With the Cardinals having been eliminated from contention earlier in the weekend series against the Nationals, there were no real stakes in Sunday’s home finale at Busch Stadium. Nobody told the club’s catching duo, though. Iván Herrera and Leo Bernal, both proud Panamanians, teamed up to power the Cardinals to victory in dramatic fashion. Their pair of eighth-inning home runs turned a one-run deficit into a two-run advantage to set up Riley O’Brien’s NL-leading 38th save of the season in a comeback 5-3 win. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and you know I’m always cheering for my Panamanian fellow,” Herrera said of Bernal, flashing a smile in the Cardinals' clubhouse. “It’s been pretty cool having a friend. … Seeing him having success at an early stage of his career is pretty awesome to watch.” Like O’Brien after a more turbulent stretch late in the season, Herrera -- who was the Cardinals' designated hitter on the day -- found a way to finish the home slate on a high note with his contributions Sunday. He was a key cog in the win, launching home runs 17 and 18 of the campaign. Following consecutive seasons with his OPS nestled at .800 or better, Herrera entered 2026 looking to use the year as a launching pad to further establish himself as a centerpiece of the developing core in St. Louis. To an extent, that happened. Herrera was named to his first All-Star team and took strides defensively, quadrupling the number of games caught behind the plate (51) relative to an injury-riddled 2025 that took a toll on his lower body and saw him only appear at catcher in 14 games. But Herrera’s numbers at the plate diminished at times throughout the season, particularly following his All-Star Game appearance in Philadelphia. Herrera came into Sunday’s game sporting a .677 OPS post-All-Star break after a .771 mark in the first half. After his marquee day on Sunday, though, there’s little doubt that he will finish another big league season with his numbers landing several paces beyond league-average production. “He’s a good hitter,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He doesn’t have to try to hit homers to hit homers. He has to take a good at-bat, and those come. … He’s capable of being a 20, 25-homer guy and using the whole field and hitting for more average -- that’s more than possible for him.” After multiple stints on the IL a season ago, the Cardinals got production from Herrera, but the availability was limited. That meant making his health a top prio
