A home run derby broke out Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium, with the Cardinals and Mariners combining to slug seven home runs in the first four innings of Seattle's 11-9 win over St. Louis. But not everyone was invited to the party.
Mariners catcher Mitch Garver tried to join the slugfest in the top of the sixth inning, launching a center-cut fastball from reliever George Soriano deep into left field. Garver’s fly ball drove back left fielder Nathan Church, but it had plenty of hang time -- 5.8 seconds, according to Statcast -- giving Church the opportunity to steady himself at the wall. Sure enough, he jumped and reeled in the would-be homer with an impressive grab.
Had Church not intervened, Garver would have notched his first home run of the year. It also would have been the eighth home run of the game. That would have matched the single-game mark for most home runs in a game so far in 2026; the Reds and Tigers combined for eight home runs in a wild back-and-forth game just last night.
It’s not the first time that Church has committed highway robbery this season. On Opening Day, he made a similar acrobatic grab -- at nearly the same spot -- to take away extra bases from Rays outfielder Ryan Vilade.
And, not for nothing, Church snagged the home run while also hitting a pair of his own, including a go-ahead blast in the seventh. Clearly, Church wanted to tie the single-game mark for homers himself.