Luken Baker's historic 3-homer, 7-RBI day wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell to the Reds on June 21, 2025. Elly De La Cruz also hit 3 HRs in the slugfest.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Some days, baseball just doesn't make sense. Saturday was one of those days. In a game that felt more like a home run derby than a regular season contest, Luken Baker etched his name into the Cardinals' record books with a phenomenal three-homer, seven-RBI performance. And yet, somehow, the scoreboard at the end of the night read in favor of the Cincinnati Reds, a gut-punch loss that overshadowed a truly historic individual effort.
Luken Baker put on a show for the ages with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs, a performance that will be remembered despite the final score.
You simply couldn't look away. Luken Baker was a one-man wrecking crew, launching three baseballs into orbit and single-handedly trying to will the Cardinals to victory. His seven runs batted in were a testament to his pure power. Even Zach Levenson got in on the action, adding a homer of his own in a 2-for-2 day. But for every Cardinals blast, the Reds had an answer. Cincinnati's Elly De La Cruz matched Baker with a three-homer day of his own, while Austin Hays piled on with two long balls and a staggering seven RBIs. It was an offensive masterclass from both sides, but unfortunately, the Cardinals were the ones left standing on the wrong side of the fireworks show.
While the big-league club was getting shelled, there was a beacon of hope down in Double-A. The Springfield Cardinals threw a combined no-hitter, a monumental achievement capped off by a final strikeout from pitching prospect Sean Harney. In a system we're all watching closely, this is the kind of performance that gets you excited. It's a reminder of the talent brewing in the minors. Adding to the good news, fellow prospect Zane Mills also had a strong relief appearance, striking out two batters and continuing his promising development. On a day where pitching was desperately needed in St. Louis, it's comforting to know that help might just be on the way.
This one stings. You don't see an offensive performance like Luken Baker's every day, and to have it result in a loss is a tough pill to swallow. The Cardinals will need to flush this one quickly and find a way to get their pitching back on track. The offense proved it can explode at any moment, but games like this are a stark reminder that you can't win on home runs alone. As we look ahead, the challenge is clear: find the pitching consistency to support the bats and turn these slugfests into victories. The talent is there, both in the bigs and, as we saw in Springfield, on the farm.
