Fedde shuts out former team for first career CG

WASHINGTON -- Erick Fedde’s return to Nationals Park couldn’t have gone much better for him or the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander pitched his first career complete game as St. Louis shut out the Nationals 10-0 in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.

It was the Cardinals’ first complete game since Jordan Montgomery threw a one-hit shutout against the Cubs on Aug. 22, 2022.

“Probably around the seventh [inning], and I realized my pitch count was really low and I was just cruising right along, so I was thinking I wanted it,” Fedde said. “But just to try to stay focused on the next pitch, one at a time, because I know when you get yourself ahead, anything can happen.”

Willson Contreras had three RBIs and Iván Herrera drove in two in his return from the injured list for St. Louis, which has won six in a row for the first time since July 15-20, 2023.

Fedde was Washington’s first-round pick in 2014 and played part of six seasons with the team before spending 2023 playing in South Korea. He split last season between the White Sox and St. Louis, but did not make a return to the stadium he debuted in for either team.

Fedde said that besides going inside the visitors’ clubhouse in Washington for the first time and walking to the bullpen in left field to warm up, there was a lot of familiarity Friday. The Cardinals are staying in Pentagon City, where Fedde lived during his time with the Nationals.

After yielding CJ Abrams’ leadoff double in the first inning, he enjoyed a mostly stress-free night. Fedde (3-3) didn’t permit another runner into scoring position and surrendered six hits (three to Abrams) while striking out a season-high eight.

“We just saw him do something special,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It was cool to see him navigate that lineup. When you look at these guys, they’re a left-match all the way through, so for him to be able to go through that lineup the way they’ve been swinging, he had everything working.”

Fedde, whose previous career-long outing was 8 1/3 innings, entered the ninth with 92 pitches and allowed a leadoff single to James Wood. With John King loosening in the bullpen, Wood was erased on Nathaniel Lowe’s double-play grounder.

Fedde got Keibert Ruiz to pop out to complete the shutout.

“I was like ‘They’re not taking him out of this game -- I’m not letting it happen,’” catcher Pedro Pagés said. “Even in the ninth, when I saw someone warming, I was like ‘They’re not taking him out of this game, he’s doing this.’ I was very happy for him. It was a big moment for him.”

Fedde dropped his ERA in his last three road starts to 0.78. He also didn’t walk a batter an outing after issuing five in five innings Sunday against the Mets.

The former National also set down eight of the last nine batters he faced and finished with 109 pitches, 68 for strikes.

“We were trying to be patient,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “But when he's throwing strikes and we try to get the ball up, you've got to be ready to hit. But he mixed his pitches up really well."

Contreras hit a two-run double against Washington starter Mitchell Parker (3-3) in the first to put St. Louis ahead. Herrera, in his first game back after missing a little more than a month because of left knee inflammation, hit a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 3-0 and added an RBI double in the fifth while serving as the designated hitter.

That provided more than enough support for Fedde in his memorable return to D.C.

“When you see it coming up on the schedule -- and I knew I was going to pitch there -- it’s an exciting feeling and one where I have no ill will toward the Nationals,” Fedde said. “They gave me every opportunity. They drafted me and allowed me to become a big leaguer. I owe them a lot in the sense of my career. But there’s always something about when someone, I don’t want to say gives up on you, but lets you go and [then] showing them that you can be better.”