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FARGO, N.D. --- The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks have transferred the contract of left-handed pitcher Tyler Pike to the St. Louis Cardinals, the club announced Thursday. He will report to the Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals, St. Louis’ Double-A affiliate. 

Pike is in his 10th season of professional baseball and was playing his third year with the RedHawks after originally signing with the club on Feb. 5, 2019. Pike started 29 games for the RedHawks over three years and was 12-8 with a 3.41 ERA in 169.0 innings pitched. 

Pike struck out 16 batters and limited opponents to three earned runs in 12.0 innings pitched over two starts for Fargo-Moorhead to begin the 2021 season. He did not factor into the decision in either game.

In 2019, he went 8-3 with a 3.9 ERA and in 2020, Pike led the RedHawks and was second in the American Association with 87 strikeouts in just 69.2 innings pitched. He struck out 10+ in four starts last season, including matching his career single game high with 12 Ks in a 3-2 loss against Sioux Falls on August 18. 

He had previously struck out 12 batters on June 2, 2016 for the Bakersfield Blaze (A+, Seattle) in a 2-1 road win over the Stockton Ports (A+, Oakland). Pike didn’t get much help in his starts last season, with the RedHawks scoring three runs or fewer in each of his first five starts and managing more than four runs in just three of his 12 starts in 2020 — Pike won all three of those games.

Pike was originally selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 126th overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft after a stellar senior season at Winter Haven High School. He went 9-2 with a 0.51 ERA and 134 strikeouts for the Blue Devils as they reached the regional final before a loss to Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) and was committed to play for Florida State before signing with the Mariners on June 14, 2012. Pike pitched for five seasons in the Mariners organization and reached Double-A with the Jackson Generals in 2015 before moving to the Atlanta Braves system and spending much of 2017 and 2018 at Double-A Mississippi before arriving with the RedHawks in 2019.

Pike is the 6th RedHawks player acquired by an MLB organization this year and the fourth this month (RHP Frank Duncan - Colorado, RHP Kevin Herget - Cleveland, 2B Trace Loehr - Texas).  He is the 86th player in Fargo-Moorhead franchise history to be acquired by a major league franchise, with three of those players going on to play in the Majors.

The RedHawks will open up a three-game series at home against the Houston Apollos on Friday night at Newman Outdoor Field, with postgame fireworks to follow Friday night’s contest. First pitch is scheduled for 7:02 p.m.