St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol pulled starting pitcher Erick Fedde after six hitless innings in the club's recent 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The decision didn't sit well with fans, especially considering the team fell short in extras. However, the right-hander stood by his skipper when asked about the situation, keeping the bigger picture in mind.
"[Marmol] explained to me that he just didn’t want to extend me, and I understood," Fedde stated (h/t John Perrotto of the Associated Press). "The season is a marathon, right? It’s something that’s fun and exciting, and you want to chase a no-hitter as long as you can, but I get the decision."
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Erick Fedde 'understood' Oli Marmol's choice to yank him with a no-hitter in play, even though Cardinals fans aren't happy
As Fedde acknowledged, he was expending a tremendous amount of energy, particularly for how early in the 2025 MLB campaign it is. His pitch count rose to 88 in the ballgame against Pittsburgh when Marmol yanked him. The 32-year-old was (mostly) dealing, but failed to put batters away, allowing four walks.
A lack of consistent command derailed an otherwise impressive outing for Fedde. Nonetheless, his comments indicate no qualms with Marmol's thought process. Moreover, the veteran hurler admitted it's probably best "to save some pitches ... to make it all the way to the end of the season."
Fedde logged a 57.95 percent strike rate versus the Pirates, resulting in merely two strikeouts. This was markedly below the tally across his first two starts of the year (60.86 percent), highlighting the control issues that troubled him. Nonetheless, it was an overall solid showing, though he knows there was potential for an even better day.
"It’s not as great as I wanted it to be, but it’s a great place to build from," Fedde voiced. "It was a big confidence booster, but I’ve still got to get a little better with command. Four leadoff walks aren’t something you’re going to get away with all the time, and I’m going to work hard to get better. But it was definitely a good day overall."