MILWAUKEE — Willy Adames tied the major league record with his 13th three-run homer of the season, going deep on his 29th birthday to lift the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers over the St. Louis Cardinals 9-3 Monday for their sixth win in seven games.
Adames homered for the fifth consecutive game, matching the Brewers record shared by Jeromy Burnitz (1997) and Eric Thames (2017).
“For the first time in my career, I got a little emotional,” Adames said. “It’s something that I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. Just doing incredible things like that.”
Adames’ 13 three-run homers equalled Ken Griffey Jr. in 1996.
“It’s an honour, just to be right next to a legend and an icon like him,” Adames said. “Seeing that reality today is just incredible.”
Adames is hitting .255 with a career-high 99 RBIs, one more than in 2022.
“It’s almost shocking when he comes to the plate and doesn’t hit a home run with two guys on at this point,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.
Rookie Jackson Chourio hit a grand slam and Rhys Hoskins also homered for the Brewers (81-57), who began Labor Day with a nine-game division lead.
Adames put the Brewers ahead 3-0 in the first with his 29th home run of the season, a drive off Andre Pallante (6-7).
St. Louis, which entered five games back for the final NL wild card, dropped back to .500 at 69-69.
Freddy Peralta (10-7) won his third consecutive decision, allowing three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He had pitched 11 scoreless innings over his previous two starts.
“It probably could have been better but it was good enough,” Peralta said.
Bryan Hudson and Joe Ross followed with hitless relief.
Pallante (6-7) gave up five runs, five hits and a season-high five walks in five innings.
“Everyone’s allowed an outing that doesn’t go their way,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “This guy has been really good over the last stretch. Walks and homers got him.”
Pedro Pagés hit a pair of solo home runs off Peralta, increasing his season home run total to five.
Hoskins hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Chourio hit his second slam of the season in the sixth off Riley O’Brien. The 20-year-old Chourio, who has 18 homers, walked a season-high three times.
Adames said Chourio called the grand slam in dugout earlier in the inning.
“There was nobody on yet and he said I’ve got to get ready because I’m about to hit a grand slam,” Adames said. “He made it happen. I was like ‘Oh my God, he really did it.’ In spring training, everybody was hyping him up and now we’re seeing what he really is, a superstar.”
Chourio said he was “kind of messing around more than anything,” when he predicted his slam.
“Luckily that swing went our way,” he said. “All I was doing was looking for a good pitch.”
Milwaukee hit a two-run homer, three-run homer and grand slam in the same game for the first time since July 1, 2022.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: OF Michael Siani, who was activated Sunday and joined the team in Milwaukee after missing nearly a month with a strained right oblique, started in center field and was 0 for 3 with a walk.
UP NEXT
Cardinals LHP Steven Matz (1-2, 6.18 ERA), who last appeared April 30, will take the mound Tuesday after completing his rehab from a back injury. Brewers RHP Aaron Civale (5-8, 4.59) has gone 3-2 cwith a 3.72 ERA in nine starts since being acquired from Tampa Bay on July 3.