Cardinals History: Trio of utility players set MLB pinch-hit history

The 2010s was a golden era of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. It seemed like the organization was able to produce reliable players at virtually every position. Even the Cardinals bench was successful during this era.

From 2010-2019, the Cardinals led all of Major League Baseball in pinch-hitter fWAR at 3.5. Their 85 wRC+ ranked third in baseball, and their .235 batting average was also third in baseball. For some reason, Cardinal pinch hitters during the 2010s were some of the best in the league.

On April 8, 2016, the full prowess of the Cardinals bench was on display.

St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitters Aledmys Diaz, Greg Garcia, and Jeremy Hazelbaker set an MLB record for most home runs in a game on April 8th, 2016.

On April 8th, 2016, the St. Louis Cardinals rolled into Atlanta, Georgia, to face off against the Braves. As the game entered the seventh inning, the Cardinals trailed the Braves 4-3. Hoping to spur some offense and a comeback, manager Mike Matheny pinch-hit Jeremy Hazelbaker for starting pitcher Jaime Garcia in the nine spot. Hazelbaker took reliever Matt Wisler deep for a home run to right-center field to tie the game at 4-4.

Hazelbaker had a small breakout that year. He had a 1.040 OPS through the first month of the season to go along with five home runs and a .317 batting average. This home run was just the beginning of what he would go on to do in April.

In the next inning, Aledmys Diaz pinch hit for first baseman Matt Adams to create a platoon advantage with the lefty Eric O'Flaherty on the mound. Diaz took a 1-0 pitch to deep left field to give the Cardinals the lead late in the game. This was Diaz's first home run of his career, as he had debuted just a couple days before.

The final home pinch-hit home run for the Cardinals on this day came in the ninth inning with Greg Garcia at the plate and future Cardinal John Gant on the mound. Garcia was pinch-hitting for pitcher Kevin Siegrist, and he took a 2-1 pitch from Gant down the right field line for a home run.

These three pinch-hit home runs set an MLB record that remains even a decade later. The fact that this historical nugget came from three unsung and relatively unknown players makes this record even more heartwarming for Cardinals fans.

Pinch-hitting is not an easy thing to do for a hitter. He hasn't had time to warm up to the game speed, and he's likely coming in to face a pitcher who is ready to go. Getting the job done is a tall task for pinch hitters, but Jeremy Hazelbaker, Aledmys Diaz, and Greg Garcia were ready to step up on April 8th, 2016, against the Atlanta Braves.

Each of these players would have a good year, especially Diaz, who would be voted to the All-Star Game and finish in the top-five of NL Rookie of the Year voting. Greg Garcia (1.5 bWAR) and Jeremy Hazelbaker (0.2 bWAR) proved to be reliable depth players that year as well.