Lowe doesn't even have to slide to get Bucs 1st inside-the-parker in 4 years ... to the day!

ST. LOUIS -- Whether the ball managed to sneak over the wall or not, nothing was coming between Brandon Lowe and touching home plate.

A tailing fly ball into the left-field corner against Cardinals starter Dustin May caught the right gust of wind to stay just barely fair, and José Fermín’s leaping attempt did little more than harmlessly deflect the ball back toward the left-center gap. That left Lowe to race around for his 13th homer on the season -- and the first of his career that didn’t go over the wall.

It traveled 342 feet, projected by Statcast, into a corner that’s marked at 336 feet to the wall. With the wind blowing at eight mph from left to right to start the game, there was evidently just enough push to counteract the tailing action off the bat and hold the ball inside the line long enough for the Pirates to jump out to a 1-0 lead.

Bizarrely enough, the last inside-the-park round tripper both hit by the Pirates and surrendered by the Cardinals came four years ago to the day. It was hit by today’s Pittsburgh left fielder, Bryan Reynolds, at PNC Park against Matthew Liberatore.

Thursday’s scampering blast was the sixth in the Majors this season not to clear the fence, and the third inside-the-park homer in Busch Stadium history.