and the sample is small as Gorman’s rare opportunities for rest have coincided with lefties on the mound opposing the Cardinals. Despite appearing in 45 of the team’s 47 games, Gorman has fewer plate appearances against lefties than nine of his Cardinals teammates.
So in a key spot of Tuesday’s game, Pirates manager Don Kelly decided to push the issue. With his side clinging to a one-run lead, Kelly called to the ‘pen to set up a favorable matchup by bringing in Sisk to face Gorman in the bottom of the sixth.
Gorman had some familiarity with Sisk, as the two were teammates in the Cardinals Minor League system a handful of years ago -- Sisk was dealt to the Twins with John Gant in a trade for JA Happ in 2021.
But the slugger acknowledged his firsthand awareness of Sisk had probably come too long ago in Sisk's development process for any of that past knowledge of his tendencies to have transferred over to Tuesday’s clash.
Of Kelly’s call to the ‘pen for Sisk in that spot, Gorman said after the game that it was the right move -- it made sense.
As a fellow lefty who has seen his fair share of bullpenning against him, Burleson agreed.
But that’s what makes Gorman delivering a go-ahead dinger all the more satisfying for the Cardinals.
“Obviously, that's what a bullpen's for,” Burleson said. “They're going to try and match up. They're doing it based on, they're thinking the matchup's in the pitcher's favor.
“And when it's not, or even when it is, and then we come through? It's fun to watch."
By the way: the homer helped push Gorman's season-long OPS above .700, with an OPS+ up to 103 -- so, folks, he's performing now as an above average contributor at the plate.