On that chilly afternoon in St. Louis, the 22-year-old left-hander made the first start of his major league career for the St. Louis Browns, the franchise that would eventually become the Cardinals. By the end of the day, he had thrown a no-hitter.

More than a century later, it remains one of the most extraordinary debuts in baseball history.

The young pitcher did not even realize what he had done until the game ended. His teammates carefully avoided mentioning the no-hitter as the game progressed, fearful that talking about it might jinx him. Breitenstein later recalled that he was simply focused on getting the next hitter out.

“I was too busy worrying about the next batter to care what had happened before,” he remembered years later.

It was only after the final out that his teammates began congratulating him and explained what had happened. While he stood trying to absorb the news, they carried him off the field on their shoulders. In one afternoon, a local St. Louis kid had become a baseball sensation.

Breitenstein’s story was deeply rooted in St. Louis. Born on June 1, 1869, he was the son of German immigrants and grew up in a city where baseball was rapidly becoming a civic obsession. Before reaching the major leagues, he worked making cookstoves for the Wrought Iron Range Company and pitched for the company’s baseball team, appropriately named the Home Comforts. He was hardly the imposing figure fans might imagine when they think of a dominant pitcher. The freckle-faced redhead stood just 5-foot-9 and weighed little more than 140 pounds when he entered professional baseball. Yet what he lacked in size, he made up for with intelligence, determination, and an exceptional left arm.

His rise through the local baseball ranks earned him an opportunity to practice with the Browns as part of a group of promising amateur players. The chance eventually led to a roster spot and, ultimately, to one of the most memorable first starts in baseball history.

The no-hitter was only the beginning. After an uneven 1892 season, Breitenstein emerged as one of the premier pitchers in the National League. His breakthrough came in 1893, a year that dramatically changed baseball. Prior to the season, the pitching distance was increased to 60 feet, 6 inches. The adjustment caused scoring to soar throughout the league as many pitchers struggled to adapt.

Breitenstein thrived. Despite playing for a team that finished near the bottom of the standings, he led the National League with a 3.18 ERA. The accomplishment was so impressive that Alfred H. Spink, founder of The Sporting News, later declared, “Theodore Breitenstein was at one time the greatest left-handed pitcher in America.”

That assessment did not seem exaggerated to those who watched him pitch during the 1890s. Hall of Fame outfielder Wee Willie Keeler offered a similarly glowing evaluation in 1897.

“He has terrific speed, sharp curves, and there is not a pitcher in the league that fields his position better,” Keeler said.

Breitenstein’s greatness becomes even more apparent when viewed through the lens of the teams he pitched for. The Browns were often among the weakest clubs in baseball, yet year after year, they remained competitive largely because of their hometown ace. From 1893 through 1896, Breitenstein accounted for 43 percent of the team’s victories. It was an astonishing burden for one player to carry.

The most remarkable example came in 1895, when the Browns won just 39 games all season. Breitenstein won 19 of them.

His 30 losses that year remain one of the highest single-season totals in major-league history, but the statistic says more about the weakness of the club than the quality of the pitcher. In fact, rival teams throughout baseball desperately wanted to acquire him. Sporting Life described him as a “good-natured, hard-working little wonder,” and despite the staggering loss total, virtually every team in the league recognized his value.

Modern fans accustomed to five-man rotations and pitch counts can scarcely comprehend Breitenstein’s workload. In 1894, he threw 447⅓ innings. Today, a 150-inning season makes a pitcher a workhorse. Breitenstein more than tripled that figure.

His workload remained one of the most remarkable in baseball history for well over a century. He routinely completed games, pitched on short rest, and was frequently asked to rescue teammates who had been knocked out of games early.

At one point during the 1894 season, Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe attempted to send Breitenstein back to the mound during the second game of a doubleheader after he had already completed the first game. Breitenstein refused and was promptly fined and suspended.

“The cranks have but a slight appreciation of the fearful strain a pitcher’s arm is subjected to,” he explained afterward.

Even by 19th-century standards, he knew he was being overworked.

His relationship with Von der Ahe was often contentious. The owner regularly worried about stories of Breitenstein’s drinking and inserted temperance clauses into his contracts. Those concerns were not entirely unfounded. One of the most famous stories of Breitenstein’s career occurred in 1893 when he reportedly became so intoxicated during a stop in Indiana that he refused to board the team’s train. Several teammates attempted to force him aboard but were unsuccessful. Eventually, he sobered up, returned to the club, and apologized.

Yet Breitenstein was hardly a carefree loafer. During the offseason, he worked as a machinist in a stove foundry and earned a reputation as a diligent laborer. One observer noted that there was “not a lazy bone in his body.” That combination of immense talent, personal flaws, and relentless work ethic made him one of the most fascinating players of his era.

Another source of his popularity was his partnership with catcher Heinie Peitz. The two German-Americans became known throughout baseball as the “Pretzel Battery,” one of the game’s most colorful nicknames. Their chemistry extended beyond simply throwing and catching.

Breitenstein and Peitz occasionally pretended to argue during critical moments of games. While the batter became distracted by the apparent disagreement, Peitz would secretly flash the sign for the next pitch. Then Breitenstein would quickly deliver the ball before the hitter regained his focus.

“We have pulled out of many a tight hole with that trick,” Breitenstein said.

The combination of gamesmanship and humor perfectly reflected the rough-and-tumble character of baseball during the 1890s.

After the 1896 season, the Browns finally sold Breitenstein to Cincinnati for a reported $10,000, an enormous sum at the time. The move transformed his career. Freed from carrying one of baseball’s weakest clubs, he immediately demonstrated what he could accomplish with better support around him.

He won 23 games in 1897 and 20 more in 1898. Then, on April 22, 1898, he added another historic accomplishment to his résumé by throwing the second no-hitter of his major league career against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Even that achievement came with an unusual twist. On the very same day, Baltimore’s Jay Hughes also threw a no-hitter. It marked the first time in major league history that two no-hitters had been recorded on the same date.

Although Breitenstein enjoyed some of the finest seasons of his career in Cincinnati, St. Louis remained home. In 1901, he returned to the franchise, now known as the Cardinals. Unfortunately, years of extraordinary workloads had taken their toll. The pitcher who had once dominated National League hitters could no longer consistently summon his former brilliance. After just a few starts, his major league career came to an end.

His baseball journey, however, was far from over.

Breitenstein continued pitching successfully in the minor leagues for another decade, most notably with the New Orleans Pelicans. He remained effective well into his forties and even threw another no-hitter as a 40-year-old in 1909. His longevity became almost as impressive as his accomplishments in the major leagues.

As he aged, Breitenstein became an increasingly important source of baseball wisdom. Long before analytics and radar guns, he understood the value of changing speeds, studying hitters, and pitching intelligently.

When his wife, Ida, died in April 1935, the loss devastated him. Just eight days later, Breitenstein died of heart failure in his hometown of St. Louis. He was 65 years old.

Today, his name is largely forgotten outside the circles of dedicated baseball historians. Yet his story remains one of the most compelling in early Cardinals history. He was a hometown kid who worked in a stove factory, threw a no-hitter in his first major league start, carried struggling St. Louis teams on his shoulders, formed one of baseball’s most colorful batteries, and earned the admiration of teammates, opponents, and Hall of Famers alike. More than a century later, Breitenstein remains one of the most fascinating figures ever to wear a St. Louis uniform.

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Duncan’s path to the major leagues was anything but immediate. Drafted by St. Louis in the first round (46th overall) in 1999, he carried both the expectations of a high pick and the added scrutiny of being the son of longtime Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan. While his last name opened doors, it also raised questions.

Duncan’s climb through the minor leagues was steady but unspectacular, and he spent parts of six seasons refining his power and approach. By 2005, he had reached Triple-A Memphis, where he hit 21 home runs and earned a late-season call-up to the majors. His first exposure to big league pitching was brief, but it included a moment that would later feel symbolic – his home run on October 2, 2005, which stood as the final regular-season home run ever hit at Busch Memorial Stadium.

When the 2006 season began, Duncan was not expected to play a central role on a club built around stars like Albert Pujols. However, injuries and inconsistency plagued the roster, and by midseason the team was searching for answers, particularly in left field and near the top of the batting order.

That search ultimately led to Duncan, who initially struggled to establish himself after being recalled but soon found his footing in dramatic fashion. Over just 90 games, he hit 22 home runs and posted a .293/.363/.589 slash line, emerging as one of the most dangerous power hitters in baseball. Among players with at least 75 at-bats, only David Ortiz and Ryan Howard hit home runs more frequently.

The timing of that production mattered as much as the production itself. Before Duncan’s emergence, the Cardinals lacked stability in the No. 2 spot in the lineup and consistent output from left field. Once inserted ahead of Pujols, Duncan immediately changed the equation. Pitchers, wary of giving Pujols additional opportunities, often chose to challenge Duncan instead, and he responded with an aggressive, confident approach that punished mistakes. He hit .290 from the No. 2 spot, with nearly 30 percent of his hits going for home runs, while also improving his on-base percentage and helping set the table for the middle of the order.

Duncan’s surge coincided with the Cardinals’ late-season push. He hit 19 of his 22 home runs after the All-Star break, providing the kind of sustained power the lineup had been missing for months. What had once been a glaring weakness became a strength, and a team that had struggled to generate offense suddenly found a reliable source of run production. In many ways, Duncan’s emergence stabilized a roster that had been in danger of falling out of contention entirely.

“Where would the Cardinals be without Chris Duncan?” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz. “Left field was a crater until he filled it. The No. 2 hole in the lineup was a weak spot until he stepped in.”

By the end of the regular season, Duncan’s presence had transformed both the lineup and the team’s outlook, turning a struggling club into one capable of competing in October. When the postseason arrived, he recorded just three hits in 22 at-bats and experienced defensive struggles that occasionally proved costly. Yet even in October, he delivered important moments, including a home run in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, extending a crucial lead in a series-clinching victory.

Ultimately, the Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers in five games to capture the World Series title, completing one of the more unexpected championship runs in franchise history.

Without Duncan’s midseason surge, the Cardinals likely would not have reached October at all. That reality underscores the unique nature of his contribution: he was not the star of the postseason, but he was one of the primary reasons the team had the opportunity to compete for a title.

“My favorite comment to make to Cardinals fans is that every time they enjoy that 2006 championship, they should realize that without Chris’ production when we had all those guys hurt, we wouldn’t have gotten in,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “He was a tough-as-nails competitor, afraid of nothing.”

Duncan’s value extended beyond his offensive production. He embodied many of the traits associated with Cardinals baseball, including resilience, competitiveness, and a willingness to embrace any role asked of him. Despite frequent criticism of his defense, he worked to improve in the outfield and became more reliable through effort and repetition.

By 2007, he had reduced his errors significantly while maintaining his offensive output, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 70 runs over 127 games. Teammates and coaches consistently praised his toughness, with La Russa describing it as “off the charts,” a reflection of Duncan’s approach to the game and his refusal to yield in difficult situations.

Unfortunately, injuries soon altered the trajectory of his career. A sports hernia in 2007 was followed by more serious issues in 2008, including a herniated cervical disk that required surgery and ended his season. Although he returned in 2009, his performance declined, and he was eventually traded to the Boston Red Sox before finishing his professional career in the minor leagues. Over five seasons with the Cardinals, he compiled 55 home runs and a .805 OPS, numbers that reflected his value as a power hitter even as injuries limited his longevity.

After his playing career, Duncan transitioned into broadcasting, becoming a popular radio host in St. Louis. His personality – marked by humor, honesty, and a willingness to be self-critical – resonated with listeners and helped him build a second career connected to the game he loved. In many ways, his broadcasting style mirrored his playing style: authentic, unfiltered, and grounded in effort rather than pretense.

Duncan passed away in 2019 after a long battle with brain cancer, leaving behind a legacy that extended beyond his time on the field. For the Cardinals organization and its fans, his impact is most closely tied to that remarkable 2006 season, when he emerged as an unlikely but indispensable contributor to a championship team.

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Across two stints and seven seasons in St. Louis, Lynn built a legacy of consistency, competitiveness, and a steady presence during one of the most successful stretches in recent franchise history.

Drafted 39th overall in 2008 out of Ole Miss, Lynn entered the Cardinals organization without the overwhelming expectations that often accompany top pitching prospects. What he did possess, however, was a durable arm and a fiercely competitive mindset. By 2009, he had already established himself as one of the organization’s rising pitchers, earning Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 2.85 ERA and 124 strikeouts across multiple levels. That steady progression set the stage for his major league debut on June 2, 2011, when he joined a Cardinals team that soon embarked on one of the most memorable postseason runs in baseball history.

Lynn’s role during the 2011 regular season was limited, but October transformed both his trajectory and his standing within the organization. Despite being sidelined late in the year by an oblique injury, he was added to the postseason roster and quickly became one of manager Tony La Russa’s most trusted relief options. In a bullpen already featuring established arms, Lynn carved out a niche as a power right-hander capable of handling high-leverage situations and multiple innings when needed.

He appeared in 10 postseason games, an unusually heavy workload for a rookie who had logged fewer than 20 regular-season appearances. His usage reflected the Cardinals’ confidence in him. In the National League Championship Series, he made five appearances and did not allow a run, providing critical stability in a tightly contested series. One of his most unusual moments came in Game 2, when he recorded the win after throwing just one pitch.

The World Series further underscored his importance. Lynn appeared four times against the Texas Rangers, including Game 3, when he earned the victory by delivering 2⅓ innings of relief in a game that helped shift momentum in the Cardinals’ favor. Even in Game 6, the most iconic contest of that postseason, he was entrusted with a critical late-inning assignment, a reflection of how quickly he had moved into the team’s circle of trust. While that outing included a pair of home runs, it did not diminish his overall body of work, which included multiple scoreless appearances in the series.

Across the postseason, Lynn’s combination of durability, strikeout ability, and composure allowed the Cardinals to navigate high-pressure innings late in games. For a team that relied heavily on matchup flexibility and bullpen depth, his presence was invaluable. By the end of October, he was no longer just a promising young pitcher – he was a proven contributor on a championship team, one whose ability to handle the moment foreshadowed the larger role he would assume in the years that followed.

The following season, opportunity arrived when injuries opened a spot in the starting rotation. Lynn stepped into that role and immediately proved he belonged. He won his first six starts and quickly became one of the most reliable pitchers on the staff, eventually finishing with an 18–7 record, a 3.78 ERA, and 180 strikeouts while earning his first All-Star selection. More importantly, he transitioned from a postseason contributor into a full-time starter capable of carrying a significant workload.

Over the next several seasons, Lynn developed into one of the most dependable pitchers in the National League. From 2012 through 2015, he delivered four consecutive seasons of at least 175 innings, a mark of durability that grew increasingly rare in an era defined by pitch limits and injuries.

He reached a new level in 2013, throwing 201 ⅔ innings while striking out 198 batters. His ability to take the ball every fifth day gave the Cardinals a level of stability that cannot be overstated, particularly as the team remained a consistent postseason contender.

By 2015, he had compiled a 72–47 record and established himself as one of the most reliable starters in the league. His ability to generate strikeouts was also notable, as he ranked among the franchise leaders in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with significant workloads.

That run of durability came to an abrupt halt late in 2015 when Lynn underwent Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss the entire 2016 season. For many pitchers, that kind of interruption introduces uncertainty not just about health, but about identity—how they will get hitters out when they return.

Lynn’s response was to refine what had already made him effective. When he returned in 2017, he leaned even more heavily into his fastball-based approach, attacking hitters aggressively in the strike zone and trusting his ability to generate weak contact as much as strikeouts. He also became more efficient with his pitch mix, simplifying sequences and working deeper into counts without overextending himself.

The results reflected that adjustment. He made 33 starts, logged more than 186 innings, and posted a 3.43 ERA – numbers that reinforced his reputation as a dependable, innings-eating starter even after a full year away from competition.

That version of Lynn – less concerned with overpowering hitters and more focused on attacking them with conviction – carried into the later stages of his career. Rather than fading, he evolved into a pitcher who understood exactly how to use his strengths, a transition that ultimately set the stage for the most productive seasons of his career after leaving St. Louis.

By the time he reached free agency following the 2017 season, Lynn had established himself as one of the most dependable starters of the era, a pitcher who had helped anchor multiple playoff teams. His exit did not erase that impact, but it did shift his story into a new phase – one that ultimately added depth to how his time in St. Louis is remembered.

After brief stops with the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees, he experienced a resurgence with the Texas Rangers. In 2019, he delivered one of the best seasons of his career, going 16–11 with a 3.67 ERA and 246 strikeouts over more than 208 innings, finishing fifth in the Cy Young voting.

He continued that success with the Chicago White Sox, earning another All-Star selection in 2021 while posting a 2.69 ERA and finishing third in Cy Young voting. These later achievements demonstrated that the foundation built during his time in St. Louis could evolve alongside the changing dynamics of modern pitching.

When the Cardinals brought Lynn back on a one-year contract in November 2023, the move carried both practical and symbolic significance. The team needed innings and experience, but it also welcomed back a familiar presence from a championship era.

In 23 starts during the 2024 season, Lynn went 7–4 with a 3.84 ERA and 109 strikeouts over 117⅓ innings. He also reached several important milestones, surpassing 2,000 career strikeouts and recording a victory against all 30 major league teams.

Beyond the numbers, his return provided a connection between generations of Cardinals baseball. As one of the last remaining links to the 2011 World Series team, Lynn brought a veteran presence and a competitive edge to a roster in transition. His fiery demeanor remained unchanged, reinforcing the qualities that had defined his earlier years with the organization.

When his contract option was declined following the 2024 season, it marked the natural conclusion of his Cardinals career. His subsequent retirement in 2025 provided an opportunity to reflect on what he meant to the franchise.

Lynn was a valuable piece the Cardinals’ 2011 championship run, contributed across multiple postseason appearances, and helped to anchor the rotation for several years during a period of consistent contention. He overcame injury to return as an effective starter and extended his career by adapting his approach and refining his skills. His final season in St. Louis served as both a productive campaign and a fitting conclusion to a career that began there more than a decade earlier.

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Born in St. Louis on July 15, 1939, Shannon was a hometown athlete in the truest sense. He grew up immersed in sports, excelling at football, basketball, and baseball, and developed into one of the most accomplished high school athletes in Missouri history. At Christian Brothers College (CBC) High School, he earned the rare distinction of being named the state’s Player of the Year in both football and basketball in the same year.

His future initially appeared destined for the gridiron, and he enrolled at the University of Missouri on a football scholarship with aspirations of becoming a standout quarterback. Even his coach, Frank Broyles, believed Shannon possessed the talent to reach the highest levels of the sport.

Baseball, however, offered a different opportunity – one that ultimately kept him close to home. In 1958, Shannon signed with the Cardinals, beginning a professional journey that would define his life. His early years in the minor leagues were marked by both promise and adversity. He showed flashes of offensive potential and possessed a strong throwing arm, but he also endured injuries and the typical challenges of a young player learning the professional game. By 1962, he made his major league debut, though his initial time with the Cardinals was brief as he continued to move between the majors and minors.

Shannon’s breakthrough came during the 1964 season. After earning a regular role as the Cardinals’ right fielder, he became part of a team that mounted one of the most memorable late-season surges in franchise history. His contributions helped St. Louis capture the National League pennant, setting the stage for a matchup with the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series.

In Game 1, Shannon delivered the defining moment of his playing career, launching a towering, game-tying two-run home run off Whitey Ford that ignited both the team and the crowd. The Cardinals went on to win the game and ultimately the series, giving Shannon the unique distinction of helping his hometown team secure a championship in front of a home crowd.

Like many players, Shannon’s career included periods of struggle. The 1965 season proved difficult as he battled inconsistency at the plate, but he responded with a strong rebound in 1966. That year, he hit .288 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs, highlighted by a dominant July in which he earned National League Player of the Month honors.

He also added another piece to his place in Cardinals history by hitting the final home run at Sportsman’s Park and the first for the Cardinals at the newly opened Busch Memorial Stadium. His performance established him as a reliable everyday player and a key contributor on a team that once again was trending upward.

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Shannon’s playing career emerged before the 1967 season, when the Cardinals acquired Roger Maris. To accommodate Maris in right field, Shannon agreed to move to third base, a position he had not previously played on a regular basis. The transition was not seamless, as he faced the challenges typical of learning one of baseball’s most demanding defensive positions. Still, his strong arm and athleticism allowed him to adapt, and his willingness to make the change proved instrumental in strengthening the Cardinals’ lineup.

That selfless move helped propel the Cardinals to another National League pennant and a World Series appearance against the Boston Red Sox. Once again, Shannon contributed at a crucial moment, hitting a key home run in Game 3 as St. Louis went on to capture its second championship in four years. Though not the team’s statistical leader, his ability to deliver in crucial situations reinforced his value to a roster filled with star players.

Shannon reached the peak of his individual performance in 1968. In a season dominated by pitching, he emerged as one of the Cardinals’ most consistent offensive contributors, batting .266 with 15 home runs and a team-high 79 RBIs. His production earned him a seventh-place finish in National League Most Valuable Player voting, an impressive achievement given the presence of standout teammates such as Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Curt Flood.

The Cardinals returned to the World Series that year to face the Detroit Tigers, and Shannon again rose to the occasion, delivering his strongest postseason performance and hitting a home run in Game 7, though the Cardinals ultimately fell short of another title.

The following season brought a decline in both team and individual performance, as the Cardinals fell out of contention and Shannon’s offensive numbers dipped. Still, he remained a steady presence in the lineup and a respected veteran in the clubhouse. In 1970, however, his playing career came to an abrupt and unexpected end when he was diagnosed with nephritis, a serious kidney condition that limited his ability to continue competing at the major league level. Although he attempted to return, the illness forced him to step away from the game at just 30 years old.

Over nine seasons in the major leagues, all with the Cardinals, Shannon compiled a .255 batting average, 68 home runs, and 367 RBIs. Those numbers, while solid, do not fully capture his importance to the Cardinals’ success during one of the franchise’s most accomplished eras.

He played in three World Series, contributing to championships in 1964 and 1967, and hit a home run in each Fall Classic in which he appeared. He adapted to new roles, embraced positional changes, and consistently prioritized the needs of the team over personal accolades.

His playing career ended earlier than expected, but it laid the foundation for an even longer and more visible second act with the Cardinals organization. After a brief stint in the club’s promotional department, Shannon moved to the radio booth in 1972, beginning a broadcasting career that would span five decades. Paired for many years with Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck, Shannon became part of one of the most recognizable broadcast teams in baseball. Where Buck provided polish and precision, Shannon offered energy, humor, and a deep, instinctive understanding of the game from a player’s perspective.

His style was unmistakable: unfiltered, conversational, and filled with the colorful expressions that fans affectionately came to call “Shannonisms.” His signature home run call – “Get up, baby, get up!” – became part of the soundtrack of Cardinals baseball, echoing through radios across the Midwest for generations.

Shannon’s longevity in the booth was as impressive as his playing career. He spent nearly 50 years broadcasting Cardinals games, calling more contests than any announcer in franchise history and remaining a constant presence through multiple eras of Cardinals baseball. He was behind the microphone for championship seasons, dramatic pennant races, and the rise of new generations of stars, all while maintaining the same enthusiasm and connection to fans that defined his early days in the booth. His work earned him numerous honors, including a regional Emmy Award and recognition as Missouri Sportscaster of the Year, as well as induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

In many ways, Shannon’s broadcasting career amplified his impact as a player. If his on-field contributions helped deliver championships, his voice helped shape how Cardinals fans experienced other great moments in franchise history. He became not just a former player describing the game, but a bridge between generations of Cardinals baseball, connecting past and present with a style that was uniquely his own.

Shannon’s legacy as a player is best understood not through statistics alone, but through his role in helping shape championship teams. He was a dependable presence in the lineup, a strong defensive arm in the field, and a player capable of delivering in the game’s most significant moments. While he may not have achieved the individual recognition of some of his teammates, his contributions were essential to the Cardinals’ sustained success throughout the decade.

His career, both on the field and behind the microphone, reflects a rare and enduring connection to a single franchise, one that made him not just a Cardinal, but one of the defining figures in the organization’s history.

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The post Mike Shannon: From World Series Hero to Legendary Voice first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Born in San Francisco and raised in nearby Daly City, he grew up immersed in baseball. His father played semipro ball, his brother played professional baseball, and Reitz often noted that the game was woven into his life from the beginning. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 31st round in 1969, a selection that carried little expectation but ultimately delivered one of the most dependable players of his era.

His climb through the minor leagues was steady, defined by improving defense and enough offensive growth to keep him moving forward. By 1972, at just 21 years old, he had reached Triple-A and forced his way into the Cardinals’ plans.

When he arrived in St. Louis late that season, he did more than simply hold his own. In 21 games, he hit .359, including a seven-hit doubleheader against the New York Mets, and displayed a level of confidence that stood out immediately. The Cardinals, in need of stability, saw enough to make a significant change. Veteran Joe Torre shifted from third base to first, and the job at the hot corner belonged to Reitz. It was a bold move, but one that quickly proved justified.

Reitz’s rookie season in 1973 was uneven at the plate. He hit just .235 and rarely walked, limiting his offensive impact. But defense quickly became his identity. Playing on the artificial turf of Busch Stadium, where ground balls could take unpredictable hops, Reitz developed a reputation for making even difficult plays look routine. His hands were quick, his reactions precise, and his throws accurate. By the end of the season, he led National League third basemen in fielding percentage, the first of six times he would accomplish that feat.

It was during these early seasons that his nickname took hold. “Zamboni” captured exactly what he did: smooth over the chaos. Where other players might fight the turf, Reitz seemed to tame it. His teammates trusted him, and pitchers relied on him. In an era where defense was often overlooked in favor of offense, Reitz quietly established himself as one of the best at his position.

There were moments that hinted at just how special his glove could be. Early in his career, he made a diving stop down the third-base line, spun, and fired home to cut down a runner, a play so impressive that manager Red Schoendienst called it the best he had ever seen from a third baseman.

Teammates marveled at his ability to make throws from impossible angles, sometimes appearing to release the ball without even looking. What really set Reitz apart, though, was his ability to cleanly handle the routine grounders, inning after inning, game after game.

While defense defined him, Reitz strengthened his skills at the plate throughout his career. After his difficult rookie season, he improved steadily, becoming a reliable contributor in the Cardinals’ lineup. His batting average climbed into the .260s and .270s, and his run production increased each year. From 1973 through 1977, his RBI totals rose from 42 to a career-high 79, reflecting a player who understood his role and grew into it.

The 1977 season represented the peak of his offensive contributions. He hit 17 home runs and delivered his most complete year at the plate. That season also included one of the most remarkable games of his career. In a June doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Reitz drove in eight runs in the second game, hitting a grand slam and a three-run home run. It was an explosion of offense from a player known primarily for his defense, and it remains one of the most productive single-game performances in Cardinals history.

Two years earlier, in 1975, Reitz earned the Gold Glove Award for his defensive excellence. Yet that same offseason brought an unexpected twist. The Cardinals, seeking to strengthen their pitching staff and make room for a promising prospect, traded Reitz to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Pete Falcone. From a roster-building perspective, the move had logic. From a practical standpoint, it left a void. Reitz had been a stabilizing force at third base, and replacing that kind of reliability proved more difficult than anticipated.

For Reitz, the trade was both surprising and personal. He had established himself in St. Louis and expected to remain there. Though returning to his hometown had its appeal, the experience with the Giants lacked the connection he had felt with the Cardinals. Within a year, St. Louis reversed course, bringing him back in a deal that sent Lynn McGlothen to San Francisco.

His return in 1977 immediately restored stability. Reitz resumed his role as the club’s defensive anchor while delivering his best offensive season. Over the next several years, he continued to set the standard at third base, leading the league in fielding percentage multiple times and establishing new benchmarks for defensive efficiency.

In 1977, he committed just nine errors in more than 150 games. In 1980, he was even better, committing only eight. His career fielding percentage of .970 stood as the best ever recorded by a National League third baseman at the time of his retirement.

The 1980 season also brought his only All-Star selection. He began the year hitting over .400 into mid-May before settling at .270, and his steady performance earned him a starting role in the All-Star Game. It was long-overdue recognition for a player whose contributions often went unnoticed outside of St. Louis.

Even in a career defined by consistency, Reitz produced moments of drama. In September 1974, he hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning against the Mets, extending a game that would stretch to 25 innings, one of the longest in major league history. It was a rare flash of late-game heroics from a player whose value was usually measured in quieter ways.

Reitz remained the Cardinals’ primary third baseman through 1980, appearing in more than 1,100 games for the organization. His time in St. Louis came to an end that December when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs as part of the deal that brought closer Bruce Sutter to the Cardinals. The trade had a significant impact on the franchise, but for Reitz, it marked the closing chapter of his Cardinals career.

His final seasons with the Cubs and later the Pittsburgh Pirates were brief and difficult. His performance declined, and he later acknowledged personal struggles that affected both his career and his life. Yet even in those challenges, the intensity with which he approached the game remained evident. He cared deeply about his performance, sometimes to an extreme, once even setting his glove on fire after a poor defensive outing.

After leaving baseball, Reitz worked to rebuild his life and remained connected to the Cardinals organization. He participated in alumni events, engaged with fans, and contributed to drug education programs, using his experiences to help others. He also found enjoyment in golf, competing in celebrity events and embracing a quieter life.

When he passed away in 2021, the tributes reflected a player who had left a lasting impression not through flash or notoriety, but through reliability. He may not have been the most celebrated player in Cardinals history, but he embodied something fundamental to the game: the importance of doing the job right, every time.

For those who watched him, the memory is simple. A ground ball hit toward third base did not create uncertainty. With Ken Reitz on the field, it was just another out waiting to happen.

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Boyer won a National League Most Valuable Player Award, starred in a World Series, claimed five Gold Gloves, earned 11 All-Star selections, and served as the longtime captain of one of baseball’s proudest franchises. For many Cardinals fans, he ranks as one of the greatest third basemen in club history and one of the most compelling Hall of Fame candidates not yet enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Born Kenton Lloyd Boyer on May 20, 1931, in Liberty, Missouri, Boyer grew up in nearby Alba in one of baseball’s most gifted families. He was one of 14 children, and seven Boyer brothers played professional baseball. Two also reached the majors: older brother Cloyd Boyer and younger brother Clete Boyer. Ken set the family standard. Even as a teenager, he ranked among the region’s best athletes, excelling in football, basketball, and baseball. During local competition, he sometimes faced another future legend from nearby Oklahoma: Mickey Mantle.

The Cardinals signed Boyer in 1949, initially as a pitcher because of his strong right arm. That experiment did not last. While he showed promise on the mound, his bat and athleticism demanded everyday use. After hitting .342 in the minors in 1950, the organization moved him permanently to third base. It proved one of the wisest positional shifts in franchise history.

Military service during the Korean War delayed his rise and cost him two seasons in the U.S. Army. When he returned, he quickly resumed his climb, starring for Double-A Houston in 1954 with a .319 average, 21 home runs, and 116 RBIs. Convinced Boyer was their future, the Cardinals traded incumbent third baseman Ray Jablonski to clear the position for him.

Boyer debuted in 1955 and homered for his first major-league hit. By 1956, he had become one of the National League’s premier young stars. Cardinals manager Fred Hutchinson offered a glowing evaluation: “He’s the kind of player you dream about: terrific speed, brute strength, a great arm. There’s nothing he can’t do. I think he has the greatest future of any young player in the league.”

What made Boyer exceptional was the completeness of his game. He could hit for average, hit for power, run, throw, and defend at an elite level. In 1957, he volunteered to move to center field so rookie Eddie Kasko could play third base. Rather than merely survive the switch, Boyer led National League outfielders in fielding percentage. Once he returned to third base in 1958, he won the first of five Gold Gloves. From 1956 through 1960, he led the league in double plays turned by a third baseman each season.

Though graceful and efficient on the field, Boyer sometimes drew criticism from those who mistook his calm demeanor for a lack of hustle.

“I know that I try, that I give everything I have,” he said. “I don’t loaf. I know that all my life people have been saying that to me, that I don’t look as if I’m trying. I guess I don’t look as if I’m putting out. But I am.”

By 1959, Boyer had become the Cardinals’ team captain, a role reflecting the respect he commanded in the clubhouse. Stan Musial later said, “Kenny Boyer was a pillar of strength in the Cardinal organization. It was kind of an understood thing that Kenny took care of the players coming into the organization. He took people under his wing.”

The Cardinals spent much of Boyer’s early career rebuilding, but as he matured, so did the franchise. Alongside emerging stars such as Curt Flood, Bill White, Bob Gibson, and Tim McCarver, Boyer helped restore St. Louis to contention.

From 1956 through 1964, Boyer ranked among baseball’s elite players. During that span, only a handful of legends — Mays, Aaron, Mantle, Eddie Mathews, and Frank Robinson — produced more value among position players. Among them, Boyer ranked sixth. He hit .299 during those years while averaging 25 home runs per season and excelling defensively. He also became the only Cardinals player since 1900 to hit for the cycle twice, accomplishing the feat in 1961 and again on the same day Lou Brock debuted with the Cardinals in 1964.

His finest season came in 1964. The Cardinals chased the Philadelphia Phillies through much of the summer before mounting one of baseball’s great September comebacks. St. Louis won 20 games that month and overtook Philadelphia to capture its first pennant in 18 years. At the center of it all stood Boyer. He batted .295, hit 24 home runs, scored 100 runs, and led the National League with 119 RBIs. He won the league MVP Award.

Then came the 1964 World Series against the New York Yankees. On the opposite side stood his younger brother Clete, the Yankees’ third baseman.

With the Cardinals trailing two games to one in the series and down 3-0 in Game 4, Boyer stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Yankees pitcher Al Downing delivered a pitch that Boyer crushed for a grand slam, turning the game and the series. It remains one of the most famous home runs in Cardinals history.

Game 7 brought another signature performance. Boyer collected three hits—including a home run and double—and scored three runs in a 7-5 Cardinals victory. Clete also homered, making it the only World Series game in which brothers have both hit home runs. Reflecting later, Clete said of the Game 4 grand slam, “When he hit that homer, I loved it.”

Back problems began limiting Boyer in 1965, and after that season the Cardinals traded their captain to the New York Mets. He later played for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers before retiring in 1969. He finished with 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, 1,141 RBIs, and a .287 batting average. At retirement, only a handful of Hall of Fame third basemen had hit more home runs.

Boyer later returned to the Cardinals as a coach, minor-league manager, scout, and eventually big-league manager from 1978 to 1980. Even after the club dismissed him as manager, he stayed with the organization in other roles rather than walk away. Few men were more deeply identified with the Cardinals.

In 1981, Boyer accepted an opportunity to manage Louisville, the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, but a devastating diagnosis of lung cancer ended those plans. He died on September 7, 1982, at just 51 years old—one month before the Cardinals won another World Series. That championship club honored him with mourning bands on their uniforms.

The Cardinals retired his No. 14 in 1984 and later inducted him into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. Yet Cooperstown has never called.

Perhaps someday it will. Boyer’s résumé already speaks loudly: captain, MVP, champion, elite defender, and cornerstone of a championship club. Whether or not the Hall ever acts, Ken Boyer’s place among the Cardinals’ immortals has long been secure.

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Pendleton’s path to St. Louis was far from conventional. Born in Los Angeles on July 16, 1960, he was not heavily recruited out of high school and began his college career at Oxnard College. The 1979 team was the first baseball team in school history, and Pendleton helped lead the program to a state championship berth. He later transferred to Fresno State University, where he became an All-American and set a school record with 98 hits in 1982. His performance revived his professional prospects and led the Cardinals to select him in the seventh round of the 1982 draft.

Pendleton moved quickly through the Cardinals’ minor league system. Initially a second baseman, he was shifted to third base in Triple-A Louisville during the 1984 season. The move proved decisive. St. Louis believed enough in Pendleton’s future at the hot corner that the club traded incumbent third baseman Ken Oberkfell and began preparing for Pendleton’s arrival.

That opportunity came on July 18, 1984, against the San Francisco Giants. Batting sixth in his major league debut, Pendleton collected three hits in five at-bats during an 8-4 Cardinals victory. It was an immediate statement that he belonged. Over 67 games that season, he hit .324 with 20 stolen bases and finished tied for seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting. The Cardinals had found their everyday third baseman.

Pendleton entered 1985 as the starting third baseman on a St. Louis team built to contend. Managed by Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals emphasized speed, defense, and aggressive baserunning. Pendleton fit that style perfectly. Though he hit .240, he contributed 17 stolen bases and brought steady defense to the left side of the infield. One memorable moment came in June at Shea Stadium, when he hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the rival New York Mets after two outfielders collided chasing the ball.

The Cardinals captured the National League pennant that season and advanced to the 1985 World Series against the Kansas City Royals. Pendleton played a meaningful role, delivering the Cardinals’ only triple of the series in Game 4 and contributing timely offense throughout. St. Louis won three of the first four games before Kansas City rallied to win in seven.

The 1986 season brought offensive struggles for Pendleton, but it also reinforced his value. Though he hit just .239 with one home run, he stole 24 bases and excelled defensively. Cardinals management reportedly questioned his offensive production, but Herzog defended Pendleton’s importance, citing his baserunning and fielding. It was a reminder that Pendleton’s impact extended well beyond the batter’s box.

He answered all criticism in 1987 with the finest season of his Cardinals tenure. Pendleton improved his batting average to .286, finished second on the club in home runs, ranked third in RBIs, and remained one of the team’s best all-around contributors. His defense earned him the first Gold Glove Award of his career, the first won by a Cardinals third baseman since Ken Reitz in 1975. He also received MVP consideration as St. Louis captured another pennant.

Pendleton’s 1987 season also featured one of his most famous regular-season moments: a dramatic ninth-inning home run at Shea Stadium against the Mets during a critical September series. The blast helped preserve the Cardinals’ division lead and remains one of the signature swings of that pennant race.

In the 1987 World Series against the Minnesota Twins, Pendleton was limited by a rib cage injury. Even so, his switch-hitting ability allowed him to serve as a designated hitter in games at the Metrodome, where he collected three hits in seven at-bats. Again, however, the Cardinals lost in seven games.

Injuries hampered Pendleton during 1988, but he rebounded impressively in 1989. He played all 162 games, finished ninth in the National League in hits, and captured his second Gold Glove Award with a .971 fielding percentage. By then, he had firmly established himself as one of baseball’s premier defensive third basemen.

Pendleton’s final Cardinals season came in 1990. His offensive numbers declined, and rookie Todd Zeile began splitting time at third base. When the season ended, Pendleton entered free agency, closing the chapter on a significant St. Louis career.

He went on to greater individual acclaim with the Atlanta Braves, winning the 1991 National League MVP Award and helping launch their run of dominance. Yet Pendleton often spoke fondly of St. Louis, crediting the Cardinals organization for teaching him how to play winning baseball.

In seven seasons with the Cardinals, Pendleton helped win two National League pennants, reached two World Series, won two Gold Gloves, and became a respected clubhouse leader. He may have reached his peak elsewhere, but in St. Louis, Terry Pendleton became the player fans still remember.

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Sizemore’s path to the Cardinals reflected the versatility that would define his career. Born in Gadsden, Alabama, and raised in Detroit, he excelled in baseball, basketball, and football at Pershing High School before earning a scholarship to the University of Michigan. Skeptics said he was too small to reach the major leagues, but Sizemore countered that criticism by learning multiple positions and embracing any role available. That determination helped make him a 15th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966.

After starring in the minors, Sizemore won the 1969 National League Rookie of the Year Award with Los Angeles. Injuries slowed him in 1970, but he still hit .306 in 96 games. That winter, the Dodgers traded him to St. Louis in a deal that sent slugger Dick Allen west.

Sizemore reported to St. Louis in 1971 after minor wrist surgery and initially split time between shortstop and second base. It soon became clear that second base was his best fit. Once installed there, he gave the Cardinals dependable defense, steady at-bats, and a smart baseball presence. He hit .264 in his first season with the club while appearing in 135 games, an important accomplishment after injuries had interrupted his previous campaign.

Sizemore again batted .264 in 1972, but his value went far beyond batting average. He excelled in the subtle parts of the game that do not always show in box scores. He moved runners, made consistent contact, and understood how to handle situations. Batting behind leadoff man Lou Brock, he quickly became an ideal No. 2 hitter. Brock frequently reached base and constantly threatened to steal. Sizemore knew how to protect him, take pitches when needed, and help move him into scoring position. Some observers even described him as perhaps the best second-place hitter in the National League.

Sizemore also delivered one of the most dramatic moments of his Cardinals tenure on August 7, 1972. Leading off the bottom of the 13th inning against the New York Mets, he hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run off reliever Tug McGraw. It was a thrilling ending and a reminder that while Sizemore was not known for power, he had a knack for contributing in unexpected ways.

His finest statistical season came in 1973. After missing a brief stretch early with a hamstring injury, Sizemore returned and stayed healthy the rest of the way. He hit a career-best .282 with 54 RBIs and 69 runs scored while playing 142 games. He also led the National League with 25 sacrifice hits, perfectly illustrating his selfless approach. While many players sought to pad personal numbers, Sizemore willingly gave himself up to move runners and create scoring chances. For the Cardinals, he and Brock formed a highly effective top-of-the-order combination.

That partnership remained crucial in 1974, when Brock produced one of the most famous base-stealing seasons in baseball history, swiping a record 118 bases. Sizemore’s role in that achievement was significant. He often stood deep in the batter’s box to force catchers farther back, buying Brock extra fractions of a second. At times, he would swing late or fake a bunt to distract the defense as Brock broke for second. Brock himself credited Sizemore’s patience and awareness as important factors in his success. Those contributions rarely made headlines, but teammates understood their value.

Former Cardinals pitcher Rich Folkers later praised Sizemore as one of the best No. 2 hitters he had ever seen, noting how often he accepted two-strike counts so Brock could run. It was the kind of baseball intelligence that wins games but often goes unnoticed.

The 1974 Cardinals narrowly missed a division title, finishing just behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sizemore hit .250 that year and battled injuries, but he still played 130 games and played strong defense.

By 1975, however, the Cardinals were changing, and Sizemore’s production slipped to .240. Though still respected for his professionalism and versatility, it proved to be his last year with St. Louis. Before the 1976 season, he was traded back to Los Angeles, ending a productive five-year run with the Redbirds.

Sizemore later played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox before retiring, but St. Louis remained one of the defining chapters of his career. After baseball, he built a successful second career with Rawlings Sporting Goods and later worked with the Baseball Assistance Team, helping former players in need. In 2019, he was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.

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Javier arrived in St. Louis in May 1960, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade that would prove pivotal for both his career and the Cardinals’ future. He stepped into the lineup almost immediately and quickly established himself as the team’s everyday second baseman, a role he would hold for 12 seasons. From the beginning, his speed stood out. He was regarded as one of the fastest players in the game, and he used that quickness to impact games both offensively and defensively.

In 1962, he produced one of his finest seasons, stealing 26 bases and scoring 97 runs while helping drive the Cardinals’ offense from the top of the order. Over time, he developed into a reliable hitter who could bunt, move runners, and deliver in key situations, even if he was not known for power.

It was in the field, however, that Javier truly distinguished himself. Nicknamed “The Phantom,” he earned a reputation as one of the finest defensive second basemen of his era. The nickname reflected his uncanny ability to turn double plays and avoid oncoming baserunners. As longtime Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck once explained, Javier would release the ball and move out of harm’s way so quickly that runners rarely came close to touching him. He seemed to vanish. Teammates and opponents alike marveled at his timing, footwork, and quick hands, and his range allowed him to reach balls few others could handle.

Javier’s contributions were central to the Cardinals’ rise in the 1960s. In 1964, he helped the team complete a dramatic late-season surge to capture the National League pennant. Although a hip injury limited his role in the World Series against the New York Yankees, the Cardinals claimed the championship, and Javier had played an important role in getting them there.

After battling injuries and inconsistent offensive production in the mid-1960s, Javier rebounded in 1967 with one of the best seasons of his career. He hit .281 with a career-high 14 home runs and was among the league leaders in value, helping propel the Cardinals to 101 wins and another pennant. That resurgence carried into the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, where Javier elevated his play on the game’s biggest stage.

