ST. LOUIS -- When Riley O’Brien last pitched in Seattle -- the place where he grew up dreaming of reaching the big leagues but never thought it to be realistic -- it was 2022, and he had a one-inning audition with the Mariners. Ultimately, he was demoted to Triple-A Tacoma a day later and designated for assignment nearly three weeks afterward.
Now, more than three years later, he will return to his native Pacific Northwest on Monday as the closer of the Cardinals after recording a win on Saturday night and the save in Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Giants. O’Brien has spent all or parts of eight seasons in the Minor Leagues, but he will now head home feeling that he is a solidified big league pitcher.
“It’s definitely weird to think about, but I’m excited to go back and hopefully throw some meaningful innings there,” said O’Brien, a Seattle native who made it to MLB by way of the College of Idaho. “[Sticking in the big leagues] is a really good feeling. I’ve still been in the day-to-day grind mode and haven’t really reflected on this year yet, but I’m sure in the offseason I’ll be proud of this year.”
With their fourth win in five games and Sunday’s Mets loss (76-67), the Cardinals (72-72) pulled within 4 1/2 games of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. One-run losses on Saturday night and Sunday to the Cardinals blunted a late-season surge by the Giants (72-71) and kept them four games back of the Mets. The Cards and Giants still have three games remaining against one another in San Francisco from Sept. 22-24.
Preparing for the long flight to Seattle on Sunday night, young Cardinals players were made to dress in outfits of cartoon characters. Jimmy Crooks and Andre Granillo were wearing head-to-toe furry costumes, while Matt Svanson and Michael McGreevy were in matching white uniforms with light purple belts. Meanwhile, Victor Scott II was laughing as he pulled on a bright yellow costume and Nathan Church was scrambling to figure out how to inflate his costume.
O’Brien is 30 and has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, but he technically still has his rookie status intact for the 2025 season. He pitched 1 1/3 innings with the Reds in 2021 and surrendered two homers and three walks. He got back to the bigs in 2022 with the Mariners, but he allowed a hit and a walk in an inning. He struck out Shohei Ohtani on Opening Day in 2024 with the Cardinals, but a right forearm injury marred most of his season.
This season, O’Brien was optioned to Triple-A Memphis three times before returning on June 9 and sticking with the big league club. When the Cardinals dealt closer Ryan Helsley and setup men Steven Matz and Phil Maton at the Trade Deadline, opportunities arose for JoJo Romero (seven saves and a win since Aug. 1), Svanson (scoreless outings in 12 of 13 appearances since Aug. 1) and O’Brien (three wins and three saves since Aug. 1).
“[Svanson] comes in today, and it’s a big situation and he’s on the attack, and that’s what you want to see,” manager Oliver Marmol said of Svanson, who replaced starter Sonny Gray (13-8) in the sixth inning. “Once we got to the [Trade] Deadline and we lost those three guys, each one of the other guys bumped up into a more significant role.
“[O’Brien] has taken to the [closer’s role] well. A big part of it for him is staying healthy, and he’s done a nice job of that. He’s stayed on the attack and hasn’t given in regardless of what happens. He hasn’t allowed a negative to impact the next pitch, and that’s probably the biggest difference for him. Just the overall self-talk and staying locked in regardless of the circumstance has been big for him.”
O’Brien closed out the Cardinals’ win on Sunday for Gray, whose Cardinals improved to 20-9 this season in games he has started. Gray saw his perfect game hopes end in the fourth inning when he allowed a walk to Willy Adames, and his bid for a no-hitter and a shutout end in the sixth inning when Rafael Devers lined a ball back up the middle for a run-scoring single.
When he gets to Seattle, O’Brien is supposed to talk to his mom about which members of the family and friend group will make up the approximately 40 supporters he’ll have in the crowd at T-Mobile Park on Monday when the Cards face the Mariners. And when he toes the rubber in the three-game series, O’Brien will be a dramatically different pitcher than the one who was there three years earlier.
“I was always going there as a kid and watching Ichiro [Suzuki], and I had the dream of playing there, but it never seemed realistic,” he said. “The [closer] role I have now, it brings out more of my competition mode. When you’re in a one-run game in the ninth, all you’re thinking about is getting the hitter out, and it’s very competitive. It’s been enjoyable, and I like it.”