Rodriguez's Homers Make History in Bats 10-5 Victory over St. Paul
Published on May 27, 2026 under International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release
The Louisville Bats' offense put on a show on Wednesday afternoon, clobbering the St. Paul Saints in a 10-5 win at Louisville Slugger Field. Hector Rodriguez put together one of the most memorable performances from the batter's box, recording three home runs, with one being an inside-the-park homer for the first time in franchise history. Rodriguez was also part of an onslaught in the fifth inning, where the Bats hit back-to-back-to-back homers for the first time since 2022.
Rodriguez got Louisville started off in a big way back in the first inning. On a 1-2 count, Rodriguez flew a carrying shot out to the right-center field wall, which took a big bounce back into the field of play. By then, Rodriguez was already rounding second and getting the wave from third base coach Vince Harrison as St. Paul was gathering the ball in the outfield. A late throw allowed Rodriguez to leg out the first inside-the-park home run by a Bat since Matt McLain on 4/13/23, and the first by a Bat at Slugger Field since Jose Barrero on 8/10/21.
Kaelen Culpepper immediately erased the Bats' lead in the second, knocking in two runners on an RBI single to put the Saints up 2-1. Bats starter Darren McCaughan struggled to be consistent, tossing five walks through the first three innings while retiring the side with his fifth strikeout of the day in the fourth.
The Saints took command of McCaughan in the fifth, notching a triple and a double consecutively to tack on another run. After a ground out, St. Paul's Ben Ross flew a home run over the left field fence, extending the lead to 5-1 and officially ending McCaughan's day at 4.1 innings, five runs on six hits, five walks, and five strikeouts. Lyon Richardson took the mound and recorded two quick outs to get the Bats out of the inning.
The Bats put together a monster fifth inning to tie things up heading down the stretch. With one out, Rodriguez, Michael Toglia, and Noelvi Marte each hit solo shots on Saints' reliever Alejandro Hidalgo to put the Bats within one run. It marked the first time the Bats had hit back-to-back-to-back home runs since Alejo Lopez, Taylor Motter, and Stuart Fairchild on June 28, 2022. After a Michael Chavis double, Francisco Urbaez evened the game at 5-5 with an RBI single.
An inning later, Rodriguez took another one deep for the Bats, powering a shot out to left field for the 6-5 lead. Rodriguez's spectacular showing from the plate makes him the first Bat to hit both an inside-the-park homer and an over-the-fence home run since Juan Perez did so on April 20, 2017. It is also the first three-home run game by a Bat since Christian Encarnacion-Strand did so at Omaha on 5/4/23, and the first at Louisville Slugger Field since Brandon Dixon on August 20, 2017. The Bats continued to increase their run tally into the eighth inning, where Garrett Hampson scored two runs on an RBI single, followed by an RBI walk by Rodriguez and a sacrifice fly by Noelvi Marte to secure a 10-5 lead heading into the ninth.
Hagen Danner (W, 1-1), Trevor Kuncl, and Yunior Marte all tossed scoreless outings to help preserve the Bats' lead down the stretch. Kuncl earned his team-leading sixth hold of the season in the eighth, while Danner recorded his first win of the season.
Next Game: Thursday, May 28, 6:35 p.m. ET vs. St. Paul Saints (Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins)
Probable Pitchers: Bats LHP Brandon Leibrandt (2-2, 4.29) vs. Saints RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-1, 9.00)
Promos: Thursday's promotions include ALS Night and Thrifty Thursday, where fans can enjoy discounted prices on tickets and food deals at the ballpark.
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