In a series that featured standout performances from stars like Bob Gibson and Lou Brock, Javier was every bit their equal. He batted .360 over the seven games and played superb defense, contributing to nearly every phase of the Cardinals’ success. His defining moment came in Game 7 at Fenway Park. With the Cardinals leading 4–1 in the sixth inning and two runners on base, Boston expected him to bunt. Instead, Javier swung away and connected on a pitch from Jim Lonborg, sending a three-run home run over the Green Monster. The blast extended the lead to 7–1 and effectively secured the championship.

It was a moment that captured Javier’s understated greatness. Known primarily for defense and situational hitting, he delivered one of the most important home runs in franchise history at the most critical time. Some of his teammates believed his overall performance in the series warranted Most Valuable Player honors.

Javier continued to be a steady contributor as the Cardinals returned to the World Series in 1968. Though the team fell to the Detroit Tigers, he again performed well, batting .333 in the series. Throughout his Cardinals career, he maintained a reputation for rising to the occasion, hitting significantly better in postseason play than during the regular season.

By the early 1970s, as the roster evolved and younger players emerged, Javier’s role began to diminish. After the 1971 season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he finished his career as a part-time player. Yet his legacy in St. Louis was already firmly established. Over 12 seasons with the Cardinals, he contributed to three National League pennants and two World Series titles, while recording more than 1,400 hits and establishing himself as one of the franchise’s most reliable infielders.

Javier’s career numbers only tell part of the story. His value lay in the details: the perfectly timed double play, the sacrifice bunt that advanced a runner, the quick pivot that avoided a collision, and the unexpected swing that changed a game. He was a player whose contributions often revealed themselves not in headlines, but in victories.

In 2022, the Cardinals honored that legacy by inducting him into their Hall of Fame. It was a fitting recognition for a player who spent years doing the subtle, essential work that championship teams require.

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Born October 20, 1953, in San Francisco and raised in nearby San Bruno, Hernandez grew up in a baseball household. His father, John Hernandez, had once been a promising prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system before eye trouble ended his playing career. Baseball remained central to the family, and Keith spent countless hours honing his skills. In his autobiography, he recalled standing on the lawn as a child, throwing a tennis ball against the garage wall, imagining himself as a major league star.

The Cardinals drafted Hernandez in the 42nd round of the 1971 amateur draft, a selection that initially seemed insignificant. Hernandez himself later acknowledged how unusual his signing bonus was for such a late pick. “Usually, guys taken that late aren’t even signed,” he wrote.

The organization quickly learned it had made a wise investment. Hernandez moved steadily through the Cardinals’ farm system and debuted in the majors in 1974. Early on, his reputation centered as much on his glove as on his bat. Managers and teammates noticed how effortlessly he handled the responsibilities of first base. Years later, Whitey Herzog would reflect on Hernandez’s defensive brilliance, saying he was “the greatest defensive first baseman I’ve ever seen.”

Hernandez’s defensive excellence became a constant throughout his career. Between 1978 and 1988, he won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves, the longest streak ever by a first baseman and a remarkable testament to both his athleticism and his preparation. His fielding ability was not simply about quick reflexes or soft hands. Teammates often remarked on his positioning, his anticipation, and his deep understanding of opposing hitters.

Pitcher Bob Forsch once described how valuable Hernandez could be during games. “When Keith Hernandez talked out there, I listened,” Forsch recalled. Hernandez would sometimes approach the mound and explain how a hitter should be pitched. “He was very astute about watching hitters hit.”

While Hernandez quickly became known for his defense, his offensive development took a little longer. That changed dramatically in 1979. At age 25, Hernandez produced one of the most impressive seasons in Cardinals history. He batted .344 to win the National League batting title, led the league with 48 doubles and 116 runs scored, collected 210 hits, and drove in 105 runs. Just as important, he reached base at a remarkable .408 clip, one of the highest on-base percentages in the league that year and a reflection of the disciplined approach that defined his offensive game.

The season culminated in an unprecedented moment in baseball history. Hernandez and Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell finished tied in the National League MVP voting – the first tie in the award’s history. Hernandez embraced the shared honor with humility. “A tie makes it all the better because Willie’s a great man,” he said. “It’s an honor just to have my name next to his.”

The MVP season elevated Hernandez from a promising player to the centerpiece of the Cardinals’ lineup. St. Louis rewarded him with a five-year contract worth roughly $3.8 million, making him the highest-paid player in franchise history at the time.

Hernandez remained a key figure in St. Louis throughout the early 1980s. Between 1979 and 1982, he was among the National League’s most consistent hitters, regularly finishing near the league leaders in batting average, doubles, and on-base percentage. By the time he left the Cardinals, he had compiled a .299 batting average in a St. Louis uniform and established himself as one of the club’s most dependable offensive performers. Modern statistical measures underscore his importance during those seasons: Hernandez accumulated more than 30 wins above replacement during his tenure with the Cardinals, placing him among the most valuable first basemen in franchise history.

His best moments with the Cardinals came during the club’s championship season in 1982.

That year, under Herzog’s aggressive “Whiteyball” style, the Cardinals combined speed, defense, and situational hitting to win the National League pennant. Hernandez served as the club’s steady offensive anchor, batting .299 with 94 RBIs while providing his usual Gold Glove defense at first base.

In the postseason, he was just as valuable. During the National League Championship Series against Atlanta, the Cardinals swept the Braves to reach the World Series. In the seven-game Fall Classic against Milwaukee, Hernandez drove in eight runs as St. Louis captured its first championship since 1967.

Despite his success, Hernandez admitted that the pressure of the World Series affected him deeply. Looking back on the decisive Game 7, he remembered standing at first base as closer Bruce Sutter prepared to secure the final outs.

“I had a pit, a knot, in my stomach,” Hernandez recalled. “I couldn’t even bend over to get in my fielding position. I was out there at first base thinking, ‘Don’t hit the ball to me.’”

The moment perfectly captured the emotional stakes of the championship run. When Sutter finally recorded the final out, the Cardinals had completed one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history—and Hernandez had been central to it.

Yet Hernandez’s relationship with the Cardinals was never entirely smooth. In his memoirs, Herzog wrote that by 1983, Hernandez remained an exceptional defender but had begun to change in other areas of his game.

“I’ve never seen a ballplayer bear down as much at first base as he does,” Herzog said. “But on offense, he was loafing.”

The manager also criticized Hernandez’s preparation habits, claiming that during batting practice he would sometimes return to the clubhouse to relax.

“His practice habits were atrocious,” Herzog wrote. “He’d come out for batting practice, then head back to the clubhouse to smoke cigarettes and do crossword puzzles.”

Hernandez strongly disputed those characterizations later in his career, insisting that crossword puzzles were simply a way to relax before games.

Despite the tension, Hernandez remained an outstanding player. Even Herzog acknowledged that Hernandez and George Brett were the two best hit-and-run hitters he had ever managed, adding that Hernandez was “a very intelligent ballplayer.”

Still, in June 1983, the Cardinals traded Hernandez to the New York Mets for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.

The news stunned many Cardinals fans. When the trade announcement appeared on the Busch Stadium message board, it was met with loud boos from the crowd. Hernandez, however, later said he had sensed the deal coming.

“I could tell a trade was coming,” he recalled. “I knew I wasn’t in Whitey’s good graces.”

The trade became one of the most debated transactions in Cardinals history. Herzog later defended the decision bluntly, saying that removing Hernandez from the clubhouse had been “addition by subtraction.”

Hernandez, for his part, always maintained a complicated affection for the organization that drafted and developed him. “I grew up a Cardinal,” he once said. “I was taught the Cardinal way to play… the pride it was to be a Cardinal.”

The trade did not mark the end of Hernandez’s success – it simply shifted the stage. In New York, he quickly became the stabilizing presence the Mets had been searching for. In 1984, his first full season with the club, Hernandez batted .311 with 15 home runs, won another Gold Glove, captured a Silver Slugger Award, and finished second in the National League MVP voting. The Mets won 90 games that season, their first strong showing in years, and Hernandez’s leadership and steady play were widely credited with helping transform the culture of the franchise.

Two years later, Hernandez again found himself at the center of a championship run. The 1986 Mets won 108 games and then survived a dramatic postseason that included a six-game National League Championship Series victory over the Houston Astros and a seven-game World Series triumph over the Boston Red Sox. Hernandez played a significant role throughout October. He collected seven hits and three RBIs in the NLCS and delivered key offensive moments in the World Series, including a two-run single in Game 7 that helped erase a 3–0 Boston lead.

Over the course of his 17-year major league career, Hernandez accumulated 2,182 hits, 162 home runs, and 1,071 RBIs while posting a .296 lifetime batting average and a .384 on-base percentage. Yet the foundation of that career was built in St. Louis.

During his nine seasons with the Cardinals, he had established himself as one of the finest players in the National League. He won the 1979 batting title with a .344 average, shared the league’s MVP Award with Willie Stargell, captured multiple Gold Gloves, and helped lead the Cardinals to the 1982 World Series championship. He is also one of the very few first basemen in Cardinals history to win both a batting title and a Most Valuable Player Award while wearing the uniform.

Those years also produced one of the most respected defensive reputations in baseball history. Whitey Herzog—who had clashed with Hernandez but never doubted his ability—once summed up his view of the first baseman simply: Hernandez was “the greatest defensive first baseman I’ve ever seen.”

Even after his playing career ended, Hernandez continued to maintain a connection to the game, becoming a broadcaster and one of the most recognizable figures in Mets history. Yet he never forgot where his career truly took shape.

“I grew up a Cardinal,” Hernandez once said, reflecting on the organization that drafted and developed him. “It was so ingrained in you the pride it was to be a Cardinal.”

In recognition of that legacy, Hernandez was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2021, an honor that formally cemented his place in franchise history. The induction acknowledged not only his statistical achievements but also the influence he had on the Cardinals teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Keith Hernandez’s career ultimately spanned far more than one city or one championship. But his years in St. Louis formed the foundation of everything that followed: the batting title, the MVP award, the Gold Gloves, and the championship that confirmed him as one of the most complete first basemen the game has ever seen.

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The St. Louis Cardinals, still searching for consistent middle-of-the-order thunder in the post-Whitey Herzog years, took a calculated swing when they acquired Guerrero from the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-hander John Tudor in August 1988.

Guerrero’s path to St. Louis was never conventional. Born June 29, 1956, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, he grew up in circumstances that demanded adult responsibilities early. As a teenager, he left school to help support his family, working in the island’s rum industry and cutting cane for wages that underscored how far removed his world was from major-league stadium lights. Baseball, like it was for so many young players in the Dominican Republic, offered a different kind of possibility.

Latin scouting pioneer Reggie Otero, then working for the Cleveland Indians, saw a wiry teenager with broad shoulders and room to grow, and he signed Guerrero with a modest bonus. Not long after, the Dodgers obtained Guerrero in an April 1974 trade for minor-league left-hander Bruce Ellingsen, a deal that became a defining heist for Los Angeles.

For years, the Dodgers let that bat ripen in the minors, not because Guerrero lacked ability, but because the major-league roster was stacked and Los Angeles had the luxury of patience. Guerrero hit everywhere he went, flashing both average and power, and even when a fractured ankle in 1977 disrupted his timeline, he kept advancing through the Dodgers’ system. He reached the majors late in 1978, collected his first hit in a pinch-hitting appearance, and began carving out a role that quickly expanded beyond a bench spot.

By 1981, Guerrero was no longer a curiosity. With an opening in right field and his offensive numbers surging, he became a central figure on a Dodgers club that navigated a strike-split season, survived October pressure, and won the World Series. Guerrero’s defining moment came in Game 6 against the Yankees, when he drove the offense with a triple, a homer, and a bases-loaded single. By the end of the night, he had amassed five RBIs and eight total bases, and he shared World Series MVP honors with teammates Ron Cey and Steve Yeager.

Over the next several seasons, Guerrero established himself as a rare hitter who could pair impact power with a threatening batting average. In 1982, he won a Silver Slugger and became the first Dodger to hit 30 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season, then repeated the 30/20 combination again in 1983. His peak as a pure offensive force arrived in the mid-1980s, when he was capable of carrying a lineup for weeks at a time.

His 1987 season, his last full campaign in Los Angeles, underscored that he remained an elite offensive force. Guerrero hit .338 with 27 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .955 OPS, ranking among the league’s best. Even as injuries had interrupted earlier seasons, his bat had not diminished.

He carried that impact into 1988. In 59 games with the Dodgers before the August trade, Guerrero was hitting .298 with five home runs and 35 RBIs, continuing to profile as a productive middle-of-the-order presence despite battling injury. After the trade to St. Louis, he hit .268 with five home runs and 30 RBIs in 44 games for the Cardinals.

The trade itself reflected two teams chasing different solutions. The Dodgers were pushing toward another postseason run and wanted rotation stability; Tudor, an accomplished left-hander, offered that. The Cardinals, sliding out of contention, chose to turn pitching into offense and acquired Guerrero, who arrived with the unusual profile of a player who had already been a postseason centerpiece and was still producing at a high level.

Guerrero’s time with the Cardinals effectively began in earnest in 1989, and it was the season that defined his St. Louis chapter. Installed primarily at first base, he delivered what the club had hoped it was buying: a long, productive summer of run production and authoritative contact. He hit .311, drove in a career-high 117 runs, and tied for the National League lead with 42 doubles. St. Louis did not win the division, but the Cardinals stayed relevant deep into the year, and Guerrero’s at-bats were central to that push.

Teammates and opponents alike understood what kind of hitter he was in that season’s biggest moments. Joe Magrane, a left-handed pitcher on that 1989 club, later described Guerrero as one of the best clutch hitters he had seen with two strikes, a player who could spoil borderline pitches, work himself back into a count, and then flick a slider the other way for a single when a defense was desperate for an out. That ability to extend an at-bat and still do damage was part of what made Guerrero so valuable to St. Louis in 1989: the Cardinals had seen plenty of sluggers over the years, but fewer who could blend power with situational discipline in the middle of the lineup.

The numbers reinforced the feel of it. The 42 doubles led the National League and showed how often Guerrero squared the ball up and drove it with authority, turning good contact into extra bases and run-scoring opportunities. His 117 RBIs that season marked a career best.

In 1990, Guerrero’s production was a step down from his 1989 peak, but it was far from a collapse. He hit .281 with 13 home runs and 80 RBIs, and those 80 RBIs led the Cardinals that season.

In 1991, Guerrero continued to contribute, hitting .272 and driving in 70 runs, though the physical toll became harder to ignore. A collision with Cardinals catcher Tom Pagnozzi on a foul ball resulted in a hairline fracture in Guerrero’s right leg, and even though he pushed through the moment to deliver late-inning run production in that game, the larger season reflected a player fighting his body as much as opposing pitching. By 1992, shoulder trouble limited him to just 43 games, and the end came quietly: one home run, a .219 average, and the understanding that his time in the majors was complete.

Across four-plus seasons in St. Louis, Guerrero hit .282 with 44 homers and 313 RBIs.

Guerrero arrived as a proven star who was still performing at a high level, delivered one of the most productive seasons of his career in 1989, and remained the club’s leading run producer into 1990 before injuries gradually narrowed his impact. His Cardinals years may have been shorter than his Dodgers tenure, but they were neither accidental nor ceremonial. For several seasons, Pedro Guerrero was exactly what St. Louis had hoped for: a veteran hitter with the ability to drive in runs in an offense that was otherwise light on middle-of-the-order bats.

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White was born on January 28, 1934, in the Florida Panhandle and raised in Warren, Ohio, after his mother joined the Black migration north when he was three years old. He grew up in segregated public housing, excelled academically, and graduated as president and salutatorian of his high school class.

Baseball was not originally meant to be his life’s work—he enrolled at Hiram College with plans to study pre-med—but his left-handed swing altered that path. By the time he retired 13 seasons later, White had become an eight-time All-Star, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, and a World Series champion. The heart of that résumé was built in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform.

White signed with the New York Giants in 1953 after an impressive tryout with manager (and former Cardinals shortstop) Leo Durocher. His climb through the minor leagues was productive but difficult. As the only black player on his Carolina League club in 1953, he endured racial abuse that he later described as the worst period of his life. He responded with 20 home runs and a .298 average, and continued rising through the system.

In 1956, he debuted in the major leagues and famously homered in his first at-bat. Military service interrupted his momentum, and when he returned, the Giants had moved to San Francisco and were stocked at first base with Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey. On March 25, 1959, White was traded to St. Louis.

He did not initially welcome the destination. The Cardinals already had left-handed first basemen, including Stan Musial, transitioning to the position late in his career, and St. Louis had a complicated racial climate. White later acknowledged, however, that the trade became one of the best developments of his life.

White’s first season in St. Louis demonstrated his immediate value. In 1959, splitting time between first base and the outfield, he hit .302 and earned his first All-Star selection. Over the next several seasons, he established himself as the Cardinals’ everyday first baseman and one of the National League’s most consistent hitters. From 1959 through 1965, he never hit below .283 in a Cardinals uniform and surpassed .300 four times. His best statistical year came in 1963, when he collected 200 hits, scored 106 runs, hit 27 home runs, and drove in 109 runs while batting .304. The season before, in 1962, he hit .324 with 20 home runs and 102 RBIs, posting a career-best .868 OPS and finishing 13th in MVP voting.

Those numbers were not isolated spikes but part of a remarkably steady run. During the 1962–64 seasons, White posted batting averages of .324, .304, and .303. He recorded 199, 200, and 191 hits across those three campaigns. His RBI totals during that span—102, 109, and 102—reflect a player who could be penciled into the middle of the lineup without hesitation. In an era when offense fluctuated widely from season to season, White’s production was metronomic.

Equally significant was his defense. White won seven consecutive Gold Gloves from 1960 through 1966, the first five coming while he was a Cardinal. He combined soft hands with quick footwork around the bag, stretching for errant throws and converting borderline plays into outs. First base in the early 1960s was often associated primarily with offense, but White elevated expectations for the position.

White also delivered singular highlights. He hit for the cycle on August 14, 1960. In July 1961, he hit three home runs in a game. Later that month, he tied a major league record by collecting 14 hits across consecutive doubleheaders against the Chicago Cubs at Sportsman’s Park. The accomplishment linked his name to Ty Cobb in the record books and underscored the offensive explosiveness he could summon, even amid his typically steady production.

The apex of White’s Cardinals career came in 1964. That season, St. Louis mounted a dramatic late surge to capture the National League pennant from the Philadelphia Phillies. White began the year slowly but surged in the second half, raising his average from .263 at the All-Star break to .303 by season’s end. In the final regular-season game, with the pennant at stake, he singled, scored the go-ahead run, and later hit a two-run homer as the Cardinals clinched the title. He finished third in National League MVP voting behind Boyer and Philadelphia’s Johnny Callison.

In the World Series against the New York Yankees, White’s individual batting line was modest, but his role throughout the season had already helped position the Cardinals for their first championship since 1946. St. Louis prevailed in seven games, with Bob Gibson delivering a dominant Game 7 performance. White contributed two hits and scored a run in that deciding contest. That championship secured his place in franchise history.

White’s Cardinals tenure also intersected with significant social change. During spring training in Florida, segregation still shaped daily life well into the early 1960s. Black Cardinals players were housed separately in St. Petersburg, and when a Chamber of Commerce event excluded them, White publicly challenged the injustice. His willingness to speak out helped force changes in accommodations and fostered visible solidarity within the team. Teammates moved into integrated lodging, families gathered together, and the Cardinals’ spring home became, briefly, a demonstration of integration in practice.

After the 1965 season, the Cardinals traded White to Philadelphia as part of a six-player deal. He went on to play three productive seasons with the Phillies, including a 22-home run, 103-RBI campaign in 1966 before an Achilles tendon injury diminished his effectiveness. He returned to St. Louis in 1969 to conclude his playing career primarily as a reserve.

Over 13 major league seasons, White compiled a .286 batting average with 202 home runs and 870 RBIs in 1,673 games. He was selected to eight All-Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves. Yet his six full prime seasons with the Cardinals remain the statistical and emotional center of his career. In St. Louis, he produced 111 home runs and more than 600 RBIs while batting .303. He helped bridge the closing chapter of Musial’s career and the rise of Gibson’s dominance. He was, for several seasons, one of the National League’s most complete first basemen.

White’s impact did not end with his final at-bat. He became the first regular black play-by-play broadcaster for a major league team when he joined the Yankees’ broadcast booth in 1971. Later, in 1989, he was elected president of the National League, becoming the first black executive to head a major professional sports league.

In 2020, White was elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. His legacy in St. Louis is defined by consistency, defensive excellence, and championship contribution. His career extended across playing fields, broadcast booths, and executive offices, but his years at first base for the Cardinals remain the foundation of his enduring place in the game’s history.

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Born in Galveston, Texas, Carpenter grew up in a baseball-centered household. His father, Rick Carpenter, was a longtime high school coach, and Matt developed his game at Fort Bend Elkins High School, where he helped lead a national championship team and set school records for hits. After graduation, he enrolled at TCU, where his collegiate career took an unexpected turn. An elbow injury required Tommy John surgery (rare at the time for a position player) and forced Carpenter to redshirt. The setback coincided with weight gain and uncertainty about his professional future.

That adversity proved formative. Carpenter recommitted himself physically and mentally, reshaping both his body and approach. By the end of his college career, he had rewritten portions of TCU’s record book, finishing second in school history in hits and doubles while setting marks for games played and at-bats. Despite those accomplishments, he entered the 2009 draft with little leverage and signed with St. Louis for a modest bonus.

Carpenter advanced rapidly through the Cardinals system, earning Organizational Player of the Year honors in 2010 after batting .316 at Double-A Springfield. By 2011, he was in Triple-A Memphis, posting a .417 on-base percentage before making his major league debut that June. Although he appeared in just seven games that season, he received a World Series ring when the Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers.

His first extended opportunity arrived in 2012, when injuries opened roster space. Carpenter filled in primarily at first base and quickly made an impression, including a four-hit, five-RBI performance against the Chicago Cubs. In that year’s postseason, he homered off Matt Cain during the National League Championship Series after entering the game for an injured Carlos Beltrán, underscoring his ability to contribute in high-leverage moments.

Carpenter’s breakout came in 2013. Shifted to second base, he emerged as the Cardinals’ everyday leadoff hitter and one of the most productive players in the National League. He led Major League Baseball in hits (199), doubles (55), and runs scored (126) while batting .318 with a .392 on-base percentage. That performance earned him his first All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger Award (the first ever by a Cardinals second baseman) and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting. St. Louis captured the National League pennant that season before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

The Cardinals rewarded Carpenter with a long-term extension in 2014, and he continued to anchor the top of the lineup while rotating between second base, third base, and first. His offensive profile, marked by elite plate discipline, high walk totals, and consistent extra-base power, became a defining feature of the Cardinals’ identity throughout the decade.

Carpenter was especially impactful in October. Across his postseason career, he appeared in 56 playoff games, hitting six home runs and driving in 21 runs. During the 2014 National League Division Series, he delivered multiple key at-bats against Clayton Kershaw, including a home run and a bases-clearing double that helped swing the series in St. Louis’ favor. That postseason is also remembered for Matt Adams’ decisive homer in Game 4, with Carpenter frequently setting the table in front of him.

His peak power season arrived in 2018, following an early slump that saw his average dip below .150 in May. Carpenter responded with one of the most dramatic midseason turnarounds in franchise history. On July 20 at Wrigley Field, he authored one of the greatest single games ever by a Cardinal: three home runs, two doubles, 16 total bases, and seven RBIs in a 5-for-5 performance against the Cubs. He finished that season with career highs in home runs (36) and slugging percentage, earning MVP consideration and national recognition.

From 2013 through 2018, Carpenter consistently ranked among league leaders in walks and on-base percentage while also providing increasing power. He topped 20 home runs in three separate seasons and led the National League in doubles twice. Defensively, he logged significant innings at three infield positions, giving St. Louis flexibility as rosters evolved.

By 2019, however, injuries and declining production began to take their toll. Back and shoulder issues limited his effectiveness, and the shortened 2020 season proved particularly challenging. After Carpenter hit just .169 in 2021, the Cardinals declined his option, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.

His journey then took him through several organizations. After a brief stint in the Texas Rangers’ system, Carpenter reinvented himself with the Yankees in 2022, delivering a surprising surge of power that included a franchise record for home runs in a player’s first 30 games. He followed that with a season in San Diego before being released in late 2023.

In January 2024, Carpenter returned to St. Louis on a one-year contract. Though used primarily in a reserve and mentoring role, he provided veteran leadership to a younger roster and finished the season batting .234 with four home runs.

Over 14 major league seasons, Carpenter compiled a .259 batting average with 179 home runs, more than 1,250 hits, and nearly 700 RBIs. His Cardinals tenure alone included 159 homers, 308 doubles, and a .366 on-base percentage, placing him among the franchise’s most productive hitters of the modern era. Remarkably, he spent his entire career on winning teams, with St. Louis finishing above .500 in all 12 of his seasons with the club.

In May 2025, Carpenter formally announced his retirement. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play for multiple organizations while emphasizing how meaningful his years in St. Louis had been.

Eligible for the Cardinals Hall of Fame beginning in 2028, Carpenter leaves behind a legacy defined by adaptability, positional versatility, and one of the most disciplined offensive approaches of his generation. From a lightly recruited college senior to a cornerstone of multiple postseason teams, his career traced an arc that mirrored much of the Cardinals’ success in the 2010s – steady, professional, and consistently competitive.

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Born August 31, 1988, in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, Adams did not emerge from a traditional baseball hotbed and drew limited recruiting attention coming out of Philipsburg-Osceola High School in Centre County. He instead enrolled at Slippery Rock University, where he flourished.

A three-time first-team All–Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference selection, Adams earned Division II National Player of the Year honors in 2009 while setting school records in batting average (.453) and slugging percentage (.746). He left Slippery Rock as one of the most decorated players in program history, embracing an underdog identity that would define his professional climb.

The Cardinals selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft—699th overall—and immediately saw more than just raw power. At every minor-league stop he produced, culminating in a breakout 2011 season at Double-A Springfield, where he hit .300 with 32 home runs and 101 RBIs to earn Texas League MVP and Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year honors.

That same summer, Adams devoted himself to improving defensively, spending countless afternoons refining his footwork around first base to quiet doubts about whether he could handle the position at the major-league level.

He reached St. Louis on May 20, 2012, just months after Albert Pujols departed in free agency. Adams went 2-for-4 in his debut and homered six days later, though an elbow injury shortened his rookie season. By 2013, ironically nicknamed “Big City” for his imposing 6-foot-3 frame and rural upbringing, Adams had carved out a meaningful role. He finished his rookie campaign with 17 home runs in only 296 at-bats and supplied a pivotal October swing in the NLDS against Pittsburgh, crushing a three-run homer that helped propel the Cardinals toward another National League pennant.

With roster changes opening everyday at-bats in 2014, Adams stepped into a larger role and delivered. That summer showcased not only his power, but his knack for producing when margins were thin. From June 13–16, he became the first Cardinal since Ozzie Smith in 1988 to drive in the game-winning run in four consecutive games, homering three times against Washington pitching before snapping a tie with an RBI single against the Mets. The streak demonstrated that Adams was a hitter who repeatedly answered high-leverage moments.

That theme reached its peak in October.

In Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cardinals trailed 2–0 entering the seventh inning. On the mound stood Clayton Kershaw, the reigning National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, working on three days’ rest and in command. St. Louis had managed only one hit through six innings before two softly struck balls deflected off Dodgers infielders’ gloves to bring the go-ahead run to the plate.

Adams stepped in carrying a modest track record against left-handed pitching. On Kershaw’s second pitch, however, the Dodgers ace hung a curveball that lacked its usual bite. Adams did not square it perfectly, but he got just enough, lifting a three-run homer into the Cardinals’ bullpen in right-center field. Busch Stadium erupted as one swing flipped elimination into celebration. Rookie Marco Gonzales earned the win, Trevor Rosenthal closed it out, and St. Louis advanced to its fourth consecutive National League Championship Series. The homer remains one of the defining postseason moments of the decade and the most iconic swing of Adams’ Cardinals career.

Injuries and roster dynamics later reshaped Adams’ time in St. Louis. A torn quadriceps limited him in 2015, though he rebounded with 27 home runs in 2016. Heading into 2017, everyday opportunities disappeared when the club shifted personnel, and on May 20, 2017, the Cardinals traded Adams and cash considerations to the Atlanta Braves for teenage prospect Juan Yepez. The move gave Adams a chance to play regularly, something St. Louis could no longer provide.

He made the most of it, thriving in Atlanta before signing with the Washington Nationals, where he became part of their 2019 World Series championship club. What followed reflected the winding path of a veteran slugger determined to keep playing: additional big-league stops, Triple-A, independent ball, and eventually the Mexican League, where Adams spent the summer of 2024 commuting across the border to play for Toros de Tijuana while still chasing one last return to the majors.

Across parts of 10 major league seasons, Adams appeared in 856 games, compiling 624 hits, 118 home runs, 399 RBIs, and 297 runs scored, while finishing with a .258 batting average, .306 on-base percentage, and .463 slugging percentage (.769 OPS).

To provide additional context, Adams spent much of his career in platoon roles, pinch-hitting assignments, or part-time duty, yet still produced nearly 120 home runs. Of those, 59 came as a Cardinal, and all four of his postseason home runs were hit wearing the birds on the bat – none larger than the three-run blast off Kershaw. His ability to change games with one swing defined his value, particularly for a player who rarely enjoyed uninterrupted, everyday at-bats.

After a 15-year professional career that included 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, Adams announced his retirement in September 2024. Living in St. Louis since 2016, he reached out to Cardinals leadership with a simple request: to retire where it all began. The organization arranged a ceremonial one-day contract, allowing Adams to close his playing career as a Cardinal.

Standing again at Busch Stadium, Adams reflected on a journey that carried him from a small Pennsylvania town to baseball’s biggest stages.

“This Wednesday, I’ll be back at Busch Stadium, where it all started—the place that made me ‘Big City,’” Adams said in his retirement announcement. “Surrounded by family, friends, and the organization that believed in me—the big kid from Slippery Rock, an underdog from Philipsburg, PA—I have the honor of retiring a St. Louis Cardinal.”

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Born October 17, 1970, in Chesapeake City, Maryland, Mabry graduated from Bohemia Manor High School before playing three seasons of Division I baseball at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. There, he emerged as a prototype multi-position defender with a developing bat. The Cardinals selected him in the sixth round of the 1991 amateur draft, launching a professional career that ultimately spanned 14 major league seasons.

Mabry made his major league debut on April 23, 1994, against Houston, collecting his first career hit—a double—and driving in a run while playing right field. Though he appeared in only six games that season, he hit .304 and positioned himself for a larger role. That opportunity arrived in 1995, when he became the Cardinals’ primary first baseman and one of the National League’s most productive rookies. He batted .307 with a .347 on-base percentage but slugged only .405, reinforcing the early assessment of him as a hitter for average rather than power. Of his 119 hits that year, 92 were singles. Even so, he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, establishing himself as a dependable everyday presence.

His most complete season followed in 1996, a pivotal year for both Mabry and the Cardinals. Under manager Tony La Russa, St. Louis captured the National League Central Division title and advanced to the National League Championship Series. Mabry logged career highs in games (151) and at-bats (543), led the club with 161 hits, and added 30 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, and 74 RBIs while hitting .297 with a .342 on-base percentage. Defensively, he ranked among the National League’s most reliable first basemen with a .994 fielding percentage, complementing a lineup anchored by Ray Lankford, Brian Jordan, and Gary Gaetti.

Mabry’s signature Cardinals moment came on May 18, 1996, at Coors Field. Entering the game with only one career triple and six home runs, he was an unlikely candidate to hit for the cycle. Yet he opened the second inning with a single, doubled down the right-field line in the fourth, tripled over the head of Rockies center fielder Larry Walker in the fifth, and capped the night with a two-run homer in the seventh. The feat made him just the 18th Cardinal in franchise history to hit for the cycle and the first since Lankford in 1991. Mabry admitted afterward that he had not even realized what he had accomplished, believing teammates were simply congratulating him on the home run.

His offensive growth continued in 1997 under hitting coach George Hendrick, who encouraged him to attack first-pitch fastballs. From May 19 through June 9, Mabry compiled a 20-game hitting streak, batting .418 and raising his average from .240 to .309. The streak, which included 10 multi-hit games, was the longest by a Cardinal since Willie McGee in 1990. During that stretch, La Russa remarked that Mabry was “seeing that ball like it’s huge,” while Mabry characteristically deflected the praise.

After the 1998 season, Mabry became a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners on December 30, 1998. His departure marked the end of his first Cardinals chapter. He was later traded by Seattle to the San Diego Padres in July 2000 and granted free agency that October.

In January 2001, Mabry returned to St. Louis on a free-agent contract, rejoining the organization that had drafted and developed him. However, his reunion proved brief. Just days into the season, the Cardinals faced a roster squeeze. Veteran Bobby Bonilla was returning from the disabled list, and the club was determined to keep rookie first baseman Albert Pujols on the major league roster rather than send him to the minors. With limited flexibility, the Cardinals sent Mabry to the Florida Marlins on April 9, 2001, for cash considerations.

Mabry continued his career with the Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, and a return stint with Seattle before signing again with St. Louis prior to the 2004 season. That third Cardinals chapter proved meaningful. Transitioning into a highly valued bench role, Mabry hit 13 home runs in part-time duty for the 2004 club that won the National League pennant. Though the Cardinals were swept in the World Series, Mabry’s veteran presence and left-handed power provided depth to a roster loaded with star talent.

He returned again in 2005, serving primarily as a pinch-hitter and finishing the season batting .265 in that role. In total, Mabry played eight seasons with St. Louis across three stints (1994–98, 2001, and 2004–05), hitting .281 with 53 home runs and 272 RBIs while wearing the Birds on the Bat—18 points above his .263 career average. Over 14 major league seasons, he accumulated 898 hits, 96 home runs, and 446 RBIs while also playing for the Mariners, Padres, Marlins, Phillies, Athletics, Cubs, and Rockies.

After his playing career, Mabry spent a season as a television analyst before returning to the Cardinals in 2012 as assistant hitting coach under manager and former teammate Mike Matheny. He was promoted to hitting coach later that season and helped guide Cardinals offenses through multiple postseason runs, including a National League pennant in 2013. His coaching philosophy emphasized preparation, situational awareness, and attacking hittable pitches: principles shaped by his own development under La Russa and Hendrick.

Mabry remained with the Cardinals until 2018 and later held coaching roles with the Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Baltimore Orioles. In November 2025, he became assistant hitting coach for the Los Angeles Angels.

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Though Matheny replaced Marrero as the starter in 2000, Marrero deserves to be remembered as more than just one of the players included in the trade that acquired Adam Wainwright from the Atlanta Braves.

Over a nine-season Major League career, Marrero appeared in 724 games, batting .243 with 463 hits, 66 home runs, 261 RBIs, and 56 stolen bases. He was a former catcher who became a true utility regular—capable of contributing offensively while moving around the diamond—and his baseball identity was shaped in St. Louis, where the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him, developed him, and relied on him during a transitional era.

Before injuries and role changes defined his big-league career, Marrero was one of the Cardinals’ most highly regarded prospects of the late 1990s.

In 1997, Baseball America ranked Marrero as the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals system, trailing only pitchers Matt Morris and Braden Looper, along with infield prospect Dmitri Young. Nationally, Marrero ranked 37th overall—an impressive placement given the depth at the top of that list, which included future stars such as Andruw Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Todd Helton, Scott Rolen, Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, and Paul Konerko.

That ranking made Marrero the top catching prospect in baseball entering the 1997 season—a reflection of both his defensive reputation and the belief that his bat would play at the major-league level.

Marrero entered spring training in 1998 with a clear goal. At age 24, he hoped to win a job in St. Louis and begin converting prospect status into an everyday Major League role.

Instead, a routine physical revealed a growth at the base of his neck. Tests showed malignant cells. On March 6, 1998, Marrero underwent surgery in St. Louis to have his thyroid removed.

Two days later, he was back at the Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida – a comeback that resonated throughout the clubhouse.

After Marrero’s fifth game back in April – a night in which he singled, doubled, stole third base, and repeatedly blocked balls in the dirt – teammate Mark McGwire shifted the spotlight away from himself and toward Marrero.

“It’s really remarkable. It’s a great story,” McGwire said. “I wish the nation would be aware of what happened to him. People talk about the things I do. They should be talking about the story of Eli Marrero. That’s a little more important. It’s a life-and-death situation.”

At a time when baseball’s national attention was consumed by the home run chase, Marrero’s return served as a reminder that perseverance matters.

Marrero did go on to play several more seasons with the Cardinals, but the path never unfolded the way prospect rankings once suggested.

Following his bout with thyroid cancer, it was noted in several accounts that Marrero struggled at times to maintain his stamina over the course of a full season. He appeared in more than 100 games for St. Louis only twice, and he never fully established himself as the club’s long-term starting catcher.

Instead, manager Tony La Russa used Marrero in the way he often used intelligent, adaptable players: everywhere. Catcher. First base. Left field. Right field. Marrero bounced between positions depending on matchups, injuries, and roster needs.

On September 3, 2001, Marrero was behind the plate for Bud Smith’s no-hitter, one of the most unexpected masterpieces in Cardinals lore. For a former top catching prospect whose career had evolved into something different, it was a fitting reminder that his defensive foundation still mattered.

Over his Cardinals tenure from 1997 through 2003, Marrero appeared in 525 games, batting .238 with 43 home runs, 187 RBIs, 70 doubles, and 46 stolen bases. His most complete season came in 2002, when he provided steady right-handed power and defensive flexibility while moving around the diamond.

The following season brought one of his most significant offensive contributions on the postseason stage. In Game 3 of the 2002 National League Championship Series at Pacific Bell Park, the Cardinals trailed the San Francisco Giants two games to none. After St. Louis built an early lead, Barry Bonds tied the game in the fifth inning with a dramatic three-run splash hit into McCovey Cove. The score stood 4–4 entering the sixth. Leading off the inning against reliever Jay Witasick, Marrero launched a solo home run that restored the Cardinals’ advantage. It proved to be the decisive run in a 5–4 victory, with Jason Isringhausen closing the door in the ninth. Marrero’s swing gave St. Louis the lead for good and cut the Giants’ series deficit to 2–1. In a postseason often defined by marquee names, it was Marrero who delivered the pivotal blow that night.

The 2003 season marked his final year in St. Louis. As the roster evolved and younger pieces emerged, Marrero’s playing time diminished. That December, the Cardinals traded Marrero and outfielder J.D. Drew to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and pitching prospect Adam Wainwright. Marrero was not the centerpiece of the deal, but he was part of the package that delivered one of the most important pitchers in modern Cardinals history. His departure became quietly intertwined with the franchise’s next era of success.

Freed from the daily uncertainty of role shifts, Marrero produced the finest offensive season of his career in 2004 with Atlanta. He hit .320 with a .374 on-base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage, demonstrating what his bat could accomplish with consistent at-bats. He later played for Kansas City, Baltimore, Colorado, and the New York Mets, appearing in 724 Major League games across nine seasons and finishing with a .243 batting average, 66 home runs, 261 RBIs, and 56 stolen bases.

In 2007, Marrero returned to the Cardinals organization, though he did not make the club out of spring training and appeared in just one game with Triple-A Memphis before being released. He concluded his playing career internationally in the Puerto Rican Winter League and the Caribbean Series before transitioning into coaching.

Eli Marrero’s Cardinals tenure may not align perfectly with the trajectory once projected for him in the late 1990s. He did not become the franchise catcher for a decade. Yet his story in St. Louis remains layered and meaningful. He was a top prospect in a loaded era. He overcame a life-threatening illness. He adapted when his role shifted. He caught a no-hitter in 2001. He delivered a decisive home run in the 2002 NLCS. He provided power, speed, and versatility during a period of transition. And he played a part—quiet but significant—in a trade that reshaped the franchise’s future.

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As it turns out, they had no idea just how right they were.

On October 3, 1985, Cox earned his 18^th win of the season, holding the New York Mets to two runs over six innings and giving St. Louis a two-game lead over the Mets in the National League East pennant race with three games remaining. The next morning, he asked Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog for permission to leave the team, drove home to Warner Robins, Georgia, and punched out his former brother-in-law.

Cox had heard from family that his sister Maxine’s ex-husband was threatening his sister and their parents, who also lived in Warner Robins.

“I started it. I finished it,” said the 26-year-old Cox. “It only took two punches. When you start threatening my family, that you’re going to do them some physical harm, I’m going to retaliate.”[1]

Cox knew that his ex-brother-in-law, Richard Diebold, worked as a varsity sports director at Robins Air Force Base. Since his father, a former master sergeant in the Air Force, had been stationed there and still worked on the base, Cox knew right where to find Diebold.

Diebold told the Macon Telegraph that he tried to explain himself when he saw Cox coming, but the Cardinals right-hander was having none of it. Cox’s punches chipped two of Diebold’s teeth before he ran away.

“I took off through the gym and through the softball fields,” Diebold said. “He said, ‘I hope you can run all day, because I can. And as soon as you stop, I’m going to kill you.’”[2]

Cox returned to the Cardinals in time for their next day’s game against the Cubs.

“It was my job,” Cox said. “I think anybody in that situation would have done the same thing. If you wouldn’t have, then you’re not a man, and you don’t love your family. You’ve only got one family.”[3]

Though the Cardinals were concerned about elbow soreness that had recently been giving Cox issues, they weren’t too worried that their 18-game winner might break his hand with the playoffs looming.

“I never worry what they do with their family,” Herzog said. “If he’d hurt his hand, I just would have to pitch somebody else.”[4]

Eight days later, Cox made his playoff debut, starting Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the first inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out before Cox retired Mike Marshall and Mike Scioscia to escape the jam.

Cox went on to earn the win, allowing two runs over six innings.

“A big inning there and the series might have been all over,” second baseman Tommy Herr said. “He’s a tough guy. He battles.”[5]

Nonetheless, Cox’s off-field battles had gotten more attention than he imagined, drawing headlines in newspapers across the country. Before his Game 3 start, he skipped an NLCS press conference, and after the game, he only granted interviews to the Cardinals’ regular beat reporters.[6]

“I knew what they were going to ask about,” Cox said of the national media.[7]

After the Cardinals beat the Dodgers in six games, Cox made two appearances against the Royals in the World Series. In Game 2, he allowed two runs over seven innings, receiving no decision in the Cardinals’ 4-2 win (St. Louis rallied for all four runs in the ninth).

Cox was even better in Game 6, throwing seven shutout innings and striking out eight. However, Kansas City starter Charlie Leibrandt was equally impressive, and the game was still scoreless when Cox left the game without a decision. The Royals went on to win the game, 2-1, before taking the series in Game 7.

Cox reached double-digit wins in 1986 (12) and 1987 (11) and shut out the Giants in Game 6 of the NLCS to send the Cardinals to the ’87 World Series before an elbow injury cut his 1988 campaign short. By the time he made his next major league start in 1991, he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Over six seasons with St. Louis, Cox went 56-56 with a 3.40 ERA. After leaving the Cardinals, he pitched for the Phillies, Pirates, and Blue Jays, appearing primarily in relief. He retired after the 1995 season.

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Cox Punches Former Kin,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 1985.

[2] Steve Goldberg, “Cox throws pitches Thursday, then throws punches Friday,” Macon Telegraph, October 6, 1985.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Cox Punches Former Kin,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 1985.

[4] Mike Littwin, “Cards call upon ‘Rambo’ to get things going right,’” Asbury Park Press, October 13, 1985.

[5] Mike Littwin, “Cards call upon ‘Rambo’ to get things going right,’” Asbury Park Press, October 13, 1985.

[6] “Duncan’s status still uncertain after Game 2 spiking,” Sacramento Bee, October 13, 1985.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Dodgers Are Next Challenge For Cox,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1985.

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The post Why Todd Zeile was converted to third base first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

A first-round pick (30^th overall) in the 1988 MLB draft, Jordan found minor league at-bats hard to come by, largely due to his professional football career. Jordan’s contract with the Atlanta Falcons called for him to report to football training camp in July, cutting each baseball season short.

