RetroSimba

(Updated April 19, 2019)

In his brief stint with the Cardinals, Mark Worrell provided a lasting impression with his hitting instead of his pitching.

On June 5, 2008, in the second game of a doubleheader between the Cardinals and Nationals in Washington, Worrell hit a three-run home run in his first major-league plate appearance.

Worrell, no relation to Cardinals reliever Todd Worrell, was regarded as a premier pitching prospect, but didn’t last long with St. Louis.

After four relief appearances for the 2008 Cardinals, Worrell was returned to the minors, got traded after the season and hurt his arm.

His place in franchise lore, though, was secured as one of 10 Cardinals to hit a home run in his first plate appearance in the major leagues.

The list:

_ Eddie Morgan, pinch-hitter, April 14, 1936, vs. Cubs.

_ Wally Moon, center fielder, April 13, 1954, vs. Cubs.

_ Keith McDonald, pinch-hitter, July 4, 2000, vs. Reds.

_ Chris Richard, left fielder, July 17, 2000, vs. Twins.

_ Gene Stechschulte, pinch-hitter, April 17, 2001, vs. Diamondbacks.

_ Hector Luna, second baseman, April 8, 2004, vs. Brewers.

_ Adam Wainwright, pitcher, May 24, 2006, vs. Giants.

_ Mark Worrell, pitcher, June 5, 2008, vs. Nationals.

_ Paul DeJong, pinch-hitter, May 28, 2017, vs. Rockies.

_ Lane Thomas, pinch-hitter, April 19, 2019, vs. Mets.

Climbing the ladder

Worrell, a starting pitcher at Florida International University, was selected by the Cardinals in the 12th round of the 2004 amateur baseball draft and established himself as a quality reliever. In 2005, Worrell played for Class A Palm Beach, led all minor leagues in saves with 35 and was named Cardinals minor-league pitcher of the year.

Worrell led the Texas League in saves, with 27 for Class AA Springfield in 2006, and he struck 66 batters in 67 innings for Class AAA Memphis in 2007.

In 21 games for Memphis in 2008, Worrell had a 1.88 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 24 innings before he was called up to the Cardinals.

Worrell had an unorthodox pitching motion. “As he begins his delivery, Worrell bends over and then springs up to throw sidearm while stepping almost toward first base,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

“In the end, his success is the ball on the edge and not the middle of the plate,” said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Power pitcher

Worrell made his major-league debut on June 3, 2008, in the Cardinals’ first visit to Nationals Park and pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 6-1 St. Louis victory. Boxscore

Two nights. later, Worrell made his second appearance when he relieved rookie starter Mike Parisi in the fifth. Parisi allowed eight runs in four innings and also got his first major-league hit, a two-run double against Nationals starter Tim Redding.

After Worrell pitched a scoreless fifth, the Cardinals batted in the sixth against Redding, looking to chip away at an 8-3 deficit. With runners on first and third, two outs, Worrell made his first major-league plate appearance and hit a 3-and-2 fastball from Redding into the left field stands for a three-run home run.

“Look at these pitchers! That’s a home run,” Nationals television broadcaster Bob Carpenter exclaimed as the ball carried over the fence. Video

“I let two different pitchers drive in five runs and a guy that had never swung a bat in the big leagues hit a three-run homer off me,” Redding said to the Washington Times. “Other than those two outcomes, I felt good.”

Worrell pitched a scoreless sixth and exited with the Nationals ahead, 8-6. The Cardinals rallied with two runs in the ninth to tie the score at 8-8 and went ahead, 9-8, with a run in the 10th, but the Nationals got a two-run home run from Elijah Dukes against Ryan Franklin in the bottom half of the inning and won, 10-9. Boxscore

Arm ailment

Worrell made his third appearance for the Cardinals on June 12 against the Reds and was the losing pitcher, yielding two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Boxscore

After one more appearance, in which he gave up three runs to the Phillies, Worrell was sent back to Memphis. His record in four games with the Cardinals was 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA, but his slugging percentage was 2.000.

On Dec. 4, 2008, the Cardinals traded Worrell and a player to be named to the Padres for shortstop Khalil Greene. Three months later, the Cardinals sent the Padres pitcher Luke Gregerson to complete the deal.

At spring training with the Padres in 2009, Worrell injured his right elbow and needed reconstructive surgery, sidelining him for the season.

Two years later, Worrell returned to the major leagues with the 2011 Orioles and yielded eight earned runs in two innings over four appearances for a 36.00 ERA.

In his last big-league appearance, on July 24, 2011, Worrell gave up a three-run home run to Mike Trout, the first in the big leagues for the Angels rookie. Trout, 19, became the first teen to hit a home run in the major leagues since 2007, according to the Los Angeles Times. Boxscore