ST. LOUIS _ As he neared first base and the ball he hit cleared the wall, Yadier Molina hopped as if in celebration, and as he rounded third on his way home, he lifted the sleeve of his jersey to kiss the No. 21 patch applied there.
It was a clear tribute.
It also set an obvious trend.
Molina's homer _ hit while he wore No. 21 to celebrate Roberto Clemente Day _ was the first of five hit by five different Cardinals in their 12-2 romp against Detroit in Game 1 of the doubleheader Thursday at Busch Stadium. Molina's two-run shot was followed by two-run homers from Tyler O'Neill, Lane Thomas, and Rangel Ravelo, and a birthday homer by 33-year-old Paul Goldschmidt.
His solo homer made him the first Cardinal since Randal Grichuk to homer on his birthday. Grichuk did so on Aug. 13, 2016.
It had also been that long since the Cardinals hit five homers in a game at Busch Stadium.
The onrush of runs backed Jack Flaherty (3-1), who pitched five innings and allowed two runs, both coming on a homer. He struck out six, had a better feel for his slider, and still needed nearly 100 pitches to get 15 outs from the Tigers. Efficiency was not there until the final inning, when he needed eight pitches to retire the side in order in the fifth.
