St. Louis Cardinals prospect Yairo Munoz embraces his inner Fernando Tatis

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Yairo Munoz embraces his inner Fernando Tatis by hitting two home runs in one inning.

Spring training just keeps getting better and better for the St. Louis Cardinals, who have their swagger of confidence back heading into the 2018 season. With pitching prospects bringing the heat and Mike Matheny creating a more relaxed atmosphere, the Redbirds may be a sleeper to do some damage this October.

On Wednesday, their twelfth rated prospect within their farm system Yairo Munoz had a day for the ages, belting two home runs — not just in one day, but in the same inning. For those of you long-time baseball fans, you’re no doubt experiencing a bit of deja vu.

Rewind back nearly 20 years ago, in a March contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine in sunny Southern California. Former All-Star Chan Ho Park had a rough day at the office, one he’d like to forget. After serving up a grand slam to Fernando Tatis in the third inning, you would figure that would be the worst of it. You are wrong.

Somehow, Park’s still in the game at this point, and Tatis goes legend, hitting his second grand slam of the game — in the very same inning. Twelve times in MLB history player’s hit two grand-salamis in one game, but Tatis is the only one to do it in the same inning. Insane!

Poor Chan Ho Park‘s career’s defined by giving up legendary home runs, with MLB Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. smashing a long bomb in his final All-Star game in 2001 at Safeco Field in Seattle. Evidently, those historical homers took their toll on Park, who wasn’t quite the same after Mr. Oriole took him yard.

It’s unfortunate, since Park’s MLB tenure was a solid one, racking up 124 wins and a vital part of some outstanding Los Angeles Dodgers teams, and also a member of the 2009 World Series title squad with the Philadelphia Phillies.

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We aren’t comparing the efforts of Munoz to Tatis, but it’s a promising sign that the young talent of the St. Louis Cardinals is delivering this early in the “season.” If the Birds on the Bat continue to get production for unexpected places, they could be the surprise team in the National League this coming season.