ATLANTA (AP) – The St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record with three pinch-hit home runs while rallying from a four-run deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 Friday night.
Rookie Aledmys Diaz got his first career homer to break a tie as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, and Greg Garcia and rookie Jeremy Hazelbaker also had pinch-hit homers in the Cardinals’ first win.
Hazelbaker homered off Matt Wisler in the seventh to tie the game at 4. Garcia and Stephen Piscotty homered in the ninth.
St. Louis, swept in its opening three-game series at Pittsburgh, avoided its first 0-4 start since 1997.
Kevin Siegrist (1-0) threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings before Trevor Rosenthal pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
The homer by Diaz into the left field seats came on the second pitch from left-hander Eric O’Flaherty (0-2).