Remembering the St. Louis Cardinals of Yesteryear
On July 15, 1927, “Sunny” Jim Bottomley became just the second player in Cardinals history to hit for the cycle as he led St. Louis to a 9-7 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the Baker Bowl. Bottomley’s 5-for-5 day helped the Cardinals rally from a 7-1 deficit after the Phillies jumped on starting…
Grover Cleveland Alexander carved his name into baseball history and Babe Ruth was caught stealing, but the most important result of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on October 10, 1926, was simple: for the first time in the World Series era, the Cardinals could claim the title of world…
Heading into Game 6 of the 1926 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals had their backs against the wall. Down three games to two against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig’s squad, the Cardinals were further disadvantaged by the absence of two-thirds of their starting outfield. Left fielder Ray Blades had been out of the lineup…
Jesse Haines didn’t single-handedly beat the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the 1926 World Series – it just seemed that way. Haines’ major league career started in 1915 with the Detroit Tigers, where he spent two months but never appeared in a game. While Haines was frustrated by his lack of playing time,…
The first World Series game victory in St. Louis Cardinals history came courtesy of two players discarded by their previous teams earlier that season. After falling to the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1926 World Series behind a complete-game, three-hit performance by Herb Pennock and two RBIs from Lou Gehrig, the Cardinals…
Rogers Hornsby’s 2,000th career hit didn’t just mark a milestone in the slugger’s Hall of Fame career – it helped to served notice that after years of futility, the Cardinals were ready to chase the National League pennant. Hornsby entered the game with 1,998 hits in a career that began in 1915 when, as a…
George “Specs” Toporcer played eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1921-28, helping the franchise capture its first World Series championship in 1926 and becoming the first major league infielder to wear glasses in a game. A talented utility infielder and pinch hitter, Specs Toporcer served as the backup second baseman to two future…
When the 1929 St. Louis Cardinals finally broke their longest losing streak of the season, they did so in historic fashion. Excluding a July 1 tie with the Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals had lost 10 consecutive games headed into their July 6 double-header with the Philadelphia Phillies. To make matters worse, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch…
Fresh off the first 20-win season of his career the year before, Jesse Haines was in the midst of a miserable 1924 campaign. The 6-foot, 190-pounder from Clayton, Ohio, recorded just one out in his season debut, and while he righted the ship with three wins in May, Haines appeared to be wilting in the…