Despite limited playing time, Jordan moved quickly through the Cardinals’ ranks. After being drafted, he appeared in 19 games with Low-A Hamilton. In 1989, he played 11 games with Class A St. Petersburg. The following year, he played nine games with St. Petersburg before being promoted to Double-A Arkansas, where he appeared in 16 games.

With 55 pro games under his belt, Jordan was assigned to Triple-A Louisville for the 1991 season. There, he hit .264 with four homers, 24 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in a career-high 61 games.

Ahead of the 1992 season, Jordan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he was wearing himself out playing pro sports year-round and might have to choose between baseball and football. If so, the Cardinals would need to make it worth it for Jordan to quit an NFL career that paid him $400,000 in 1991 and could reach as much as $1 million per year.

“I’ve had three good years, and they rate me as one of the top safeties in the league,” he said. “I want to get paid like the top safeties in the league.”[1]

As a Cardinals minor leaguer, Jordan was making just $1,850 per month. Even if he made the majors, he was due to earn $109,000, the major league minimum.[2] Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill believed he knew which sport Jordan would choose.

“He’s going to play football just because of the (salary) numbers,” Maxvill said.[3]

Jordan’s lack of pro baseball experience made it impossible for the Cardinals to offer him the kind of money it would take to pull him away from football, Maxvill said.

“He’s only got 400 at-bats in four years,” Maxvill said. “How does he know what he can do? We don’t know what he can do. We’re kind of between a rock and a hard place.”[4]

Maxvill added, “Hopefully, he’ll get another 250 at-bats, stay healthy, and have a good year. If he wants to come back next year after playing football and do it again, we’d do it again – but with not much of an investment. If he goes down there and gets 250 at-bats and hits 13 home runs and has 60 RBIs, it’s a different story.”[5]

Instead, injuries provided Jordan an opportunity in the early days of the 1992 season. Despite being assigned to Triple-A Louisville to open the season, Jordan was called up and made his big-league debut on April 8, going 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a stolen base.

By the time Jordan suffered a strained left hamstring on May 22, he was batting .233 with five homers, 21 RBIs, and six stolen bases in 37 games.

“Everyone talks about Deion Sanders,” Cubs scout Hugh Alexander said, referring to the Braves’ two-sport star. “This kid, Jordan, doesn’t sell himself, but he’s better than Deion already. This kid is gonna put up some kind of numbers.”[6]

The Cardinals agreed. On June 16, they signed Jordan to a three-year contract worth approximately $2.2 million. The deal called for Jordan to play baseball exclusively, ending his NFL career in favor of a guaranteed baseball payday. Per the agreement, which included the 1992 season, Jordan would receive a $1.5 million signing bonus to be paid over the three years. His base salary would be $109,000 for 1992, then increase to $160,000 in 1993, with the opportunity to earn $230,000 with incentives. In 1994, Jordan would make $300,000 with incentives based on games played.[7]

Jordan said the signing bonus was enough to convince him to give up football.[8]

“It was a tough decision, but I talked it over with my wife, and this is a good business decision,” Jordan said. “Hopefully, I’ll play this game for 15 years; in football, you never know what’s going to happen with injuries.”[9]

The signing bonus also gave Jordan the guaranteed money he was seeking. He said the Falcons weren’t very aggressive in trying to sign him to a contract for 1992.

“I guess they didn’t think I was going to sign with St. Louis,” he said. “I got tired of messing around.”[10]

Jim Turner, Jordan’s baseball agent, said contract talks with the Cardinals moved quickly.

“I think both sides decided it was best to step across the line, stop posturing, and talk about the bottom line,” he said. “What I really think transpired was that Brian Jordan committed to the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Cardinals definitely made a commitment to the fans.”[11]

Jordan’s football agent, Jim Steiner, said the Falcons were looking to offer Jordan somewhere between $400,000 to $500,000 annually on a series of non-guaranteed contracts.

“The (Falcons) sensed the urgency,” Steiner said. “They knew what the numbers (for the Cardinals) were, and there was no way they were ever going to offer Brian the type of money it would take to keep him in football. There are no hard feelings.”[12]

Jordan admitted that he might have some regrets about leaving football.

“You’re always going to have those in the back of your mind,” he said, “… but I can play baseball longer than football, and it gives me a chance to rest my body and vacation during the offseason. Right now, my body is just tired.”[13]

While the news left Atlanta in need of a new starting strong safety, the outlook in St. Louis was suddenly much brighter.

“What the Cardinals have done is show they have a lot of confidence in me by investing the money in me, and now I want to go out and be the best I can be,” Jordan said.[14]

Catcher Tom Pagnozzi, playing in his sixth season with the Cardinals, said, “We haven’t developed a power hitter in a long time in this organization. I hate to put the pressure on the guy, but he has the capability of being that type of player. He runs well, he’s a pretty good outfielder, and one thing to remember is that he is going to get better because he hasn’t played (much) baseball.”[15]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote that Jordan’s contract marked a bold move for the franchise.

“The Cardinals could have stalled,” he wrote. “The Falcons hadn’t made a substantial offer to Jordan yet. The Cardinals could have been arrogant and let Jordan walk. Instead, the front office made the dramatic play, took that leap of faith, and did the right thing.”[16]

Jordan played primarily as a reserve throughout that three-year contract, playing in 175 MLB games from 1992-94 while also playing stints in the minors. In 1995, however, the Cardinals traded right fielder Mark Whiten to the Red Sox, opening up a starting job for Jordan.

That season, Jordan played in 131 games and led the Cardinals with 145 hits while batting .296. His 22 homers and 81 RBIs were second on the team to Lankford, and his 24 stolen bases tied Lankford for the team lead.

Playing on a new, $10 million contract, Jordan was even better in 1996, batting .310 with 17 homers, 104 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases to finish eighth in the NL MVP voting. In that fall’s NLDS against the Padres, he went 4-for-12 with a home run, three RBIs, and a stolen base. Facing the Braves in the NLCS, he hit .240 with a double, triple, homer, and two RBIs.

After injuries limited him to just 47 games in 1997, Jordan enjoyed the best season of his career in 1998. Batting behind Mark McGwire throughout the burly first baseman’s run to 70 home runs, Jordan was pretty impressive himself, batting .316 with 25 homers, 91 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases for a 7.0-WAR (wins above replacement) season.

That November, Jordan signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Braves.

As he predicted in 1992, Jordan played 15 big-league seasons, retiring after the 2006 season at the age of 39. He finished with a career .282 batting average to go with 184 homers, 821 RBIs, and 119 stolen bases, good for a 32.9 career WAR.

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Cost Conscious: Cards Leery To Spend On 2-Sport Man,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 1992.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Cost Conscious: Cards Leery To Spend On 2-Sport Man,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 1992.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Cost Conscious: Cards Leery To Spend On 2-Sport Man,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 1992.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Cost Conscious: Cards Leery To Spend On 2-Sport Man,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 1992.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Cost Conscious: Cards Leery To Spend On 2-Sport Man,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 2, 1992.

[6] Bernie Miklasz, “Check It Out! Cardinals Spent To Keep Jordan,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[9] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards, Jordan agree to exclusive contract,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 17, 1992.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[11] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[12] Chris Mortensen, “Brian Jordan Leaves Falcons In a Bind,” Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1992.

[13] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[14] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[15] Rick Hummel, “Safety First: Jordan Takes Cards’ Offer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

[16] Bernie Miklasz, “Check It Out! Cardinals Spent To Keep Jordan,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1992.

The post Brian Jordan: Why he gave up his NFL career first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

After just 406 minor league at-bats, Jordan got his first big-league opportunity on April 8, 1992, going 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a stolen base in a 15-7 win over the Mets.

A first-round pick (30^th overall) in the 1988 MLB draft, Brian Jordan found minor-league at-bats hard to come by, largely due to his professional football career. Jordan’s contract with the Atlanta Falcons called for him to report to football training camp in July, cutting each baseball season short.

Despite limited playing time, Jordan moved quickly through the Cardinals’ ranks. After being drafted, he appeared in 19 games with Low-A Hamilton. In 1989, he played 11 games with Class A St. Petersburg. The following year, he played nine games with St. Petersburg before being promoted to Double-A Arkansas, where he appeared in 16 games.

With 55 pro games under his belt, Jordan was assigned to Triple-A Louisville for the 1991 season. There, he hit .264 with four homers, 24 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in a career-high 61 games.

Brian Jordan entered the 1992 season as a candidate to make the major-league roster. However, with Pedro Guerrero, Ray Lankford, and Felix Jose slated to start in the outfield, and Milt Thompson and Bernard Gilkey available as reserves, there wasn’t much playing time available with the Cardinals. Though Jordan hit .292 with a home run in spring training, he was assigned to Triple-A Louisville on April 1. Cardinals manager Joe Torre broke the news to him.

“He took it all right,” Torre said. “I told him, ‘You’re very close. You could make the team, but you wouldn’t play, and we want you to play, to get some at-bats.’ I think he understood. He shook my hand and thanked me for the opportunity. There’s no question in my mind that he can be a major-league player, but he just needs to get some playing time in.”[1]

Despite the Cardinals’ initial plans, that playing time came in the majors due to a slate of early-season injuries. Right fielder Felix Jose suffered an injury in spring training, then the Cardinals lost second baseman Jose Oquendo and first baseman Andres Galarraga in the first two games of the season.

It was the injury to Galarraga that created Jordan’s opportunity. When the Cardinals’ new first baseman suffered a fractured wrist that was expected to keep him in a cast for 5-6 weeks[2], Guerrero moved from left field back to his old position at first base. To fill the outfield vacancy left by Guerrero, the Cardinals promoted Brian Jordan to the majors.

“If Jordan is the exciting combination of speed and power he was in spring training, he gives the lineup a different dimension,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Dan O’Neill wrote. “But for one who has had only 406 professional at-bats at any level, that’s a large if.”[3]

On April 8, Brian Jordan made his debut in the Cardinals’ lineup, batting fifth behind Ray Lankford, Ozzie Smith, Todd Zeile, and Guerrero.

Mets starter Sid Fernandez struck out Jordan in the rookie’s debut at-bat in the first inning. Two frames later, Cardinals starting pitcher Bryn Smith was forced to exit the game due to elbow pain.

“I felt it in my last start (in spring training), but (trainers) Brad Henderson and Gene Gieselmann did a good job in getting me to the point where I could go out there and try it,” he said. “I went out and gave it a try. But it was still there. It hasn’t gone away.”[4]

The game proved to be Bryn Smith’s only start of the season. When he returned in September, he was assigned to the bullpen and finished the year with just 21 1/3 innings pitched. After the season, he signed a free-agent contract with the Rockies.

Cardinals reliever Mike Pérez took the mound and retired Bill Pecota for the final out of the third before the Mets lost their own starter in the bottom of the inning. After Ozzie Smith singled and Zeile drew a walk, Fernandez left the game with inflammation in his right knee.

Facing Mets reliever Paul Gibson, Jordan came through with the first hit of his career, a two-out single that drove home two runs.

“That really took a lot of pressure off,” he said.[5]

Already ahead 4-2, the Cardinals took a four-run lead when Zeile and Guerrero hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. Batting after Guerrero, Brian Jordan struck out to end the inning.

“After seeing those guys, I was so pumped up, I went up there and tried to hit one out of the stadium,” he said.[6]

The Cardinals put the game away with a five-run rally in the sixth. Ozzie Smith hit a two-run single to chase Gibson from the game. After Lankford scored on a passed ball, Guerrero drove in a run with a single and Jordan added an RBI double.

“I’ll take it,” Brian Jordan said. “I just hope it continues. I was very excited about being here. I got that first game under my belt and that should help me relax.”[7]

Pérez, who threw 3 1/3 innings, earned the win in relief. Guerrero finished the game with three hits and three RBIs, while Zeile and catcher Tom Pagnozzi each drove in a pair of runs. Gilkey, who was making his first start of the young season, finished with three hits – including two doubles – and scored three times.

“It’s just a good opportunity right now and players are stepping up and helping the team,” Gilkey said.[8]

Brian Jordan not only collected his first major league hit, extra-base hit, stolen base, and RBI, but he also impressed a future Hall of Fame manager in Torre.

“The football player did a pretty good job playing baseball tonight,” Torre said. “We’d like to get it where we can say the baseball player does a pretty good job playing football.”[9]

Actually, the Cardinals wanted to say that the baseball player was no longer playing football. In June, they signed Jordan to a three-year contract worth $2.2 million. The contract called for him to play baseball exclusively, ending his NFL career.

“It was a tough decision, but I talked it over with my wife and this is a good business decision,” Jordan said. “Hopefully, I’ll play this game for 15 years; in football, you never know what’s going to happen with injuries.”[10]

Brian Jordan played primarily as a reserve for the first three years of his career, playing in 175 games from 1992-94. In 1995, Jordan was named the starting right fielder. He played in 131 games and led the Cardinals with 145 hits while batting .296. His 22 homers and 81 RBIs were second on the team to Lankford, and his 24 stolen bases tied Lankford for the team lead.

Brian Jordan was even better in 1996, batting .310 with 17 homers, 104 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases to finish eighth in the NL MVP voting. In that fall’s NLDS against the Padres, he went 4-for-12 with a home run, three RBIs, and a stolen base. Facing the Braves in the NLCS, he hit .240 with a double, triple, homer, and two RBIs.

After injuries limited him to just 47 games in 1997, Jordan enjoyed the best season of his career in 1998. Batting behind Mark McGwire throughout the burly first baseman’s run to 70 home runs, Jordan was pretty impressive himself, batting .316 with 25 homers, 91 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases for a 7.0-WAR (wins above replacement) season.

That November, Brian Jordan signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Braves.

As he predicted in 1992, Jordan played 15 big-league seasons, retiring after the 2006 season at the age of 39. He finished with a career .282 batting average to go with 184 homers, 821 RBIs, and 119 stolen bases, good for a 32.9 career WAR.

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[1] Dan O’Neill, “Status of Terry, Cormier Clouds Cards’ Pitching Picture,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 2, 1992.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Cards Settle A Royal Score,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 8, 1992.

[3] Dan O’Neill, “Cardinals’ Most Immediate Need: An Insurance Adjuster,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[4] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Reserve A Blowout Victory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[5] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Reserve A Blowout Victory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[6] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Reserve A Blowout Victory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[7] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Reserve A Blowout Victory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[8] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Reserve A Blowout Victory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[9] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Reserve A Blowout Victory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 9, 1992.

[10] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards, Jordan agree to exclusive contract,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 17, 1992.

The post Brian Jordan makes his MLB debut: April 8, 1992 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

When Franklin signed with the club, the defending World Series champions’ rotation was in flux. With Jason Marquis (Cubs), Jeff Suppan (Brewers), and Jeff Weaver (Mariners) signing elsewhere that offseason, and Mark Mulder expected to miss at least the first half of the 2007 season with rotator cuff surgery, the Cardinals needed starting pitching.

On January 24, 2007, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that ace Chris Carpenter, Kip Wells, and Anthony Reyes would enter the season in the first three spots in the rotation, while Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright, Brad Thompson, and Franklin would compete for the final two jobs.[1]

Two weeks later, however, the competition appeared to be even more wide open, as the Post-Dispatch reported that Reyes, Wainwright, Looper, Franklin, Thompson, and left-handed pitchers Troy Cate and Chris Narveson were competing for three open rotation spots.[2]

“We have a lot of openings in the rotation, but we have a lot of candidates also,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “This is a year where young guys have an opportunity to step up and show they can be productive. We’ve got young pitchers in the minor leagues as starters and in the major leagues as relievers. It’s their opportunity.”[3]

That opportunity was part of what drew Franklin to St. Louis, his fourth organization in less than 12 months.

“My heart is being a starter,” he said.[4]

A 23^rd-round Mariners selection in the 1992 draft, Franklin was part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning Olympic team. From 2002 through 2005, he started 106 games for Seattle, peaking with a 3.57 ERA over 212 innings in 2003.

In 2006, he signed with the Phillies and was assigned to the bullpen, where he went 1-5 with a 4.58 ERA before he was traded to Cincinnati in August. With the Reds, he was again assigned to the bullpen, where he posted a 4.44 ERA over 24 1/3 innings.

When Franklin signed with the Cardinals, he asked pitching coach Dave Duncan to help him stay aggressive late in pitch counts.

“I get ahead of hitters, no problem, but then I let them get back into the hitter’s count,” Franklin said. “I had a little different scenario than I expected last season, and it really took me until August to figure it all out. … I think I’m most beneficial to the team as a starter. If that fails, I know how to work in the bullpen.”[5]

In an STLToday.com poll that was published in the Post-Dispatch on February 13^th, 37% of fans expected Franklin to emerge as the fifth starter.[6] The following week, however, Duncan listed Carpenter, Wells, Wainwright, Reyes, and Looper as the “five guys that will get the priority.”[7]

When La Russa was asked what Duncan’s assessment may mean for Franklin, La Russa said, “You’re coming in as a little bit of an underdog.”[8]

That advantage proved too much for Franklin or any of the other candidates to overcome, as Carpenter, Wells, Wainwright, Reyes, and Looper opened the season in the starting rotation. Instead, complementing his split-finger and cut fastball with a variety of secondary pitches, Franklin emerged as a setup man to closer Jason Isringhausen.

“Most relievers have two or three pitchers; he’s got a lot more than that,” fellow reliever Russ Springer said. “Even better, he throws them all at the bottom of the zone, which means he doesn’t strike out a lot of people, but he gets a lot on the ground.”[9]

Franklin was so successful as a setup man that in July, the Cardinals signed him to a two-year, $5 million extension with an option for 2010. The contract called for Franklin to receive $2.25 million in 2008 and $2.5 million in 2009, with a team option worth $2.75 million for 2010. If the Cardinals chose not to exercise their option for 2010, they owed Franklin a $250,000 buyout.[10]

The contract included incentives for making at least 20 starts in a season, but ultimately, Franklin proved most valuable in the bullpen. He never started a game for the Cardinals.

“As a starter, it didn’t really start getting exciting until the fifth or sixth,” he said. “Now, every time I come in, it seems like I’ve got a little extra.”[11]

Franklin finished the 2007 season with a 3.04 ERA over 80 innings.

“I’m not giving myself a lot of credit, but I’m giving him a lot of credit for asking me and talking relief with me,” Springer said. “Now I think he’s comfortable in that role, and I’m not sure he’d want to start now.”[12]

In May 2008, with Jason Isringhausen struggling, Franklin became the Cardinals’ closer.

“It’s not going to be any different than the job I’ve been doing, really,” he said. “I have to get three outs under pressure. It just changes when I start getting ready.”[13]

Franklin saved 17 games for the Cardinals that season. In 2009, he saved a career-high 38 games, posted a 1.92 ERA, and was named to the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium. With Franklin holding down the closer’s role, the Cardinals won the National League Central.

“I think he appreciates being here in St. Louis,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “We took a chance on him back then, and he’s made the most of it. … We’re fortunate to have him. It’s one of those things that works out well for everyone.”[14]

On September 1, 2009, Franklin signed another extension with the Cardinals, this time for two years and $6.5 million. In 2010, he went 6-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 27 saves.

The following year, however, he never found his footing, posting an 8.46 ERA in 21 appearances and losing the closer’s job. He was released in June and retired that December with 62 career wins and 84 saves over a 12-year career. Upon his retirement, Franklin was named a special assistant to the general manager.[15]

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cards await Weaver’s decision,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 24, 2007.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Casting Call,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 2007.

[3] Joe Strauss, “DeWitt insists Cardinals made fair offer to Weaver,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 1, 2007.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Casting Call,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 2007.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Casting Call,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 11, 2007.

[6] “The Poll,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 13, 2007.

[7] Joe Strauss, “In a rarity, La Russa differs with Duncan,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 19, 2007.

[8] Joe Strauss, “In a rarity, La Russa differs with Duncan,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 19, 2007.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.

[10] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.

[11] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.

[12] Joe Strauss, “Franklin finds comfort in Cards’ bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 2007.

[13] Derrick Goold, “Cards Notes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 17, 2008.

[14] Joe Strauss, “Franklin has All-Star hopes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 28, 2009.

[15] Joe Strauss, “Cards invite Edmonds to participate in camp,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 16, 2012.

The post How Ryan Franklin became an All-Star Cardinals closer first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“I’ll do anything to win a game,” Lankford said. “It’s not that I want to hurt anybody or anything, but I’ll do whatever I have to do to score.”[i]

Lankford’s decisive score capped a five-run Cardinals comeback as starting pitcher Ken Hill lasted just 2 2/3 innings. In a five-run third, three of the Phillies’ four singles failed to reach the outfield, but those hits combined with a walk, an error, a wild pitch, and two sacrifice flies to give Philadelphia a 5-0 lead.

After the Cardinals got on the scoreboard in the third, Phillies shortstop Dickie Thon made the score 6-1 with an RBI double. For the Phillies, who had won just four of their first 12 games of the season, it felt like a bright spot in an otherwise dismal start to the season.

However, after starting pitcher José de Jesús walked Ozzie Smith to lead off the seventh (it was his sixth walk of the game), the Phillies’ bullpen failed to hold the lead. Lankford, who already singled in the first inning and doubled in the fifth, greeted lefthanded reliever Joe Boever with an RBI triple. Felix Jose followed with an RBI single, and Perry drew a walk to chase Boever from the game.

“I felt I had my best stuff all year,” Boever said. “The pitch I threw to Lankford was up, but then I broke Felix Jose’s bat, and he ends up with a base hit. Then I threw four pitches to Perry, all down, and none were called strikes. Good morning, good afternoon, good night, have a nice day. I just didn’t catch a break.”[ii]

Enter the Phillies’ next reliever: Roger McDowell. With runners on first and second, McDowell was looking for a double-play ball and he got it when Craig Wilson hit a grounder to Randy Ready at second base. However, the ball skipped under Ready’s glove, allowing Jose to score and cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 6-4. By the time McDowell got the third out of the inning, the Phillies held a one-run lead.

That slight advantage disappeared in the ninth. With Phillies closer Mitch Williams on the mound, Jose singled and Perry drove him home with a triple into the right-field gap. That crucial run tied the game 6-6 and forced extra innings.

With one out, Williams (who wasn’t known as “Wild Thing” for nothing) walked Lankford. After Williams nearly picked him off, Lankford stole his third base of the year. The Phillies countered by intentionally walking Jose, bringing Perry to the plate.

On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Perry hit the ball hard between first and second. John Kruk made a nice pick and threw smoothly to second to force out Jose. However, when Thon looked to throw to first, neither Kruk nor Williams were there. He paused for a moment before he realized that Lankford had never stopped at third and was barreling home.

“Lankford was hustling,” Phillies second baseman Randy Ready said. “He never stopped at third. I started screaming at Dickie to throw home, but he was still looking toward first.”[iii]

“From the start, I just decided I was going,” Lankford said. “I’m not sure if the third base coach (Bucky Dent) was waving me on or not. I was going whether he was or not.”[iv]

Thon’s throw reached Daulton before Lankford, but the former running back lowered his shoulder and slammed into the Phillies catcher at full speed. Daulton flew backward from the impact and the ball rolled out of his glove. Lankford celebrated with his teammates as Daulton remained on his knees and tried to regain his bearings.

“Your first instinct is to go for the double play,” Thon said, “but when I looked over there, I only saw the coach and (Perry). Then I saw the runner and threw to the plate. He made a good play. He never stopped, but he would have been out if (Daulton) had been able to hold onto the ball. We just didn’t execute, and that’s the name of the game.”[v]

Daulton was still woozy when he spoke to reporters afterward.

“I was left out to dry, and he got me pretty good,” he said. “I saw him out of the corner of my eye and then I don’t remember. They tell me I had the ball and it fell out of my glove.”[vi]

From the on-deck circle, Wilson had a good view of the play.

“Daulton wasn’t really in too good of a position and Ray just put his shoulder down and ran right into his sternum,” Wilson said. “Ouch! Daulton is going to be sore tomorrow.”[vii]

“He doesn’t have to wait until tomorrow,” Cardinals outfielder Bernard Gilkey added. “He’s sore right now.”[viii]

With the win, the Cardinals improved to 7-6 on the young season. The Phillies, meanwhile, fell to 4-9.

“When it rains, it pours,” Ready said. “We’re not getting away with anything, and when that happens, there’s nothing you can do. You just have to try to play through it.”[ix]

The Phillies did play through it, but they did so without the services of manager Nick Leyva, who was fired ahead of Philadelphia’s next game and replaced with Jim Fregosi. Under Fregosi, the Phillies recovered enough to finish third in the NL East at 78-84.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, finished second with an 84-78 record. Lankford, who hit .301 with nine homers, 69 RBIs, 44 stolen bases, and a league-leading 15 triples, placed third in that season’s NL Rookie of the Year balloting behind Houston’s Jeff Bagwell and Pittsburgh’s Orlando Merced.

Lankford went on to play 14 major league seasons, including 13 with St. Louis. His 1,479 hits as a Cardinal rank 16^th in franchise history. He also ranks fifth in homers (228), eighth in stolen bases (250), ninth in runs scored (928), 10^th in doubles (339) and RBIs (829), and 20^th in triples (52). He was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2018.

For his career, Lankford hit .272 with 238 homers, 874 RBIs, and 258 stolen bases.

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[i] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Win In Crunch Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 22, 1991.

[ii] Dick Polman, “Phils stumble to another loss,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 22, 1991.

[iii] Dick Polman, “Phils stumble to another loss,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 22, 1991.

[iv] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Win In Crunch Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 22, 1991.

[v] Paul Hagen, “Leyva looks to be on the way out,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 22, 1991.

[vi] Paul Hagen, “Leyva looks to be on the way out,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 22, 1991.

[vii] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Win In Crunch Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 22, 1991.

[viii] Dan O’Neill, “Cards Win In Crunch Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 22, 1991.

[ix] Paul Hagen, “Leyva looks to be on the way out,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 22, 1991.

The post Ray Lankford runs over Darren Daulton: April 21, 1991 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“It had to be one of the best baseball games ever played,” said Wainwright, the team’s rookie closer. “Just unbelievable tension right to the last pitch.”[1]

A Hard-Fought Game From the Start

Coming off a 4-2 loss in Game 6, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa turned to veteran starter Jeff Suppan, who had thrown eight shutout innings in a 5-0 victory in Game 3. La Russa also opted to use his sixth different lineup of the series, moving Molina from eighth to seventh in the order while dropping Ronnie Belliard to eighth.

That decision ultimately proved key to the victory.

Both teams scored early. In the first inning, David Wright singled to drive in Carlos Beltrán for a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals answered an inning later when Belliard laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Jim Edmonds from third, tying the game 1-1.

Endy Chavez’s Incredible Catch

From there, both starting pitchers took command. Mets starter Óliver Pérez allowed just four hits through the first five innings, but trouble arose when he walked Edmonds with one out in the sixth. The free pass drew Mets manager Willie Randolph out of the dugout, and after a brief chat, Mets fans applauded when Randolph walked away, leaving his young starter in the game.

The decision almost backfired.

On the next pitch, Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen hit a high fly ball that seemed destined for the stands. Mets left fielder Endy Chavez, however, timed his leap perfectly, pulling the ball back from over the wall and doubling off Edmonds at first base to end the inning.

“It was an unbelievable play – I thought it went over the fence,” Rolen said.[2]

“It seemed like destiny was on our side,” Mets closer Billy Wagner said.[3]

Jeff Suppan Delivers Seven Strong Innings

Suppan delivered seven strong innings, working around five walks while allowing just two hits. Across his two NLCS starts, Suppan allowed just one run on five hits in 15 innings.

“I never thought I’d be in a situation like this,” Suppan said. “We got here because we focused on what we had to focus on and we were able to persevere.”[4]

After Suppan walked Beltrán to open the eighth, La Russa called on reliever Randy Flores, who delivered in the high-pressure moment. Flores struck out Carlos Delgado and Wright before getting Shawn Green to ground out, keeping the game tied 1-1.

Yadier Molina’s Clutch Home Run

The deadlock continued into the ninth inning. Mets reliever Aaron Heilman returned to the mound for his second inning of work after a scoreless eighth. This time, however, he ran into trouble. With one out, Rolen singled to left, setting the stage for Molina.

The Cardinals’ 23-year-old catcher had hit just .216 during the regular season, but was the team’s hottest hitter during the postseason, batting .333 with two homers and a team-high seven RBIs.

His hot streak continued when Heilman hung a changeup.

“It’s great. A great feeling,” Molina said. “It’s the best moment of my life.”[5]

“I just wanted to look for my pitch and put a good swing on it,” he added. “If it’s not there, I don’t swing.”[6]

“Obviously, he’s been seeing the ball a lot better the last couple of weeks,” said Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols. “Right now, when we need him, he’s coming through with some big hits for us.”[7]

Adam Wainwright Saves the Game

For the bottom of the ninth, La Russa once again called upon Wainwright, the highly touted rookie who had inherited the closer’s job following a season-ending injury to Jason Isringhausen.

As was usual for the 2006 Cardinals, it didn’t come easy. José Valentín and Chavez each singled to open the inning. With Heilman’s place coming up in the batting order, Randolph called upon Cliff Floyd to pinch hit. Wainwright struck him out looking, then got José Reyes to line out to center. A five-pitch walk to Paul Lo Duca, however, brought Beltrán to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs.

Wainwright struck him out on three pitches, including a sharp curveball that caught Beltrán looking to end the game.

“Unbelievable. I was so happy,” Wainwright said. “When I got him 0-2, I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to make one more good pitch. One more great pitch and let’s go to the Series.’”[8]

On KTRS, former Cardinals star Mike Shannon called the final pitch: “The 0-2 delivery. Curve, struck him out looking! The Cardinals are going to Michigan to take on the Tigers! They mob, they mob Adam Wainwright on the mound! They are National League champions and headed toward Detroit as they mob the pitcher and now Yadier Molina. In come the bullpenners to pile on! The Cardinals have won this game 3-1 on a two-run home run by their catcher, Yadier Molina.”

In 2024, Wainwright replied to a social media post to explain that Molina’s pitch-calling made the strikeout possible, beginning with the first-pitch changeup that Beltrán watched for a strike.

“You can tell it kind of confused him,” Wainwright wrote. “What rookie pitcher would have the stones to throw his fourth-best pitch in that situation to start an at-bat? One that was too confident to know better and who trusted his catcher completely.”

Furthermore, the Cardinals’ scouting report said that while Beltrán would be aggressive early in the count, he would be patient the deeper he got into the at-bat.

“We knew he’d be aggressive early and in the middle of the count, but if he fell behind, (he) would be super patient based off previous at-bats against us,” Wainwright recalled. “A conversation with Yadi before the game led to the strike 3 pitch. A gamble to throw it in the zone. But homework pays off.”

That was kinda fun….

Couple things to know here:

1. People asking why he took the first pitch. That was a changeup. Masterfully called by the best defensive catcher to ever live. As fate would have it I started that in off the plate and worked it back to the inside part.

— Adam Wainwright (@UncleCharlie50) October 19, 2024

A Season Defined by Resilience

With their 90^th win of the season, the Cardinals set a date to face the Tigers in the World Series. Detroit had swept the Athletics in the ALCS earlier that week.

“It’s been a unique season because we’ve had so many ups and downs,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said. “We’ve had so many injuries, a new ballpark, uncertain how things are going to play out. Having lost (Mark) Mulder early in the year. Losing Izzy (Isringhausen) at the end. But this team continues to be resilient, bounce back, and play well.”[9]

“We’ve all had a tough year. It’s been a long year,” Edmonds said. “To get to this point, after the year we’ve had, is the most unbelievable feeling I’ve ever had.”[10]

Meanwhile, the Mets, who had won 97 games and captured their first NL East title since 1988, were left to ponder what might have been.

“It was the most disappointing thing I’ve ever been connected with,” Floyd said.[11]

“I don’t know how you can look at this as a good season,” added Wagner. “We didn’t win anything. We all expected to go to Detroit. To sit back and watch another team celebrate on our field, that’s tough.”[12]

The Cardinals carried their momentum from the NLCS into the World Series, beating the Tigers in five games and capping the series with a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium.

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “Season of torment stays tough to the end,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2006.

[2] Joe Ostermeier, “Rolen felt the pain of hitting a home run that wasn’t,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[3] David Lennon, “For Mets, it’s a world of pain,” Newsday, October 20, 2006.

[4] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[5] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[6] Joe Ostermeier, “La Russa shifted his lineup for Game 7,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[7] Joe Ostermeier, “La Russa shifted his lineup for Game 7,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[8] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[9] Derrick Goold, “Resilient Redbirds flag down pennant,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 20, 2006.

[10] Joe Ostermeier, “Molina’s ninth-inning blast seals the NLCS,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 20, 2006.

[11] David Lennon, “For Mets, it’s a world of pain,” Newsday, October 20, 2006.

[12] David Lennon, “For Mets, it’s a world of pain,” Newsday, October 20, 2006.

The post 2006 NLCS Game 7: Cards beat Mets, clinch World Series berth first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Born to a 17-year-old mother and a father who was in federal prison (as he would be for almost all of Pham’s childhood), Pham grew up in poverty.

“I’m not your typical baseball player,’’ Pham said in 2019. “Most of these baseball players, they grew up in a two-parent household where their dad went out and played catch with ‘em, and stuff like that. I’m the complete opposite. My dad’s been in prison my whole life. If I wanted to play catch, I had to play catch with a brick wall with a tennis ball. If I wanted to work on my hitting, I had to throw a whiffle ball up and hit by myself. …

“I come from a background where my mom was getting evicted out of houses, getting her car repo-ed, stuff like that. She always had to work for stuff that people take for granted.”[1]

As if that wasn’t enough for Pham to overcome on his way to the majors, he was diagnosed with keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition in which the cornea becomes cone-shaped, like the end of a football. He struggled in the minors for three years before his condition was discovered.

“His overcoming that issue, and this is not hyperbole, that’s one of the most impressive athletic feats,’’ said Mike Shildt, who managed Pham in the minors and also has keratoconus. “Baseball is the most highly visual game there is. This guy has dealt with a disability that is hard for people that have it, speaking from experience, to just function. And you’re talking about being an elite major league player.’’[2]

With that background in mind, perhaps it’s no surprise that Pham has been fearless throughout his career, including his rookie campaign. In 52 games as a rookie in 2015, Pham hit .268/.347/.477 with five homers and 18 RBIs. Just as the rookie set high standards for his own play, he expected the best from his teammates and wasn’t afraid to tell them when they failed to meet those expectations.

In May 2024, MLB Network host Greg Amsinger shared a story he heard from former Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who was telling him that Pham, now a veteran outfielder, was the perfect acquisition for teams seeking to shore up their clubhouse culture. When Amsinger asked Wainwright to explain, the former Cardinals ace pointed to Pham’s rookie season.

“He’s been in the big leagues for three months. The Cardinals are losing, in a bad stretch, and Tommy Pham stands on a stool and starts airing everybody out,” Amsinger recounted. “This is a rookie Tommy Pham, in the Cardinals’ clubhouse, just standing and saying, ‘You don’t show up to the yard on time. You’re not giving 110%,’ and he’s just going around the room.

“Adam said he looked at Yadier Molina, and they’re the two leaders in the clubhouse, going, ‘Should we cut him off?’ and they’re like, ‘Nah, we’re going to let this go. He’s not wrong.’ So they let him air everybody out, and then Wainwright walks up to him and puts his arm around him and goes, ‘Hey, Tommy, that was great. Let’s give it another year before you do that again.’”[3]

The Cardinals went on to win the NL Central that year, though they fell to the Cubs in the NL Division Series.

Pham played three more seasons with the Cardinals. His best campaign coming in 2017, when the 29-year-old hit .306/.411/.520 with 23 homers, 73 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.

At the 2018 trade deadline, the Cardinals sent Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays for Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez, and Justin Williams. From there, Pham played for the Rays, Padres, Reds, Red Sox, Mets, Diamondbacks, and White Sox before the Cardinals traded for him midway through the 2024 season.

Pham hit .206 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games in St. Louis. With the club fading from the playoff chase, the Cardinals waived Pham, and he signed with the Royals. He spent the 2025 season with the Pirates, batting .245 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs.

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[1] Marc Topkin, “Why we can’t all relate to Tommy Pham’s fire,” Tampa Bay Times, March 2, 2019.

[2] Marc Topkin, “Why we can’t all relate to Tommy Pham’s fire,” Tampa Bay Times, March 2, 2019.

[3] “MLB Network lead host Greg Amsinger,” The Opening Drive, 101 ESPN, May 2, 2024. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nCxQNq2uYVlLPFffGYgl2.

The post A classic Tommy Pham story shared by Adam Wainwright first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Horton pointed to Herzog’s ability to make every player feel important, boosting their confidence and helping them understand their role on the club.

“You just felt like you were important,” Horton said, reflecting on Herzog’s inclusive management style that made every player feel vital to the team’s success, regardless of their role.

Ken Dayley shared insights into Herzog’s strategic use of the bullpen, a testament to his innovative approach to game management. Herzog communicated daily with his players, ensuring they knew their roles clearly, which helped them perform confidently under pressure.

“He would be the one to tell you that he always said good players make great managers,” Dayley said.

Horton shared a humorous account of how he learned that he made the Cardinals’ roster as a rookie. As spring training wound down, Herzog told coach Hal Lanier, who had managed Horton in the minors, that his final start would determine his fate: if he pitched well, he was on the club. If he didn’t, he was headed back to the minors to open the season.

Horton pitched well, but so did the player he was competing against for the final roster spot. At the urging of outfielder Andy Van Slyke, Horton entered Herzog’s office to ask his manager directly if he had made the team.

“I said, OK, I guess that’s how it works,” Horton said. “So I walk into his office and he comes around the corner fresh out of the shower, wearing nothing. And I said, ‘Hey, Whitey, I just want to know if I made the team.’ He said, ‘Yep.’ I said, ‘OK,’ and I ran right out. So that’s my moment that I’ve been waiting for my whole life. It’s a different kind of experience than I would have imagined, but still important to me.”

Herzog’s sharp mind for the game was legendary. He was known for his detailed player charts and was ahead of the game when it came to charting pitches, playing match-ups, and putting his players in a position to succeed.

“The algorithm was in the head of Whitey Herzog,” Horton said, noting that Herzog was effectively doing what modern analytics try to achieve but with a personal touch and an acute understanding of the game’s nuances.

“Back then, USA Today was the paper that we looked at,” Dayley said. “When teams were going to come in, you started looking at players and seeing how they were swinging the bat and if they were going good at the time, you had to pitch them a little more carefully. But you could also go to Whitey’s charts and say, ‘What happened with this guy or that guy?’ Coming out of the bullpen, you kind of know the three or four guys that you’re going to come in and face and you could see if you’d faced them before where they’d hit the ball.”

Dayley recalled in spring training in 1986, when Major League Baseball decreased the active roster size from 25 to 24 players, Herzog approached both him and Todd Worrell and told them to be sure to take fly balls in the outfield.

“He said, ‘Because they took my extra guy off the bench and sometime this year, I’m going to bring one of you in and then put you in right field while the other one pitches and then take him out and put you back on the mound,’” Dayley recalled. “Sure enough, it happened against the Dodgers. I remember Tommy (Lasorda) was sort of flipping a wig. He didn’t want to give Todd the warm-up pitches the second time back in and he delayed the game probably 20 or 25 minutes. But Whitey was thinking of that in spring training because the way he played and used his bench, he knew that that was going to affect his game.”

Horton and Dayley recalled that Herzog had just three simple rules for his players: be on time, play hard, and, “if you get thrown in jail, call me first.”

“You know, I thought that was interesting,” Horton said. “I wasn’t planning on needing that (last) one, but it was just good to know.”

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Though just 23, Verlander had been the No. 2 overall draft pick just two years ago and was coming off a regular season that would earn him American League Rookie of the Year honors and a seventh-place finish in the Cy Young balloting. With a 17-9 record and 3.63 ERA, Verlander had tied veteran Kenny Rogers for the team lead in wins and had the lowest ERA in the Tigers’ starting rotation.

Meanwhile, with a 5-8 record and a 5.06 ERA in 17 regular-season starts, Reyes’ Game 1 start made him just the fifth pitcher with a losing record to open a World Series and his five regular-season wins were the fewest ever for a Game 1 starter.

After a seven-game battle with the Mets for the National League championship, the Cardinals’ top three pitchers – Chris Carpenter, Jeff Weaver, and Jeff Suppan – hadn’t had enough time to recover, leaving St. Louis manager Tony La Russa to choose between Reyes or Jason Marquis. However, since Marquis hadn’t pitched since late September, La Russa opted to go with Reyes.[1]

“We actually had a coaches’ dinner last night and each coach put down what they thought he would do,” La Russa said. “There were actually two coaches that said (he would pitch) into the eighth inning. I thought if he went five or six with low runs, he would have done a great job. So to get into the ninth inning. … you saw the Anthony Reyes we’ve seen for the prior two years. He doesn’t scare. He’s got great composure and gets it rolling.”[2]

At first, however, it looked as though the Tigers might continue the offensive success that had carried them through the American League playoffs. With one out in the first, Craig Monroe doubled to left field and Carlos Guillen singled him home to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.

Scott Rolen tied the game in the top of the second with a solo home run.

In the third inning the Cardinals broke the game open. After Yadier Molina singled, La Russa called for a hit-and-run and Molina broke for second. With Verlander’s pitch off the plate, So Taguchi was forced to literally throw the bat at the ball, resulting in a ground ball that allowed Molina to safely reach second. Had Taguchi missed, Molina likely would have been thrown out at second.

“We just didn’t feel we could score runs if we had to accumulate hits,” La Russa said. “He handles the bat really well and you try to be aggressive. He put the ball in play only because he has terrific bat control.”[3]

It proved to be a small but vital play. Two batters later, Chris Duncan stroked a two-out double into right field that scored Molina. Although first base was open, the Tigers opted to pitch to Pujols and he made them pay, blasting a two-run homer over the right-field wall to give St. Louis a 4-1 lead.

“I take the bullet there,” Leyland said. “The manager’s decision is either to pitch to him or walk him. I pitched to him and obviously he burned us.”[4]

“You don’t want to pitch around him,” Verlander said. “You want to make quality pitches. It wasn’t a horrible mistake. It was on the black, but I wanted it down and it was up. It wasn’t a bad pitch to most people, but it was a bad pitch to him.”[5]

From there, the game fell apart on the Tigers. In the sixth, they committed three errors, including one play in which third baseman Brandon Inge was charged with two errors on a single play. After Edmonds drove in a run with a single and Rolen hit a ground-rule double that put runners at second and third, Juan Encarnacion bounced a ground ball to Inge at third base.

Inge bobbled the ball before firing home to try and catch Edmonds coming to the plate. However, his throw sailed wide of catcher Ivan Rodriguez and reached the backstop. As Rolen rounded third, he collided with Inge, who was standing a few feet off the foul line. Rolen fell to the ground and though he was tagged out at the plate, he was ruled safe due to Inge’s interference.

“I was looking to see if the ball was going to bounce back (off the wall) and I was in mid-stride and suddenly he was right there,” Rolen said. “I just went over the top of him. I think I might have hit my head. I don’t really remember.”[6]

As the Cardinals took a 7-1 lead, Reyes continued to roll. After Guillen’s RBI single in the first inning, he retired 17 consecutive batters before Guillen got him again, this time with a single in the seventh. When Guillen, who finished the evening with three of the Tigers’ four hits, hit a home run to lead off the ninth, it marked the end of the best game in Reyes’s career.

“The presence he had on the mound and the confidence he threw the ball with is what everybody was most impressed with,” Rolen said. “He seemed to attack the hitters tonight. He went after everybody. … He never wavered.”[7]

Reyes needed just 91 pitches – including 67 strikes – as he matched his longest career outing.

“I tried to focus on the glove,” said Reyes, 25. “I forgot about what type of game this was and focused on the glove. Whatever signs (Molina) put down, I tried to hit the mitt as best I could and not worry about anything else.”[8]

Though Reyes was known for having a plus changeup, after the first inning he and Molina challenged the Tigers with a steady diet of fastballs.

