DENVER – Cooper Hjerpe’s flight to Denver on Saturday evening for his potential big-league debut was fairly smooth – a fitting final leg to a more turbulent journey to the Major Leagues that culminated with four perfect innings of relief for his first big league win in his first appearance. “It was unbelievable,” Hjerpe said. “It was a great experience, great debut. Can't get much better than that. I felt really good from the get-go. Felt like everything was moving really well and pounding the zone.” The Cardinals, who trailed 5-1 when Hjerpe entered in the fourth, took the series from Colorado with a 10-8 victory in the rubber match at Coors Field, pairing Hjerpe’s perfect six-strikeout performance with multi-hit games from Iván Herrera, Alec Burleson, Joshua Báez and Thomas Saggese and a go-ahead home run from Nolan Gorman in a six-run fifth inning. “We're going to compete no matter the day, no matter where,” Herrera said after his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. “We're relentless out there.” Hjerpe gives the Redbirds another tool for their stretch run, and Sunday’s outing proved to be well worth the wait. “Everyone's journey is different,” Hjerpe, the Cardinals’ first-round Draft pick in 2022, said before making his debut. “Mine had a lot of bumps in the road, man. Sometimes those things are out of your control. “I kind of came to terms, obviously, with this last surgery,” Hjerpe continued, noting the sizeable bump represented by 2025 Tommy John surgery. “It was the biggest \[surgery\
