When the trade was finally complete, the newest St. Louis Cardinal, Scott Rolen, recalled his father taking him to games at Busch Stadium in the 1980s. Now, following a trade that sent Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, and Mike Timlin to the Phillies for Rolen and minor-league pitcher Doug Nickle, the 27-year-old from Jasper, Indiana, would […]
Phillies trade Scott Rolen to the Cardinals: July 29, 2002 Read More »
Walt Jocketty wasn’t quite sure what he was purchasing when the Cardinals announced the signing of their first Japanese-born player, 32-year-old outfielder So Taguchi, to a three-year contract in January 2002. After all, Jocketty had never even seen the 10-year veteran of the Japan Pacific League play. Neither had Tony La Russa. Instead, the Cardinals
How So Taguchi became the Cardinals’ first Japanese-born player Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter’s 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the fourth in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 On September 8, Chris Carpenter earned win No.
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 4) Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter’s 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the third in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 On July 11, Tony La Russa announced that
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 3) Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter and his 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the second in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Chris Carpenter’s father, Bob, knew by
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 2) Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter and his 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the first in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 For years, Chris Carpenter and his
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 1) Read More »
In November 1999, it was no secret that the Colorado Rockies were looking to shop Darryl Kile and his $8 million salary. In two seasons in Colorado, the former Astros ace had gone just 21-30 with a 5.84 ERA, including a career-high 17 losses in 1998. It was a far cry from the success Kile
November 16, 1999: Cardinals trade for Darryl Kile Read More »
A muscle strain that literally took Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny’s breath away opened the door for 21-year-old Yadier Molina to make his major league debut and – as the third member of the catching Molina brothers to reach the majors – make a little history as well. On June 2, 2004, Matheny was removed in
June 3, 2004: Yadier Molina gets two hits, throws out first baserunner in his debut game Read More »
By the time Adam Wainwright made his first start, his bona fides as a stopper had already earned their place in St. Louis Cardinals history. In 2006, Wainwright had made 61 appearances for the Cardinals, but they all came in relief as he posted a 3.12 ERA over 75 regular-season innings. By the end of
Adam Wainwright wins his first career start: April 6, 2007 Read More »
Prior to his September 3, 2001, start against the Padres, the 11th of his major league career, Bud Smith already had experience throwing no-hitters. As a high school junior, he had thrown one. He had even thrown two the previous season while pitching for the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate in Arkansas, though admittedly both of those
September 3, 2001: Rookie Bud Smith throws a no-hitter Read More »