“It seemed like they were trying to sit on my other pitches, so I didn’t feel like it was necessary to throw any other kind of pitch,” Reyes said. “Just try to hit the corners.”[9]

Braden Looper closed out the ninth inning to secure the 7-2 win. With momentum on their side, the Cardinals went on to win the series in five games.

“I don’t know if I can top this,” Reyes said. “It’s definitely the best thing that’s happened in my career.”[10]

Reyes’ dominant performance proved to be the highlight of his career. In 2007, he went just 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA. Ahead of the 2008 trade deadline, the Cardinals sent him to Cleveland for reliever Luis Perdomo. Reyes spent the rest of that season with the Indians and made eight starts in 2009 before his major-league career ended with a 13-26 record and a 5.12 career ERA.

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[1] Roger Rubin, “Young Cardinal earns his wings in Series,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

[2] David Wilhelm, “Reyes twists Tigers’ tails,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2006.

[3] John Lowe, “6^th-inning miscues seal Tigers’ fate,” Detroit Free Press, October 22, 2006.

[4] Sam Borden, “Reyes Hurls,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

[5] John Harper, “Leyland’s Bluff,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

[6] Sam Borden, “Reyes Hurls,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

[7] Roger Rubin, “Young Cardinal earns his wings in Series,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

[8] David Wilhelm, “Reyes twists Tigers’ tails,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2006.

[9] Roger Rubin, “Young Cardinal earns his wings in Series,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

[10] Roger Rubin, “Young Cardinal earns his wings in Series,” New York Daily News, October 22, 2006.

The post How Anthony Reyes won Game 1 of the 2006 World Series first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Suppan, 29, had signed with the Cardinals the previous December and responded with the best season of his career. On a staff that included Chris Carpenter, Matt Morris, Jason Marquis, and Woody Williams, Suppan led St. Louis with a career-high 16 wins and a 4.16 ERA (Carpenter, Morris, and Marquis each won 15 games).

Nonetheless, Suppan matched up against Clemens four times that season and Clemens had emerged victorious each time, including Game 3 of the NLCS, when Clemens held the Cards to just two runs over seven innings. In that contest, Suppan threw six innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks.

Early in Game 7, it looked as though Suppan might be in for another loss at the hands of Clemens and the Astros. On his fourth pitch of the night, Craig Biggio launched a solo home run just inside the left-field foul pole.

“Trying to stay out of the big inning was the key,” Suppan said. “If I walked somebody or gave up a solo home run, that was probably going to happen. I just had to stay out of the big innings.”[1]

If it weren’t for an incredible diving catch by Jim Edmonds, the Astros may have gotten that big inning in the second. After Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino reached base, Brad Ausmus hit a drive into the left-field gap only to see Edmonds run the ball down and then make a diving grab.

“I don’t want to say it cost us the game, but it ultimately turned the game in the Cardinals’ favor,” Ausmus said. “If that gets over Jimmy’s head, you’re looking at two runs in and a man on second. It’s a 3-0 game. That was a great play – and it went a long way to helping them win Game 7.”[2]

On the Fox broadcast, Edmonds’ grab was replayed five times. Astros bench coach John Tamargo, who was wearing a microphone, was beside himself.

“How in the world did he make that play?” he exclaimed. “Son of a gun.”[3]

“The guy’s been a human highlight film his entire career,” said broadcaster Bob Brenly.[4]

The importance of the catch wasn’t lost on the Cardinals dugout.

“That catch right there saved the game for us,” said Cardinals pitcher Woody Williams. “I said, ‘He just saved the game.’”[5]

“It basically kept me in the game,” agreed Suppan. “I was going pitch by pitch and giving it everything I had and he comes up like that … That’s the type of stuff that makes us the team we are.”[6]

The Astros took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third when Edmonds’ attempt to throw Carlos Beltran out at third skipped past both Scott Rolen and Suppan, who was backing up the play.

The Cardinals cut that lead in half in bottom of the inning. With Tony Womack on third, Tony La Russa called for a suicide squeeze with Suppan at the plate and one out. When Suppan successfully laid down the bunt, Womack scored easily.

“I screwed up one earlier in the year and I made sure I got this one down,” Suppan said. “When I got the sign, I just made sure I got it down.”[7]

The Cardinals took control of the game in the sixth inning. Roger Cedeno entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Suppan and singled. After Edgar Renteria and Larry Walker each grounded out, Albert Pujols jumped on a 1-and-2 pitch from Clemens to double down the left-field line and score Cedeno.

“I knew I had to get a base hit there to tie the game,” Pujols said.[8]

On Clemens’ next pitch, Rolen lined a 343-foot homer to left that put the Cardinals ahead 4-2.

“When we were little kids, this is what we did in the backyard,” Rolen said. “You were your favorite team and playing your rival and you’re in the World Series in Game 7. … It’s just a day that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.”[9]

With Suppan out of the game, Kiko Calero and Julian Tavarez each threw scoreless innings. In the eighth, Larry Walker added a key insurance run, grounding an RBI single into right field to give St. Louis a 5-2 lead.

In the ninth, Jason Isringhausen retired Kent, Morgan Ensberg, and Vizcaino in order to secure his third save of the postseason and send the Cardinals to the World Series for the 16^th time in franchise history.

“When we were getting ready to win, I took time to think about Jack (Buck) and Darryl (Kile),” La Russa said. “I think about the people in this organization that have treated all of us so great.”[10]

Suppan earned the win after allowing just one earned run over six innings. He held the Astros to just three hits and two walks while striking out six.

“That was a situation where that is an unbelievable team, the Astros,” Suppan said. “They’re a bunch of gamers and they play the game right and they play it well. I knew I was going to give up a couple of runs. I just tried to stay out of the big inning.”[11]

“Suppan did an amazing job,” Cardinals outfielder Reggie Sanders said. “You have to give credit to Suppan. He kept us in the ballgame long enough where we could bust out a couple of home runs.”[12]

Clemens allowed four earned runs over six innings.

“Any time you go against Roger, it’s a pleasure,” Suppan said. “You know it’s going to be a battle. He’s definitely one of the best. I played with him and I learned a lot from him. It was a very memorable night for me to go up against him again.”[13]

After the game, Pujols was named the NLCS MVP. In the seven games, he went 14-for-28 (.500) with four homers and nine RBIs. Unfortunately, the Cardinals’ dominance of the National League didn’t carry over to the World Series, where they fell to the Red Sox in four games.

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[1] Lori Schontz, “Suppan: key was avoiding the big inning,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 22, 2004.

[2] Norm Sanders, “Edmonds’ diving catch changed game’s tide,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[3] Dan Caesar, “Shannon’s thrilling call of HR is one to remember,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 22, 2004.

[4] Dan Caesar, “Shannon’s thrilling call of HR is one to remember,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 22, 2004.

[5] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards go national with win over Astros,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[6] Rod Kloeckner, “Suppan recovers from early homer,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[7] Rod Kloeckner, “Suppan recovers from early homer,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[8] David Wilhelm, “Pujols earns MVP after stellar series,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[9] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards go national with win over Astros,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[10] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards go national with win over Astros,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[11] Rod Kloeckner, “Suppan recovers from early homer,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[12] Rod Kloeckner, “Suppan recovers from early homer,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

[13] Rod Kloeckner, “Suppan recovers from early homer,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 22, 2004.

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The post How Jeff Suppan outpitched Roger Clemens in Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On October 20, 2004, Edmonds’ walk-off shot capped a 6-4 win over Houston and sent the Cardinals to their first playoff Game 7 since the 1996 NLCS. The shot came just two days after the Astros’ Jeff Kent hit a three-run, walk-off home run to win Game 5.

“This is what it’s all about,” Edmonds said. “I think we all watched TV as kids and we hear and read all the stuff that’s said and written. We finally get to play in Game 7. I mean, it’s better than going home.”[1]

Edmonds put the exclamation mark on a game that featured several Cardinals heroes.

After Lance Berkman put the Astros on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first, Albert Pujols answered against Houston starting pitcher Peter Munro. With leadoff man Tony Womack on first, Pujols sent a 1-and-2 pitch over the left-field wall to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. Pujols’ home run – his sixth in 11 career postseason games – gave him eight RBIs in the NLCS.

The Astros tied the game with two outs in the third inning when Carlos Beltran singled and then scored on a Jeff Bagwell double to left field.

Once again, however, the Cardinals answered. After Pujols and Scott Rolen alertly advanced when Edmonds hit a fly ball to medium left field, both runners were able to score when Edgar Renteria singled up the middle.

“You need to score somehow,” Pujols said. “You’re at home here. You want to get the crowd involved. There are 52,000 people out there. … You want to create something.”[2]

Renteria’s hit chased Astros starting pitcher Peter Munro from the game after just 2 1/3 innings.

Cardinals starting pitcher Matt Morris handed the Cardinals’ bullpen a 4-3 lead after five innings of work. Ray King and Kiko Calero combined for two scoreless innings to get the game to closer Jason Isringhausen, who threw a scoreless eighth before he was sent back out for the ninth and a chance at his first multi-inning save since April 28, 2003.

Two days earlier, in Game 5, Isringhausen retired four Astros before Kent hit his game-winning three-run homer.

“It’s that time of year,” Isringhausen said. “It’s pretty simple. You leave it all out there because there’s nothing left if you lose.”[3]

The Astros had the same attitude. Morgan Esberg worked a 2-and-2 count before he was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, placing him in scoring position for Bagwell’s two-out, game-tying single to left field. The Cardinals had intentionally walked the switch-hitting Beltran to bring Bagwell to the plate.

Suddenly, it felt as though momentum was on the Astros’ side, especially when they brought their own star closer, Brad Lidge, into the game. Lidge had posted a 1.90 ERA and 29 saves during the regular season, earning Cy Young Award votes in his first campaign as the Astros’ closer.

Lidge’s total numbers were pedestrian compared to his dominance of St. Louis. In eight regular-season games against Lidge, the Cardinals were just 1-for-30 (.033) with 16 strikeouts. They were little better to that point in the NLCS, as Lidge had allowed just one hit in five innings (1-for-15, .067) while striking out nine. In Game 6, he continued that success, retiring all nine batters he faced and striking out five.

After Isringhausen retired the Astros in order in the 10^th, the Cardinals turned to an unexpected candidate: Tavarez. The 31-year-old reliever had suffered the loss in Game 4 when he allowed Beltran’s solo home run, which proved to be the game winner. After allowing Beltran’s blast, he buzzed a pitch past Bagwell’s head that drew a $10,000 fine.

When he returned to the dugout, Tavarez only made matters worse, punching the bullpen phone and breaking two fingers on his left (non-pitching) hand. When Tavarez finally calmed down, he realized that everyone from league officials to the coaching staff to his fellow players were disappointed in the way he reacted. When he called his father Francisco in Miami, Tavarez discovered that even his own family had little sympathy for him.

“I called him and said, ‘Dad, guess what? I’ve got two broken fingers.’ He said, ‘Good, you deserve it. You get no sympathy from me. Now go out there and prove you can do it. Go on and pitch.’”[4]

He went on to do exactly that, even though his broken fingers had swollen his hand to twice its normal size.  

“Everyone has been concerned,” Tavarez said. “I told Tony (La Russa), ‘Please, I can do it.’ Everybody has been upset about this. I told him today I can pitch and tonight I wanted to prove it.”[5]

With Tavarez unable to close his glove to catch the ball, catcher Mike Matheny had to soft toss the ball back to the pitcher. Tavarez would then catch the ball with both hands, using his pitching hand to catch the ball against the outside of his glove.

The unconventional method worked. Tavarez retired the side in order in the 11^th and 12^th innings.

“I think the biggest thing for us was Tavarez coming in and giving us an energetic inning,” Edmonds said. “After all he went through, all the negative publicity he got … people don’t know what kind of a person he really is. He just came out there and energized the crowd, energized us, and he got us going.”[6]

“He’s a good guy,” catcher Mike Matheny said. “He’s embarrassed by what happened, but I think everyone in here has come to know him and like him.”[7]

The Cardinals sent the middle of their lineup to the plate for the bottom of the 12^th. Pujols led off the inning with a walk before Astros reliever Dan Miceli got Rolen to fly out. Then, on the second pitch of his at-bat, Edmonds pulled an 0-and-1 pitch 405 feet to right field for just the sixth walk-off home run in NLCS history.

“I was just trying to get a hit,” Edmonds said. “I figured if I could hit something hard in the gap or (get) another base hit, he would run hard to get to third and we would get a chance to score somehow. I was just looking for a ball to get a good swing at. I wasn’t trying to go deep. I was trying to hit the ball hard. Thank God for that. We get to play tomorrow.”[8]

“Actually, I felt a lot like an idiot because when he swung at that first one, I was yelling at him, ‘Hit a line drive. Let’s get first and third,’” La Russa said. “I just wanted him to hit a line drive.”[9]

It was Edmonds’ second home run of the series and his third of the postseason.

“The biggest hit of my career,” Edmonds said. “This is what it’s all about. What a great feeling.”[10]

Meanwhile, it was Miceli’s third loss of the postseason, including Game 2 of the NLDS vs. the Braves and Game 2 of the NLCS. Edmonds’ blast marked the fourth home run he had allowed in 4 2/3 postseason innings.

“It’s been a tough postseason for me,” Miceli said. “I’m fine, I’m healthy, I’m just making bad pitches. It’s tough, but it’s tough for the whole team.”[11]

With a trip to the World Series on the line in Game 7, Jeff Suppan outpitched Roger Clemens and the Cardinals captured their first National League championship since 1987. Pujols, who went 14-for-28 (.500) with four homers, nine RBIs, and an NLCS-record 28 total bases, was named the series MVP.

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[7] Joe Strauss, “Jim Dandy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 21, 2004.

[8] David Wilhelm, “Edmonds homer brings a victory,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 21, 2004.

[9] David Wilhelm, “Edmonds homer brings a victory,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 21, 2004.

[10] T.R. Sullivan, “Cards force Game 7; Astros turn to Clemens,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 21, 2004.

[11] T.R. Sullivan, “Cards force Game 7; Astros turn to Clemens,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 21, 2004.

The post Jim Edmonds walk-off homer wins Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. announced the decision, emphasizing that both parties had “cordially and respectfully parted ways.”[1]

“The Cardinals and Walt Jocketty are turning the page today with mutual admiration and appreciation for each other,” Dewitt said. “In speaking with Walt this morning, we were in agreement that our relationship – which has produced one of the finest eras in the history of Cardinals baseball – had likely run its course.”[2]

The move came less than a year after the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series – the franchise’s first championship since 1982 – and just three days after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on the internal strife.

St. Louis had just concluded a disappointing, injury-plagued 2007 season. Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder missed significant time due to injury and Scott Rolen underwent shoulder surgery late in the year. Without their top two starting pitchers, the Cardinals finished 78-84 and finished third in the NL Central.

The Cardinals’ on-field struggles mirrored the challenges taking place in a front office that was divided between Jocketty’s side and that of analytics-focused executive Jeff Luhnow. When DeWitt promoted Luhnow to serve as vice president in charge of scouting and player development, roles previously held by Jocketty, the sides became even more pronounced.

“He clearly didn’t agree with the decision. He said that publicly,” DeWitt said. “My view is that one person should run both (player) procurement and development. He felt like it should be split. We had a little different philosophy and vision with some baseball issues.”[3]

DeWitt initially hoped the matter would resolve itself. Instead, assistant general manager John Mozeliak emerged as the only one who could bridge the gap.[4]

“It’s not a healthy environment when you’re worried about who you’re seen speaking to,” a Cardinals minor-league employee told the Post-Dispatch. “If you speak to someone, you risk making someone else in the front office mad. If you don’t speak, you alienate the person in front of you. It’s tough when you’re in the middle of something like that.”[5]

Initially, DeWitt dismissed the reports of friction.

“There’s tension in the front office, but I would guess there is tension in other front offices to a degree,” he said. “That’s the way it is. Everyone is pushing for the same thing: to have as productive a system as possible.”[6]

However, when announcing Jocketty’s dismissal, however, DeWitt acknowledged that his working relationship with Jocketty had deteriorated since Luhnow’s promotion.

“I think it was just a progressive thing over time,” DeWitt said. “Certain changes are made and people grumble about it and move on. I don’t think that was the case in this situation. It got worse. It’s tough enough to do well when everything’s in sync. It’s really hard when everybody’s not on the same page. Walt recognized that as well.”[7]

Jocketty’s firing ended the longest and one of the most successful GM tenures in Cardinals history. Under his leadership, St. Louis achieved a .536 winning percentage (1,117-968) and reached the postseason in seven of 13 seasons (1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006), culminating in the 2006 World Series championship.

Jocketty had also hired manager Tony La Russa and made trades for players like Mark McGwire, Rolen, Will Clark, Larry Walker, and Jim Edmonds.

“It was a hell of a run, a tremendous time here,” said Cardinals President Mark Lamping, who hired Jocketty. “Walt and I talked a while today after the meeting. Neither one of us thought we would last 13 years.”[8]

“Walt will be remembered as the Cardinals GM during one of the most successful and memorable periods in team history, and we’ll always be extremely grateful for his contributions to our many triumphs over the past 13 seasons,” DeWitt said. “Walt’s a friend and will continue to be a friend. I told him I would give him a strong recommendation if I were called about a future position.”[9]

DeWitt announced that Mozeliak, Jocketty’s assistant GM for the previous five seasons, would hold the position in an interim role and was a candidate to succeed Jocketty. Luhnow was not a candidate for the permanent position.[10]

The newly open job was sure to be highly coveted. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch shared a long list of potential successors to Jocketty, including Mozeliak, Mariners special assistant to the general manager Dan Evans, Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila, Red Sox special assistant to the general manager Allard Baird, Twins senior advisor to the general manager Terry Ryan, Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Dodgers assistant general manager/scouting director Logan White, Phillies assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle, Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng, and Padres special assistant for baseball operations Paul DePodesta.[11]

Whoever inherited the job would face immediate complications. La Russa’s contract had expired and he planned to return to his home in California before making a decision regarding whether he would return.[12] On the field, the Cardinals needed one or two top-of-the-rotation starting pitchers and additional lineup protection for Albert Pujols.[13]

Despite Jocketty’s historic success, longtime Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz acknowledged it was time for the Cardinals to make a change.

“If you’re looking for me to shred Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt, you’ve come to the wrong place,” he wrote. “If you want me to declare that the sky is falling, you’ll be disappointed. If you want me to savage Jeff Luhnow as some know-nothing neophyte just because Jocketty didn’t care for him, well, you won’t be happy. There are no bad guys here, no heroes or villains. It’s just the end of a once-successful era.”[14]

On October 31, four weeks after announcing Jocketty’s firing, the Cardinals named Mozeliak general manager.

“I want (the fans) to know we are committed to winning – and creating a successful environment that will allow us to compete,” Mozeliak said. “Everyone knows the landscape’s changing at the major-league level, and we have to adapt. As we move forward, we are prepared to do so.”[15]

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[1] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[2] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[3] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[4] Joe Strauss, “So much to do,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 30, 2007.

[5] Joe Strauss, “So much to do,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 30, 2007.

[6] Joe Strauss, “So much to do,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 30, 2007.

[7] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[8] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[9] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[10] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals and Jocketty part ways,” Belleville News-Democrat, October 4, 2007.

[11] “Replacement Hopefuls,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 4, 2007.

[12] Joe Strauss, “So much to do,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 30, 2007.

[13] Joe Strauss, “So much to do,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 30, 2007.

[14] Bernie Miklasz, “Given Jocketty’s unhappiness, his departure isn’t surprising,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 4, 2007.

[15] Joe Strauss, “Mozeliak is named Cards GM,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 1, 2007.

The post Walt Jocketty: Why the Cardinals GM was fired in 2007 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The Cardinals had led the National League Central Division for most of May, but in June they went just 10-17 and slid into a tie for third place, eight games behind the division-leading Brewers. By the end of August, the Cardinals were 12 games behind Milwaukee. If they were to qualify for the playoffs, they would need to do so as a wild-card team.

The Dodgers, who were 1 ½ games behind the Giants in the NL West, held the first wild-card position and a 15-game lead over the Cardinals, leaving only the second wild-card within easy striking distance. For that, the Cardinals would need to pass the Reds, Padres, and Braves and hold off the Phillies.

On September 10, following a 4-2 loss to the Reds, the Cardinals trailed the Padres and Braves by 3 ½ games and the Reds by 3 games. They were just ½ game ahead of the Phillies and one game ahead of the Mets. With approximately three weeks remaining in the season, it was going to take a strong finish to reach the postseason.

A “strong finish” didn’t begin to describe it.

Saturday, September 11

Fittingly, the Cardinals’ history-making win streak began with a comeback at Busch Stadium.

After starting pitcher Miles Mikolas was touched up for four runs in the third inning, the Cardinals slowly worked their way back. Nolan Arenado hit an RBI triple and a two-run homer, Paul DeJong added a solo shot, and the Cardinals’ bullpen threw four scoreless innings in a 6-4 win.

“Nobody gave up. Nobody felt down,” Arenado said.[1]

Sunday, September 12

A day after the Cardinals’ bats picked up their starting pitcher, the St. Louis hurlers led the way in a 2-0 win over the Reds.

Trade deadline acquisition J.A. Happ threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings before Luis Garcia, T.J. McFarland, Genesis Cabrera, and Giovanny Gallegos combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief as the Reds managed just five hits for the game.

Arenado’s two-run, first-inning homer proved the difference.

Now, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch declared, the pursuit of the wild card was “a horse race.”[2]

“Around the stretch they come,” Cardinals manager Mike Schildt said. “They know we’ve got good closing speed.”[3]

Monday, September 13

With their third consecutive victory, the Cardinals officially had a win streak on their hands.

In a game that pitted 40-year-old Adam Wainwright against 41-year-old Mets starter Rich Hill, the Cardinals posted four runs in the ninth inning to cruise to a 7-0 victory.

Paul Goldschmidt hit his 25^th home run of the season and six different Cardinals drove in runs in support of Wainwright, who scattered four hits and three walks over six innings and lowered his ERA to 2.88. McFarland, Alex Reyes, and Kodi Whitley each threw scoreless innings of relief.

Tuesday, September 14

It took a wild win for the Cardinals to move into a wild-card spot.

After the Mets’ Javier Baez homered in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings, the Cardinals needed all three runs they scored in the 11^th to hold off the Mets in a 7-6 win.

In the 11^th, with Yadier Molina opening the inning at second base, Edmundo Sosa hit an RBI single and Andrew Knizner followed with a two-run single to give St. Louis a 7-4 lead.

The Mets, however, didn’t go easily, as Pete Alonzo smacked an RBI double and scored on an error three batters later. With runners on first and second, however, Kwang Hyun Kim got Albert Almora to ground out to second base to end the game and earn his first save of the season.

Tyler O’Neill hit his 26^th homer of the season and finished with three RBIs, and Reyes earned his eighth win of the year with a scoreless inning of relief. With the win, the Cardinals moved ½ game ahead of the Reds for the second wild-card position.

“We’ve been waiting to bust out all year,” O’Neill said. “This is crunch time.”[4]

Wednesday, September 15

The Cardinals completed their three-game sweep of the Mets behind the strength of a five-run first inning.

Harrison Bader, Goldschmidt, Arenado, and Edmundo Sosa each homered and Jon Lester earned the 199^th win of his career as the Cardinals picked up an 11-4 victory. Altogether, the lineup produced 16 hits, including eight for extra bases.

“Ultimately, the best baseball is when you’re going it all together,” Schildt said. “You’re getting the hitting, consistent at-bats. You’re getting the quality pitching. It’s just about doing it all together at one time.”[5]

Friday, September 17

Back at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals continued their winning ways with an 8-2 series-opening victory over the Padres. With their sixth straight win, they tied their season high.

Dylan Carlson homered twice – including a grand slam – and Mikolas threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings as the Cardinals led the entire way, scoring four runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach. O’Neill’s first-inning home run gave him 27 for the year.

The win marked Mikolas’s first since 2019. Surgery to repair a flexor tendon in his pitching arm had forced him to miss the 2020 season, and he had just been reactivated from the 60-day injured list in August.

“I took a nice sage bath the other night,” he said.[6]

Meanwhile, excitement started to build as the Cardinals’ win streak reached six games.

“No one knows where the best stretch of Cardinals baseball we have watched this season is headed,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson. “No one knows why the clubs that could have stomped it out before it ever started spent the past weeks dissolving like Tums dropped into battery acid. All we can know for sure is that the focus now is fully back on this season. This postseason. Not the offseason. Not next season. And considering the way things were headed, that’s worth some celebration, isn’t it?”[7]

Saturday, September 18

It took a three-run, eighth-inning rally for the Cardinals to extend their win streak to seven games.

Padres starter Yu Darvish was dominant for seven innings, holding the Cardinals to just three hits while striking out nine. Meanwhile, Wainwright allowed just two runs over his even innings, allowing RBI singles by Tommy Pham and Victor Caratini in the fourth inning.

With reliever Emilio Pagan in the game and the Padres leading 2-0, the Cardinals finally struck in the eighth. Bader led off with a double to left field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tommy Edman. After Goldschmidt drew a walk, O’Neill homered to left field to give St. Louis a 3-2 victory.

Justin Miller earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning and Gallegos earned his ninth save of the season. Wainwright struck out two batters to finish with 1,999 for his career.

“I just found out I only needed one strikeout to get to 2,000,” Wainwright said. “If I had known that, I would have started pumping stuff into the dirt to get some swings and misses. I thought I needed a couple more.”[8]

Sunday, September 19, 2021

One day after coming from behind to beat the Padres, the Cardinals needed to fight of a San Diego rally to come away with an 8-7 victory and complete their second consecutive series sweep.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning as Fernando Tatis Jr. misplayed a fly ball, Sosa hit an RBI double, and Bader drove in two with a double of his own. The Padres, however, fought back. Even after the Cardinals scored two in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 7-3, the Padres scored three runs in the eighth to pull within 8-7.

Gallegos proved up to the task in the ninth. Striking out two of the three batters he faced, he earned his 10^th save of the season and dropped his ERA to 3.27.

More importantly, the win marked St. Louis’s eighth straight and gave the Cardinals a three-game lead for the second wild-card spot.

“Huge, huge series,” Happ said. “That’s definitely an understatement, but we definitely have a … ways to go yet.”[9]

Monday, September 20

The Cardinals’ ninth consecutive victory marked the 200^th win of Lester’s career.

The recently acquired veteran held the Brewers to two runs over six innings and Whitley, McFarland, and Luis Garcia combined for three scoreless innings of relief in the 5-2 win. Arenado hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Molina drove in a pair of runs.

“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to have winning streaks over four, five, six games,” Lester said. “They don’t happen a lot. Now that we’re at nine, hopefully we can keep going.”[10]

Tuesday, September 21

The Cardinals’ win streak reached double digits thanks to five shutout innings from Jake Woodford and another strong performance from the bullpen.

With Brandon Woodford on the mound for the Brewers, O’Neill and Edman each drove in runs and the Cardinals’ bullpen again came through, allowing a single run over four innings. Reyes and Cabrera each threw scoreless innings of relief before a sacrifice fly by Willy Adames cut the Cardinals’ lead to 2-1.

That proved to be plenty for Gallegos, who earned his 11^th save of the season as the Cardinals reached 10 consecutive wins for the first time since 2001. It marked just the 13^th time the Cardinals had won 10 consecutive games in franchise history.

“It’s hard to capture because I don’t plan on being done with it,” Shildt said.[11]

Wednesday, September 22

After their pitching led them to victories in the first two games of the series, it was the offense’s turn in a 10-2 win over the Brewers. O’Neill and Goldschmidt each homered and the Cardinals totaled 15 hits, including seven for extra bases.

Milwaukee starter Brett Anderson lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs – two earned – over that span. Goldschmidt and Bader each had three hits to pace the Redbird attack.

Despite the lopsided win, the victory was marred by Arenado’s early exit with back tightness just a few innings after he dove over a tarp to make a catch in foul territory.

“Just wanted to get him out of there – precautionary,” Shildt said. “We’ll evaluate it. There’s always some concern. It felt better after the game than it did when he got taken out. That’s encouraging.”[12]

Thursday, September 23

The Cardinals concluded their sweep of the Brewers by erasing a five-run deficit to rally for an 8-5 win.

Wainwright – who entered the game one strikeout shy of the milestone – struck out the 2,000^th batter of his career in the fourth inning, joining Bob Gibson as the only pitchers to strike out 2,000 batters during their tenure with the Cardinals. Though Wainwright emerged with his place in history, the game proved to be a struggle, as the Brewers posted a four-run first inning. Wainwright left the game after four innings with Milwaukee leading 5-0.

As they had throughout the win streak, however, the bullpen picked up their starter. Kwang Hyun Kim threw two scoreless innings and McFarland, Garcia, and Garcia each threw one to give the St. Louis offense a chance to rally back.

Molina got the Cardinals on the board in the fifth with an RBI single. In the seventh, the Cardinals scored four runs to tie the game, including a two-run homer by Goldschmidt. In the eighth, Arenado scored on a passed ball and Molina added a sacrifice fly to give St. Louis the lead, and one inning later Goldschmidt added his second home run of the night to make the final score 8-5.

At 12 games, their win streak was now the longest by a Cardinals team since 1982 and tied for the second-longest in franchise history, trailing the 14-game win streak that took place July 2-18 in 1935.

Friday, September 24

On Friday, September 24, the Cubs had two opportunities to end the Cardinals’ win streak. They couldn’t do it, and as a result, the Cardinals tied the franchise record.

Goldschmidt and O’Neill each hit their 30^th home runs of the season and Jose Rondon added a two-run shot as the Cardinals won the first game of the double-header 8-5.

In Game 2, Lars Nootbaar hit two homers, O’Neill hit his second homer of the day, and Bader added a solo blast in a 12-4 win. Molina hit the 400^th double of his career to drive in the first two runs of the game.

Saturday, September 25

Another 8-5 win extended the Cardinals’ win streak to 15 games. Bader, O’Neill, and DeJong each homered, Lester threw five innings, and the bullpen held the Cubs to just one run in four innings of work.

The Cubs led 4-2 after they scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cardinals rallied for three runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth to continue their win streak.

“Everyone is stepping up,” Wainwright said. “New heroes every day.”[13]

“It’s the complete elation of knowing every time we come to the field that we’re going to win,” McFarland said. “It’s that confidence. It’s almost that motivation. Every time we come to the field we’re expecting to win. We’re rising to the occasion.”[14]

Sunday, September 26

With their 16^th consecutive win on September 26, the Cardinals also completed their fourth consecutive series sweep.

Once again, the Cardinals came from behind after Chicago took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Goldschmidt and Bader each hit two-out, solo home runs and Cardinals played small ball in the ninth, scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout.

Woodford allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings before Andrew Miller, Whitley, Cabrera, and Gallegos held the Cubs scoreless the rest of the way. Gallegos’s scoreless ninth inning was good for his 14^th save.

Tuesday, September 28

With a 6-2 win over the Central Division-leading Brewers, the Cardinals’ win streak reached 17 games. Even more importantly, they clinched their third consecutive playoff berth.

Wainwright improved to 17-7 on the season by holding Milwaukee to two runs over six innings, and McFarland, Garcia, and Gallegos combined for three scoreless innings of relief. Carlson, Rondon, and Arenado each hit solo home runs.

“There’s no reason to stop,” Wainwright said. “We feel dangerous.”[15]

Conclusion of the Season

Ultimately, the Cardinals’ win streak was the product of luck, skill, and a well-rounded team getting strong performances on defense, from their bullpen, and from their offense. Goldschmidt, Arenado, and O’Neill each reached 30 home runs for the season, and Goldschmidt and Bader were especially potent throughout the winning streak.

Finally, on September 29, the streak came to an end, as the Milwaukee staff held the Cardinals to just three hits. Adrian Houser threw five shutout innings before Brent Suter, Brad Boxberger, and Aaron Ashby combined for four no-hit innings.

The Cardinals went 2-2 over the final four games of the regular season; however, their 17-game surge placed them seven games ahead of Cincinnati for the second wild-card spot. Though the Dodgers beat St. Louis 3-1 in the one-game wild-card playoff, the Cardinals saw what they could accomplish during their incredible September run.

“Attitude is everything. Success is contagious. Luck favors the prepared,” Mikolas said. “There are a dozen cliches that could describe the way our winning streak went, but the best way to describe it is teamwork and having everyone pushing toward a common goal will win out.”[16]

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Arenado Caps Cardinals’ Rally,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 12, 2021.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Birds Back In Business,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 13, 2021.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Birds Back In Business,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 13, 2021.

[4] Derrick Goold, “One Wild Cards Win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 15, 2021.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals Put On A Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 16, 2021.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Mikolas picks up win, Carlson hits two HRs,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 18, 2021.

[7] Ben Frederickson, “Redbirds making this a September to remember,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 18, 2021.

[8] Rick Hummel, “O’Neill homer in eighth helps Birds win again,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 19, 2021.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Some Wild Developments,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2021.

[10] Ryan Herrera, “Cards roll to 9^th straight in Lester’s 200^th W,” MLB.com, September 20, 2021, https://www.mlb.com/news/jon-lester-gets-200th-win-for-cardinals-in-playoff-hunt.

[11] Derrick Goold, “A Perfect 10: Redbirds roll on,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 22, 2021.

[12] Derrick Goold, “Cards crank it up to 11,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 2021.

[13] Derrick Goold, “A Roll For The Ages,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 26, 2021.

[14] Derrick Goold, “A Roll For The Ages,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 26, 2021.

[15] Derrick Goold, “Cards win 17^th in row, clinch playoff slot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 29, 2021.

[16] Derrick Goold, “Run Is Done For Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 30, 2021.

The post How the Cardinals’ 17-game win streak got them into the 2021 playoffs first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

One inning after punching Bill Madlock in the face and sparking the bench-clearing brawl, Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons capped off his four-RBI day owith a walk-off single to give St. Louis a 6-5 win and a 1 ½-game lead in the National League East Division.

Simmons’ busy day was baseball’s equivalent of a Gordie Howe hat trick, if such a thing existed.

After splitting their first two games against the Cubs at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals entered the series finale with a ½-game lead over the Pirates in the NL East. Bob Gibson, now 38 and in his second-to-last season, took the mound for the Cardinals with a 10-12 record and a 3.82 ERA, while 26-year-old Steve Stone climbed the hill for the Cubs with an 8-5 record and 4.15 ERA.

Both pitchers allowed runs in the opening frame. Jose Cardenal drove in a run with an RBI single to left, and the Cubs loaded the bases before Gibson got Steve Swisher to ground out and end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Stone retired the first two batters he faced before Reggie Smith doubled and Simmons homered over the right-field wall to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Two innings later, Smith tripled to right field to score Brock. Simmons followed with a sacrifice fly – and his third RBI of the game – to give the Cardinals a 4-1 lead.

The Cubs answered in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, Rick Monday drove in two with a single to right field. A misplayed ground ball brought home the tying run and Madlock added a sacrifice fly to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead.

Chicago’s advantage was short-lived, as Joe Torre scored the tying run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth.

After seven innings of work, Gibson left the game with no decision and Al Hrabosky took the mound. He retired the Cubs in order in the eighth, though it required exceptional plays by McBride, Brock, and second baseman Tom Sizemore.

“I was struggling out there,” Hrabosky said.[1]

In the bottom half of the inning, home-plate umpire Shag Crawford drew the Cardinals’ ire with a controversial call that helped to snuff a potential rally. Torre led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Larry Herndon. Batting next, McBride attempted to lay down a bunt, but Dave LaRoche’s inside fastball kept sailing in on the lefthanded-hitting McBride and hit him on the left hand, leaving him with a gash on his forefinger that required four stitches.[2]

When the ball bounced into fair territory, Cubs catcher Steve Swisher threw to second to start a double play. McBride immediately argued that he had been hit by the pitch. Crawford insisted that the ball had also hit McBride’s bat.

“The ball was a fairly batted, bunted ball,” Crawford said after the game. “I don’t care whether his finger is bloody or cut or whatever.”[3]

Both McBride and Torre – who let his feelings be known from the dugout – were ejected.

“I really don’t understand why he couldn’t change his decision with a split hand in front of him and blood running all over the place,” Brock said.[4]

Cardinals-Cubs brawl

As a result, tensions already were high when things got weird in the ninth. Hrabosky was well known for his pre-pitch routine, which often included stomping around the mound, turning his back to the hitter, and psyching himself up before taking the mound to pitch. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs planned to counter Hrabosky by taking their own time once the “Mad Hungarian” got ready to pitch.[5]

When Hrabosky slammed the ball into his glove and stalked to the mound to face Madlock, the Cubs’ first hitter of the ninth inning, the rookie third baseman backed out of the box. When he returned, Hrabosky went through his routine again, and Madlock once again stepped out. Finally, Madlock turned away and went back to the on-deck circle to grab pine tar for his bat. At this point, Crawford was tired of the back-and-forth.

“I said, ‘Bill, get back here,’” Crawford related. “I thought maybe he didn’t hear me because of the crowd noise and so I went after him and said it again.”[6]

When Madlock again ignored Crawford’s instructions, the umpire returned to the plate and signaled for Hrabosky to begin pitching. According to rule 6.02(c): “If the batter refuses to take his position in the batter’s box during his time at bat, the umpire shall order to the pitcher to pitch, and shall call ‘Strike’ on each such pitch. The batter may take his proper position after any such pitch, and the regular ball and strike count shall continue, but if he does not take his proper position before three strikes are called, he shall be declared out.”

As Madlock rushed back to the plate, Crawford called Hrabosky’s first pitch a strike. By the time Hrabosky threw his second pitch, Cardenal and Cubs manager Jim Marshall had both arrived at the plate, and Hrabosky nearly hit Marshall. Feeling crowded, Simmons shoved Marshall out of the way, then turned to Madlock and asked, “What are you looking at?”[7]

Madlock responded with a profane two-word answer and was immediately punched in the jaw.

“I must have hit him pretty good,” Simmons said. “I cut my knuckles.”[8]

Both teams raced onto the field.

“I did a 9.2(-second) hundred from the bullpen,” Cardinals reliever Mike Garman said.[9]

Cubs first baseman Andre Thornton was the first to reach the scene, tackling Simmons and driving him to the ground.

“I had to get Simmons because he took a free shot at Billy,” Thornton said afterwards with the pinky finger on his left hand in a split.[10] It was unclear how he injured his finger, although players reported that after Thornton tackled Simmons, Cardinals pitcher Lynn McGlothen “blindsided him” before Chicago’s Jim Tyrone, in turn, punched McGlothen and sent him to the ground.[11]

Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst said he tried to pull McGlothen away from two Cubs.

“I couldn’t budge the big guy – he wore me out,” Schoendienst said.[12]

The fight lasted two or three minutes and no one was seriously injured. Sizemore’s leg was scratched and Chicago’s Ray Burris was spiked. Ken Reitz’s shoulder was dislocated, but he noted that it had popped out of place multiple times in his career.

“It goes away in a day,” he said.[13]

McBride, who was in the clubhouse having his finger treated following his eighth-inning incident, ran onto the field when he realized what was happening.

“I’m running out there and everybody starts asking me, ‘How’s your finger?’” McBride said. “I said, ‘Hey, this is supposed to be a fight!’”[14]

Players and coaches from both sides were quick to break up the fisticuffs, and Sizemore expressed his appreciation for Chicago’s Don Kessinger and Monday.

“They said, ‘You’ve got too much to lose – let’s break this up,’” Sizemore said. “That’s real class. They’re veterans and they know we have a chance to win a lot of money (in the pennant race).”[15]

Incredibly, Marshall was the only one to get the boot. When the Cubs’ manager realized no one was going to be ejected, he asked Crawford, “Don’t you care about the players?”

“No, I don’t care about the players – they don’t care about me!” answered Crawford.

“That’s when I started cussin’,” Marshall said.[16]

“Marshall didn’t like my statement, but I don’t think players should be thrown out for fighting,” said Crawford, who had been aboard a U.S. destroyer that was hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane in World War II.[17]

When the game resumed, Hrabosky felt refocused. He struck out Madlock, got Cardenal to fly out to Simmons, then struck out Dave LaRoche.

“It was the greatest thing that could have happened for me,” Hrabosky said of the brawl. “It was a personal challenge. It really psyched me up. It was just what the doctor ordered.”[18]

With runners on first and second and two outs, Simmons ended the game in the bottom of the ninth, punching the ball back up the middle to score Brock from second base and give the Cardinals a 6-5 win.

The victory delighted Pat Dean, Dizzy Dean’s widow. She was in the audience after Dizzy’s number 17 was retired in a pregame ceremony.

“They must have done this for Diz,” she said. “It looked like the old Gas House Gang.”[19]

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[1] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[2] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[3] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[4] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[5] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[6] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[7] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[8] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[9] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[10] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[11] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[12] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[13] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[14] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[15] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[16] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[17] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[18] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[19] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

The post The 1974 Cardinals-Cubs brawl sparked by Simmons, Hrabosky first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The five-time all-star and three-time World Series champion had been in St. Louis for less than two months when he reached the milestone. Just ahead of the trade deadline, the Cardinals sent outfielder Lane Thomas to the Nationals to acquire the veteran righthander. At age 37, Lester was just 3-5 with a 5.02 ERA in 16 starts for Washington, but the Cardinals needed Lester and fellow newcomer J.A. Happ (who was acquired in a separate deal) to fill an innings void left by injuries to Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty.

“I didn’t even look at the stats or what he did in Washington,” Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado said. “I don’t have to look at that when it comes to Jon Lester. I think everyone kind of feels the same way. When you get a pitcher like him, you know he’s gonna give you everything he has, and he’s gonna keep you in ballgames. I feel like he’s better on better teams, and teams that are in it, I feel like that’s where he thrives. That’s just who he is. It’s pretty fun to be a part of, because nothing’s too big for him.”[1]

Lester certainly appeared to be rejuvenated by his arrival in the Cardinals’ playoff race. After losing his Cardinals debut on August 3, Lester won each of his next three decisions, including his September 15 start against the Mets when he allowed just two runs over six innings. That victory was No. 199 for his career and put him on the precipice of joining Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke as the only active players with 200 wins.

As Lester sought to become the 119^th pitcher in MLB history to reach 200, the Cardinals were as hot as they had been in years. With the series opener at the NL Central-leading Brewers on September 20, 2021, the Cardinals sought their ninth consecutive win.

Freddy Peralta, a 25-year-old right-hander coming off the first All-Star Game of his career, took the mound for Milwaukee with a 9-4 record and 2.57 ERA. After Peralta struck out Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt to open the game, the Cardinals’ powerful middle of the order caught up to him (Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill, and Arenado each would finish the season with more than 30 homers). After O’Neill singled to center, extending his hit streak to nine games, Arenado launched his 33^rd home run of the season to left field. His two RBIs marked his 100^th and 101^st of the season.

“It’s extremely important to get out to a lead, especially against these arms and these teams that we’re facing that are good,” Arenado said, “but at the end of the day, we are just playing solid baseball regardless of whether we are scoring early or not.”[2]

The Brewers answered in the bottom of the second as Avisail Garcia and Luis Urias each homered. After Urias’s blast, Lester retired the next 10 batters he faced. The score was still tied in the top of the sixth when Yadier Molina punched a single through the left side of the Brewers’ infield to score O’Neill and give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the seventh, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt pulled Lester in favor of pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter to lead off the seventh. The move worked. Carpenter doubled down the left-field line and scored on Goldschmidt’s sacrifice fly to give St. Louis a 4-2 lead. One inning later, Molina singled to left to drive in his second run of the game.

From there, the Cardinals’ bullpen locked the game down. Kodi Whitley, T.J. McFarland, and Luis Garcia each threw a scoreless inning, and Garcia’s save marked his first of the season.

“We hit a bunch of lazy fly balls,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We didn’t put enough pressure on Lester or the bullpen. It was just a quiet night.”[3]

Lester allowed just three hits on the day while striking out two.

“What a tremendous addition. He’s done a great job,” Shildt said. “This guy’s got such heart. He’s like John Wayne. He’s got that true grit. Big, strong, silent type. That’s a heck of a milestone.”[4]

“It’s a nice round number and it looks better than 199,” Lester said. “It’s obviously awesome, but I’m kind of lacking words.”[5]

Lester was more comfortable talking about the Cardinals’ win streak, which was now up to nine games.

