Panama to See New Major Leaguer as Leonardo Bernal Joins Iván Herrera for Cardinals

Panama will have a new major leaguer on Tuesday, and Leonardo Bernal will share the occasion with compatriot Iván Herrera. The St. Louis Cardinals named Bernal their starting catcher and placed him sixth in the batting order for their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Herrera is set to bat second and serve as designated hitter, putting two Panama-born position players together in the Cardinals’ offensive lineup. It will be the first time since Oct. 5, 1980, that two position players from Panama have started for the same major-league team. Omar Moreno and Manny Sanguillén achieved that feat with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The game is scheduled for Sept. 1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Michael McGreevy is due to start for St. Louis, carrying a 5-9 record, a 3.86 earned-run average and 98 strikeouts. Eric Lauer will start for Los Angeles, with an 8-6 record, a 4.78 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

The Dodgers hold the stronger overall numbers in the matchup, leading in runs, home runs and on-base-plus-slugging percentage while also ranking ahead in pitching and relief measures. Los Angeles has gone 6-4 in its last 10 games and has been more consistent at home. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have had greater defensive difficulties during the final stretch of the season.