ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins found himself in some admittedly unfamiliar territory on Sunday night.
For one, the rubber game of the weekend series against the Cubs marked his Busch Stadium debut. But beyond the newness of that experience, Dobbins took the mound in a role that he hadn’t experienced since college.
A starter by trade, Dobbins earned a save out of the bullpen.
Not your typical closer-style save, but a save nevertheless as Dobbins traversed the final 3 2/3 innings of the Cardinals’ 5-1 win over the Cubs in the series finale to qualify for the statistical oddity.
In a moment of levity after the win, Dobbins practically insisted that it had been the first save of his life until a reporter informed him that he actually had recorded one save in college. It came on March 6, 2019, during his freshman season at Texas Tech.
Standing in front of his locker inside the Cardinals' clubhouse, the memory was clearly a little hazy.
“I was going to say, that’s the, uh,” Dobbins began, still processing the information on his apparently forgotten past as a closer. “Man, I loved my time at Tech, and 2019 was a special year, but I’m glad I could get my first pro one here tonight.”
With Cardinals starters Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy combining to provide just 7 1/3 innings across the first two games of the series, Dobbins’ ability to give length was critical for a beleaguered bullpen.
Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore did his part, passing the baton to Dobbins after 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
“I think that was the only time I’ve ever seen one pitcher, being the starter, standing in the high-five line after a game,” Liberatore said. “That was huge for us, we couldn’t have asked for a better job from him.”
Needing to tap into a relentless approach at the plate following a disappointing one-run effort on Saturday, the Cardinals’ lineup immediately showed it meant business in how it attacked Cubs starter Jordan Wicks.
With three straight hits to lead off the bottom of the first, the Cardinals jumped out early on Wicks and kept up the pressure, charging Wicks with three earned runs over a two-plus-inning appearance.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s third-inning pivot to right-hander Ethan Roberts didn’t deter the Redbirds. Masyn Winn punctuated a three-run third inning with a two-run single that set the table perfectly for the way manager Oliver Marmol had hoped to be able to use Dobbins on Sunday.
“You have an idea of how you would like it to go. Very rarely does it go that way,” Marmol said. “This was exactly as planned. We were hoping to have a decent lead. Take [Liberatore] a couple times through, take him through [Pete Crow-Armstrong] and then allow Dobbins to finish the game. Give the bullpen a rest. They were able to do exactly that, man.”
While Liberatore’s recently gaudy strikeout totals came back down to earth, he delivered a comprehensive outing before turning the ball over to the freshly recalled Dobbins with one out in the sixth.
Perhaps the unusual nature of the relief routine impacted Dobbins when he allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in Alex Bregman, but the 26-year-old found his footing thereafter.
“Coming out of the bullpen is definitely a different beast. So it took me a second to kind of settle in and find myself,” Dobbins said. “But once we did, Pedro [Pagés’] game plan just kind of led us the rest of the way.”
Though a relief appearance might have stretched Dobbins toward the boundary of his comfort zone, there was at least one aspect of bullpen life at Busch that he was eager to experience.
“I asked the guys in catch play, 'So where’s this Tarps Off section?'” Dobbins recalled. “They kind of pointed it out and I was like, 'Oh, that’s awesome.' Especially coming out of the ‘pen, I was looking forward to seeing it and hearing it.”
While Dobbins' role in St. Louis remains unclear, it’s hard to beat Sunday’s big league promotion ending in a laundry cart ride.
Dobbins initially protested, claiming he’d previously received the ceremonial treatment after his first MLB win on April 6, 2025, with the Red Sox -- did he really need a cart ride to commemorate his first save, too?
“Get in the cart,” was the reported response from his Cardinals teammates, who then showered him with various liquids while spinning him in the cart, as is tradition.
“I learned from my first one, don’t breathe and keep the mouth shut,” Dobbins said.
While Dobbins didn’t taste any condiments, his performance in the Cardinals’ win certainly cut the mustard.