“That makes it even more special,” Lester said. “To add on the fact that that’s nine in a row for us — I don’t think people realize how hard it is to have winning streaks over four, five, six games. They don’t happen a lot. Now that we’re at nine, hopefully we can keep going.”[6]

The Cardinals did exactly that, extending their win streak to 17 games on their way to a one-game wild card playoff against the Dodgers.

Lester’s 200^th win proved to be the last of his career as he received no decision in his final two starts, both against the Cubs. In January 2022, he announced his retirement. After 16 big-league seasons, Lester had compiled a 200-117 record and 3.66 career ERA.

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[1] Ryan Herrera, “Cards roll to 9^th straight in Lester’s 200^th W,” MLB.com, September 20, 2021, https://www.mlb.com/news/jon-lester-gets-200th-win-for-cardinals-in-playoff-hunt.

[2] Rich Rovito, “Lester wins 200^th, Cards down Brewers for 9^th straight win,” Belleville News-Democrat, September 22, 2021.

[3] Rich Rovito, “Lester wins 200^th, Cards down Brewers for 9^th straight win,” Belleville News-Democrat, September 22, 2021.

[4] Rich Rovito, “Lester wins 200^th, Cards down Brewers for 9^th straight win,” Belleville News-Democrat, September 22, 2021.

[5] Rich Rovito, “Lester wins 200^th, Cards down Brewers for 9^th straight win,” Belleville News-Democrat, September 22, 2021.

[6] Ryan Herrera, “Cards roll to 9^th straight in Lester’s 200^th W,” MLB.com, September 20, 2021, https://www.mlb.com/news/jon-lester-gets-200th-win-for-cardinals-in-playoff-hunt.

The post How Jon Lester earned his 200th career win first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“I had an idea coming to the park today that I was … going to lay it all out here, because I really wanted it to happen here,” Wainwright said. “The crowd was unbelievable tonight. I felt them cheering on every pitch I made, every big strikeout, we had a couple of double plays, and the crowd was just going crazy. They were on their feet all night and I felt that.”[1]

Cardinals fans certainly had every reason to go crazy, as Wainwright gave his best performance of the season, shutting out the Brewers across seven innings before handing the game off to the bullpen for a 1-0 victory and the 200^th win of his career.

“That’s as good as we’ve seen,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “If you talked to him right before the game, and if he’s being really honest, he was being held up by duct tape before the game started, and for him to go out there and do what he did is highly impressive.”[2]

The Cardinals acquired their future ace in a December 2003 trade that sent J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero to the Braves for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and Wainwright.

Wainwright’s march to 200 wins began in 2005, when the 23-year-old made a pair of relief appearances. The Cardinals used Wainwright as a reliever again in 2006, where he picked up the first two wins of his career, then earned his place in Cardinals history when he struck out Carlos Beltran to close out the NLCS.

Wainwright proved up to the task in his first season as a starter, winning 14 games with a 3.70 ERA, and in 2009 he led all of baseball with 19 wins while finishing third in the National League Cy Young Award voting and winning his first Gold Glove Award.

Despite missing the 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery, Wainwright continued to rack up victories, winning 20 in 2010, 14 in 2012, 19 in 2013, and 20 again in 2014. Injuries that kept him out most of the 2015 and 2018 seasons postponed his march to 200, as did the shortened COVID season in 2020, but after winning 17 games in 2021 and 11 in 2022, Wainwright entered what he had announced would be his final season just five wins shy of the milestone.

What followed was the Cardinals’ worst season during Wainwright’s 19 years with the club and the most challenging on-field campaign of the righthander’s career. A weight room injury suffered at the World Baseball Classic postponed Wainwright’s first start of the season until May. On May 18, Wainwright earned his first win of the season against the Dodgers despite allowing five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Five days later, he earned win No. 2 against the Reds, once again allowing five runs over 5 2/3 innings.

After two no-decisions in early June, Wainwright earned win No. 3 against the Mets on June 17. Despite a 5.56 ERA, Wainwright held a 3-1 record and seemed well on his way to 200 wins.

It would be almost three months before he earned his next win.

Wainwright lost his next three starts, including a 3 1/3-inning performance in which he allowed seven runs. After that start, Wainwright was sent to the disabled list. When he returned, however, his losing streak continued. On August 11, after he allowed eight runs in a one-inning start against the Royals, his ERA was up to 8.78. Ahead of his September 12 start against the playoff-bound Orioles, Wainwright was just 3-11 on the season and had lost his last 10 decisions.

With the season drawing to a close, however, Wainwright found reason for optimism, holding the Orioles to two runs over five innings in a 5-2 win that placed him on the cusp of history. At most, Wainwright only had three starts remaining to reach the milestone.

As it turned out, he only needed one.

Wainwright gained momentum early in the game. After allowing a one-out walk to William Contreras in the first inning, he got Carlos Santana to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play. He retired the side in order in the second, ending the inning with the 2,200^th strikeout of his career when he caught Rowdy Tellez looking.

Wainwright danced out of danger in the third. With runners on first and second and two outs, he got Contreras to ground out to Paul Goldschmidt at first base, ending the inning and maintaining the scoreless tie.

In the bottom fourth, it was Contreras’s older brother, Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who finally put a run on the board against Freddy Peralta, who had cruised through the first three innings. In his first season in St. Louis as the successor to Yadier Molina, Willson Contreras had battled adversity of his own, including a period in May in which the Cardinals briefly removed him from the catcher position. Despite the ups and downs, Contreras was finishing the season strong, and since September 1 he had hit .389 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

With a solo home run that was 114.7 mph off the bat,[3] Contreras reached 20 home runs for the third consecutive season.

“I know (Wainwright) has been battling a lot of stuff and he’s been pitching the best that he can this year,” Contreras said. “I’m glad that he was able to reach the 200 mark on wins. And I’m glad that I was back behind the plate for him.”[4]

From there, it was up to Wainwright and the Cardinals’ bullpen to make Contreras’s home run stand up. Wainwright retired the side in order in the fifth, then got Santana to ground into another inning-ending double play in the sixth.

Brewers outfielder Mark Canha opened the seventh with a single to center field, prompting a mound visit from Marmol. After a brief conversation, Marmol stuck with Wainwright, who retired Willy Adames, Tellez, and Josh Donaldson in order.

They proved to be the final outs of Wainwright’s career. As he walked off the mound for the final time, Cardinals fans gave him a standing ovation.

“I didn’t want to tip my hat or anything because I didn’t know if I was done,” Wainwright said, “but I did feel that crowd and it was a special walk off.”[5]

Lefthander John King took the mound in the eighth. Like Wainwright before him, he benefited from a ground-ball double play, but when Sal Frelick singled, Marmol turned to Helsley to record the final four outs of the game.

“They came to me in the bullpen down there and they were like, ‘Hey, could you give us one plus if we need you?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll give you whatever I’ve got to help Waino get to 200,’” Helsley said. “I was just happy to go out there and execute and help him get it.”[6]

Helsley struck out William Contreras to end the eighth, then retired the side in order in the ninth for his 12^th and most important save of the season.

“For sure, you know what’s at stake,” Helsley said. “You’re thinking about it all day. It was a close game. You’re thinking you’re going to be in there. I was definitely on edge most of the game and praying to the Good Lord above that he’d help me nail it down for him.”[7]

Though none of Wainwright’s 93 pitches exceeded 88 mph,[8] he held the Brewers to just four hits and two walks over seven innings.

“For at least a night, I was a real pitcher out there,” Wainwright said. “The guy I want to be. Seven innings, shutout, a couple of hits. Got through a couple of tough at-bats out there and made adjustments, worked in and out, up and down. For tonight, I was me.”[9]

With three strikeouts in the game, Wainwright moved past David Wells for 65^th all-time among big-league pitchers. Only Bob Gibson’s 3,117 strikeouts ranked higher in Cardinals history.

“He just kept guys off balance,” Marmol said. “He didn’t have what he had last time as far as the (velocity) being there, but there weren’t a whole lot of comfortable swings or hard-hit balls for the most part. He went through that lineup and was in control the whole time. It was just fun to watch him out there competing.”[10]

For his part, Wainwright admitted that this one meant a bit extra, and compared it to that 2006 strikeout of Beltran in the NLCS.

“Tonight, for me, this is tied for first,” he said.[11]

“Having to work as hard as I had to work for it made me savor it that much more. There was a time where I really wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep going, or if they were going to let me keep going. … That’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever pitched in my whole life.”[12]

With 200 career wins, Wainwright joined rarefied air. Only Gibson (251) and Jesse Haines (210) had more wins while wearing the birds on the bat, and only five other active players had reached the milestone. The next closest active player was Johnny Cueto with 144.

“I think in today’s game it means a lot,” said Wainwright’s former teammate Chris Carpenter. “It goes well with all different adjectives for what it means. It means one has longevity, shows he’s been a winner, shows he’s been good, shows he’s been healthy, shows he’s been consistent. All of the above. It’s a neat number. Does it represent all of his career? No. It is a neat number.”[13]

No. 200 proved to be the final game of Wainwright’s career. Admitting that he had battled pain all season long, the Cardinals announced a few days later that he would be limited to pinch-hitting opportunities in his final days.

“When you think of the St. Louis Cardinals, you think of Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright for the last 20 years,” Helsley said. “Him pushing for his 200^th win is obviously a huge ordeal, and he’s just been a great role model for all of us in here, pitchers and position players alike.”[14]

In The Athletic, beat writer Katie Woo wrote about the legacy Wainwright was leaving behind after almost two decades in St. Louis.

“Wainwright’s impending retirement brings with it the end of a generation,” she wrote. “He is the last household name of the mid-200os era, which introduced franchise staples like Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Chris Carpenter. He is a fan favorite, and his career will undoubtedly end with a red jacket, enshrined in the organization’s hall of fame. He pitched most of the season hurt, wear and tear chipping away at his ability. But he never quit until he delivered for himself and for the city, one more time.”[15]

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[1] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[2] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[3] Derrick Goold, “200 for Wainwright!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 19, 2023.

[4] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[5] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[6] Lynn Worthy, “Wainwright might not make another start for Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2023.

[7] Lynn Worthy, “Wainwright might not make another start for Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2023.

[8] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[9] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[10] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[11] “Cards’ Adam Wainwright wins 200^th game with gem vs. Brewers,” ESPN.com, September 18, 2023, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38435862/cards-adam-wainwright-wins-200th-game-gem-vs-brewers.

[12] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

[13] Derrick Goold, “200 for Wainwright!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 19, 2023.

[14] Jeff Jones, “Wainwright joins Gibson, Haines in Cardinals’ 200-win club,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 20, 2023.

[15] Katie Woo, “In otherwise lost season, Adam Wainwright’s 200^th win was what St. Louis needed,” The Athletic, September 19, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4878798/2023/09/19/cardinals-adam-wainwright-fans-200/.

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The $35,000 monument was paid for through a fundraising drive led by the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Approximately $30,000 was raised at a special retirement dinner hosted for The Man in October 1963, in which 1,400 guests paid from $20 to $50 each.[1] An additional $2,000 was donated by the BBWAA chapter, and the KMOX radio station gifted an additional $5,000.[2]

When they raised the money, St. Louis’s baseball writers initially envisioned a statue that featured Musial signing a scorecard for a young fan.

“Stan the Man liked the symbolism better than he did the thought of an individual honor – modest fellow, you know – but costs and freedom of artistic expression prevailed,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg. “So it’s in his improbable stance, more or less, that famed No. 6 will look down upon the ages.[3]

“I like to think of the statue as a symbol of sportsmanship and great freedom of opportunity,” Musial said.[4]

The statue was unveiled to the public after an afternoon Cardinals-Cubs game in which Cubs right fielder Al Spangler hit a ninth-inning home run to end Bob Gibson’s 12-game win streak.

Prior to the game, the 1941 Cardinals – the team that welcomed Musial for his major-league debut and saw him hit his first career home run – were invited to a brunch in Cardinals chairman August A. Busch Jr.’s ballpark dining room. Each former player was presented a Cardinals wristwatch featuring his name on the dial.[5]

The players then went down to the field, where broadcaster Harry Caray introduced them to the Busch Stadium crowd as each player took the field at their former position. Musial was the only former player to don his old uniform, and when he was announced to take right field, he raced out to the position and pretended to chase down a fly ball.[6] The scene prompted Musial’s grandson, 4-year-old Jeffrey Musial, to ask his grandmother, “Is Stan Musial going to play today?”[7]

After the game, an estimated 20,000 of the 47,445 in attendance stayed for the statue unveiling.[8] Musial’s mother, Mary, and his wife, Lil, pulled the strings that dropped the statue’s cover and revealed the 10-foot, 5-inch statue and its 8 ½-foot marble pedestal.[9]

“Today I feel like I’m 18 feet tall,” Musial said,[10] looking over his shoulder at the statue, which he referred to as the “stash-ue”[11] (“Stash” is a Polish version of the name “Stanley” and was a common nickname for Musial).

Created by sculptor Carl Mose, a former teacher at Washington University who worked on the piece for three years, the statue featured Musial in his famous corkscrew batting stance. Its base featured “MUSIAL” in large letters. The only other inscription used former baseball commissioner Ford Frick’s famous quote envisioning what Musial’s inevitable Hall of Fame plaque should say: “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior; here stands baseball’s perfect knight.”[12]

Commissioner William D. Eckert spoke at the unveiling, as did Frick. Also in attendance were Johnny Mize, Walker Cooper, Enos Slaughter, Lon Warneke, Coaker Triplett, Ernie White, Ira Hutchinson, Howie Pollet, Harry Gumbert, Howie Krist, Gus Mancuso, Don Padgett, Marty Marion, Johnny Beazley, Frank Crespi, Eddie Lake, and Erv Dusak.[13]

“Stan indicated that he never forgets the fans. This statue will assure that we’ll never forget him,” said Jack Buck in his role as master of ceremonies.[14]

As part of the ceremony, St. Louis mayor Alfonso J. Cervantes presented a model of the Arch and a key to the city to Musial’s mother.[15]

“I want to thank everyone – for my mother and the Musial family – for making me a Cardinal forever,” Musial said as he fought back tears near the conclusion of his speech.[16]

“Fortunately, behind the bronze and the stone is a man of heart and great integrity,” Frick said. “If the time comes when people are so blasé that they don’t look for a Musial glove under a boy’s pillow or a Musial bat at the side of the bed, then something will be lost from life.”[17]

After the game, Musial hosted his former teammates and friends at a party at his restaurant.[18]

Almost 40 years later, when the Cardinals opened Busch Stadium III in 2006, the statue was moved to a new location outside the stadium. As the Post-Dispatch described the statue’s new location, “The sight of Stan Musial’s familiar stance provided a bit of comfort. We may not have embraced the aesthetics of Carl Mose’s bronze statue (heck, even the man himself wasn’t that crazy about it). But as a meeting place, or as a cultural reference point, it became our true north. Today’s dedication of the statue at its new site, at the Spruce Street entrance, reassures us that The Man will continue to show the way.”[19]

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[1] John J. Archibald, “Musial Statue Unveiling Draws Baseball Notables,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 4, 1968.

[2] John J. Archibald, “Musial Statue Unveiling Draws Baseball Notables,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 4, 1968.

[3] Bob Broeg, “Unforgettable First and Last Days for ‘Perfect Knight,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 4, 1968.

[4] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[5] Bob Broeg, “Win for Gibby Would Have Given Stan Perfect Day,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 6, 1968.

[6] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[7] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[8] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[9] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[10] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[11] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[12] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[13] John J. Archibald, “Musial Statue Unveiling Draws Baseball Notables,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 4, 1968.

[14] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[15] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[16] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[17] Neal Russo, “Statue Dedicated, Stan ‘Redbird Forever,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 5, 1968.

[18] Bob Broeg, “Win for Gibby Would Have Given Stan Perfect Day,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 6, 1968.

[19] “Dedicated to The Man,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 10, 2006.

The post How the Stan Musial statue became a St. Louis icon first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“I think it serves Texas’ needs for this year because they’re getting Royce and Todd, who can help them try to win the West Division,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “It really helps us too. I think we’ll be good for the next couple of months and in the future.”[1]

The 51-57 Cardinals were 13 ½ games out of first place in the National League Central Division at the time of the trade. With four players slated to become free agents after the season – Stottlemyre, Clayton, Brian Jordan, and Delino DeShields – the Cardinals had been at the center of trade rumors, particularly around Stottlemyre and Jordan.

Meanwhile, Jocketty was seeking to improve the Cardinals’ pitching and obtain a third baseman to replace 39-year-old Gary Gaetti.

“Those are the real glaring needs,” he said.[2]

Ahead of the trade deadline, Rangers general manager Doug Melvin was in Denver to watch Todd Stottlemyre pitch against the Rockies.[3]

“There have probably been six clubs that have shown interest” in Stottlemyre, Jocketty said. “Just about every club that’s in the race – with different degrees of interest.”[4]

The trade was part of a busy day for the Rangers, who also sent two prospects to the Marlins for former Cardinal Todd Zeile.

“I think it’s going to help our ballclub and there’s no doubt what we did today is an effort to win our division and go beyond,” Melvin said.[5]

In Stottlemyre, the Rangers were obtaining a veteran right-hander who had won 35 games for the Cardinals since signing with St. Louis ahead of the 1996 season. Jocketty and Stottlemyre had been negotiating a possible long-term deal, but Stottlemyre was reportedly seeking four years while the Cardinals would not go past their three-year, $21 million offer.[6]

“We think very highly of Todd, and we’d love to have him back, and we may have him back, but this allowed us to get a few pieces to help our situation,” Jocketty said.[7]

Both the Cardinals and Stottlemyre expressed a willingness to continue negotiations after the season ended.

“This has been a great experience,” Stottlemyre said. “When I was traded (from Oakland), they told me it was a great baseball town. They were wrong. It was the best. The fans are real special. The times they gave me standing ovations when I was walking off the mound? Awesome.”[8]

The Rangers turned to Stottlemyre after their negotiations to acquire Roger Clemens from the Blue Jays failed to gain traction. Sources said the Jays wanted left fielder Rusty Greer, Oliver, and a premier prospect.[9]

“He’s a real competitor,” Melvin said of Stottlemyre. “I told him he was probably pitching against Boston next weekend and he said, ‘Good.’”[10]

“I go from a club that was 13 ½ games out to a club that’s in the pennant race,” Stottlemyre said. “From that standpoint, it’s pretty exciting. For the next two months, going out and pitching with that kind of pressure, it’s what every player wants.”[11]

Clayton was all too familiar with pressure, having come to St. Louis in a December 1995 trade that made him the heir apparent to Ozzie Smith. In Clayton’s first season in St. Louis, Clayton and Smith split time at the position, creating a tense situation that was only resolved when Smith announced his retirement effective at the end of the season.

After hitting .277 with six homers, 35 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases in his debut season in St. Louis, Clayton earned All-Star recognition in 1997, batting .266 with nine homers, 61 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. His 1998 campaign, however, was disappointing, and at the time of the trade he was batting just .234.

“I didn’t think anything was going to happen,” Clayton said. “I thought things had pretty much subsided when you don’t hear your name, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to help this team.”[12]

Clayton was taking the place of Kevin Elster, whom the Rangers released upon completing the trade. Elster had helped Texas win the AL West in 1996, but when he returned ahead of the 1998 season the Rangers found that the 33-year-old had lost a step.

“Of all the priorities we had, improving at shortstop was No. 1,” Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. “Shortstop is such an important position defensively. A good one makes your pitching better, makes your outfielders better by cutting down on their throws. I talked to Tony La Russa at length this afternoon and he’s very high on (Clayton). He said we’ll like him, that the ball jumps off his bat, that he has good range and a good arm, and that he likes to play and play hard. Those were all the things we were looking for.”[13]

“I’m just happy to be part of an organization that is trying to better itself,” Clayton said. “This team showed they will do what it takes to help the ballclub – not to say that they needed help, because I personally felt like Texas had a great team to start with.”[14]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz considered the Cardinals’ trade of Clayton to be addition by subtraction.

“Clayton represented everything wrong with this disappointing team: moodiness and stubbornness,” Miklasz wrote. “He pouted when he didn’t bat leadoff. He never embraced the suggestions to hit smarter with two strikes. Clayton never tried to hit the ball the opposite way, no matter how many lectures he heard from batting instructor Dave Parker. So before firing Clayton, the Cardinals exchanged him for Tatis, who could be their third baseman for many summers. Jocketty made it clear to Rangers GM Doug Melvin that he wouldn’t trade Stottlemyre for Oliver unless the deal was expanded to include the swap of Clayton for Tatis. Because of his tough posture, Jocketty got Tatis as a bonus.”[15]

A native of the Dominican Republic, the 23-year-old Tatis made his debut the previous year, batting .256 with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 241 plate appearances. At the time of the trade, he was batting .270 with three homers and 32 RBIs through 95 games.

“We don’t like giving him up because we really think he’ll be an All-Star third baseman,” Melvin said.[16]

“The guy we liked is Tatis,” Jocketty said. “We needed to find a third baseman and he was the best guy available.”[17]

Oliver, 27, had been in the Rangers organization since they drafted him in the third round in 1988. In his previous two seasons with the Rangers, he won 27 games and threw 375 innings. At the time of the trade, however, he was struggling through a down year and was just 6-7 with a 6.53 ERA.

“We’ve had good reports on Oliver,” Jocketty said. “He’s a solid third or fourth starter and probably better than that. He gives us a little depth in our rotation. A couple of clubs have called about him, but we’re going to hold onto him.”[18]

“He’s very deceptive,” said Mark McGwire, who had played against Oliver in the American League. “He’s got a very smooth delivery. Great demeanor on the mound. You wouldn’t know if he had given up five runs or that he had a no-hitter going.”[19]

Oliver’s contract ran through the 1999 season, making him a rotation piece the Cardinals could count on in the upcoming season.

The Rangers, however, were clearly focused on that fall.

“We’re the front-runners now,” Texas second baseman Mark McLemore said.[20]

Indeed, the Rangers went on to pass Anaheim in the AL West race, going 37-23 in August and September to win the division with an 88-74 record, three games ahead of the Angels. Stottlemyre went 5-4 with a 4.33 ERA in 10 starts while Clayton hit .285 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 186 at-bats.

In the playoffs, the Rangers’ surge came to an abrupt halt, as the Yankees swept them in a three-game AL Division Series. Stottlemyre took the loss in Game 1 despite holding New York to two runs over eight innings (David Wells and Mariano Rivera combined for a shutout in the Yankees’ 2-0 win).

Clayton went 2-for-9 in the series with four strikeouts.

That December, Clayton signed a four-year, $18 million contract to return to the Rangers. He played two seasons of that contract before he was traded to the White Sox. Clayton spent two years in Chicago before playing for the Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Reds, Blue Jays, and Red Sox over the next five seasons.

After the 1998 season, Stottlemyre signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, Stottlemyre’s time in Arizona was plagued by injury. He threw 101 1/3 innings in 1999, followed by 95 1/3 innings in 2000. He missed all of the 2001 season with shoulder and elbow injuries, and his attempt at a comeback at age 37 lasted just 20 1/3 innings. He retired after the 2002 season with a 138-121 record and a 4.28 career ERA.

Tatis hit .287 with eight homers and 26 RBIs down the stretch for the Cardinals in 1998. In April 1999, Tatis set a record that is unlikely ever to be broken, as he hit two grand slams in one inning against Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park.

Tatis posted career highs that season as he batted .298 with 34 homers, 107 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. The following year, his numbers dipped as he batted .253 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs. That December, the Cardinals traded Tatis and pitcher Britt Reames to the Expos for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline.

Oliver went 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA for the Cardinals during the remainder of the 1998 season. He made 30 starts for St. Louis in 1999, going 9-9 – again posting a 4.26 ERA – before signing with the Rangers ahead of the 2000 season. In 2004, Oliver was converted to a relief pitcher, a move that allowed him to continue pitching as a left-handed specialist through his age-42 season.

Oliver was in his third stint with the Rangers in 2011 when the Cardinals met them in the World Series; he earned the win in Game 5 after throwing a scoreless eighth inning.

After being named as the fifth player in the trade, Little joined the Cardinals and appeared in seven games, posting a single in 12 at-bats. He did not return to the majors again until 2001, when he hit .341 in 85 at-bats with the Rockies. Little played parts of four big-league seasons with the Cardinals, Rockies, Mets, Diamondbacks, and Indians.

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[1] “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton,” Belleville News-Democrat, August 1, 1998.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Jocketty is confident he’ll swing a deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1998.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Jocketty is confident he’ll swing a deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1998.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Jocketty is confident he’ll swing a deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1998.

[5] Johnny Paul, “Real Deals For Rangers, Astros,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

[6] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards GM salvaged some future options in trade with Texas,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1998.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[9] Johnny Paul, “Real Deals For Rangers, Astros,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

[10] “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton,” Belleville News-Democrat, August 1, 1998.

[11] J. Douglas Foster, “New acquisitions elated to join Rangers for a drive to playoffs,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 2, 1998.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[13] Jim Reeves, “Rolls Royce is driving key in this deal,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

[14] J. Douglas Foster, “New acquisitions elated to join Rangers for a drive to playoffs,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 2, 1998.

[15] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards GM salvaged some future options in trade with Texas,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1998.

[16] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards GM salvaged some future options in trade with Texas,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1998.

[17] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[18] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[19] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[20] Jim Reeves, “Rolls Royce is driving key in this deal,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

The post Why the Cards traded Todd Stottlemyre and Royce Clayton at the 1998 trade deadline first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

His only goal? To keep from breaking down and crying in gratitude.

“Ever since December, every question that anybody asked me is this: What’s it feel like to be a Hall of Famer,” Herzog said. “Well, I didn’t know. I kept saying, ‘I won’t know until July 25.’ Now I can tell you what it feels like. Being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is like going to heaven before you die.”[1]

More than 30 years after he managed his last game for the Cardinals, Herzog was inducted before an audience of approximately 10,000 fans on a rainy day in Cooperstown alongside Andre Dawson and Doug Harvey. Jon Miller was presented the Ford C. Frick Award and Bill Madden won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

Herzog didn’t initially appear to be on a Hall of Fame path. The New Athens, Illinois, native played eight seasons in the big leagues, bouncing around between the Senators, Athletics, Orioles, and Tigers. He appeared in 634 games across his career, retiring after the 1963 season with a .257 batting average, 25 home runs, and 172 RBIs.

“I wasn’t a very good player, but I did get (eight) years in the big leagues when there were only 16 teams and 50-some (in the) minor leagues,” Herzog said. “I got my pension. I was the kind of player everybody wanted. When they got me, they didn’t know what the hell to do with me. I’ll be honest about that.”[2]

When his playing days ended, Herzog got into the coaching game and made a name for himself working under Mets manager Casey Stengel.

“When something like this happens to you, you say to yourself, ‘How did this happen?’ Then you start thinking about all the good people you worked with, all the good people you worked for, all the good coaches that worked for you,” Herzog said. “I’m not here because I’m a player. I’m here, obviously, because of managing, and I had a lot of good players play for me.”[3]

Herzog’s first managerial opportunity was short-lived. In 1973, he managed the Texas Rangers to a 47-91 record before he was fired in the midst of his first season. After serving as a third-base coach for the Angels in 1974 (and serving a four-game stint as the team’s interim manager), Herzog was named the Royals’ manager midway through the 1975 season. After leading Kansas City to a 41-25 record and a second-place finish in the American League West, Herzog guided the Royals to three consecutive division titles. In 1979, after the Royals went 85-77 and finished second in the division, Herzog was fired.

Kansas City’s loss proved to be the Cardinals’ gain.

In 1980, the Cardinals named Herzog manager, then added general manager duties to his responsibilities. In this role, Herzog built the foundation of the 1982 World Series championship club, adding players such as Darrell Porter, Bruce Sutter, Willie McGee, Lonnie Smith, and Ozzie Smith.

“I probably would not be standing here if he had not got on that plane and come out to San Diego,” Ozzie Smith said of Herzog’s trip to convince him to waive his no-trade clause and join the Cardinals ahead of the 1982 season. “I’ll never forget the words he told me. He said, ‘If you come to St. Louis, there’s no reason we can’t win it all.’ Fortunately, we won it my first year.”[4]

Though Herzog stepped back from his general manager duties in 1982, he continued to guide the team to the top of the standings, winning the World Series in 1982 and capturing the National League pennant in 1985 and 1987. When he resigned in 1990, Herzog had compiled an 822-728 record (.530 winning percentage) across 11 seasons. Altogether, he ended his managerial career with a 1,281-1,125 record (.532) over 18 seasons.

“I’ve got three Hall of Fame players, and if all three of them hadn’t played for me, I wouldn’t be here today,” Herzog said. “I’d probably be back in New Athens, Illinois, digging ditches or something.”[5]

All three of those players – George Brett, Ozzie Smith, and Sutter – attended Herzog’s induction ceremony. As he began his remarks, Herzog pulled a small notebook from his pocket, but rarely looked at it as he decided on the fly to cut six minutes from his speech.

“I could have talked longer, but the program was dragging a little bit and I wanted to hurry it up,” Herzog said.[6]

Instead, Herzog’s 11-minute speech was the shortest of the day.

“I’m satisfied I got through it,” Herzog said. “I didn’t cry or anything. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”[7]

A few days earlier, Herzog’s voice had cracked when Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. announced that Herzog’s No. 24 would be retired.[8]

In his remarks, Herzog thanked a number of people who influenced his career, including Stengel and former Cardinals chairman August Busch Jr. He noted that he resigned in 1990 partly because “I certainly didn’t think I could find another Gussie Busch.”[9]

Check out more Whitey Herzog stories below!

June 17, 1956: Whitey Herzog steals home

June 9, 1980: Whitey Herzog manages his first game for the St. Louis Cardinals

July 6, 1990: Whitey Herzog resigns as Cardinals manager

[1] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[2] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[3] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[5] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[9] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

The post 7/25/2010: Whitey Herzog is inducted into the Hall of Fame first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Unfortunately, Hernandez’s fly ball hadn’t reached the wall. In fact, it didn’t even get to the warning track. In a desperate bid to recover, Ozuna tried to push off the wall, but his cleat got caught on the fence and he landed face-first on the warning track as the ball bounced over him for a ground-rule double.

“‘A’ for effort,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said,[1] helpfully adding that “gravity came into play,” and “we can’t dispute Newton’s laws.”[2]

Ozuna’s overzealous attempt to rob Hernandez of a home run was inspired by a similar play two years prior, when Ozuna earned bragging rights against his former teammate. On that occasion, Ozuna, then playing with the Marlins, climbed the outfield wall to steal a home run from Hernandez.

“It looked kind of the same,” Ozuna said. “I thought it was gone.”[3]

Here’s a look at that 2017 grab:

Since stealing that homer, Ozuna had taken advantage of every opportunity to remind Hernandez of the play. After listening to Ozuna gloat for the past two years, Hernandez had no mercy for the Cardinals left fielder after watching him fall face-first into the Busch Stadium dirt.

“Off the bat I knew I hit it well, but running down to first base, I started running hard, running down the line,” Hernandez said. “I see him climb up and I’m like, ‘I thought I hit it too high,’ and it brought me to a flashback to Miami two years ago. Then he faceplanted and I’m really glad it happened to him, because he deserves it. That’s my boy. I played with him, but he still reminds me every year of the play he made two years ago. It would’ve been better if it hit off his head when he fell down, but it’s still one of my favorite doubles of my career.”[4]

The Cardinals’ athletic training staff checked on Ozuna before he remained in the game for the remainder of the Cardinals’ 4-0 victory. Once it was clear that only Ozuna’s pride had been injured on the play, players in both dugouts were free to laugh. Former Cardinals reliever Joe Kelly, now with the Dodgers, and teammate Kenley Jansen were caught laughing on camera even as the next batter, Chris Taylor, was at the plate, and Jansen pulled his shirt up over his mouth to hide his smile.

“I was laughing too,” Ozuna said. “I was too aggressive.”[5]

“He’s going to be on the bloopers for the next 10 years,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I actually thought it was a homer off the bat and it kind of hung up there. Apparently, he did too.”[6]

Incredibly, Ozuna had made a similar play – minus the pratfall – less than a year earlier on June 21, 2018. On that occasion, he climbed the wall attempting to catch a fly ball off the bat of Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar, only to turn around and see the ball hit the base of the wall just a few feet to his left, allowing Aguilar to reach second base with a two-run double.

Take a look:

“I thought the ball was going out, and I went up to rob it, and I looked up and it was below me,” Ozuna said. “I saw the ball carrying, carrying, carrying, and then I got turned around … at the end it was a bad read.”[7]

Ozuna has not won any Gold Glove awards since 2017.

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Cards strong-arm LA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 10, 2019.

[2] Mark Saxon, “Marcell Ozuna’s now-famous gaffe came just as he started to feel better about his defense,” The Athletic, https://theathletic.com/917718/2019/04/10/marcell-ozunas-now-famous-gaffe-came-just-as-he-started-to-feel-better-about-his-defense/.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Cards strong-arm LA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 10, 2019.

[4] Matthew Moreno, “Dodgers React To Cardinals’ Marcell Ozuna Climbing Wall & Failing To Make Catch On Kiké Hernandez Double,” Dodger Blue, https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-react-to-cardinals-marcell-ozuna-climbing-wall-failing-to-make-catch-on-kike-hernandez-double/2019/04/10/.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Cards strong-arm LA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 10, 2019.

[6] Jorge Castillo, “Dodgers can’t cash in any of 13 baserunners,” Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2019.

[7] Adrian Garro, “Marcell Ozuna climbed the wall pursuing a fly ball – but the ball didn’t make it that far,” Cut4 by MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/cut4/marcell-ozuna-climbs-wall-chasing-fly-ball-but-it-falls-well-short-c282315820.

The post Marcell Ozuna climbs the wall: April 9, 2019 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Both teams viewed the trade as an opportunity to trade from a position of depth to fill a need. O’Neill, a 2013 third-round pick out of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, had slugged 56 home runs over the past two seasons in High-A and Double-A. In 396 plate appearances that season with Triple-A Tacoma, O’Neill had hit .244 with 19 homers and 56 RBIs, including a recent, three-week surge in which he hit eight homers, slugged .730, and drove in 17 runs in 16 games. O’Neill’s prodigious power was accompanied by 108 strikeouts in 93 games.

“The one thing that we talk a lot about is finding those bats,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “We definitely feel like our strength is starting pitching in the minor leagues. Not that we’re not proud of our outfield depth, but we do think his offensive profile is unique. Middle-of-the-order potential.”[1]

The son of a former Mr. Canada bodybuilder, MLB.com ranked O’Neill the No. 2 prospect in the Mariners’ system and Baseball America listed him as their No. 35 overall prospect.

“The way you get out of Canada and into the draft is hitting,” O’Neill said. “Of course, whenever you hear the name O’Neill, I know (power) is what people are going to think, but there are more aspects to my game and I think people are going to start to see that.”[2]

According to the Tacoma News Herald, the Mariners viewed O’Neill as expendable following the emergence of rookies Ben Gamel, Mitch Haniger, and Guillermo Heredia.[3]

O’Neill, who needed to be added to the Cardinals’ 40-man roster in the winter, joined a Triple-A Memphis outfield that also featured Harrison Bader. With his addition to Triple-A, he slid ahead of Double-A outfielders Oscar Mercado, Magneuris Sierra, and Randy Arozarena in the depth chart.

“All of that creates more depth for the Cardinals to possibly deal an upper-level outfielder in the coming days,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. “The Cardinals have been gathering a sense of the interest in players like (Randal) Grichuk and Bader in this market.”[4]

Ultimately, the Cardinals chose not to trade one of their young outfielders ahead of the trade deadline, though they did send Stephen Piscotty to the Athletics that December and dealt Randal Grichuk to the Blue Jays in January 2018.

While the Cardinals sought to add a potential middle-of-the-order bat, the Mariners needed young pitching. Gonzales, who played his college baseball at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, made his major-league debut less than a year after the Cardinals drafted him, going 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 games (five starts) as a 22-year-old in 2014.

That fall, Gonzales threw three scoreless innings of relief in the NLDS, picking up wins in Game 1 and Game 4 (Clayton Kershaw was the losing pitcher in both games). Gonzales also pitched three innings in the NLCS and took the loss in Game 4.

Following that initial success, however, Gonzales missed most of the 2015 season with a pectoral injury and all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. Since returning from the injury in 2017, the 25-year-old Gonzales had posted a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts for Triple-A Memphis.

“Marco is a quality athlete with high character and a strong pitching pedigree who we feel fits our roster well in both the near and long term,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “We find his current performance, preparedness, and proximity to the major leagues to be very appealing traits in a pitcher, particularly a young lefty who is now under club control through the 2023 season.”[5]

Although Gonzales would be out of options after the 2017 season, he would not be eligible for salary arbitration until after 2020.

Dipoto was in attendance when Gonzales made his debut for the Mariners’ Triple-A Tacoma squad, allowing three runs and striking out five over six innings.

“As we were told, he’s a thrower with a plus changeup, and that’s what he did,” Tacoma manager Pat Listach said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him and he came as advertised.”[6]

“Everything has been really, really smooth,” Gonzales said. “I have been really blessed and thankful that I have worked with some great people with the Cardinals that have enabled me to come back strong and enabled me to get back on the field without pain. This year has been a blessing just because of that.”[7]

Back in St. Louis, Post-Dispatch columnist Jeff Gordon approved of the trade.

“Gonzales was caught in a logjam here, even with (Lance) Lynn on the trade block,” he wrote. “(Luke) Weaver passed him on the organizational ladder. So did (Jack) Flaherty. (Dakota) Hudson is developing quickly and Alex Reyes is on schedule to return next season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Cardinals have a lot of young pitchers and could leverage that to gain substantially more power.”[8]

Unfortunately, the Cardinals’ next trade to turn young pitching depth into offensive firepower took the form of a December 14, 2017, deal that sent Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen, and Sierra to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna.

The O’Neill-for-Gonzales trade, however, ultimately proved relatively successful for both sides. O’Neill made his big-league debut for the Cardinals as a 23-year-old in 2018, and provided a glimpse of his power potential, slugging nine home runs in just 61 games.

He made the Cardinals’ opening-day roster in 2019, but injuries and inconsistent performance limited him to just 60 major-league games. In 2020, O’Neill won his first Gold Glove Award in left field, and in 2021 he enjoyed the best season of his career to date, batting .286 with 34 homers, 80 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He placed eighth in that year’s National League MVP balloting and was recognized with his second Gold Glove.

In 2022 and 2023, however, O’Neill once again was plagued by injuries. In 2022, he hit just .228 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 96 games. The following year, he appeared in just 72 games, batting .231 with nine homers and 21 RBIs. On December 8, 2023, the Cardinals traded him to the Red Sox for pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.

Though O’Neill was unable to sustain his 2021 success, that season alone represented a good return for Gonzales, whose lack of options following the 2017 season meant the Cardinals would be unable to send him to the minors without risking another team claiming him.

Gonzales appeared in just two games for Triple-A Tacoma following the trade before the Mariners called him up. In 10 big-league appearances that season, he went 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA over 36 2/3 innings. In 2018, he went 13-9 with a 4.00 ERA and won a career-high 16 games the following year with a 3.99 ERA.

Across seven seasons with the Mariners, Gonzales went 61-47 with a 4.08 ERA. On December 3, 2023, the Mariners traded Gonzales, Jarred Kelenic, and Evan White to the Braves for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips. Two days later, the Braves flipped Gonzales and cash to the Pirates for a player to be named later.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Cards deal Gonzales for outfielder,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 22, 2017.

[2] Derrick Goold, “O’Neill makes Memphis debut,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 24, 2017.

[3] Bob Dutton, “Mariners acquire lefty from Cardinals,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 22, 2017.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Cards deal Gonzales for outfielder,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 22, 2017.

[5] Bob Dutton, “Mariners acquire lefty from Cardinals,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 22, 2017.

[6] Terrence Holmes, “Mariners GM sees new asset shine in debut,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 25, 2017.

[7] Terrence Holmes, “Mariners GM sees new asset shine in debut,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 25, 2017.

[8] Jeff Gordon, “Cards’ retooling shouldn’t be limited to the trade deadline,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 25, 2017.

The post Why the Cardinals traded for Tyler O’Neill in 2017 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On July 12, 1955, almost exactly five years after his longtime teammate, Red Schoendienst, hit the game-winning home run in the 1950 All-Star Game, Musial smacked the first pitch in the bottom of the 12^th inning over the right-field wall to give the National League a 6-5 victory in a game it had trailed by five runs.

Prior to the contest at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, a moment of silence was held in memory of Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, who had founded the All-Star Game in 1933. Ward’s funeral services had been held earlier that day.

At age 34, Musial was making his 12^th All-Star Game appearance, giving him more than any other player in history even though he would be selected for 12 more before his career ended. During the first half of the season, Musial once again had been excellent, batting .298/.387/.545 with 14 doubles, 19 homers, and 65 RBIs.

Despite Musial’s impressive numbers, Cincinnati’s Ted Kluszewski started the game at first base. Kluszewski, who finished second in the 1954 National League MVP voting, had entered the All-Star break batting .317/.390/.641 with 13 doubles, 29 homers, and 65 RBIs.

With Musial on the bench, the American League jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead off Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts. Tigers shortstop Harvey Kuenn led off the game with a single and scored on a wild pitch before the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle launched a three-run homer. Before Roberts could record an out, the American League was already ahead by four runs.

After Nationals first baseman Mickey Vernon drove in a run in the sixth to give the American League a 5-0 lead, the National League finally answered. Johnny Logan of the hometown Braves ended the shutout with an RBI single to right field and another Braves star, Henry Aaron, scored on a throwing error to cut the lead to 5-2.

In the eighth, Cubs third baseman Randy Jackson singled to right to score Willie Mays and Aaron added a two-run single off Red Sox pitcher Frank Sullivan that tied the game. The score would remain 5-5 until the bottom of the 12^th, thanks in no small part to a defensive gem from Schoendienst, who started the game at second base.

Schoendienst grabbed Yogi Berra’s lazy, slow-rolling ground ball behind the second base bag and threw the Yankees catcher out in a play that was so close that Berra and coach Don Gutteridge fiercely argued with first base umpire Dusty Boggess.

Despite their protests, Musial, who had entered as a pinch hitter for Del Ennis in the fourth inning and then remained in the game as the left fielder, led off the bottom of the inning. As George Vecsey noted, “With the players due back in uniform two days later, nobody wanted to miss the last flight or train out of town that evening.”^[1]

As the inning began, Aaron later recalled Musial approaching the bat rack and saying, “They don’t pay us to play overtime.”

“And he went up and hit a home run,” Aaron said. “I heard that myself. I know a lot say Babe Ruth pointed. I know Stan called his.”^[2]

Berra – a St. Louis native and friend of Musial’s – had been catching the entire game for the American League and the two had conversed each time Musial had come to the plate.

After the game, Musial told the reporters that as he came to the plate for his last at-bat, he said, “You know, Yogi, I’m getting pretty tired.”

“So am I,” Berra answered.[3]

In Berra’s book, You Can Observe a Lot by Watching: What I’ve Learned about Teamwork from the Yankees and Life, he recalled the scene this way:

It was the twelfth inning and getting dark. We’d been out there almost three and a half hours, and Stash is the oldest player in the game and tells me he’s getting weary. I tell him my feet are tired too. And ain’t it a shame nobody can see the ball through the shadows? Stash tells me to relax, says we’re all going home soon. And he smashed the first pitch for a home run.[4]

However, in Vecsey’s Musial biography, he shares that he asked Berra about the story, and at that time Berra denied that Musial called his shot.[5]

In the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bob Broeg offered a slight variation, writing that when Musial arrived at home plate, Berra was grumbling and the Cardinals’ star asked Berra what was wrong.

“It’s these extra innings, tough on a guy catching every day,” the Yankees catcher replied.

“And it’s getting tough to see back here too,” added American League umpire Bill Summers.

“Yeah, Musial replied, “I’m getting tired too.”[6]

Broeg’s version doesn’t include mention of Musial calling his shot.

