Orlando Cepeda and Ray Sadecki could not have had more different reactions when they were traded for one another on May 8, 1966. The trade was announced after the Giants’ three-game sweep of the Cardinals in the final games played at historic Sportsman’s Park. Cepeda, who missed almost the entire 1965 season with a right
Orlando Cepeda is traded to St. Louis: May 8, 1966 Read More »
On March 17, 1969, the Cardinals traded a former National League MVP for a future MVP winner, sending first baseman Orlando Cepeda to the Braves for catcher and first baseman Joe Torre. The 29-year-old Torre’s departure from the Braves was no surprise. Since placing second to Billy Williams in the National League Rookie of the
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The Los Angeles Angels offered a starting job in a new franchise. In Milwaukee, where he had won the World Series in 1957, there was an offer to join the coaching staff. At age 38, however, Red Schoendienst was eager to return home to St. Louis. After receiving his unconditional release from Milwaukee and turning
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In his final year on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, Joe Medwick finally got the call he had been waiting 20 years to receive. On January 23, 1968, Medwick woke with a swollen jaw from a toothache that would require a trip to the dentist in the afternoon. Before that, however, he went
Joe Medwick is elected to the Hall of Fame: January 23, 1968 Read More »
When Stan Musial was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1969, the question wasn’t whether the three-time National League MVP Award winner would earn his place in Cooperstown. The real question was what the 23 voters who didn’t mark Musial’s name on their ballots were thinking. In his
Stan Musial is elected to the Hall of Fame: January 21, 1969 Read More »
Ken Boyer had just returned from a quail-hunting trip in Hermann, Mo., when the phone rang. It was a reporter, calling to tell Boyer that he had just been named the 1964 National League MVP. “I guess 14 must be my lucky number,” Boyer said. “That’s my uniform number and that’s how many birds we
Ken Boyer is named National League MVP: November 23, 1964 Read More »
In Bob Gibson’s autobiography, Stranger to the Game, he summarized his historic 1968 season simply: “In the summer of 1968, I mastered my craft,” he wrote.[1] That mastery was rewarded with both the National League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. On November 13, 1968, Gibson became the 14th Cardinal in franchise history to
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In 1967, Orlando Cepeda was more than the heart of the World Series champion “El Birdos.” On November 7, he was named the first unanimous National League MVP since Carl Hubbell received all six first-place votes in 1936. “The Most Valuable Player Award, that’s the best compliment any ballplayer can desire,” Cepeda said.[1] The recognition
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On November 4, 1963, the Cardinals acquired Roger Craig from the Mets in exchange for outfielder George Altman and rookie pitcher Bill Wakefield. Less than a year later, Craig pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings to win Game 4 of the 1964 World Series and help St. Louis claim its seventh world championship. Craig’s pitching career
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Steve Carlton didn’t realize he was closing in on the single-game strikeout record until he looked up after eight innings and saw the number 16 flash across the scoreboard. Those 16 strikeouts left him just two shy of 18, a major-league record shared by Sandy Koufax (who did it twice), Bob Feller, and Don Wilson.
Steve Carlton sets strikeout record with 19: September 15, 1969 Read More »