The St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend, solidifying their spot in the playoff race as the All-Star break approaches. Sweeping a series is never easy, making the team achievement noteworthy on its own—but what stands out even more is that three different Cardinals reached personal career milestones during the series.
Phil Maton, Ryan Helsley, and Nolan Arenado all hit significant milestones against Cleveland
In the series opener against the Guardians, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol turned to reliever Phil Maton in the seventh inning to protect an 8-6 lead. Maton handled the challenge, retiring the dangerous José Ramírez to end the frame. He returned for the eighth and faced former Cardinal Lane Thomas. With a 1-2 count, Maton dropped a curveball that Thomas swung through, marking Maton’s 500th career strikeout. He added another strikeout before handing the ball off to closer Ryan Helsley.
Helsley then stepped in and made history of his own. After a solo homer by Willson Contreras gave him a three-run cushion, Helsley faced the top of Cleveland’s lineup. Despite some ups and downs this season, he cruised through Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, and José Ramírez to lock down the win and record his 100th career save.
That milestone moved him into sixth place on the Cardinals’ all-time saves list, just 21 behind Trevor Rosenthal. However, Helsley’s future in St. Louis remains uncertain with his name frequently appearing in trade rumors.
While the pitchers starred in game one, it was Nolan Arenado who reached a trio of milestones by the end of the series. In the matchup against the White Sox, he belted his 350th career home run. He had also been sitting on 399 doubles after game one against the Guardians, and in the finale, he reached the 400 mark—along with career hit number 1,900, which came earlier in the game on an infield single.
In the sixth inning, he poked a Logan Allen breaking ball down the right-field line. With the defense shaded to the left, the ball rolled into the corner, and after a bobble by the right fielder, Arenado coasted into third. That miscue extended the Guardians’ error streak to 10 straight games. With 400 doubles, Arenado now ranks 193rd all-time in MLB history.
Despite lowered preseason expectations, the Cardinals continue to show resilience. Their comeback win in game two—overcoming a 6-1 deficit to prevail 9-6—highlighted that fight. With Arenado’s leadership and solid bullpen performances from Maton and Helsley, St. Louis appears determined to make a push for its first postseason appearance since 2022.
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