Immediately after the game, Musial told reporters that while he had been swinging for the long ball in his two previous at-bats, he was just trying to get on base to lead off the 12^th inning.

“Before that, I was really swinging for the fences,” he said. “I didn’t take a vicious cut at Sullivan’s pitch in the 12^th. It was a fastball, letter high, but when I connected, I knew it was over the fence.”[7]

Sullivan, who gave up the home run, had his own amusing recollections. As he later described the scene, Berra had been pleading with Musial to end the game, and said, “For crying out loud, Stan, do something. This game has gone on far too long.”[8]

Sullivan concludes the story by sharing that Berra came to his locker after the game and said, “I should have told you he was a high fastball hitter.”[9]

Given how competitive the All-Star games were at the time, however, this is likely more a reflection of Sullivan’s exceptional storytelling skills than an accurate reflection of the moment.

Regardless of whether Musial predicted his game-winning home run or not, it did represent the fourth All-Star Game blast of his career, breaking a tie with Ralph Kiner and Ted Williams for the most in Midsummer Classic history. It also marked his 14^th hit in an All-Star Game, setting another record.

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[1] George Vecsey (2012), Stan Musial, ESPN, Location 3407 (Kindle Edition).

[2] George Vecsey (2012), Stan Musial, ESPN, Location 3407 (Kindle Edition).

[3] “Musial’s Booming Home Run in 12^th Gives N.L. 6-to-5 All-Star Victory – Yogi Baits the Man, Stan Has Last Laugh,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 13, 1955.

[4] Yogi Berra with Dave Kaplan (2008), You Can Observe a Lot by Watching: What I’ve Learned about Teamwork from the Yankees and Life, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Page 162.

[5] George Vecsey (2012), Stan Musial, ESPN, Location 3416 (Kindle Edition).

[6] Bob Broeg, “Tired Musial, Ear Bent By Weary Berra, Puts All-Star Game to Bed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 13, 1955.

[7] Associated Press, “Stan Knew It Was Over, Wasn’t Swinging Hard,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 13, 1955.

[8] George Vecsey (2012), Stan Musial, ESPN, Location 3423 (Kindle Edition).

[9] George Vecsey (2012), Stan Musial, ESPN, Location 3427 (Kindle Edition).

The post How Stan Musial won the 1955 All-Star Game first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

In advance of the April 1988 publication of his new autobiography Wizard, which Smith wrote with St. Louis sportswriter Rob Rains, the Cardinals shortstop sat down with Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell for a three-hour, cover-story interview for GQ Magazine. In the ensuing article, Boswell either quoted or paraphrased Smith criticizing a wide range of baseball colleagues, including former teammate Jack Clark, manager Whitey Herzog, umpires, the New York Mets (particularly third baseman Howard Johnson), and the San Francisco Giants (particularly catcher Bob Brenly).

“I feel that it was an injustice,” Smith said. “It came out totally opposite of the way I thought it was going to come out.”[1]

Ozzie vs. Jack Clark

The previous September, Clark tore a ligament in his ankle while attempting to avoid a tag at first base. Originally believed to be relatively minor, Clark’s injury kept him out of the playoffs, and without their top slugger, the Cardinals fell to the Twins in a seven-game World Series.

“A lot of players soured on Jack Clark when he didn’t try to come back … (he) should have taken a shot … everybody would have at least known that he had tried,” Smith was quoted as saying in Boswell’s GQ article.[2]

It was a similar statement to what was published the following month in Wizard: “I think Jack should have taken a shot to try to kill the pain in his ankle so he could play – at least to find out if he could play. It was a way he could have shown the club how hard he was trying to play, since he was in the middle of negotiating a new contract. If he had taken the shot and still hadn’t been able to play, everybody would have at least known he had tried.”[3]

The truth, however, was that painkillers would not have allowed Clark to play through a torn ligament.

“I don’t know what got into him to say those things. He must have done one too many backflips,” Clark fired back. “Both Dr. (James) Andrews and our team physician, Dr. (Stan) London, told me a shot wouldn’t do any good. It wasn’t that kind of an injury. There was a tear in there that they said would take four to five months to heal – which it did. They told me to stay off it.”[4]

In fact, Clark – who signed with the Yankees during the offseason – was still recovering when the 1988 season began, forcing him to miss New York’s first nine games. He was, however, feeling well enough to take aim at his former teammate.

“Ozzie’s obviously bitter about something,” Clark said. “He thinks he should be both the manager and the team doctor now. I think maybe it’s because he was paid $2 million a year when he was a .230 hitter, and now that he’s finally earning his money, he can speak out like that. I know this, I was going into free agency and I had a chance to win the MVP. Don’t you think I wanted to play?”[5]

In a 1991 Sports Illustrated article, Clark later suggested that Smith made those comments to gain favor with Cardinals ownership in advance of his own upcoming contract negotiations.[6]

“If you ask me, he should apologize,” Clark said. “Not to me. I don’t care. I’m starting a new life over here with the Yankees and I’ve never been happier. But he owes an apology to Whitey and (Cubs outfielder Andre) Dawson.”[7]

Why would he owe those gentlemen apologies? We’re getting there …

Ozzie vs. Whitey Herzog

In the GQ article, Smith criticized Herzog’s comments to the media during the World Series.

In the magazine article, Smith said, “I felt that the team needed a vote of confidence. For the manager to say, ‘You guys are as good or better than they are.’ But Whitey kept saying, ‘I don’t know why we’re here,’ like he expected us to lose. I kept waiting for him to say something positive, but he never did. Maybe he figured we knew how he felt, and he was just trying to lull the other team to sleep. But some guys didn’t understand that. We needed a boost.”[8]

Herzog subsequently explained his postseason comments that painted the Cardinals as clear underdogs as they played without Clark and third baseman Terry Pendleton, who was also out with an injury.

“You lose Jack Clark. Do you think we should beat the Giants?” Herzog said. “We lost Clark and Terry Pendleton. Do you think we should beat anybody in a seven-game series? What I meant was that we overachieved to get there. What I was saying was a compliment to what we accomplished without those guys.”[9]

Nonetheless, Herzog said he wasn’t bothered by Smith’s comments.

“Ozzie is a hell of a good ballplayer, a hell of a guy, and a good friend,” he said.[10]

Instead, Herzog was more concerned about the comments attributed to Smith regarding major league umpires.

Ozzie vs. the Umpires

In discussing baseball’s umpires, Boswell quoted Smith saying, “Their judgement is bad, their eyesight is bad, their level of consistency is terrible. … Since my contract, my strike zone has all of a sudden become a lot larger. I have to think a lot of umpires are trying to call me out just so they can show me they’re the boss.”[11]

While Herzog brushed aside the quotes regarding his World Series performance, he immediately arranged for a telephone conversation between Smith and National League President A. Bartlett Giamatti to clear the air.[12] With a new season about to begin, Herzog wanted to halt a feud between his star shortstop and the league’s umpires before it began.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, umpires Frank Pulli, Gerry Crawford, and Eric Gregg expressed surprise at Smith’s remarks. “I’ve always gotten along well with Ozzie,” Crawford said.[13]

Smith, meanwhile, said that Boswell had misconstrued his point by indicating the umpires were “prejudiced” against him.

“I’d never say something like that,” Smith said. “I said that in any business, there are people who are incompetent at what they do, not only in baseball. You find players who are incompetent, umpires who are incompetent. I don’t know where the prejudice comes from.”[14]

In Wizard, Smith struck a similar tone and seemed to be saying that any “prejudice” on the umpires’ part was due to his recent, high-paying salary.

“Unfortunately, since I signed the contract, my strike zone seems to have suddenly become a lot larger,” he wrote. “I like to think I have a pretty good eye at the plate, but it sure seems like all of the close pitches now go the pitcher’s way. I want to think that it hasn’t been malicious, but it has happened so often that it suggests a lot of umpires resent my contract.”[15]

Ozzie vs. Andre Dawson

Boswell’s GQ article also hinted that Smith believed he should have won the previous year’s NL MVP award over Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson.

Dawson won the MVP trophy with 11 of 24 first-place votes after batting .287 with 49 homers and 137 RBIs. Smith, meanwhile, received nine first-place votes after batting .303 with 75 RBIs, 104 runs scored, and 43 stolen bases.

Smith discussed the MVP results in Wizard, writing, “There is a gray area in MVP voting, in that nobody has ever established whether the award should be for the most “valuable” player – which is what it says – or the most “outstanding” player. Dawson was definitely the most outstanding player in the league. But his club finished in last place. Where would the Cubs have finished without him? How valuable could his performance have been? To me, the MVP should be a player who had an integral role in his club’s winning.”[16]

Ozzie vs. the New York Mets

Smith’s comments regarding the MVP race were nothing compared to what he had to say about the Mets. In Boswell’s article, he wrote that Smith believed Mets third baseman Howard Johnson should have an asterisk beside his stat line due to suspicions that Johnson corked his bat.[17] Johnson hit 36 homers and drove in 99 runs in 1987.

“Someone ought to drill that disrespectful jerk, and that’s all I want to say,” said Keith Hernandez, Smith’s former teammate in St. Louis.[18]

“I’m surprised he said it, but I’d rather not comment,” Dwight Gooden said.[19]

“I’m not going to say anything about it,” Howard Johnson said. “I don’t think it would be too wise to say anything about it.”[20]

Ozzie vs. Bob Brenly and the San Francisco Giants

In both the GQ article and his autobiography, Smith noted that as much as he disliked the Mets, the Giants were even worse.

Boswell paraphrased Smith’s feelings, writing that “the New York Mets are disrespectful jerks but the San Francisco Giants are worse. They’re scared loudmouths.”[21] In his own book, Smith used similar phrasing, calling them “loudmouth overachievers.”[22]

Smith particularly called out Giants outfielder Jeffrey Leonard, calling him “one of the main loudmouths,” and was especially irked when catcher Bob Brenly said that Smith misplayed a ball during the NLCS because he was “styling.”

“Bob Brenly, who in my opinion is mediocre at best … once made four errors in the same game playing third base, and he’s telling me about playing defense,” Smith wrote in Wizard. “I don’t tell him how to catch or say anything about all his passed balls. If you walked down the street and asked 20 people if they know who Bob Brenly is, I guarantee 19 of them wouldn’t know him.”[23]

That summer, Smith and Brenly’s war of words turned physical when Giants first baseman Will Clark slid hard into Cardinals second baseman Jose Oquendo to break up a double play. In the ensuing brawl, Brenly appeared to get a few shots in on Smith, bloodying his lip.

“I don’t know if somebody stepped on him or what,” Brenly said. “Maybe his lip got caught rolling over on my hand.”[24]

Ozzie vs. Thomas Boswell

In response to the GQ article (his book wasn’t due out until April), Smith called a press conference before the Cardinals’ March 29 game against the Pirates.

“Anybody who knows Ozzie Smith knows that it’s completely out of character,” Smith said. “What you have here is a situation where Ozzie Smith is saying one thing, and Tom Boswell is saying another. That puts Ozzie Smith in a very vulnerable position. You pick it up, and you read it, and you’re not going to be able to read between some of the lines.”[25]

Boswell, meanwhile, stood by his work, noting that his editor was in the room during the three-hour interview.

“It’s a good thing Ozzie has good hang time because he doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” Boswell said. “In 19 years, this is the first time I’ve ever had the senior editor of the publication sit in on the whole interview.

“Everything that’s in the story is in the book at least three times over,” Boswell continued. “Every paraphrase of mine is a weakened, watered-down version of what’s in the book. What he said was not as strong in the interview as he was in the book. And if he changes the book, we still have the manuscript he showed us.”[26]

Interestingly, while the GQ interview created a brief stir, the St. Louis media seemed disappointed by Smith’s autobiography once it was published. Post-Dispatch reporter Rick Hummel wrote that Wizard “isn’t as controversial as the recent Gentlemen’s Quarterly article would suggest.”[27]

Sports editor Kevin Horrigan, who was collaborating with Herzog on his own autobiography, White Rat: A Life in Baseball, wrote that, “If Ozzie Smith’s book was a shortstop, it would be Don Buddin. He gives us the standard career recap, never telling us much about himself. But that’s nothing new. In his seven years in St. Louis, Ozzie has never really opened up. He is a careful, cautious, precise man who happens to be the greatest shortstop who ever lived.”[28]

Of course, given all the controversies Smith initiated in his GQ interview, maybe caution was a better path for the star shortstop.

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[2] Bryan Burwell, “Ozzie: Clark, Whitey costs us Series,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[3] Ozzie Smith and Rob Rains (1988), Wizard, Contemporary Books, Pages 163-164.

[4] Bill Madden, “Clark: He’s flipped too many times,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[5] Bill Madden, “Clark: He’s flipped too many times,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[6] Rick Reilly, “This is the life that Jack built,” Sports Illustrated, July 22, 1991.

[7] Bill Madden, “Clark: He’s flipped too many times,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[8] Bryan Burwell, “Ozzie: Clark, Whitey costs us Series,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[11] Tom Wheatley, “Ozzie Charged With Error For Not Accepting Blame,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 2, 1988.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[13] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[14] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[15] Ozzie Smith and Rob Rains (1988), Wizard, Contemporary Books, Page 113.

[16] Ozzie Smith and Rob Rains (1988), Wizard, Contemporary Books, Page 168.

[17] Bryan Burwell, “Ozzie: Clark, Whitey costs us Series,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[18] Bryan Burwell, “Ozzie: Clark, Whitey costs us Series,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[19] Bryan Burwell, “Ozzie: Clark, Whitey costs us Series,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[20] Bryan Burwell, “Ozzie: Clark, Whitey costs us Series,” New York Daily News, March 30, 1988.

[21] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[22] Ozzie Smith and Rob Rains (1988), Wizard, Contemporary Books, Page 171.

[23] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Says ’89 Could Be Last Year,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 3, 1988.

[24] Edvins Beitiks, “Fighting-trim Giants ready for Dodgers,” San Francisco Examiner, July 25, 1988.

[25] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Criticizes GQ Article,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 30, 1988.

[26] Tom Wheatley, “Ozzie Charged With Error For Not Accepting Blame,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 2, 1988.

[27] Rick Hummel, “Ozzie Says ’89 Could Be Last Year,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 3, 1988.

[28] Kevin Horrigan, “Latest Book On Ozzie Smith: Good Field, No Write,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 20, 1988.

The post How a 1988 Ozzie Smith GQ interview created a firestorm first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On June 23, 2002, Kile was found dead in the bed of his Chicago hotel room after teammates became concerned that he hadn’t arrived at Wrigley Field for the Cardinals’ game against the Cubs. When Kile hadn’t appeared in time for the Cardinals’ on-field stretching, team officials called the hotel and asked the staff there to check Kile’s room. Hotel employees entered his room at 12:30 p.m. and found him still wearing the eyeshades he wore to sleep.

“It appears he died in his bed,” Chicago police spokesman Carlos Herrera said.[1]

Kile had eaten dinner with his brother the night before at Harry Caray’s restaurant. Around 10:30 p.m., he told teammate Edgar Renteria that he was tired and going to bed.[2] The following morning, Kile’s wife Flynn was unable to reach her husband and called Robin Veres, the wife of Cardinals relief pitcher Dave Veres. When the Cardinals realized that Kile had passed away, it was Robin Veres who called Flynn to break the news.[3] The Kiles had three young children together.

The Cardinals players learned of Kile’s passing as they concluded batting practice. Catcher Mike Matheny and pitcher Woody Williams led the team in prayers.[4]

“The news devastated our club,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “There was no bigger leader on our ball club in every way.”[5]

Fans had already arrived for that day’s game when the decision was made to cancel. With his teammates behind him, Cubs catcher Joe Girardi informed the Wrigley Field crowd that the game had been postponed due to a tragedy in the Cardinals family.

“You will find out eventually what happened,” Girardi said.[6]

Kile’s passing was particularly devastating due to his key leadership role on the club. A late bloomer, Kile was a natural lefthander but began pitching with his right hand at age 10 because his father’s glove, the only one the family owned, was for righthanders.[7] Kile didn’t make his high school’s varsity baseball team until he was a junior, and after he graduated without any college scholarship offers, he played at Chaffey (Calif.) Junior College.

By his sophomore year, Kile had added 30 pounds and seen his fastball leap from 80 to 90 mph.[8] The Astros made him a 30^th-round draft choice in 1987, and two years later the 20-year-old Kile had already reached Triple-A.

In 1990, Kile had to make a significant adjustment when the Astros banned the slider in their minor league system. Instead, Kile developed a curveball, experimenting with his grip during the offseason by throwing against the brick wall of a local high school.

“And then it happened,” he said. “The break on the curveball was there. I didn’t know what a hitter would think about it or do with it, but it looked the way I wanted it to. I didn’t know how good it really was.”[9]

The pitch became Kile’s signature. In 1991, he made his major-league debut, and in 1993 he won 15 games and was selected for the all-star game. In 1997, his final year with the Astros, Kile went 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA. In addition to earning his second career all-star nod, Kile placed fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

That offseason, Kile signed as a free agent with the Rockies, where the thin mountain air flattened out his curveball. Rather than complain, however, Kile continued to battle. On November 16, 1999, the Cardinals traded four pitchers to the Rockies for Kile, Veres, and Luther Hackman.

Kile soon emerged as a leader in the Cardinals’ clubhouse and on the mound. In his first season in St. Louis, he went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA, once again finishing fifth in the Cy Young Voting. In 2001, he went 16-11 with a 3.09 ERA.

“He was a guy who loved to compete and loved to win,” Jocketty said. “He’s a guy who worked in the clubhouse. You could just see the work he did with a lot of young guys. He was very close to them.”[10]

“This has been a very difficult week with the loss of Jack Buck and now the loss of Darryl Kile,” Jocketty added. “There is going to be a real tough mourning period for the Cardinal organization and the citizens of St. Louis. We all have a job to do. We have to try to be strong and battle through this and find a way to go on. I’m sure Darryl would definitely want us to go on, compete, and try to win our division.”[11]

On June 23, the Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled that Kile probably died of atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries around the heart.[12]

“It doesn’t seem real,” relief pitcher Gene Stechschulte said.[13]

Longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz felt the same way.

“Shock. Numbness. Anguish. Disbelief. Confusion,” he wrote. “Tell us this isn’t true, tell us that this is a mistake. Tell us that Darryl Kile will be on the mound at Wrigley Field on Sunday night to stare in at home plate with those steely eyes and grim expression, just before he rocks and throws a swooping curveball that makes hitters curse the very existence of gravity.”[14]

Instead, the Cardinals returned to the field on Sunday with rookie Jason Simontacchi on the mound. Out of respect for Kile, the team did not fill his place on the roster and played with just 24 active players.

“One of the most outstanding things about Darryl was his refusal to miss a start,” La Russa said. “He wasn’t going to start, so we’re going to give it our best shot. It’s important for us that we play, but it’s more important to respect Darryl and play tonight. That’s what he did his whole career.”[15]

Conscious of the solemnity of the moment, the Cubs hosted the game without organ music outside the seventh-inning stretch, and the center-field scoreboard featured Kile’s number 57 throughout the game. The team pennants that flew on both foul poles were positioned at half-staff.[16] The Cubs won the game, 2-0.

On Tuesday, June 25, the Cardinals played their first home game since Kile’s passing. The day began with a memorial service in which owner Bill DeWitt Jr., former Cardinals pitcher Rick Horton, Williams, Matheny, and Flynn Kile spoke. The Cardinals honored Kile with a 10-minute tribute prior to the game.

“Clearly, it was right for the team to play,” DeWitt said. “Darryl Kile never missed a start. This is what he would have wanted the team to do.”[17]

The Cardinals played the remainder of the season with a black circle patch on their left sleeves that read “DK57” in Kile’s honor. The club went on to win 97 games that season, sweeping the Diamondbacks in a three-game NLDS to advance to the NLCS.

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[1] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[2] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[3] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[4] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[5] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Uneasiness foreshadowed the stunning announcement,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[7] Vahe Gregorian, “Cards lose a ‘gamer,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[8] Vahe Gregorian, “Cards lose a ‘gamer,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[9] Vahe Gregorian, “Cards lose a ‘gamer,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[10] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[11] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[12] Joe Strauss and Deborah L. Shelton, “Kile’s heart was enlarged 25 percent,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 25, 2002.

[13] Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel, “Cards pitcher Darryl Kile is found dead in Chicago,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[14] Bernie Miklasz, “Kile, Cardinal Nation suffer cruel fate in a most tragic week,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2002.

[15] Rick Hummel, “Respect for Kile spurs decision to play,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24, 2002.

[16] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals pray, try to play as they struggle in defeat,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24, 2002.

[17] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals pray, try to play as they struggle in defeat,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24, 2002.

The post Darryl Kile passes away: June 22, 2002 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The move came just 23 starts into Contreras’s tenure as the team’s catcher. With Contreras batting third and serving as the designated hitter on the day of the club’s announcement, the Cardinals fell 6-5 to the Tigers in 10 innings, extending their losing streak to eight games and dropping them to a National League-worst 10-24 record.

“One thing I want to make super clear, we are not losing ball games because of Willson Contreras,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “This is a guy that’s putting in an amazing amount of work to be able to … become more familiar with our pitches, but also how we do things.”[1]

The Cardinals were clearly finding wins difficult to come by in their first season since Molina’s retirement. Following the retirement of the 10-time all-star and nine-time Gold Glove Award winner, the Cardinals made clear that their top offseason priority was to sign a starting catcher. That search led them to Contreras, whose contract represented the largest free-agent deal given by the Cardinals to a player from outside their organization.

While Contreras had earned three previous all-star nods behind the strength of his offense, he appeared committed to meeting the Cardinals’ defensive expectations. Even as Cardinals pitchers such as Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright left spring training to play in the World Baseball Classic, Contreras declined the opportunity to play for his native Venezuela so he could work with his new teammates.

Reports from spring training also indicated that Contreras was making adjustments at the team’s request, including changes to his hand positioning as he received the ball and setting up closer to the plate. At the time he was removed from the position, FanGraphs.com stats showed that he had 2.8 defensive wins above replacement to that point in the season, good for sixth in the majors.[2]

In the days before the Cardinals’ announcement, Contreras even set up a video call with Molina to discuss how he could help the Cardinals’ pitching staff turn around its early-season struggles.

“He told me to trust my game, trust my feelings, and call pitches with a reason,” Contreras said. “I take the losses personally because I came here to win.”[3]

Nonetheless, the decision to move Contreras out from behind the plate was made after discussions between Contreras, Marmol, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.[4] The same day they announced Contreras’s new role, the Cardinals called up Tres Barrera from Triple-A to back up Andrew Knizner.

“It’s tough. It’s tough,” Contreras said. “Like I said, I’m an employee and I know that my primary position is catcher. If they want me to DH more, I can do nothing about it but be the best hitter I can be.”[5]

In the days following the Cardinals’ announcement, it became clear that Contreras’s situation was fluid. Though the team initially indicated that Contreras would see time at both designated hitter and as a corner outfielder, Mozeliak walked that back in an interview with The Athletic.

“We won’t have him in the outfield,” he said. “I know that came out yesterday, but after talking with him, it’s basically going to be more in the DH role right now. And there’s light at the end of the tunnel to get back behind the plate.”[6]

The idea that Contreras could return to catching duties also represented a change. Just one day earlier, when asked whether the Cardinals hoped to return Contreras behind the plate, Marmol said, “Not necessarily.”[7]

As the Cardinals sought to clarify their plans moving forward, they faced criticism from local and national pundits.

“If you are chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., how can you not be wondering how the biggest free-agent contract ever given to a player from outside the organization has reached such a precipitous place so soon?” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson wrote. “Sorry, but I don’t like it. It feels panicked for a team that keeps saying no one should panic, and too heavily based on the opinions of pitchers who just may not be good enough. It feels unfair to Contreras, like blame is being shoveled toward the new face in the clubhouse.”[8]

Contreras’s former manager with the Cubs, Joe Maddon, was equally perplexed.

“He caught a World Series team and did it really well,” Maddon told the MLB Network. “It’s about conversation. I don’t know what is behind this particular move. I know they’re missing Yadier. I understand that. However, Willson is good. He’s real good. He listens. He’s very coachable. … To just bump him out of that role right now after being signed like he has, I just don’t get all that, but I don’t have all the information. I think Willson is very good. I’ve argued on his behalf in the past. There’s no reason to believe he’s not going to catch that team well.”[9]

Even as the Cardinals attempted to convince the public that they weren’t blaming Contreras for their struggles, they had to admit that a team that entered the season with postseason aspirations was off to one of the worst starts in baseball. In fact, only Oakland and Kansas City had worse records at the time of Contreras’s position change.

“You’ve got to have confidence with people in certain roles, that’s what it comes down to,” Mozeliak said. “We’ll be patient, but look, again, this has not gone how we would have thought. You’ve got to remind yourself it’s a long season, but it’s certainly gotten off on the wrong foot. … I do (still believe in Contreras). But some of the things we expect, some of the things about the game we’ve become accustomed to, I think he realizes it’s going to require more preparation. Now the question is, can that happen? I guess we’ll have to find out.”[10]

After the Cardinals snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 12-6 win over the Tigers on May 7, Contreras met with starting pitchers Jack Flaherty and Wainwright, who both told him that they looked forward to him returning behind the plate.

“No catcher in the history of the game has thrown the pitch and caught it too,” Wainwright said. “I definitely think you’re going to see Willson and our pitching staff settle in and be great moving forward. I really do believe that.”[11]

It was a challenge Contreras was eager to accept.

“This is the team I chose, and I chose this team for a reason,” Contreras said. “We have the talent to compete and get back to where we need to be. I’m still here. I know they made a decision. That won’t change who I am. That won’t change how I give my best to help this team win. It takes time. I know I can catch. You can get frustrated about it, or you can work. If you watch from a different perspective it’s going to take a little time, but I’m the catcher of this organization.”[12]

Throughout the next week, which included a road trip to play Contreras’s former team, the Cubs, he served as the Cardinals’ designated hitter. In the opener at Wrigley Field, Conteras drove in a pair of runs and scored another in a 3-1 victory. Two days later, he added an RBI single in a 10-4 loss.

On Friday, May 12, Marmol declined to give a timetable for when Contreras might return to the catching position, or to give specifics on the areas in he was working on.

“We’re making progress every day and sticking to our plan of getting him back to the point where we get him back there,” Marmol said.[13]

The following day, however, Marmol announced that Conteras would be behind the plate to catch Flaherty when the Cardinals opened their series against the Brewers on Monday, May 15. In total, Conteras’s removal from the position had lasted just over a week.

“We have felt really good about the progress that we’ve made, and it lines up really well for him to catch on Monday with Jack on the mound,” Marmol said.[14]

The Cardinals won the game 18-1 as Flaherty struck out 10 batters over seven shutout innings.

Unfortunately, the win did not represent a turning point in the Cardinals’ season, as they limped to a 71-91 record and last place in the National League Central Division, 21 games behind the champion Brewers.

For the season, Contreras appeared in 97 games at catcher, including 89 starts, and finished with eight errors for a .989 fielding percentage. He also threw out 14 of 56 would-be base stealers for a 25% caught-stealing rate.

According to Fangraphs.com’s defensive value stats, for the 2023 season Contreras provided 12.5 offensive runs above average but was 5.0 runs below average defensively. The same stat had rated Contreras as 3.5 runs above average defensively in 2021 and 0.4 runs below average defensively in 2022.

If the Cardinals were concerned, however, they didn’t demonstrate it with their roster construction heading into the 2024 season. Both Knizner and Barrera were released during the offseason, leaving Contreras as the clear starting catcher with rookie Ivan Herrera slated to make his first opening-day roster as the backup.

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[1] Jeff Jones, “What Cardinals’ catcher promotion means for Contreras,” Belleville News-Democrat, May 7, 2023.

[2] Derrick Goold, “What recasting Contreras reveals about pitching woes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 7, 2023.

[3] Derrick Goold, “What recasting Contreras reveals about pitching woes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 7, 2023.

[4] Derrick Goold, “What recasting Contreras reveals about pitching woes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 7, 2023.

[5] Derrick Goold, “What recasting Contreras reveals about pitching woes,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 7, 2023.

[6] Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal, “Exclusive: Cardinals’ John Mozeliak on why Willson Contreras’ move to OF is off,” The Athletic, May 7, 2023, https://theathletic.com/4496561/2023/05/07/cardinals-john-mozeliak-willson-contreras.

[7] Ben Frederickson, “The Redbirds should back up, not over, Contreras,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 2023.

[8] Ben Frederickson, “Cardinals pin their hopes on stunning move,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 7, 2023.

[9] Ben Frederickson, “The Redbirds should back up, not over, Contreras,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 2023.

[10] Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal, “Exclusive: Cardinals’ John Mozeliak on why Willson Contreras’ move to OF is off,” The Athletic, https://theathletic.com/4496561/2023/05/07/cardinals-john-mozeliak-willson-contreras.

[11] Derrick Goold, “Contreras, amid turmoil: ‘I’m the catcher,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 2023.

[12] Derrick Goold, “Contreras, amid turmoil: ‘I’m the catcher,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 2023.

[13] Lynn Worthy, “Nootbaar could see potential of Yoshida during WBC,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 2023.

[14] Lynn Worthy, “Cards rally again,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 14, 2023.

The post Willson Contreras is no longer a catcher: May 6, 2023 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On June 17, 2023, the Cardinals announced that the hero of the 2011 World Series, who just a month earlier had been elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame, had respectfully declined induction.

“This is something that I have given an extreme amount of thought to, humbly, even before the voting process began,” Freese said in a statement. “I am aware of the impact I had in helping the team bring great memories to the city I grew up in, including the 11^th championship, but this honor means more to me.

“I look at who I was during my tenure, and that weighs heavily on me. The Cardinals and the entire city have always had my back in every way. I’m forever grateful to be part of such an amazing organization and fan base then, now, and in the future. I’m especially sorry to the fans that took the time to cast their votes. Cardinal Nation is basically the reason why I’ve unfortunately waited so long for this decision and made it more of a headache for so many people. I feel strongly about my decision and understand how some people might feel about this. I get it. I’ll wear it. Thank you for always being there for me, and I am excited to be around the Cardinals as we move forward.”[1]

Freese had been elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame via a fan vote that drew more than 40,000 ballots.[2] Freese had been the top vote getter from a pool that included Joaquin Andujar, Steve Carlton, Matt Morris, and Edgar Renteria.

Without Freese, the Class of 2023 consisted of Max Lanier, the Red Ribbon Committee choice, and Jose Oquendo, the owners’ selection. At the induction ceremony, the Cardinals also honored Scott Rolen, who had recently been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“I know David well, and I can hear his thought processes behind that, and I know his heart behind it,” said Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, the only member of the 2023 Cardinals roster remaining from 2011. “I think it’s incredibly genuine. It’s a huge honor. On one side, you have to realize that fans voted for that because that’s two moments – really a whole postseason – that he delivered that was unlike anything we’ve almost ever seen. One or two of the biggest moments in Cardinals history. You have to recognize that, and he does. I also know where he’s coming from with his heart when he says looking at the other players and their career there, and I feel like I don’t belong. I know what he’s saying because if you take those couple of moments out, he’s thinking he doesn’t belong there. I just don’t know if you can minimize those two moments.”[3]

In their statement regarding Freese’s decision, the Cardinals made clear that there was no ill will between the team and player, and that Freese would continue to appear at Cardinals events.

“Although we are disappointed that David has declined to be inducted into our Hall of Fame, we respect his decision and look forward to celebrating his great Cardinals career in other ways going forward,” Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III said. “He is always welcome at Busch Stadium.”[4]

Freese’s professional career began as a ninth-round draft pick of the Padres in 2006. On December 14, 2007, he was traded to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds, and in 2009, the graduate of Lafayette High School made his MLB debut for the Cardinals, appearing in 17 games.

In 2010, Freese opened the season as the Cardinals’ opening-day third baseman. Limited by a June ankle injury that required two surgeries, Freese hit .296 with four homers and 36 RBIs in just 240 at-bats.

In 2011, Freese again opened the season as the starting third baseman and hit .297 with 10 homers and 55 RBIs despite a broken left hand that forced him to miss 51 games. That postseason, Freese emerged as a star.

In Game 4 of the NLDS, the game in which the Rally Squirrel made its appearance, Freese hit a two-run homer off Roy Oswalt that proved to be the game-winner in a 5-3 Cardinals victory. Freese’s hot hitting continued against the Brewers in the NLCS, as he went 12-for-22 with three homers and nine RBIs, posting a .545/.600/1.091 batting line on his way to NLCS MVP honors.

Of course, nothing topped Freese’s performance in Game 6 of the World Series. With the Rangers leading 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning, Freese hit a two-run triple to tie the game and halt the Rangers’ championship celebration. Two innings later, he led off the bottom of the 11^th inning with a walk-off home run that sent the Cardinals to Game 7 and the World Series title.

Freese followed up his 2011 heroics with an All-Star season in 2012, batting .293 with career highs in home runs (20) and RBIs (79). In 2013, he helped the Cardinals win another National League pennant, this time batting .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs.

That December, the Cardinals traded Freese and reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels for Randal Grichuk and Peter Bourjos. In five seasons with the Cardinals, Freese totaled 44 homers, 237 RBIs, and posted a .286 batting average.

“Those memories will never be diminished if he doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of it,” Wainwright said. “I certainly understand what he’s saying. If he had been given more time here, he probably would have earned his way there anyway. I love Dave. I know the heart he has. He’s doing this because he knows that players who are in there were great players for a long time.”[5]

In reflecting upon the former star’s decision, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson alluded to Freese’s battles with depression and anxiety during his tenure as a Cardinals player.

“Freese has been candid in the past about the depression and anxiety he dealt with long before he became a Cardinals postseason hero, and how the baseball fame he found in his hometown hurt instead of helping problematic drinking that endangered his life and others,” Frederickson wrote. “Freese became a player so many wanted to be, but a person he did not like. That’s a very hard place to exist.

“Freese’s story got happier, fortunately. He found a fresh start after he was traded. He got help sorting out the feelings that were influencing his actions. He made big changes. He found peace, found comfort, found meaning far beyond the World Series highlights that don’t define him. … If joining the ranks of the red coats didn’t make that life better, or if it threatened to stir up things Freese is happy to have put in his past, then he made the right call, one that should not just be respected, but applauded.”[6]

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon.

[1] Jeff Jones, “David Freese declines induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 19, 2023.

[2] Jeff Jones, “David Freese declines induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 19, 2023.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Nootbaar’s return should improve defense,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 19, 2023.

[4] Jeff Jones, “David Freese declines induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 19, 2023.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Nootbaar’s return should improve defense,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 19, 2023.

[6] Ben Frederickson, “If Freese is at peace, he should be applauded,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 20, 2023.

The post Why David Freese declined the Cardinals Hall of Fame first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

As it turned out, Javier was the man who would hold down the St. Louis second base job for the next dozen years, making two All-Star Games and winning three National League pennants over that span. At the time of the trade, however, Javier was a little-known prospect batting .288 for Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, Ohio.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals had taken note of the speedy infielder.

“He’s one of the fastest right-handed batters I’ve ever seen,” Cardinals scout Eddie Stanky said, adding that he considered Javier one of the top three infielders in all the minor leagues.[2]

Stanky went on to describe Javier: “Good range. Arm adequate. Line-drive hitter. Not a finished hitter, but quite a few present major leaguers still aren’t finished hitters. Could be a very exciting player.”[3]

“We have been following the progress of Javier for some time and all sources state that Javier is a player with great potential,” Cardinals general manager Bing Devine said. “He is one of the fastest runners in baseball, comparing favorably with Vada Pinson of the Cincinnati Reds, and is an outstanding glove man as well as an improving fielder. We consider this a major addition to the Cardinal regular lineup now and for the future.”[4]

In response to Broeg’s question as to how the Cardinals were unable to acquire more for the veteran Mizell than a player who was about to make his major league debut, Clyde King, the manager of the Cardinals’ affiliate in Rochester, suggested that Pittsburgh likely wouldn’t have traded Javier for Mizell in a one-for-one deal.[5]

“When Bill Mazeroski was going bad last season, all the talk was about bringing up Javier, but they decided he’d be better off getting more experience in the minors,” said pitcher Ron Kline, who had come from Pittsburgh to St. Louis in a recent trade.[6]

Javier signed with the Pirates as a 19-year-old in 1956 but saw his first two seasons limited by injury. After batting .231 for Class A Lincoln in 1958, Javier hit .274 in 1959 for Triple-A Columbus. Javier credited Pirates hitting coach George Sisler and the glasses he had begun wearing that season for his improved hitting.[7]

“I was really surprised when I was told to head for St. Louis and join the Cardinals,” Javier said. “I don’t know how I’ll do, but I’m confident that I’ll make the grade.”[8]

“If he hits .250 his first year, I’ll be satisfied,” Hemus said.[9]

In his Post-Dispatch article regarding the trade, sportswriter Neal Russo noted that Javier had been “recommended by everybody except Duncan Hines and Good Housekeeping,” and added that “Redbird fans hope that the endorsements for the second baseman ring truer than the ‘Left-handed Dizzy Dean’ label hung on Wilmer Mizell when he came up from the minors.”[10]

Indeed, the Cardinals’ trading of Mizell indicated their resignation that the lefthander was never going to become the pitcher they had once anticipated. The pitcher who grew up in Vinegar Bend, Arkansas, had drawn considerable excitement as a prospect, winning 17 games as a 19-year-old at Class B Winston-Salem, then winning 16 games with a 1.97 ERA for the Double-A Houston Buffaloes the following year.

Mizell won a combined 23 games in his first two seasons with the Cardinals, though he also walked 217 batters in 414 1/3 innings, then missed the next two years due to military service. When he returned, he didn’t seem to have the same heat on his fastball, and the 25-year-old allowed 20 home runs in 1956. He finished the year with a 14-14 record and a 3.62 ERA.

In 1959, Mizell went 13-10 with a 4.20 ERA, and he was 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA at the time of the May 28 trade.

“At 30, Mizell still could become a big winner, but the Cardinals obviously don’t think so, and we’d have to agree, reluctantly,” Broeg wrote. “Since he came out of service in 1956, Vinegar hasn’t seemed as fast. Recently, he has been niftier, a bit more pitcher than thrower, and the foe doesn’t quite run as recklessly as before. But he’s a still-muscled man, no natural athlete, and besides, recurrent back miseries seem to stop him whenever he appears ready to put together five good months.”[11]

Nonetheless, the Pirates believed Mizell could provide an immediate boost to their starting rotation in their pursuit of the National League pennant.

“We are giving up one of the finest young prospects in the minor leagues in Javier, but we are trying to do this job in 1960 and let the future take care of itself,” Pirates general manager Joe Brown said. “In Mizell, we are getting an established major league pitcher with good equipment.”[12]

“Mizell should win in Pittsburgh because of their big park and their good defense,” Cardinals manager Solly Hemus said.[13]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams approved of the trade in a column published two days later.

“Any time a ball club gets a seasoned starting pitcher as the Pirates did in Wilmer ‘Vinegar Bend’ Mizell without having to give up anything for him in the way of needed players now, it has to be a good trade,” he wrote. “How Joe L. Brown did it, I don’t know.”[14]

Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Broeg expressed cautious optimism about the deal.

“It took courage to give up a player of some reputation for one with none at the major league level, an absolute unknown,” he wrote. “To one who worshipped the speed the Cardinals used to have, Javier does sound exciting and fires the imagination.”[15]

The trade worked out for both teams. Mizell went 13-5 for the Pirates down the stretch, posting a 3.12 ERA over 155 2/3 innings. With Mizell pitching alongside Bob Friend, Vern Law, and Harvey Haddix, the Pirates went 95-59-1 to win the National League pennant, then beat the Yankees in a seven-game World Series. Unfortunately, Mizell struggled in the World Series, allowing four earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning in a 10-0 defeat in Game 3.

In 1961, Mizell went 7-10 with a 5.04 ERA. The following May, the Pirates traded him to the Mets for Jim Marshall, and the Mets released him that August. He retired with a 90-88 career record and a 3.85 ERA.

Javier went on to play 12 seasons for the Cardinals and became a key contributor to the team’s success in the 1960s. Known for his superb defensive play, Javier made his first All-Star team in 1963 and enjoyed arguably his best season during the Cardinals’ world championship season of 1967, when he hit .281 with 14 homers and 64 RBIs to finish ninth in the National League MVP voting. Javier was named an All-Star again in 1968.

In 15 World Series games with the Cardinals, Javier hit .346. He hit .360 in the 1967 Fall Classic and hit a three-run home run off Jim Lonborg in Game 7. In the 1968 World Series against the Tigers, he hit .333 and drove in three runs.

On March 24, 1972, the Cardinals traded Javier to the Reds for Tony Cloninger. The 35-year-old Javier, who had appeared in 1,578 games for the Cardinals, played one season with Cincinnati before retiring with a .257 career batting average over a 13-year big-league career.

In 2022, Javier was named to the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon.

[1] Bob Broeg, “Sports Comment,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[2] Neal Russo, “Mizell, Gray Traded To Pirates for Javier And Unnamed Pitcher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 28, 1960.

[3] Neal Russo, “Javier Gives Up His No. 6, With a Smile,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[4] Harry Mitauer, “Cards Trade Mizell To Pittsburgh,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 28, 1960.

[5] Bob Broeg, “Sports Comment,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[6] Neal Russo, “Javier Gives Up His No. 6, With a Smile,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[7] Neal Russo, “Javier Gives Up His No. 6, With a Smile,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[8] “Javier Feels ‘Confident’ He’ll Stick,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 29, 1960.

[9] Neal Russo, “Javier Gives Up His No. 6, With a Smile,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[10] Neal Russo, “Mizell, Gray Traded To Pirates for Javier And Unnamed Pitcher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 28, 1960.

[11] Bob Broeg, “Sports Comment,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

[12] Jack Hernon, “Pirates, ‘Shooting for 1960,’ Get Mizell,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 28, 1960.

[13] Neal Russo, “Mizell, Gray Traded To Pirates for Javier And Unnamed Pitcher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 28, 1960.

[14] Al Abrams, “Sidelights on Sports,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 30, 1960.

[15] Bob Broeg, “Sports Comment,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 29, 1960.

The post Julian Javier: Traded to the Cardinals in 1960 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On May 20, 2017, the Cardinals traded the first baseman affectionately known as “Big City” to the Braves for 19-year-old prospect Juan Yepez, a Venezuelan corner infielder who had accepted a $1 million signing bonus to sign with the Braves two years earlier. The Cardinals also sent cash considerations to Atlanta to help cover Adams’ $2.8 million salary.

The trade marked the end of Adams’ eight-year career with the Cardinals organization. The pride of Slippery Rock (Pa.) University, Adams had been a 23^rd-round draft pick in 2009. In 2010, the 21-year-old hit .310 with 22 homers and 88 RBIs for Class A Quad Cities, then followed that up with a .300 average, 32 homers, and 101 RBIs for Double-A Springfield, earning Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year honors.

After hitting 18 homers in 67 games for Triple-A Memphis, Adams made his major league debut in 2012 and appeared in 27 games with the Cardinals, batting .244 with a pair of home runs. Adams served as the Cardinals’ backup first baseman behind Allen Craig in 2013, batting .284 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs in 296 at-bats.

When right fielder Carlos Beltran departed as a free agent after the season, Craig moved to right field and Adams inherited the starting first base job in 2014. That season, Adams hit .288 with 15 homers and 68 RBIs, and in Game 4 of the NLDS against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, Adams hit a three-run home run that erased L.A.’s 2-0 lead and gave the Cardinals a 3-2 win that secured their fourth consecutive NLCS appearance.

A torn quad limited Adams to just 60 games in 2015, and in 2016 he hit 16 homers and drove in 54 runs in just 297 at-bats. Heading into 2017, the Cardinals made Matt Carpenter their starting first baseman, a move that left Adams as a valuable bat off the bench but limited him to just 48 at-bats in the Cardinals’ first 39 games.

When Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman suffered a broken wrist that was expected to keep him out of action for 10 weeks, the Cardinals and Braves suddenly matched up for a potential trade. The Cardinals also needed a roster spot, as outfielder Stephen Piscotty was preparing to return from the disabled list.

