A St. Louis Cardinals slugger claimed that he signed with the team to follow his childhood idol after hitting three home runs against the Los Angeles Angels.

St. Louis Cardinals’ catcher Iván Herrera made multiple pieces of history in yesterday’s 12-5 win over the Angels. In addition to becoming the first catcher in franchise history to tally three home runs in a single game, the 24-year-old also became the second youngest player in Cardinals’ history to accomplish the feat.

The 24-year-old is the fifth-youngest catcher in major league history to hit three homers in a game, and his 12 total bases broke the franchise record for a catcher of 10 that was last achieved by teammate Willson Contreras in 2024.