Player of the gameMatthew LiberatoreSTL5.1ip 3h 0er 4k
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.