“When you think about them losing Freddie Freeman, obviously they had a need,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “When you think of moving Carp to first, the dynamics of plate appearances (for Adams) changed quickly, and so we really felt it was sort of a win-win for everybody to try to do this. It also frees up some opportunities for what we might do. If we want to give Carp a day off, now you could think about either a (Jedd) Gyorko or a (Johnny) Peralta over there.”[1]

At the time of the trade, Adams hadn’t had more than one at-bat in a game since May 6, when he went 2-for-4 with a home run against the Braves.

“It’s the best thing for my career,” Adams said. “I’ll be able to join another great organization and be able to play every day, but I can’t say enough and thank the Cardinals enough for the opportunities that they gave me and the trust they had in me. It’s tough to go. It’s tough to say goodbye to all my friends here and the coaches and everybody.”[2]

Adams’ now-former teammates shared that sentiment.

“It’s a great opportunity for him,” infielder Greg Carcia said. “He’s one of my most favorite teammates of all time. He’s a guy who will do anything for anybody and all he cared about was his team winning. He’s got that infectious smile, and now he gets to play and show the league what he can do. We’re all rooting for him. We’re going to miss him, for sure.”[3]

“He’s a good player, but the opportunity wasn’t really here for him,” Gyorko added. “It’s a tough loss because he was a great guy off the bench. Heaven forbid something should happen with an injury, he’s a guy who could fill in.”[4]

“I’m a big fan of Matt Adams as a person and as a player,” Matheny said. “We weren’t able to give him the kind of at-bats and the kind of playing time that he deserved. … From the business side, it was an opportunity to invest into our future and try to make it a situation that works for everybody.”[5]

Adams was told of the trade on Saturday afternoon and booked on a 7 a.m. flight to Atlanta the following morning.[6]

“Everybody out there knows I’m not trying to come in here and be Freddie; that’s not who I am,” Adams said when he arrived. “I’ve just got to be myself and go out there and play. I’m just excited to have the opportunity and try to run with it.”[7]

“It’s a smart move,” Braves outfielder Nick Markakis said. “Obviously it’s going to be hard, if not impossible, to fill Freddie’s shoes, but we need a consistent first baseman over there. Jace (Peterson) has been doing a good job, but if we use him at first base it kind of takes away from his ability to do what he’s here to do. It’s good, getting an established guy who wasn’t getting much at-bats. He’s going to come here and get some at-bats. We know what he can do. We’ve seen him.”[8]

Adams played in 100 games for the Braves the remainder of the season, batting .271 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs in 291 at-bats. That December, he signed a one-year contract with the Nationals and hit 18 homers in 94 games with the Nationals before the Cardinals acquired him off waivers. Adams hit three homers in 57 at-bats before signing back with the Nationals for the 2019 season. He went on play for the Braves in 2020 and the Rockies in 2021 before concluding his big-league career.

Across 10 major league seasons, Adams hit .258 with 118 homers and 399 RBIs.

Yepez made his major-league debut for St. Louis in 2022, batting .253 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in 253 at-bats. In the Cardinals’ two-game wild-card loss to the Phillies that season, Yepez drove in two of the Redbirds’ three runs, hitting a pinch-hit, two-run home run off Jose Alvarado to give the Cardinals a brief 2-0 lead in the seventh inning.

In 2023, Yepez hit just .183 with two homers in 60 at-bats, and that November he was granted his free agency. He signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals in December 2023, and appeared in 62 games for Washington the following season. Yepez spent the 2025 season in the Nationals’ minor leagues, and played with Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League in 2026.

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon.

[1] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals trade Adams to Braves for prospect,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 21, 2017.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals trade Adams to Braves for prospect,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 21, 2017.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Wong, Piscotty are not in lineup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 2017.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Wong, Piscotty are not in lineup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 2017.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Wong, Piscotty are not in lineup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 2017.

[6] David O’Brien, “‘Big City’ set for a new start,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 22, 2017.

[7] David O’Brien, “‘Big City’ set for a new start,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 22, 2017.

[8] David O’Brien, “‘Big City’ set for a new start,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 22, 2017.

The post Why the Cardinals traded Matt Adams for Juan Yepez in 2017 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“It was a start I’ll remember the rest of my life,” the 22-year-old right-hander said after throwing the first shutout of his career.[1]

In front of a crowd of 37,800 fans at Busch Stadium, Miller fell behind Young 3-and-1 before coming inside with a fastball just off the plate. It was a good pitch, but the Rockies’ switch-hitter, who was batting left-handed, was able to punch the ball into right field.

“It was a jam shot, and I just put it in a good location,” Young said. “I was just fortunate enough to find grass.”[2]

Young didn’t take long to put pressure on Miller, stealing second base with no one out before Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler popped up. Miller then struck out Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki looking.

It was just the beginning of what proved to be a dominant performance for the rookie, who made his major-league debut the previous season.

A 2009 first-round draft pick out of Brownwood High School in Brownwood, Texas, Miller had emerged as the Cardinals’ top pitching prospect after going 9-3 with a 2.70 ERA in Double-A Springfield in 2011. Though Miller experienced growing pains in 2012 at Triple-A, finishing with a 4.74 ERA in 136 2/3 innings, he remained a key piece of the Cardinals’ future. Heading into the 2013 season, Baseball America ranked Miller the No. 6 prospect in baseball. Baseball Prospectus had him ranked 16^th and MLB.com ranked him No. 25.

So far in 2013, Miller had lived up to the hype. Entering his May 10 start against the Rockies, Miller was 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 38 strikeouts through 36 2/3 innings.

With Yadier Molina calling pitches against a Colorado lineup that had never seen Miller before, the Texas youngster was even better. Fowler, Gonzalez, and Tulowitzki – the Rockies’ No. 2-4 hitters in the lineup – went a combined 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts.

“That kid was impressive, all right,” Gonzalez said. “Just one hit, one broken-bat base hit in the first at-bat. Then he shut it down. Thirteen strikeouts, good combination with the breaking ball and fastball. Of course, having a great catcher behind the plate helps too. He was making good pitches, barely strikes. It’s not like he was leaving the pitch right down the middle.”[3]

Catcher Wilin Rosario and third baseman Nolan Arenado were the only Rockies hitters to escape the day without striking out, though both went 0-for-3. While Miller was retiring 27 consecutive Rockies batters, the Cardinals compiled three runs on an RBI single from Pete Kozma, a solo home run from Carlos Beltran, and a sacrifice fly by Jon Jay.

Miller ended the game by striking out Young on three pitches, concluding the at-bat with a 95-mph fastball for his 13^th strikeout of the game.

“I’ve always been told I get better later in games,” Miller said.[4]

Miller needed just 113 pitches – including 84 strikes – to finish the first complete game of his career. It was the fewest hits allowed by a Cardinals pitcher since Bud Smith’s no-hitter on September 3, 2001.

“It’s pretty incredible how he held his composure, made real good pitches all night long against a very good offense,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.[5]

“I think this is one of those nights where we ran into a pitcher that had everything working,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s a talented young arm, and he had his ‘A game’ tonight. He looks like a horse out there. He was impressive.”[6]

Miller credited catcher Yadier Molina for calling a strong game and said he never had to shake his battery mate off.

“Obviously, he called a great game,” Miller said. “I was following him the whole time. I trust Yadi with everything. The way he goes about his business – a true professional – he makes it easier on me. Whatever he was (signaling), I was throwing. It’s been like that all year, and yesterday it was clicking that much more, and everything seemed to be working for us.”[7]

In addition to his duties behind the plate, Molina extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single and a double.

Miller, who threw four no-hitters in high school, including three in a row his junior year, said he was well aware of his one-hitter as he recorded 27 consecutive outs.

“I knew I was getting people out,” he said. “I knew that was the only hit I’d given up. I knew what was going on. Absolutely.”[8]

With the win, Miller improved to 5-2 for the season with a 1.58 ERA. He finished the year 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 173 1/3 innings, placing third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting behind Jose Fernandez and Yasiel Puig.

“He’s very talented, there’s no doubt about that,” Beltran said. “That’s why he’s here.”[9]

The following year, in 2014, Miller posted a 10-9 record and a 3.74 ERA. In 69 career games for the Cardinals, he compiled a 26-18 record with a 3.33 ERA before he was traded with pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins to the Braves for Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden in November 2014.

Heading into the 2026 season, Miller had pitched 13 big-league seasons for the Cardinals, Braves, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Cubs, Pirates, Giants, and Dodgers, Tigers, and Brewers.

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon.

[1] Associated Press, “Cards’ Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 11, 2013.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[5] Associated Press, “Cards’ Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 11, 2013.

[6] Associated Press, “Cards’ Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 11, 2013.

[7] Tom Timmerman, “Molina is behind pitchers’ success,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 12, 2013.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

The post Shelby Miller throws a one-hitter: May 10, 2013 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Lasorda had made his big league debut with the Dodgers the previous season, appearing in four games and posting a 5.00 ERA in nine innings of relief work. With the Dodgers off to a 17-2 start to the season amid a six-game win streak, the unproven Lasorda was an unlikely candidate to take the mound for the league leaders. However, Don Newcombe, who was unhappy about his most recent start being skipped, had been suspended by manager Walter Alston for refusing to throw batting practice.

Lasorda certainly seemed nervous as he made his first big-league start. He opened the game by walking Moon, the defending National League Rookie of the Year. With rookie Bill Virdon at the plate, Lasorda uncorked a wild pitch that advanced Moon to second, then walked Virdon. Lasorda’s second wild pitch of the inning advanced Virdon and Moon to second and third, respectively, before Lasorda struck out Stan Musial for the first out of the inning.

With cleanup hitter Rip Repulski at the plate, however, Lasorda unleashed his third wild pitch of the inning. As Moon described the play in his autobiography:

“On a 1-1 pitch, the Brooklyn southpaw skipped one into the dirt. The ball bounced away from Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella. Always eager to tear home from third base, I made a mad dash toward the plate. Unfortunately for all parties concerned, Campanella pounced on the ball in cat-like fashion. In one fluid motion, Campy flipped the ball to Lasorda, who was alertly covering the plate. The ball, the Brooklyn pitcher, and I arrived in the same place at the same time. … I slid hard, and by the time the dust settled, I was out, and Lasorda was on the ground agonizing in pain. He had unintentionally blocked the plate, and I had accidentally spiked him just above the knee.”[1]

Despite the wound, Lasorda struck out Repulski, then got Red Schoendienst to hit an infield fly for the final out of the inning. It was only after Lasorda returned to the dugout that he realized just how deep Moon’s spikes had bitten into his leg. The three-inch wound had gone “down to the bone,” the New York Daily News reported, and required five stitches at Long Island College Hospital.[2]

Clem Labine took over in relief of Lasorda, and in the third inning, Repulski drove an RBI single into left field to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers answered back in the third, however, as Labine hit a solo home run and Campanella and Sandy Amoros each added RBI singles.

Virdon, who was on his way to Rookie of the Year honors that season, hit a solo home run in the fifth inning that tied the game 3-3, but Duke Snider scored the winning run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Rube Walker. With the win, the Dodgers improved to 18-2 on the season, and though the season was only a few weeks old, they already held a 7 ½-game lead over the second-place Cubs.

Lasorda didn’t pitch for the Dodgers again for 19 days. On May 24, he allowed five earned runs in a two-inning relief appearance against the Pirates. On June 5, he retired both batters he faced in the 10^th inning of a 9-4 Cardinals win. One day later, he made his final appearance as a Dodgers pitcher, walking two and allowing one hit in 1/3 of an inning. When Lasorda was optioned to Triple-A Montreal, his spot on the roster was given to a promising 19-year-old rookie named Sandy Koufax.

The Dodgers sold Lasorda’s rights to the Kansas City Athletics for the 1956 season. Lasorda pitched in 18 games for the A’s that season, including five starts, posting a 6.15 ERA over 45 1/3 innings. That July, the A’s traded him to the Yankees for Wally Burnette, and Lasorda spent the remainder of his playing days in the minors, ending his big-league career with an 0-4 record.

After he was released in July 1960, Lasorda caught on as a scout for the Dodgers, ultimately becoming a manager in the Dodgers’ minor league system before joining Alston’s major league staff. When Alston retired in 1976, Lasorda was named his replacement, a post he held until 1996. As manager, Lasorda won 1,599 games and two World Series championships. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Dodgers’ longtime skipper never held any ill will against Moon, who became a member of the Dodgers himself when the Cardinals traded him to L.A. in December 1958.

“Years later, whenever our paths crossed as members of the Los Angeles Dodgers family, Tommy Lasorda always made sure to let people know I was responsible for curtailing his promising career as a pitcher,” Moon recalled. “He’d grab me by the shoulders and, to whoever happened to be nearby, spell out my role in his misfortune. By the time he got to the end of the story, he would have me in a headlock. Then he would break out in uproarious laughter.”[3]

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon.

[1] Wally Moon with Tim Gregg (2010), Moon Shots: Reflections on a Baseball Life, Rhesa Moon Enterprises, Pages 117-118.

[2] “7 ½-Up Flock Flips Cards, 4-3,” New York Daily News, May 6, 1955.

[3] Wally Moon with Tim Gregg (2010), Moon Shots: Reflections on a Baseball Life, Rhesa Moon Enterprises, Page 118.

The post How Wally Moon sent Tommy Lasorda to the hospital first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Slaughter was just two weeks away from his 38^th birthday, and the Cardinals were two days away from opening their season against the Cubs when they finalized the deal that sent Slaughter to New York for Bill Virdon, Mel Wright, and outfield prospect Emil Tellinger.

Commonly referred to as “Country” but also known affectionately as “the Old Warhorse,” Slaughter had been the franchise’s last tie to the spirit of the Gashouse Gang, though he didn’t make his big-league debut until 1938. Since then, however, Slaughter had personified the rough and tumble style of the Redbirds while emerging as one of the league’s best – and toughest – players.

Slaughter enjoyed arguably the best season of his career as a 26-year-old in 1942, when he led the league with 188 hits. With a .318 batting average, 31 doubles, 13 homers, and 98 RBIs, Slaughter led all of baseball with 17 triples and topped the Senior Circuit with 292 total bases. He finished second to teammate Mort Cooper in that year’s NL MVP voting, and in the World Series he went 5-for-19 with a double, home run, and two RBIs.

After the Cardinals won the World Series, Slaughter enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he became a sergeant and served as a physical education instructor. When he returned to the Cardinals in 1946, he hadn’t missed a beat. Now 30 years old, he hit .300 with 18 homers and a league-high 130 RBIs.

Once again, the Cardinals reached the World Series – this time after tying the Dodgers for the pennant and winning a three-game series to qualify for the World Series. Slaughter went 8-for-25 with a double, triple, home run, and two RBIs in the World Series and his “mad dash” home to win Game 7 earned a permanent place in baseball history.

Though Slaughter and the Cardinals were unable to win another NL pennant together, the now-veteran star continued to impress, batting .321 and finishing seventh in the MVP vote in 1948, then hitting .336 and finishing third in the balloting in 1949.

In 1952, he hit .300 and drove in 101 runs to finish sixth in the MVP race, and in his final season with the Cardinals, at age 37, he continued to defy Father Time, batting .291 and driving in 89 runs. In fact, on the same day the trade was announced, a story appeared in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in which Tom Henrich, former outfielder and now a telecaster in New York, said, “They say baseball is a young man’s game, but look at that Slaughter. He was pitching for Little Rock when I was playing for New Orleans and they called him a veteran then. No, sir, it’s not a young man’s game altogether.”[1]

Coming off an 83-71-3 season in which they finished third in the National League, however, the Cardinals were inclined to disagree. With rookie Wally Moon ready to make his big-league debut, manager Eddie Stanky preferred to go with an outfield of Rip Repulski, Moon, and Stan Musial, and he knew that the proud Slaughter would chafe at playing a reserve role.

“A player like Slaughter just can’t stand sitting on a bench and, while I’m not trying to put myself on a pedestal by comparing myself with him, I couldn’t stand it either,” Stanky said.[2]

Indeed, Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals’ captain had already noticed his decreased playing time during spring training, and while he had not said anything directly to Stanky, he “had made no secret of his displeasure within earshot of reporters.”[3]

“I signed a contract to play,” Slaughter said.[4]

Slaughter was informed of the trade during the Cardinals’ spring training game against the Orioles. General manager Dick Meyer asked Slaughter to put on his street clothes and then come to his office on Dodier Street. When Slaughter arrived, Meyer broke the news.

“The Old Warhorse, seated with hands on his knees, nervously folding and unfolding a handkerchief, still was sobbing when reporters, who had been handed mimeographed copies of (team president August A.) Busch’s announcement and newcomer Wright’s record a few minutes after the game ended, walked into Meyer’s office,” the Post-Dispatch reported.[5]

“It’s the greatest shock I ever had in my life,” Slaughter said several times, occasionally dropping his voice to a whisper. “To think that I spent nearly all my life with this organization, and then they trade me after I’ve given them everything I got.”[6]

Though Slaughter was clearly still stunned by the news, he soon regained his competitive fire.

“I thought I could help them to a pennant this time, and if some other guys hustled as much as I did, they’d make it,” he said. “But you can tell ‘em in New York I’ll give ‘em 100 percent just as I did the Cardinal organization.”[7]

Stanky announced to the assembled media that second baseman Red Schoendienst would replace Slaughter as the Cardinals’ new captain,[8] and Meyer told reporters that whenever Slaughter decided to call it a career, he would be welcomed back to the organization.

“I don’t think he’s ready to quit now, but I’ll say this – the door here would be wide open,” Meyer said.[9]

In a prepared statement, Busch wrote that the move gave the Cardinals a chance to give Moon an opportunity for playing time while strengthening the team’s prospect pool.

“We have just traded one of the greatest players in the history of the Cardinals,” Busch said. “Personally, this has been one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to participate in. Enos Slaughter has been ‘Mr. Baseball’ for almost 20 years. Fans in every part of the country have been thrilled by his aggressiveness and determination. The term ‘hustle’ was practically coined for him. Slaughter is a champion all the way, and it is fitting that he joins the world champion New York Yankees.”[10]

“This is the toughest part of my job as manager, but a championship ball player is going to a championship ball club,” Stanky said. “We feel we have good young outfielders, and if we have Enos around, we won’t play those young players.”[11]

Meanwhile, the Yankees were delighted to add Slaughter as a bench bat to a team that already had Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Hank Bauer, Joe Collins, and Andy Carey.

“We gave up nothing that could help us this year in return for someone who is sure to help us a lot,” Yankees co-owner Del Webb said.[12]

“He’s an excellent man to have on the bench and should be very useful for pinch-hitting duties,” one Yankees official said. “Besides, he gives us protection in case Mantle’s knee doesn’t come around too quickly.”[13]

In St. Louis, the trade was met with anger and disgust.

“Cardinal fans probably are more indignant over the departure of Slaughter than they have been over any deal since Rogers Hornsby was traded to the Giants for Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ring after the 1926 season,” J. Roy Stockton wrote in the Post-Dispatch.[14]

In the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Robert L. Burnes explained that, “Enos Slaughter was more than a ballplayer, as any Cardinal fan could tell you. He was an institution – not only among the fans, but among the players as well. To be trite again, Enos was the ball players’ ball player. He played the game the way it should be played.”[15]

As the player tabbed to replace Slaughter, nobody felt the pressure more than Moon. As he stepped to the plate for his big-league at-bat, the hometown crowd at Sportsman’s Park booed the 24-year-old mercilessly.

“What should have been one of the best days of my life, April 13, 1954, was turning out to be one of the worst,” Moon wrote in 2010. “As I stepped to the plate for my first major league at-bat in the home half of the first inning of the first game of the new season, I was greeted with a torrent of verbal castigation and denunciation from seemingly every corner of the park.”[16]

Incredibly, Moon responded by hitting a solo home run over the right-field wall, becoming just the second Cardinal to hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat. It was the beginning of a Rookie of the Year-winning campaign for Moon, who hit .304 with 12 homers, 76 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. Moon went on to play five seasons with the Cardinals before he was traded to the Dodgers, where he became famous for his “Moon shots” over the high screen just 251 feet down the left-field line at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Slaughter hit .248 with a home run and 19 RBIs for the Yankees in 1954 and was traded to the Athletics after just nine at-bats in 1955. At the time, the owners of the Yankees and A’s were friends, and the A’s essentially functioned as another farm team for the Yankees. Playing regularly once again, Slaughter hit .322 with five homers and 34 RBIs.

In 1956, the A’s traded him back to the Yankees, allowing him to win his third and fourth career World Series rings with the Bronx Bombers in both ’56 and ’58. In Game 3 of the 1956 World Series, Slaughter hit a key three-run homer to lift New York to a 5-3 win.

The Yankees released Slaughter in 1959, and he played the final games of his career with the Braves before retiring after 19 big-league seasons. In 1985, Slaughter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1996, the Cardinals retired his number 9.

Virdon went on to win the Rookie of the Year trophy in 1955, batting .281 with 17 homers and 68 RBIs. In 1956, the Cardinals traded Virdon to the Pirates for Bobby Del Greco and Dick Littlefield. Virdon went on to play in 1,583 games and bat .267 across a 12-year major-league career.

Wright pitched two big-league seasons for the Cardinals, going 2-2 with a 7.14 ERA across 46 23/ innings.

Tellinger spent just one season in the Cardinals’ system and never reached the majors.

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[1] Robert L. Burnes, “The Bench Warmer,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 11, 1954.

[2] Bob Broeg, “Trade of Slaughter Puts Rookie Moon and Cardinal Office on Spot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[3] Bob Broeg, “Trade of Slaughter Puts Rookie Moon and Cardinal Office on Spot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[4] Bob Broeg, “Trade of Slaughter Puts Rookie Moon and Cardinal Office on Spot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[5] “Yanks Sought Enos in Raschi Deal; Cards Reopened Case,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[6] “Yanks Sought Enos in Raschi Deal; Cards Reopened Case,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[7] “Yanks Sought Enos in Raschi Deal; Cards Reopened Case,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[8] “Yanks Sought Enos in Raschi Deal; Cards Reopened Case,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[9] “Enos May Return To Cards Some Day,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[10] “Busch Says Slaughter Deal Will Give Rookies a Chance,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 12, 1954.

[11] “Yanks Sought Enos in Raschi Deal; Cards Reopened Case,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[12] Hy Turkin, “Yanks Get Enos Slaughter,” New York Daily News, April 12, 1954.

[13] “‘Good Deal for Us, We Gave Up Practically Nothing,’ Says Webb,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[14] J. Roy Stockton, “Extra Innings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1954.

[15] Robert L. Burnes, “The Bench Warmer,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 13, 1954.

[16] Wally Moon with Tim Gregg (2010), Moon Shots: Reflections on a Baseball Life, Rhesa Moon Enterprises, Page 1.

The post Enos Slaughter: Cardinals-Yankees 1954 Trade first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Two years earlier, Didrikson had qualified for five Olympic events, but rules at the time allowed female athletes to compete in just three events. At the Games, she won gold in the 80-meter hurdles and javelin (setting world records in both events) and won silver in the high jump. In qualifying, she also set a women’s record in the baseball throw.[1]

In the wake of her Olympic success, Didrikson toured with a basketball team called Babe Didrikson’s All-Americans. She then turned to baseball, training with Cardinals pitcher Burleigh Grimes in Hot Springs, Arkansas. There, she learned to throw a curveball, then traveled to Florida to pitch in the first inning at a couple of spring training games.

In promoting Didrikson’s appearance, Grimes declared that if she were a boy, she would be one of baseball’s top prospects. Instead, as a female athlete, Didrikson was the wonder of the athletic world.[2]

On March 20, Didrikson threw a scoreless inning in a spring training contest with the help of a triple play. Pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Brooklyn Dodgers, she opened the inning by walking Danny Taylor on a full-count pitch, then hitting Johnny Frederick. Didrikson got out of the jam when she threw a curveball to Joe Stripp and he lined the ball to shortstop Dib Williams. Williams threw to second to double up Taylor and second baseman Rabbit Warstler threw to first base to catch Frederick off the bag.[3]

Two days later, Didrikson was on the mound for the Cardinals. This time, she wasn’t as successful, allowing three runs on four hits. Nonetheless, news accounts of the day pointed to a questionable call by the home-plate umpire that may have extended the inning.

“The Babe pitched only one round and deserved a better fate than she received as a hit followed what could have been a called third strike and the third out,” the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported.[4]

“But for a questionable decision by the umpire, (Didrikson) would have escaped with a shutout,” the St. Louis Star and Times added.[5]

After recording the first out of the game, Didrikson allowed consecutive singles to Bill Cissell and Ed Morgan. Roy Johnson then grounded into a force-out at second, and Didrikson appeared primed to complete a scoreless inning. However, a curveball that appeared to be the third strike was instead called a ball. Taking advantage of the extra opportunity, Red Sox outfielder Moose Solters hit a two-run double, then scored on an RBI single by Rick Ferrell.[6]

If Didrikson was concerned about taking her first career loss, she didn’t have to worry long, as the Cardinals tied the score in the bottom of the first as Ripper Collins drew a bases-loaded walk and catcher Virgil Davis followed with a two-run single. An inning later, Joe Medwick hit a two-run single and Collins singled to drive another run home and give St. Louis a 6-3 lead.[7]

After the Cardinals scored another run in the fourth on Davis’s RBI single, the Red Sox rallied for four runs in the fifth inning to tie the score. The Cardinals answered in the sixth, however, when Red Sox outfielder Dusty Cooke misplayed a fly ball and allowed two runs to score.[8]

Dizzy Dean threw the final four innings to earn the win for the Cardinals, striking out four batters without allowing a hit.[9]

Led by Dean and his younger brother Paul Dean, the Cardinals went on to win the World Series that year, earning the moniker the “Gashouse Gang” for their colorful personalities and their no-holds-barred playing style. As if to prove how adventurous baseball could be in those days, this was the last paragraph of the Globe-Democrat’s story regarding Didrikson’s spring training game:

Scout Charley Barrett returned today from Havana, where he signed up three Cuban players and narrowly escaped with his life. Soldiers engaged in a little target practice while he was walking down the street last Monday night. The veteran ivory hunter dropped to the street while the shooting was going on. Two persons were killed during the fusillade.[10]

Didrikson’s athletic exploits soon took her to golf, where she drew her greatest fame. In 1938, she played in the Professional Golfers’ Association Los Angeles Open against men. In the 1940s, she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and British Ladies Amateur tournaments and dominated both the Women’s Professional Golf Association and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), which she helped found. Between her amateur and professional victories, she won a total of 82 tournaments over her golfing career. She was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in its inaugural class and the Associated Press named her its female athlete of the first half of the 20^th century in 1950. Forty-nine years later, it followed up and named her the female athlete of the entire 20^th century in 1999.

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[1] Larry Schwartz, “Didrikson was a woman ahead of her time,” ESPN, www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00014147.html.

[2] “Grimes Believes Babe One Wonder Of Sports World,” Waco News-Tribune, March 15, 1934.

[3] “Didrikson Baffles Dodgers For Inning,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 21, 1934.

[4] “Cardinals Corral 13 Hits and Hand Red Sox 9-to-7 Walloping,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 23, 1934.

[5] “Frisch Plans To Extend Hurlers In Future Games,” St. Louis Star and Times, March 23, 1934.

[6] “Cardinals Corral 13 Hits and Hand Red Sox 9-to-7 Walloping,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 23, 1934.

[7] “Cardinals Corral 13 Hits and Hand Red Sox 9-to-7 Walloping,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 23, 1934.

[8] “Cardinals Corral 13 Hits and Hand Red Sox 9-to-7 Walloping,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 23, 1934.

[9] “Cardinals Corral 13 Hits and Hand Red Sox 9-to-7 Walloping,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 23, 1934.

[10] “Cardinals Corral 13 Hits and Hand Red Sox 9-to-7 Walloping,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 23, 1934.

The post The day Babe Didrikson pitched for the Gashouse Gang first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The Cardinals drafted McEwing almost eight years earlier in the 28^th round of the 1992 draft. The 783^rd player selected, McEwing had a long road to the majors and didn’t make his MLB debut until 1998, when he appeared in 10 games. He had just four hits that season, but one of those hits came on September 28, just before Mark McGwire hit his 70^th home run of the season.

In 1999, McEwing opened the year on the Cardinals’ big-league roster and appeared in each of their first 27 games, playing primarily second base but also appearing at third base, center field, right field, and even first base. In June, he began a 25-game hit streak and was hitting above .300 as late as July 28. He finished the year with a .275 average, nine homers, 44 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.

Even as the Cardinals finished fourth in the NL Central, St. Louis fans embraced McEwing. He garnered the nicknames “Super Joe” and “Little Mac,” and Busch Stadium even had a “Little Mac” section in the lower left-field seats early in the season, similar to the “Big Mac” section above it on the upper deck.

“McEwing represented what baseball players used to be – or at least our romanticized ideal of what we think they should be,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote. “He was honored to wear the uniform. He would have paid the Cardinals to let him play. In this era of cynicism and greed, we embrace a Joe McEwing and his old-school values.”[2]

Heading into the 2000 season, however, McEwing appeared destined to return to the minor leagues. With six bench spots available, outfielders Craig Paquette and Thomas Howard appeared to be locks alongside the backup catcher. With Shawon Dunston, Brian McRae, Eduardo Perez, Placido Polanco, and Larry Sutton also angling for jobs, it looked as though McEwing was headed to Triple-A Memphis.

“We had a meeting this morning with (manager Tony La Russa) and his staff, and it would have been tough for Joe to make the club based on what we’ve seen this spring and the other candidates,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said.[3]

As the Cardinals eyed a crowded bench, they found themselves short of left-handed relief when Scott Radinsky suffered a setback in his return from elbow surgery. With Radinsky unable to start the season, the Cardinals set their sights on 42-year-old Jesse Orosco.

The Mets first asked for starting pitcher Garrett Stephenson in return, but Jocketty was unwilling to deal the 28-year-old righthander. The Mets countered by asking for McEwing, and said that if he wasn’t available either, they would deal Orosco somewhere else.[4] Jocketty opted to make the deal.

“I told Joe one of the toughest parts of this job was to tell a player he’s been traded, especially someone … who’s so well-liked and been a Cardinal his whole career,” Jocketty said. “But we needed a lefthander. With the uncertainty of Radinsky, we had to act quickly.”[5]

“Part of the – I use the word joy – that you have coming to the ballpark is you know you’re going to watch Joe come into the clubhouse, and interact in here, and do what he does out there,” La Russa said. “And you just lost part of why you enjoy your day. What you have to weigh against it is when we play the game, we don’t enjoy getting beat because we have a need we could address. So that’s what it came down to.”[6]

“It’s one of the hardest (trades) I’ve ever had to deal with,” said Buddy Bates, who had been the team’s equipment manager since 1983 and a batboy before that. “Keith Hernandez, Bob Forsch, those were tough. But this one is right there.”[7]

McEwing was expected to begin the season in the Mets’ minor-league system, then play a utility role when called up.

“I’m going to a good situation,” McEwing said. “We have a very good chance to play in October, and I’ve got to take advantage of it.”[8]

Meanwhile, the Cardinals were obtaining a veteran reliever who debuted in 1979 and was set to pitch in his fourth decade. St. Louis had drafted Orosco in the seventh round of the January 1977 draft out of Santa Barbara City College, but was unable to sign him.

Orosco’s best seasons came in the 1980s during his first stint with the Mets. In 1983, he placed third in the Cy Young Award voting with a 1.47 ERA and 17 saves over 110 innings. He was named an All-Star in 1983 and 1984 and threw the final pitch of the Mets’ 1986 World Series championship. He was also on the mound when Tom Herr hit his game-winning grand slam on Seat Cushion Night in 1987.

With 1,090 appearances, he had pitched in more major-league games than anyone in baseball history and had never been sent to the disabled list.

“I’m very fortunate,” Orosco said.[9]

“Maybe he’s just got elastic bands for rotator cuffs,” said lefthander Paul Spoljaric.[10]

In 1999 with the Orioles, he threw 32 innings, posting a 5.34 ERA. That December, the Orioles traded him to the Mets for Chuck McElroy, but as the spring progressed, there didn’t appear to be space for Orosco in the New York bullpen.

“We feel he can be an effective pitcher against a left-handed hitter, and we really don’t have that specialist right now,” pitching coach Dave Duncan said. “I know our left-handed hitters don’t like to hit off him, never have, and that’s a good way to measure a guy.”[11]

Cardinals outfielder Eric Davis had played alongside Orosco with the Orioles in 1998.

“You don’t pitch as long as he’s pitched without being consistent,” Davis said. “He’s a tremendous competitor as well as a teacher. … He’s amazing.”[12]

Several teams had been interested in acquiring Orosco, Jocketty said. In particular, there were rumors that Orosco might go to the Dodgers, whose manager, Davey Johnson, and general manager, Kevin Malone, were with Orosco in Baltimore.[13]

“Jesse is a guy who has great experience, and despite his age, is still very productive,” Jocketty said. “We jumped at the opportunity to get him. Jesse was being sought after by several clubs, and we felt this was a good way to add quality depth to our bullpen.”[14]

Orosco said he had heard that he might be dealt to the Tigers.

“It got narrowed down to certain teams,” he said. “Then I heard Detroit and said, ‘Oh, no, I don’t want to go there.’”[15]

Orosco was, however, excited to pitch in St. Louis.

“When you’re traded from one contending team, you hope to fall into another contending team, and I think this has worked out,” he said. “Any time you have a chance to go to a contender, you have to be happy about that. Hopefully, I’m the piece to that puzzle that they needed in the bullpen.”[16]

Unfortunately, Orosco’s streak of 21 big-league seasons without an appearance on the disabled list came to an end on April 9, when he went down with an elbow sprain. The injury plagued Orosco throughout the season, and he threw just 2 1/3 innings for the Cardinals. He signed with the Dodgers ahead of the 2001 season.

McEwing spent five years with the Mets on his way to a nine-year major-league career. Though he was never penciled in as a starter, he played at least 75 games each season, and in 2001, he hit .283 with eight homers, 30 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in just 283 at-bats.

After brief stints with the Royals and Astros and a season in the Red Sox minor-league system, McEwing retired in 2008 with a .251 career batting average. Later that year, he was hired as a hitting coach for the Charlotte Knights, the White Sox Triple-A team. Eventually, he climbed through the ranks to become the White Sox bench coach. In 2023, he returned to the Cardinals as the bench coach under manager Oliver Marmol. In November 2023, the Cardinals announced that he would serve as a special assistant to John Mozeliak, a role he held through the 2025 season.

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[1] Bernie Miklasz, “Though unpopular, trade of McEwing does make sense,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[2] Bernie Miklasz, “Though unpopular, trade of McEwing does make sense,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals’ need for a bullpen lefthander makes McEwing expendable,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 19, 2000.

[4] Rick Hummel, “McEwing is traded to the Mets for veteran lefthander Orosco,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 19, 2000.

[5] Rick Hummel, “McEwing is traded to the Mets for veteran lefthander Orosco,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 19, 2000.

[6] Joe Ostermeier, “Things won’t be the same without ‘original Cardinal’ Little Mac,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 19, 2000.

[7] Joe Ostermeier, “Things won’t be the same without ‘original Cardinal’ Little Mac,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 19, 2000.

[8] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards trade McEwing to Mets,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 19, 2000.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Orosco brings consistency to Cardinals bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Orosco brings consistency to Cardinals bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[11] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards trade McEwing to Mets,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 19, 2000.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Orosco brings consistency to Cardinals bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[13] Rick Hummel, “Orosco brings consistency to Cardinals bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[14] Joe Ostermeier, “Cards trade McEwing to Mets,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 19, 2000.

[15] Rick Hummel, “Orosco brings consistency to Cardinals bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

[16] Rick Hummel, “Orosco brings consistency to Cardinals bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20, 2000.

The post Why the Cardinals traded Super Joe McEwing in 2000 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Mize was selected by the Veterans Committee alongside Negro Leagues founder Rube Foster. He and Foster were inducted alongside Bob Gibson, who received 84% of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) vote in his first year on the ballot.

It was an unexpected honor for Mize, who had never eclipsed the 43.6% of the vote he received in 1971 in his ninth year on the ballot. Though he knew the Veterans Committee was voting that day, Mize decided not to wait by the phone awaiting a call that may never come. Instead, with a new second-floor porch being constructed on his home in Demorest, Georgia, he decided to assist with the project.

“After always being the next man in line, I told Marge I was either going fishing or golfing on the 11^th,” Mize said. “But with the carpenters here, I decided to help until the noon news came on. I figured I might as well see if they said anything. When it got to be 12:30, I told Marge, ‘Well, that’s it.’”[1]

Incredibly, the call from the Hall of Fame didn’t come because the Hall had the wrong number for Mize. Instead, he was reached by a reporter, who shared the news with him shortly after the Hall’s announcement.

“I knew they were voting again today, but I had already given up hope because no one had called,” Mize said. “It comes as kind of shock, especially since I’ve seen so many guys go in who were behind me when I first became eligible years ago. I’m happy it finally came. Most of all because throughout this long wait, I never knew so many people cared.”[2]

In fact, so many people cared that Mize had to halt construction for the day rather than try to speak to his many callers over the din of their labor.[3]

“I’m just a little disappointed they didn’t see to vote me in earlier,” Mize admitted. “My mother is 87 years old and in the hospital after having both her legs removed after five operations. She always had looked forward to me getting in the Hall. Last year would have been fine, but now she just barely recognizes me and doesn’t realize what’s going on any more than the man in the moon.”[4]

Mize began his path to the Hall of Fame with the Cardinals after Branch Rickey’s brother Frank discovered Mize and placed the 17-year-old with the Cardinals’ farm team in Greensboro, North Carolina.[5] Mize soon became one of the top sluggers in the Redbirds’ system, but in 1934 he suffered a serious leg injury that hampered his movement.

Ironically, the injury helped to keep him in the St. Louis system.

That December, under new ownership that was looking to make a splash, the Reds purchased Mize for $55,000, surpassing the $50,000 the Yankees had paid the San Francisco Seals that November for another highly touted prospect named Joe DiMaggio. However, the high-paying deal came with a caveat – if Mize’s injury hampered him in any way, the Reds could return Mize and get their money back.

Ultimately, the Reds selected that option. Spurs had developed on Miz’s pelvic bone, and that spring it became clear that Mize was playing through an injury. Uncertain whether Mize would ever be able to play on an everyday basis, the Reds voided the deal and sent him back on April 15.

That proved fortunate for the Cardinals.

Mize played in 65 games for the Cardinals’ minor-league club in Rochester that season, batting .318 with 12 homers, before the pain became too much and he required surgery. When Mize came back, he not only was assigned to the Cardinals, but he beat out incumbent Ripper Collins for the first base job. The rookie Mize hit .329 with 19 homers and 93 RBIs and led all of baseball with 21 intentional walks.

“There is not a ballplayer in the major leagues playing better baseball than Johnny Mize,” Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch said.[6]

In each of his six seasons with the Cardinals, Mize hit at least .314 with an on-base percentage above .400. In 1939, he won the National League batting crown with a .349 average. He also led the league with 28 homers, a .626 slugging percentage, a 1.070 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), and 353 total bases. That year, he finished second in the NL MVP voting behind Cincinnati’s Bucky Walters.

“He was a great hitter right when he came up,” said Terry Moore, who roomed with Mize in their Cardinals days. “He never swung at a bad pitch. It was a pleasure to watch him hit.”[7]

In 1940, Mize may have been even more impressive. His 43 home runs led all of baseball and set a Cardinals single-season franchise record, one that would hold up until Mark McGwire finally broke the record on his way to 70 homers in 1998. Mize led the NL in slugging percentage (.636), OPS (1.039), and total bases (368), and led all of baseball in intentional walks (24). Once again, Mize finished second in the MVP voting to a Red, this time finishing behind Frank McCormick.

After the season, Mize held out for an increase on his $16,000 salary.

“Why, they even suggested I take a cut,” he said, before noting that the Cardinals later offered him the same salary from the previous year. “My home runs were more than any St. Louis player ever hit,” he argued. “I led the National League in runs batted in with 137, in total bases with 368, and I batted .314 for the season. If that isn’t enough to get a raise, I don’t know what is. Of course, my batting average was the lowest in the five years I have been with the Cardinals, or the five years I spent in the minors, but I think the other records are enough to warrant a little more money.”[8]

Finally, after missing the first 2 ½ weeks of spring training, Mize and the Cardinals agreed to terms, giving the slugger a $1,000 raise over the previous year.[9] Though Mize went on to hit .317 with 16 homers, 100 RBIs, and a league-high 39 doubles, an arm injury forced him to miss the final 10 games of the season. The Sporting News reported that Cardinals manager Billy Southworth was disappointed that Mize spent the final games watching from the grandstand or the press box instead of sitting on the bench.[10]

That December, the Cardinals traded Mize to the New York Giants for Bill Lohrman, Johnny McCarthy, and Ken O’Dea.

“When you hold out a couple of times against the Cardinals you know you’re finished with the organization,” Mize said. “I sensed the change in attitude toward me during the season, and when the schedule was over I cleared out all my belongings in the clubhouse. That’s the first time I ever did that, but I was pretty certain I wouldn’t be with the club in ’42.”[11]

Despite missing three seasons in the prime of his career serving in World War II, Mize proved to be more than worth the cost for the Giants. In 1942, he led the National League with 110 RBIs and a .521 slugging percentage on his way to a fifth-place finish in the MVP voting.

After returning from the war, he led all of baseball in 1946 with 51 homers, 138 RBIs, and 137 runs scored in 1947, finishing third in the MVP race. The following year, at age 35, he led baseball again with 40 homers.

“I’ve always wondered how many more (championships) we would have won if we hadn’t dealt two power hitters in that period, Mize and Walker Cooper,” said Cardinals outfielder Stan Musial, who led the Redbirds to World Series titles in 1942, 1944, and 1946.[12]

In 1949, the Yankees purchased Mize’s contract from the cross-town Giants for $40,000. Used primarily as a part-time player for much of his Yankees career, Mize hit drove home the winning run in Game 3 of the 1949 World Series, then hit 25 homers in just 305 plate appearances in 1950.

When he retired after the 1953 season, Mize’s 359 career home runs ranked sixth all-time. He also had a .312 career batting average, .397 on-base percentage, 2,011 hits, and 1,337 RBIs over 15 major-league seasons. Altogether, Mize had won five World Series titles, been selected for 10 all-star games, won a batting title, and finished in the top five of the MVP voting four times, including two runner-up finishes.

“I was mostly impressed with that sweet swing and the fact that he was a power hitter who rarely struck out,” Musial said. “He had the greatest batting eyes I’ve ever seen.”[13]

“He was proud of hitting all those home runs, and when he was voted into the Hall of Fame, I guess that had to be the day he was most proud,” Moore said.[14]

At his induction speech, Mize referenced his long wait to arrive in Cooperstown.

“I’ve been asked if being elected by the Veterans Committee means going in the back door,” Mize said. “To that I say look who’s on it – ex-players, managers, and executives, most of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Who else would you want to pick you? They were my peers.”[15]

He also noted that years earlier, several sportswriters had told him he was sure to be voted into the Hall.

“So I made a prepared speech,” he said, “but somewhere along the way it got lost.”[16]

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[1] Ken Picking, “It’s Mize’s Moment,” Atlanta Constitution, March 12, 1981.

[2] Bill Madden, “Mize gains Hall of Fame with Negro loop founder,” New York Daily News, March 11, 1981.

[3] Ken Picking, “It’s Mize’s Moment,” Atlanta Constitution, March 12, 1981.

[4] Ken Picking, “It’s Mize’s Moment,” Atlanta Constitution, March 12, 1981.

[5] “Mize, Through Exercise, Will Try To Prove Cards Got a Break When $55,000 Deal For Him Fell Through,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 8, 1935.

[6] Ralph McGill, “An Atlanta Doctor Sent Mize To the Majors!” Atlanta Constitution, May 17, 1936.

[7] Mike Eisenbath, “Mize Is Recalled By Former Mates As A Great Hitter,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 3, 1993.

[8] Associated Press, “Mize’s Slugging Entitles Him to Raise, He Says,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 2, 1941.

