PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nathan Church is making a habit of stealing home runs.
The rookie left fielder's latest saved the game for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Church ended a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates by robbing Nick Gonzales of what would have been a walk-off, two-run homer by making a leaping catch at the left-field wall Wednesday night.
Just four days earlier, Church took a potential tying homer away from Seattle's Mitch Garver in the sixth inning. The 25-year-old also had his first career two-homer game in that 11-9 loss to the Mariners.
On opening day, Church made a dazzling catch at the top of the wall against Tampa Bay's Ryan Vilade. A homer then also would have tied the game.
Gonzales’ drive above the top of the 6-foot wall — 373 feet from home plate — would have been a home run in 27 of the 30 big league ballparks, according to MLB Statcast, all but PNC Park, Baltimore's Camden Yards and Texas' Globe Life Field.
Reliever Riley O'Brien, who got his eighth save thanks to the grab, held his arms over his head with a stunned look toward left as Church casually jogged away from the wall with the ball in his glove.
Church earned a reputation as an elite defender in the minor leagues as an 11th-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2022. He's on his best stretch at the plate, hitting .281 with four homers in the past eight games.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) leaps to make the catch on a fly ball by Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales to end the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) celebrates with catcher Iván Herrera after getting the final out of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) leaps to make the catch on a fly ball by Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales to end the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rookie Nathan Church ended the game by robbing Nick Gonzales of what would have been a walk-off, two-run homer by making a leaping catch at the left-field wall, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
Ryan O’Hearn singled with one out in the ninth off Riley O’Brien and Marcell Ozuna struck out on three straight pitches. Gonzales drove a first-pitch slider to left, and Church jumped and caught the ball above the top of the 6-foot wall, 373 feet from home plate.
Gonzales' drive would have been a home run in 27 of the 30 big league ballparks, according to MLB Statcast, all but PNC Park, Camden Yards and Globe Life Field.
O'Brien escaped with his eighth save in 10 chances as the Cardinals won their third straight in a four-game series that ends Thursday.
Pittsburgh has lost a season-high four straight. The Pirates went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.
Andre Pallante (3-2) allowed one run and five hits in a season-high six innings.
Bubba Chandler (1-3) gave up three runs, three hits and four walks in five innings.
JJ Wetherholt hit a go-ahead RBI double in the third and Alec Burleson boosted the lead to 3-0 with a two-run homer in the fifth.
Spencer Horwitz cut the deficit when he homered in the bottom half, but Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker boosted the lead to 5-1 in the seventh with RBI singles against Chris Devenski.
Devenski's contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis, and the 35-year-old right-hander debuted for the Pirates, his seventh major league team. He was charged with one run in two-third of an innings.
Pinch-hitter Nick Yorke had a two-run single in the bottom half against JoJo Romero, and Oneil Cruz grounded into a run-scoring forceout in the eighth off George Soriano.
RHP Hunter Dobbins, acquired from Boston in the Willson Contreras trade in December, is slated to make his Cardinals debut Thursday when Pittsburgh starts reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes (4-2, 2.48).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) leaps to make the catch on a fly ball by Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales to end the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) leaps to make the catch on a fly ball by Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales to end the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Devenski delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Devenski delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott II (11) steals second base as the ball gets away from Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin (6) steals second base as the ball gets away from St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt with umpire Chris Segal (96) making the call during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) celebrates with catcher Iván Herrera after getting the final out of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) leaps to make the catch on a fly ball by Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales to end the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
