ST. LOUIS -- Though it wasn't the most important thing José Fermín ended up doing to contribute to the Cardinals 6-5 win over the Cubs on Friday night at Busch Stadium, I still found myself intently scrolling back on the broadcast feed to make sure somebody was picking up the mantle.
And there was Fermín, waiting with home run chain in hand for Nelson Velázquez when the latter returned to the dugout following his electrifying three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning of Friday night's game.
So, Yohel Pozo made sure to pass off the Amazon hardware before his surprising demotion to Triple-A Memphis on Friday. Fermín, who purchased the chain in the first place, now appears destined to bestow it upon Cardinals who mash dingers moving forward. Crisis averted.
But back to Fermín -- applying the accessory after his teammates hit bombs wasn't the only way in which the Cardinals utility helped propel the team to success on Friday. He went 2-for-4 in the contest, delivering a key swing in the bottom of the eighth inning to provide the Cardinals with an insurance run, one that they ended up desperately needing.
Following Ivan Herrera's fifth-inning home run, the rest of the game had been sailing along for the previous few innings. The Cardinal bullpen deserves a lot of credit for navigating a tough Cubs lineup, and the flow of the game seemed to be one that was destined to reach the ninth inning with Riley O'Brien tasked with protecting a 5-4 lead.
But to cap a two-out rally, Fermín roped a base hit over the head of the leaping shortstop Dansby Swanson, plating Velázquez for the Cardinals' sixth run.
The #STLCards have gotten production from top to bottom tonight.
— Ethan Hannaford (@echann7) May 30, 2026
- 1-4: 4-14 (.285), 5 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 0 SO
- 5-9: 5-16 (.313), 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 4 SO
José Fermín becomes the latest.pic.twitter.com/EdLuZzZXxC
"I was just trying to get a good at-bat, put the barrel on the ball," Fermín said. "I got away with that one. I thought he caught it and I was mad, but then I saw it was out there, so that was good."
Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled off ROB in the ninth, and eventually came around to score -- but the run was meaningless because of Fermín taking a quality at-bat in a moment that mattered for the Cardinals.