[9] Sid C. Keener, “Mize Signs Contract And Works Out With Cardinals,” St. Louis Star and Times, March 17, 1941.

[10] “Mize-To-Giants Deal Surprises Breadon,” The Sporting News, December 18, 1941.

[11] Donald H. Drees, “Mize Not Surprised At Deal Sending Him to Giants,” St. Louis Star and Times, December 12, 1941.

[12] Bob Broeg, “M&M’s Bats Didn’t Melt In Their Hands,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 12, 1981.

[13] Bob Broeg, “M&M’s Bats Didn’t Melt In Their Hands,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 12, 1981.

[14] Mike Eisenbath, “Mize Is Recalled By Former Mates As A Great Hitter,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 3, 1993.

[15] Bill Madden, “Hall of Famers win the cheers of bitter crowd,” New York Daily News, August 3, 1981.

[16] Bill Madden, “Hall of Famers win the cheers of bitter crowd,” New York Daily News, August 3, 1981.

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“Everybody cried,” Rolen said. “We’re an emotional family. When we get happy or whatever, that’s how it comes out. My son, it caught him a little off guard, and he got real emotional. Then the first thing he did is he asked me if I wanted to play catch with him. It’s 30 degrees here, and it’s going to snow like 12 inches tomorrow, and my son and I were in the driveway playing catch about 10-15 minutes after we got the phone call.”[1]

On January 24, 2023, Rolen became the player with the lowest first-year voting percentage (10.2% in 2018) to reach the 75% required to earn induction from the Baseball Writers Association of America balloting. Rolen received just 43 of 422 possible votes in 2018, placing 16 players ahead of him in that year’s total. Over the years, however, Rolen’s total steadily increased, rising to 17.2% in 2019, 35.3% in 2020, 52.9% in 2021, and 63.2% in 2022.

In 2023, he received 297 of 389 votes, good for 76.3%. Rolen was the only player to earn BBWAA election on that year’s ballot, as first baseman Todd Helton received 72.2% of the vote, closer Billy Wagner earned 68.1%, outfielder Andruw Jones earned 58.1%, and outfielder Gary Sheffield earned 55.0%. Former Cardinal outfielder Carlos Beltran earned 46.5% of the vote.

At CooperstownCred.com, Chris Bodig suggested that Rolen may have seen his vote totals climb as voters paid closer attention to advanced statistics such as wins above replacement (WAR).[2] Rolen posted a career WAR of 70.1, which compared favorably with that of the other candidates who were not suspected of steroid use.

Rolen, who became the 18^th third baseman elected to the Hall of Fame, was joined in the Class of 2023 by Veterans Committee selection Fred McGriff.

“There was actually never a point in my life that I thought I was going to be a Hall of Fame baseball player,” Rolen said.[3]

Rolen grew up in Jasper, Indiana, and occasionally attended Cardinals games at Busch Stadium.

“How could you not be a Cardinals fan?” he says. “I saw them play in the World Series against the Brewers and the Royals.”[4]

In high school, Rolen starred in both baseball and basketball. As a senior, he was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball and was named to the state all-star team. Ultimately, however, he was an even better baseball player, and the Phillies drafted him out of high school in the second round of the 1993 draft.

At his induction ceremony in July 2023, Rolen told the audience that a few weeks after the Phillies drafted him, he was appearing in the high school all-star game between Indiana and Kentucky. Due to baseball, however, he hadn’t played basketball in months. Nervous about the upcoming game, he went to his father and told him that everyone who was going to appear in the contest was better than him. He couldn’t shoot, and he was out of basketball shape.

“You told me what you can’t do,” Ed Rolen told his son. “What can you do?”

Rolen replied that he could rebound, play defense, and outhustle everyone on the court. “Well, do that then,” his father said.

Rolen never forgot those words, he said, and he tried to bring that attitude to his baseball career.

“‘Well, do that then,’ put me on this stage today,” Rolen said. “I now know this mindset is an intentional mindset that effort never takes a day off.”[5]

Rolen made his major-league debut in 1996 and appeared in 37 games that season. The following year, he won the Rookie of the Year Award with a .283 batting average, 21 homers, and 92 RBIs. At season’s end, he signed a four-year, $10 million contract.

Rolen continued to emerge as a star, winning his first career Gold Glove Award in 1998 while hitting 31 homers and driving in 110 runs. He hit 26 homers in each of the next two years and won a second Gold Glove in 2000, but the Phillies struggled and manager Terry Francona was replaced by Larry Bowa ahead of the 2001 campaign.

Rolen and Bowa soon butted heads. In June, Bowa blamed the middle of his lineup – particularly the cleanup hitter Rolen – for a series loss to the Red Sox.

“It was three, four, and five,” Bowa said, “but Pat (Burrell) has picked us up when I’ve hit him fifth. If the No. 4 guy (Rolen) even makes contact in either Boston loss, we sweep the series. He’s killing us.”[6]

In August, Dallas Green, the Phillies’ former manager who was then serving as an executive assistant for the team, criticized Rolen in a radio interview.

“Scotty is satisfied with being a so-so player,” Green said. “He’s not a great player. In his mind, he probably thinks he’s doing OK, but the fans in Philadelphia know otherwise. I think he can be greater, but his personality won’t let him.”[7]

“I don’t feel as welcome in this organization as I have in the past,” Rolen said in response.[8]

That lack of welcome may have been why Rolen turned down a seven-year, $90 million extension with options and incentives that could have made the deal total 10 years and $140 million. When Rolen arrived at spring training in 2002, he addressed his decision to decline the contract offer.

“Quite honestly, I’m an idiot for not signing that contract,” Rolen said. “My mind tells me that I should have signed that contract. The chance to make $140 million, that’s just incredible.

“But as stupid as I thought I was for not signing the contract, I’m trying to do the right thing. I play this game to compete. I think that ownership expects us to go out there every day and give everything we have. We expect that of ourselves. The fans expect us to be passionate on the field. Philadelphia is the sixth-largest market in the game, and I feel that for the last however long, the organization has not acted like it. There’s a lack of commitment to what I think is right. I’m not seeing that their No. 1 goal is to put a winning team on the field. That’s my No. 1 goal, and that’s why I put a uniform on every day.”[9]

Realizing that they may not be able to re-sign Rolen when his contract expired after the 2002 season, the Phillies traded Rolen, Doug Nickle, and cash to the Cardinals for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, and Mike Timlin. In St. Louis, he joined Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds as the “MV3.”

“The biggest thing about St. Louis – there were just seasoned professionals, veterans, there at the time that you could really learn from overnight,” Rolen said. “They had been around. They competed together for a long time. That was a great thing in my career that I think I was ready for.”[10]

Rolen enjoyed arguably the best season of his career in 2004 as he posted career highs with a .314 batting average, 34 homers, and 124 RBIs while leading the Cardinals to the National League championship. He hit the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the NLCS to send St. Louis to the World Series.

“Rolen’s the perfect baseball player,” Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost said that year. “It’s his tenacity, his preparation, the way he plays. He tries to do everything fundamentally sound. And he puts the team first – there’s no fanfare with him.”[11]

In 2005, Rolen’s career was forever changed when a May collision with Hee-Seop Choi resulted in a serious shoulder injury. Rolen attempted to rehab the injury and returned in June, but the pain returned, and he was forced to undergo season-ending surgery.

Rolen returned in 2006 to lead the Cardinals to another National League championship, batting .296 with 22 homers and 95 RBIs. By the postseason, however, his shoulder was flaring up, and he hit just .091 in the NLDS and .238 in the NLCS. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa chose to remove Rolen from the starting lineup for Game 4 of the NLDS and Game 2 of the NLDS, a decision Rolen strongly disagreed with. In 2007, the relationship between the two soured further, and Rolen asked to be traded. The Cardinals obliged, sending Rolen to Toronto for third baseman Troy Glaus in January 2008.

In 2014, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said that Rolen was the only player he regretted trading.[12]

Rolen played 1 ½ seasons in Toronto before the Blue Jays traded him to the Reds for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart. In Cincinnati, Rolen was reunited with general manager Walt Jocketty, who had now traded for Rolen twice – once in St. Louis and then in Cincinnati.

Rolen spent the final 3 ½ seasons of his career in Cincinnati, and though age and his shoulder injury limited his playing time, he provided the leadership Jocketty was seeking.

“I loved playing with him,” Joey Votto said. “I learned so much. If any player is lucky enough to have a role model and a teammate like him, they’re as lucky as it gets. I shaped my career, my effort, and my work in his mold.”[13]

After the 2012 season, Rolen announced his retirement. Over 17 seasons, including six in St. Louis, he hit .281 with 2,077 hits, 316 homers, and 1,287 RBIs. In addition to his Rookie of the Year Award, Rolen won a Silver Slugger in 2002, made seven All-Star Games, and won eight Gold Glove awards. He also had a World Series ring from the 2006 Cardinals.

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[1] Bobby Nightengale, “Rolen reflects,” Cincinnati Enquirer, January 26, 2023.

[2] Chris Bodig, “Scott Rolen’s Path To The Hall of Fame: A WAR Story,” Cooperstown Cred, https://www.cooperstowncred.com/scott-rolens-hall-of-fame-case-a-matter-of-war/.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Rolen leads Cardinals ’06 champs into Hall,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 25, 2023.

[4] Tom Verducci, “He’s the Perfect Player,” Sports Illustrated, July 12, 2004, https://vault.si.com/vault/2004/07/12/quothes-the-perfect-playerquot-a-no-nonsense-star-who-does-it-all-scott-rolen-embodies-the-cardinal-virtues-in-st-louis-and-first-place-is-nice-too.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Rolen praises family in Hall speech,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 24, 2023.

[6] Bill Conlin, “Great Scott? Not,” Philadelphia Daily News, June 13, 2001.

[7] Paul Hagen, “Rolen stung by Green’s comments,” Philadelphia Daily News, August 9, 2001.

[8] Paul Hagen, “Rolen stung by Green’s comments,” Philadelphia Daily News, August 9, 2001.

[9] Bob Brookover, “Rolen: Phils don’t have will to win,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 17, 2002.

[10] Derrick Goold, “Rolen leads Cardinals ’06 champs into Hall,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 25, 2023.

[11] Tom Verducci, “He’s the Perfect Player,” Sports Illustrated, July 12, 2004, https://vault.si.com/vault/2004/07/12/quothes-the-perfect-playerquot-a-no-nonsense-star-who-does-it-all-scott-rolen-embodies-the-cardinal-virtues-in-st-louis-and-first-place-is-nice-too.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Mozeliak: The only player I regret trading,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 5, 2014.

[13] Bobby Nightengale, “Rolen reflects,” Cincinnati Enquirer, January 26, 2023.

The post How Scott Rolen became a Hall of Famer first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“It’s hard to explain the feeling … I’ve been ready for this for 17 years,” Cepeda said. “When they told me I was selected, I lost my mind.”[1]

The phone call informing Cepeda of his election came from his former Giants teammate, Juan Marichal, a newcomer to the Veterans Committee.

“Juan was crying with me,” Cepeda said.[2]

“As a rookie on the Veterans Committee, I’m glad Orlando got in in my first year,” Marichal said. “He was a good human being, and he was the type of player who had no fear, the type of player you wanted playing behind you.”[3]

Cepeda’s 17-year major-league career began with the Giants, where he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1958. Three years later, he finished second in the MVP voting as he led the NL with 46 homers and all of baseball with 142 RBIs. In 1962, Cepeda and the Giants won the NL championship but fell to the Yankees in seven games.

The following spring, Cepeda suffered a preseason knee injury. Though he played through the pain with a .316 batting average, 34 homers, and 97 RBIs, Cepeda’s knee injury ultimately led to his trade to St. Louis. With Willie McCovey also on the roster, the Giants had two future Hall of Fame first basemen, and Cepeda’s knee made it impossible for Cepeda to serve as a long-term solution at another position, like the outfield.

On May 8, 1966, the Giants agreed to send Cepeda to St. Louis for left-handed pitcher Ray Sadecki. Cepeda hit .303 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs for the Cardinals that season, but made his biggest impact in 1967, when he hit 25 homers and led the National League with 111 RBIs on his way to unanimous MVP honors.

“Orlando loved being a Cardinal,” Bob Gibson wrote in 2015. “For one thing, he was allowed to play his countless Latin records and speak Spanish—although Julian Javier was the only one who could speak it back—in the clubhouse. Those things had been forbidden in San Francisco’s. Nor was our clubhouse divided into ethnic cliques like San Francisco’s.”[4]

During the Cardinals’ 1967 world championship campaign, Cepeda was the heart and soul of the team he affectionately referred to as “El Birdos.” As George Vecsey described it:

He was more than the trusted cleanup hitter. Orlando was the life of the party.

The Cardinals would club somebody into submission and troop back into their clubhouse. First thing you knew, Orlando’s soul music was blasting from the phonograph and Cepeda was standing on a chair.

Who wins the game?” he would shout.

“El Birdos,” the Cardinals would respond in their pidgin Spanish.^[5]

In 1968, dubbed “the year of the pitcher” due to the dominance of hurlers such as Bob Gibson, Cepeda’s numbers dipped. He hit just .248 with 16 homers and 73 RBIs, and on March 17, 1969, the Cardinals traded Cepeda to the Braves for Joe Torre.

“In 2 ½ years (in St. Louis), I accomplished so much,” Cepeda said. “I came to identify with the Cardinals.”[6]

Cepeda went on to play six more seasons with the Braves, Athletics, Red Sox, and Royals. After the 1974 season, Cepeda retired with a .297 career batting average, 2,351 hits, 379 home runs, and 1,365 RBIs. Altogether, he had been named an All-Star 11 times.

Based on his on-field performance, Cepeda likely would have been voted into the Hall of Fame much more quickly, but in 1975, he was arrested while trying to pick up 160 pounds of marijuana in his native Puerto Rico. He spent 10 months in jail.[7]

“I think that probably did prevent him from being voted in by the writers,” said Allen Lewis, a retired sportswriter and member of the 1999 Veterans Committee. “Sure, he made a mistake and served time, but since he got out, he’s spent most of his time helping people.”[8]

The incident not only damaged Cepeda’s reputation in the United States but also turned many of his Puerto Rican fans against him.

“I think one of the reasons people got so down on him was that in the 1970s, when all that happened, there were only two main guys in Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente and my dad,” said Orlando Cepeda Jr. “I was just a little kid, but my uncle told me that every day he played, the radio stations down there would report how he did, so his problems really affected people.”[9]

It certainly seemed to affect Hall of Fame voters. The closest Cepeda came to being elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America was in 1994, when he missed election by seven votes. It was his final year on the BBWAA ballot.

“Orlando is a good human being,” Marichal said. “I felt so bad when he missed by seven votes … because I know what this means to him.”[10]

Finally, in 1999, it took a Veterans Committee that included former Cardinals stars Stan Musial and Bill White to place Cepeda among baseball’s immortals. He was elected alongside pitcher “Smokey” Joe Williams, 19^th-century manager Frank Selee, and former American League umpire Nestor Chylak. The Veterans Committee selections were inducted that July alongside Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount, who were elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

“I didn’t know this would be so great,” Cepeda said. “I’m no saint, but people will get to know me as a person now. That’s very important to me.”[11]

Indeed, the people who already knew Cepeda were happy to see him elected to the Hall.

“He’s been a long time waiting. It should have happened a long time ago,” Gibson said. “I don’t know the rhyme or reason for any of this stuff. Sometimes I wonder why I got put in the way I was, but better late than never. I tried to call him today, but I couldn’t get him. He probably was running up and down the street with no clothes on, yelling and screaming like that kid in ‘Home Alone.’”[12]

“Everything he accomplished, he did so by driving through those injuries,” Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck said. “He had to work harder than anyone else on the field because of the condition of his knees. In addition to being a leader on that ’67 club, he was one of the most fearless hitters at the plate I’ve seen since I’ve been broadcasting.”[13]

In San Francisco, the Giants marked the occasion by announcing the retirement of Cepeda’s No. 30 jersey. Cepeda’s plaque in the hall depicted him wearing a Giants cap.

“I’ve had a lot of good things and bad things happen in my life, but this is the moment that erases everything,” Cepeda said. “It’s a great day for baseball, the Cepeda family, and Puerto Rico.”[14]

Cepeda joined Clemente as just the second Puerto Rican elected to the Hall of Fame.

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[1] Associated Press, “Cepeda at last voted to Baseball Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 3, 1999.

[2] Dwight Chapin, “Giant push gets Cha-Cha in Hall,” San Francisco Examiner, March 3, 1999.

[3] Dwight Chapin, “Giant push gets Cha-Cha in Hall,” San Francisco Examiner, March 3, 1999.

[4] Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler (2015), Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game, Kindle Android Version, Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 53.

[5] George Vecsey, “Now Cepeda Has His Vindication,” Newsday, November 8, 1967.

[6] Mike Eisenbath, “Cepeda savors Hall of Fame selection,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 3, 1999.

[7] Associated Press, “Cepeda at last voted to Baseball Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 3, 1999.

[8] Associated Press, “Cepeda at last voted to Baseball Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 3, 1999.

[9] Dwight Chapin, “Cepeda took bumpy road to Hall,” San Francisco Examiner, July 23, 1999.

[10] Associated Press, “Cepeda at last voted to Baseball Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, March 3, 1999.

[11] “Cepeda continues to turn life around,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 1999.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Cepeda deserved honor long ago, Bob Gibson says,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 3, 1999.

[13] “Cepeda continues to turn life around,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 1999.

[14] Mike Eisenbath, “Cepeda savors Hall of Fame selection,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 3, 1999.

The post How Orlando Cepeda finally was elected to the Hall of Fame first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“We hope the new uniforms will match the new, bold look and attitude of the 1956 Cardinals,” Lane said. “We have striven for a lighter, roomier uniform that will allow for more comfort, greater speed, and greater ability for the players. We hope it will be reflected favorably in the percentages.”[1]

Originally designed by Ms. Allie May Schmidt of the Ferguson Presbyterian Church in 1921, the iconic birds on the bat had been worn on the Cardinals’ uniform almost every year since. However, Lane, nicknamed “Trader” Lane for his penchant for swapping players, didn’t feel limited to making changes to the Cardinals’ roster. Before he traded Bill Virdon and Red Schoendienst away (and tried to trade Stan Musial before owner August A. Busch Jr. put a halt to it), Lane unveiled a new design for the Cardinals’ iconic jerseys.

As the St. Louis Globe-Democrat designed the new design:

Gone are the twin red birds perched on the bat. One has disappeared, the other now is on the left sleeve, brandishing a bat. Across the chest of the ’56 white flannel home suits will be the script word “Cardinals” in Cardinal red on navy blue, and a streamer of red will cross the chest below the letters. Numbers will be red on navy blue and the swashbuckling cardinal on the sleeve also will be in red.

“The only part of the uniform that remains identical with last year are the socks. They will be red, with seven alternating stripes of white, blue, and red. A red belt and red sweatshirt will be worn with the outfit. The familiar blue cap with the red peak also is gone, replaced by a solid blue chapeau with a red button. On the front will be an interlocking “St. L.” in red, trimmed with white.[2]

Later in the article, it described the Cardinals’ new road jerseys:

On the road, the Cardinals will be attired in pearl gray flannels, with the same Cardinal perched on the left sleeve. The left breast will be adorned with a large, interlocking St. L.” The “S” and “t” will be in navy blue with red edging. The “L” will be in red with a blue outline. Numerals – red on navy blue – will be identical with the home suits. The same navy blue cap will be worn on the road, and the belt and sweatshirt also will be navy blue. Road uniform stockings will be blue, with three white stripes edged in a red border.[3]

The single cardinal in a batter stance that was placed on the sleeve came to be known as the “Sluggerbird.” It only appeared on game uniforms in 1956 and has been used as a secondary logo ever since.

A little over a week after the new jerseys were unveiled, an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that Lane “had heard that some old-timers resented the dropping of the pair of Redbirds astride a bat, hallmark of the Cardinals through their great years.”[4] Lane, however, would not be deterred.

“We’re not taking the color out of the Cardinals or their uniforms,” Lane said. “Wait till you see the uniforms and the men we have in them. I don’t think anybody will be disappointed.”[5]

Lane was wildly mistaken, and 1956 proved to be the only year for his new uniform design, as fans were vocal in their disappointment. In 1957, the Cardinals appeared for their season opener with a newly modified Birds on the Bat logo, which Lane admitted had been reinstated by “popular demand.”[6]

The new uniforms, however, were not quite the same as the original. The bat on which the Cardinals perched was now yellow instead of black. The “C” in “Cardinals” now hooked over the bat and included a swash on the overhang. These updates remained largely consistent for decades, carrying through to the present day.

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[1] “Cards Decked Out In New Uniforms,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 26, 1956.

[2] “Cards Decked Out In New Uniforms,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 26, 1956.

[3] “Cards Decked Out In New Uniforms,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 26, 1956.

[4] “‘Cardinals’ to Be Lettered Across Road Uniforms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 4, 1956.

[5] “‘Cardinals’ to Be Lettered Across Road Uniforms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 4, 1956.

[6] Bob Broeg, “Cards Make Early Lead Hold Up, Defeat A’s, 4-2,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1957.

The post Why the birds on the bat were removed from the Cardinals’ 1956 uniforms first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The Cardinals had already cleared room for Boyer by trading all-star third baseman Ray Jablonski and pitcher Gerry Staley to Cincinnati for relief pitcher Frank Smith. Jablonski had burst onto the scene two years earlier, hitting 21 homers and driving in 112 to finish third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting in 1953, then following that performance with a .296 batting average, 12 homers, and 104 RBIs in 1954.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals were so excited by Boyer’s potential that they were willing to trade Jablonski to leave third base open for Boyer.

“There’s no doubt that there’s bound to be less pressure than trying to beat out a man who drove in 100 runs in the big leagues,” Boyer said.[1]

Though Cardinals vice president Bill Walsingham insisted that the Cardinals had plenty of options at third base, including moving rookie outfielder Bill Virdon to third or moving second baseman Red Schoendienst to third base and installing Don Blasingame at second, it was clear that Boyer was the Cardinals’ preferred choice.

“We weren’t putting all of our eggs in one basket by depending entirely upon this rookie, Boyer, to replace Jabbo,” Walsingham said. “I know that everyone in the Cardinal minor league organization is high on Ken and he will be given every opportunity to take over, but as I pointed out before, our 1955 team will have a lot of flexibility and versatility.”[2]

Boyer had begun his professional baseball career as a pitcher after Cardinals owner Fred Saigh signed him for $6,000. At the time, any player who signed for more than $6,000 was deemed a “bonus player” and had to be kept on the major-league roster. Instead, Boyer was assigned to Class D Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he went 5-1 with a 3.42 ERA.

As a 19-year-old, Boyer went 6-8 with a 4.39 ERA. While his pitching stats were pedestrian, Boyer shone in the batter’s box, batting .342 with 17 doubles, six triples, and nine homers in 80 games. It proved to be his final season on the mound, as manager Vedie Himsl converted him to third base.

“I had been a shortstop in high school, but I was terrible when I began at third base,” Boyer said. “I’m glad of the change, though, because my arm hurt when I pitched and there’s nothing like getting to play every day.”[3]

In 1951, Boyer hit .306 with 14 homers and 90 RBIs in Class A Omaha, then missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons while serving in the Army. When he returned in 1954, he didn’t miss a beat. Playing for the Houston Buffaloes in the Class AA Texas League, Boyer hit .319 with 21 homers and 116 RBIs, becoming just the 16^th rookie in the history of the league to exceed 200 hits. He finished the year with 202, including a 30-game hit streak.[4]

According to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Boyer was said to possess “a great throwing arm, wide range and (a) perfect temperament.”[5] St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor J. Roy Stockton wrote that “if Boyer is as good as observers insist he is, third base will be stronger than it was last season. Boyer, if he can field, won’t have to hit much above .300 to be an improvement over Ray Jablonski.”[6]

The Globe-Democrat reported that Boyer “was the cause of considerable alarm” when the team learned that he had been beaned while playing the Cuban Winter League in November. Fortunately, there was little cause for alarm.

“I was out about a month and a half but came back and hit .305,” Boyer said. “I’m looking forward to a good year.”[7]

Boyer did enjoy a good year, hitting a two-run homer on April 12 for his first major-league hit. He finished the year with a .264 batting average to go along with 18 homers, 62 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. The following year, he made the first of seven career all-star teams, hitting .306 with 26 homers and 98 RBIs.

In 1957, Boyer went through another position change, this time moving to center field to allow rookie Eddie Kasko to break into the lineup. That year, he led all National League outfielders in fielding percentage, then returned to third base in 1958, where he won the first of four consecutive gold gloves and earned MVP votes for the first of seven consecutive years.

Named the Cardinals’ team captain in 1959, Boyer was a 33-year-old in 1964 when he hit .295 with 24 homers and led all of baseball with a career-high 119 RBIs. Not coincidentally, Boyer won the National League MVP Award as he led the Cardinals to the National League pennant and, ultimately, the World Series title. That season, Boyer hit for the cycle for the second time in his career, then capped off the year with a game-winning grand slam in Game 4 of the World Series.

After the 1965 season, the Cardinals traded Boyer to the Mets for Al Jackson and Charley Smith. After stints with the White Sox and Dodgers, he chose to retire following the 1969 season. He ended his 15-year major league career with 2,143 hits, a .287 career batting average, and 282 home runs.

After his playing career ended, Boyer became a manager in the Cardinals’ minor league system. In 1978, he was named manager to replace Vern Rapp. He managed the club to a 166-190 record before he was replaced by Whitey Herzog early in the 1980 season.

In 1984, two years after he passed away from cancer, the Cardinals retired his number 14. He was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

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[1] Bob Broeg, “Boyer, Cunningham, Four Others Sign; Only 4 Birds Out,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 20, 1955.

[2] Ray Gillespie, “Cards See Clover Era In Talent Crop,” The Sporting News, February 23, 1955.

[3] Bob Broeg, “Boyer, Cunningham, Four Others Sign; Only 4 Birds Out,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 20, 1955.

[4] “Birds Sign Cunningham, Boyer And Four Others,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 20, 1955.

[5] “Birds Sign Cunningham, Boyer And Four Others,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 20, 1955.

[6] J. Roy Stockton, “Extra Innings,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 27, 1955.

[7] “Birds Sign Cunningham, Boyer And Four Others,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 20, 1955.

The post Cardinals sign Ken Boyer: February 18, 1955 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

White’s hire came two years after Dodgers general manager Al Campanis was fired for saying during a Nightline interview that black people did not have the “necessities” to serve as a manager or general manager. Campanis was fired two days later, but baseball continued to face questions about the lack of black executives in the game. At the time White was hired, no Major League Baseball team had a black president or general manager and the Orioles’ Frank Robinson was the only black manager.

Though White helped to break down barriers in MLB executive offices, he preferred that he be recognized for his knowledge of the game.

When the news media started talking about “firsts,” I wish they had paid as much attention to another “first” that I represented: I was the first National League president in more than 70 years who had ever played baseball in the major leagues,” White said.[1]

In his 2011 autobiography, White wrote that he was first contacted about the job by Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, who was on the search committee alongside Mets president Fred Wilpon, former NL president Chub Feeney, Braves chairman William Bartholomay, and outgoing NL president A. Bartlett Giamatti, who was slated to become the new baseball commissioner on April 1. O’Malley told White that the committee was interested in interviewing him for the job. After asking if O’Malley was serious, White politely declined the opportunity. O’Malley thanked him for his time, and White assumed the matter was over.[2]

Approximately a week later, O’Malley called again to say that while he understood that White was not interested, the committee still wanted to interview him. This time, White decided it was worth at least a discussion. When he arrived at the Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York, just a few miles away from MLB headquarters, he realized he wasn’t the only former player-turned-announcer in the running, as he saw former Reds second baseman Joe Morgan in the lobby.[3]

In his 90-minute interview, White spoke about his conflict management and leadership style and discussed how he would handle a variety of issues. He also made clear to the committee members that if he was to be offered the job, it had to be on his merits.

“I wasn’t naïve,” he wrote. “I knew that baseball was under a lot of pressure about minority hiring. But I insisted that if I were to take the job, I would want to be the president of the National League, not the black president of the National League. The committee members assured me that they would hire the best person, regardless of race.”[4]

The committee unanimously voted to name White the 13^th president of the National League. White was selected over another black candidate, Simon Gourdine, the former NBA deputy commissioner who was serving as the director of labor relations for the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York. Gourdine took his runner-up finish in stride.

“The appointment of Bill White is historic and very meaningful,” he said. “The symbolism is terribly important to all Americans and to all people interested in baseball and in sports. It’s a start. … The reason that the process was so exhaustive was because they wanted to ensure that they chose the very best person to represent the National League.”[5]

The Sporting News reported that White’s extensive baseball background gave him the edge over other candidates. An eight-time all-star and seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, White played 13 major league seasons, including eight with the Cardinals. St. Louis acquired him in a trade with the Giants in March 1959.

While White was initially concerned about coming to St. Louis, he quickly became a star. In eight seasons with the Cardinals, he hit .298 with 140 homers and 631 RBIs, and finished third in the NL MVP voting in 1964, when he helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series championship. Between 1962 and 1966, he hit at least 20 homers and drove in at least 102 runs in four of the five seasons.

In addition to his impact on the field, White was one of the Cardinals who played a key role in integrating the team’s living arrangements during spring training.

After his playing days were over, White transitioned to broadcasting. In 1971, he became part of the WPIX-TV broadcast team, where he partnered with former Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto. By accepting the NL president position, White was giving up a comfortable seat in the booth.

“There were a lot of good reasons not to take it,” White wrote. “I was well paid in my broadcasting work, and had plenty of free time for fishing, tennis, just enjoying life. I would be giving all that up for an executive job that promised long hours, extensive business travel, and constant headaches. But in the end there was one overriding reason why I decided to accept the position as president of the National League. It was a challenge. And throughout my life, a challenge has been something that is hard for me to resist.”[6]

In speaking with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, White explained it a different way.

“I got to thinking that after 18 years, there’s only so many ways you can say, ‘There’s a ground ball to short, and the throw to first,’” he said. “Maybe I am ready for something different.”[7]

Though it was reported at the time that White was being paid $200,000 per year, a six-figure pay cut from the $300,000 he earned as a Yankees broadcaster,[8] White wrote that his new job actually provided a 30% pay increase with better benefits.[9]

At the press conference announcing his hire, the assembled media wanted to focus on the history of the moment and White’s role as the highest-ranking black executive in baseball. In Newsday, Steve Marcus wrote that, “Minorities clearly will see this appointment as a sign of hope that baseball is ending what has been an unofficial but undeniable existence of sparse opportunities in minority hiring.”[10]

White, however, preferred not to focus on his race in discussing his hire with reporters.

“From the moment my selection as … president of the National League was announced in February 1989, the “firsts” began,” White wrote in 2011. “In every newspaper and magazine and television report, it went something like this: “Bill White will be the first black president of baseball’s National League …” Again, I wasn’t naïve. I knew that after the spotlight the Campanis incident cast on baseball, the team owners wanted a black man for the job. I also knew that being the first African American to hold the position would be news in and of itself. That’s the way the news business works; there’s no escaping it. But I felt the same way I had when I was the “first full-time black broadcaster” in Major League Baseball. I didn’t intend to fail, but if somehow I did, I wanted it to be Bill White who had failed, not a black man who had failed.”[11]

Clifford Alexander, former Secretary of the Army who consulted on the search, cautioned reporters about proclaiming the issue solved by the hire of one black executive.

“I don’t try to set history the day it happened,” Alexander said. “Breaking barriers are useful only if other things happen.”[12]

Despite White’s protestations, several of his friends said that breaking that barrier was more important than he let on.

“Bill is not a crusader, but he understands social responsibility,” said William Eastburn III, White’s attorney and a friend for 25 years.[13]

“He felt this was important for baseball, for himself, and for blacks in general,” Rizzuto added.[14]

Henry Aaron, who had moved into an executive role himself as vice president for player personnel for the Braves, “You can say that Jackie Robinson is resting a little more comfortably in his grave now, because he went through hell. If it weren’t for him, there would not have been a Hank Aaron or a Larry Doby or a Bill White.”[15] In a separate interview, he said, “I don’t think they could have found anyone more qualified than Bill White. He is a baseball man. He knows baseball. There will be nothing that will surprise him.”[16]

That knowledge came in handy as National League president, a role that included overseeing the umpires, mediating conflicts, and handing out discipline. Early in his tenure, White was with Giamatti when Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda called to accuse Astros pitchers of doctoring baseballs during a recent series. Lasorda told White that he was sending pitcher Orel Hershiser over to his office with the doctored baseballs.

Lasorda was shocked when White laughed and told him that not only would the balls need to come from the umpires to be considered evidence, but that he knew for a fact that Dodgers pitchers doctored balls because he had been forced to hit against them while they did it. When Lasorda hung up, Giamatti looked at White with amazement.

“That’s the advantage you have from being in the game so long,” he said. “I never would have been able to talk to Lasorda like that.”[17]

During White’s tenure as NL president, the league expanded to include the Rockies and Marlins. White also overcame conflicts with the umpires union and Reds owner Marge Schott, whose own racist comments had embarrassed the sport. He retired from the post in 1994, and in 2020 he was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

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[1] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 191.

[2] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 186.

[3] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 187.

[4] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 187.

[5] “Runner-Up Calls Election ‘A Start,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 4, 1989.

[6] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 189.

[7] Dan Caesar, “White Picked For NL’s Top Job,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 3, 1989.

[8] “N.L. President White Fills the Bill,” The Sporting News, February 13, 1989.

[9] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 193.

[10] Steve Marcus, “A Giant Step Forward – White, officials downplay racial aspect of hiring,” Newsday, February 4, 1989.

[11] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 190.

[12] Steve Marcus, “A Giant Step Forward – White, officials downplay racial aspect of hiring,” Newsday, February 4, 1989.

[13] Steve Marcus, “A Giant Step Forward – White, officials downplay racial aspect of hiring,” Newsday, February 4, 1989.

[14] “N.L. President White Fills the Bill,” The Sporting News, February 13, 1989.

[15] “Runner-Up Calls Election ‘A Start,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 4, 1989.

[16] “N.L. President White Fills the Bill,” The Sporting News, February 13, 1989.

[17] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, Grand Central Publishing, Page 192.

The post How Cardinals great Bill White became NL president first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Maxvill was hired to replace Joe McDonald, who served three years in the role but resigned at the request of the Cardinals’ executive committee in January. Upon McDonald’s resignation, Cardinals president August A. Busch Jr. issued a statement in which he said, “In selecting a new general manager, we will look for a person with a strong baseball operations background.”[1]

While Maxvill had plenty of baseball experience, the Cardinals’ general manager job was his first front-office position. The Granite City, Illinois, native earned a degree in electrical engineering from Washington University before the Cardinals gave him his start in professional baseball in 1960 as a light-hitting but solid defensive shortstop.

He wound up spending 11 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Cardinals, playing for three World Series teams and winning the Gold Glove Award in 1968 despite hitting just .217 for his career. He set a record for the highest career fielding percentage by a shortstop with a career of 10 years or more, posting a .9762 fielding percentage.

Following his playing career, Maxvill coached for the Mets and Cardinals and had been a member of the Braves’ coaching staff since 1982. He also operated a travel agency called Cardinal Travel Inc. alongside former St. Louis pitcher Joe Hoerner.

“I’ve had a chance to do just about everything else in baseball,” he said.[2]

The Cardinals’ search for a new general manager was run by Cardinals CEO Fred Kuhlmann, attorney Lou Susman, and consultant Tal Smith, and it was Susman who first suggested that the team should consider Maxvill for the position.[3] On February 23, 1985, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Maxvill would be interviewed for the Cardinals’ general manager job.[4]

“If I had a chance to do it, I would welcome the opportunity,” Maxvill said. “I sure would welcome the opportunity to talk about it with them.”[5]

The paper reported that Bob Quinn, who had served more than 12 years in charge of the Indians’ scouting and player development, also applied for the job.[6] Additionally, the Cardinals reportedly considered former Cardinals players Joe Torre and Tim McCarver.[7] However, the Cardinals’ interview with Maxvill obviously went well, and on February 25, the Cardinals announced that they had given Maxvill a one-year contract.

“We were looking for someone who had a strong baseball background,” Kuhlmann said. “Although Dal hasn’t had general manager’s experience, he’s had enough experience in baseball that a general manager should have for the game and its problems. More than that, he knows the Cardinals organization. We were looking for someone with a sense of business ability to go along with his baseball experience, the innate ability to cope with the business aspects of being general manager.”[8]

Although Busch repeatedly called Maxvill “Maxwell” in discussing the hire, he expressed excitement for what his former shortstop could do in the role.

“Of all the people we considered, myself and the other members of the executive committee unanimously agreed that Dal Maxvill has the qualifications we were looking for in a general manager,” Busch said in a team statement. “When he was a player with the Cardinals, Dal was committed to being the best. I’m sure we’ll see the same type of performance from him as a general manager.”[9]

For his part, Maxvill said he wasn’t concerned to receive just a one-year contract, nor was he bothered by the Cardinals’ decision-making structure in which any big decisions would need to be approved by the executive committee.

“I don’t feel restricted by this in any way,” he said. “Ten or 15 years ago, trades could be made without consulting anyone else. But if I had a ballclub, wouldn’t you not want to sign someone to a $4 or $5 million contract without at least discussing it with someone?”[10]

Though he wasn’t part of the hiring committee, two-time former Cardinals general manager Bing Devine gave Maxvill his vote of confidence.

“Why shouldn’t he be a good general manager?” said Devine, now president of the St. Louis football Cardinals. “He always has done everything better than any of us expected. I think the selection was excellent.”[11]

Maxvill wound up serving almost 10 years in the role before he was fired in September 1994. During that span, he saw the team lose its biggest supporter at the brewery when August Busch Jr. died in 1989, then lose arguably the most popular manager in franchise history when Whitey Herzog resigned in 1990.

In six of Maxvill’s 10 seasons, the Cardinals posted winning records above .500, and in 1985 and 1987, the Cardinals won the National League championship. Over that span, the Cardinals went 814-757 for a .518 winning percentage.

Especially after the passing of Busch Jr., Maxvill often found himself unable to gain approval for requested moves, particularly for free agents. After the 1994 season, he admitted that he entered his final year knowing the team needed additional pitching to be competitive. Not surprisingly, the team finished the strike-shortened season with a 53-61 record.

“The pitching we needed was unavailable for an assortment of reasons, mostly money,” Maxvill said. “I feel we had a good nucleus of players, but I knew we didn’t have enough pitching. Sometimes, you have to go with what’s available to you.”[12]

During his tenure as GM, Maxvill’s key trades included sending:

• shortstop Angel Salazar to the Mets for infielder Jose Oquendo,
• outfield prospect Mark Jackson to the Reds for outfielder/first baseman Cesar Cedeno,
• pitcher Joaquin Andujar to the Athletics for catcher Mike Heath and pitcher Tim Conroy,
• outfielder Andy Van Slyke, catcher Mike LaValliere, and pitcher Mike Dunne to the Pirates for catcher Tony Pena,
• outfielder Lance Johnson, pitcher Rick Horton, and cash to the White Sox for pitcher Jose DeLeon,
• second baseman Tom Herr to the Twins for outfielder Tom Brunansky,
• pitcher John Tudor to the Dodgers for first baseman Pedro Guerrero,
• pitcher Bob Forsch to the Astros for utility player Denny Walling,
• outfielder Curt Ford and catcher Steve Lake to the Phillies for outfielder Milt Thompson,
• Brunansky to the Red Sox for closer Lee Smith,
• outfielder Willie McGee to the Athletics for outfielder Felix Jose, third baseman Stan Royer, and pitcher Daryl Green,
• outfielder Felix Jose and utility player Craig Wilson to the Royals for infielder Gregg Jefferies and outfielder Ed Gerald,
• pitcher Mark Clark and shortstop Juan Andujar to the Indians for outfielder Mark Whiten,
• and Smith to the Yankees for pitcher Rich Batchelor.

“He made some fine trades,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote following the end of Maxvill’s tenure. “But as he became more entrenched, he was less willing to take risks. Maxvill was passive at the worst moments: times when the Cardinals were desperate for a late-season tourniquet to stop massive bleeding. Maxvill’s idea of a daring rescue was Todd Burns.

“Maxvill also overrated his own player development system. He’d hyped it for years, proudly telling us how much money the Cardinals were spending on the farm. While Maxvill didn’t enjoy the freedom of being able to spend at will for free agents, he was given a generous budget for scouting and player development. But the Cardinals weren’t churning out any all-star caliber players, and that shortfall couldn’t be blamed on the brewery.

“Moreover, Maxvill was terrible PR for the Cardinals because he reinforced the organization’s arrogant image. When interviewed, he came across as defensive and hostile. He often made a point of declaring that he didn’t worry about what the fans (and media) think. Well, it’s OK to sneer when you’re on top, but you can’t continue to insult the paying customers when your team is in the tank and attendance is falling.”[13]

Maxvill served out the remainder of his Cardinals contract through 1995 doing some specialized scouting. Afterwards, he also scouted for the Yankees on a limited basis.

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[1] Neal Russo, “McDonald Quits As GM Of Cardinals,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 4, 1985.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Maxvill Back With Cards As GM,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1985.

[3] Bob Broeg, “Maxie’s Forte: Doing Better Than Expected,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1985.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Dal Maxvill Candidate For GM Post,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 23, 1985.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Dal Maxvill Candidate For GM Post,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 23, 1985.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Dal Maxvill Candidate For GM Post,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 23, 1985.

[7] “Baseball-Business Mix Boosts Maxvill,” The Sporting News, March 11, 1985.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Maxvill Back With Cards As GM,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1985.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Maxvill Back With Cards As GM,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1985.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Maxvill Back With Cards As GM,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1985.

[11] Bob Broeg, “Maxie’s Forte: Doing Better Than Expected,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1985.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Maxvill Accepts Fate ‘Like A Good Soldier,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 22, 1994.

[13] Bernie Miklasz, “Lamping’s First Big Decision Right On Mark,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 22, 1994.

The post How Dal Maxvill became Cardinals GM in 1985 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Frisch was elected alongside pitchers Carl Hubbell and Lefty Grove and catcher Mickey Cochrane. It marked the first time since 1942 that anyone had surpassed the 75% vote total required for Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voters to elect a player to the Hall.

The balloting that year was conducted under new rules that required voters to have at least 10 years of membership in the BBWAA. Additionally, the Hall of Fame candidates were limited to those who had played since 1921.

Under the new rules, Hubbell drew 140 of the 161 votes (87%). Frisch drew 136 votes (84.5%), Cochrane received 128 (79.5%), and Grove received 123 (76.4%). Pie Traynor received 119 votes, missing the 75% threshold by just two votes.

A native of the Bronx, Frisch was a multi-sport star at Fordham University, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track. As an All-American halfback for Fordham’s football team, Frisch earned the nickname the “Fordham Flash.”

Fordham’s baseball team was managed by Artie Devlin, a former Giants third baseman, and in May 1919 he visited his old friend, Giants manager John McGraw, to offer a recommendation.

“John, I have a ballplayer for you,” he said. “You know I wouldn’t talk about a kid this way unless I sincerely believed it, but this kid is a major-league ballplayer. Right now, I mean.”[1]

Devlin clearly was convincing, because McGraw sent a scout to Fordham to put eyes on Frisch. Three days later, the 21-year-old Frisch signed with the Giants, then joined the team in June.

By August, Frisch was a regular in the Giants’ lineup. In one of his first career starts, Frisch took a sharply hit ground ball off his chest before recovering to throw out the runner.

“That was all I had to see,” McGraw later said. “The average youngster, nervous anyway, starting his first game in a spot like that, would have lost the ball. Frisch proved to me right there that he was the ballplayer I thought he was from the beginning.”[2]

In 54 games, Frisch hit just .226 before raising his average to .280 with four homers, 77 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases in 1920. In 1921, Frisch led the National League with 49 stolen bases and increased his batting average to .341, the first of 11 consecutive seasons in which he hit at least .300. McGraw also recognized Frisch as a leader, naming the young star his team captain.