WASHINGTON — On a memorable Friday evening, Erick Fedde delivered the most remarkable performance of his professional baseball career, years after his journey took him overseas to South Korea for a season. The 32-year-old right-handed pitcher, now with the St. Louis Cardinals, achieved his first-ever career shutout and complete game against the very team that had drafted him in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft, the Washington Nationals.
Reflecting on his remarkable performance during the Cardinals’ dominant 10-0 victory, Fedde shared, “It’s definitely special. When you’re playing here, it’s something you imagine for years, and then to actually accomplish it on this field as an opponent is pretty surreal.” He became the first Cardinals pitcher to achieve a shutout since Jordan Montgomery did so on August 22, 2022, against the Chicago Cubs. During his standout performance, Fedde threw 109 pitches, 68 as strikes, allowing six hits, striking out eight, and issuing no walks.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised Fedde’s command over the game, saying, “For him to handle that lineup with how they’ve been hitting, he had everything going. His cutter was effective. He expanded when needed and utilized both sides of the plate. It was a joy to watch.”
Fedde, who played with Washington from 2017 to 2022 and was part of the Nationals’ World Series-winning team in 2019, had a record of 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA over 21 appearances, including 12 starts. However, his struggles as a full-time starter in 2021 and 2022 led him to accept an opportunity to play in the Korean Baseball Organization. His return to Major League Baseball came last year with the Chicago White Sox, where his performance was compelling enough for the Cardinals to acquire him prior to the trade deadline.
In the 2025 season, Fedde joined the ranks of Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi and San Diego’s Michael King as the only pitchers to record shutouts. Last season, Fedde had pitched seven scoreless innings for the White Sox during a previous encounter with the Nationals.
Reflecting on the significance of facing his former team, Fedde noted, “While it wasn’t something I thought about, seeing that match-up on the schedule brought an exciting feeling. I owe them a lot in terms of my career, but there’s always a bit of extra motivation to show you’re capable when someone has let you go.”