On the day Whitey Herzog managed his first game for the St. Louis Cardinals, he found himself, somewhat baffled, in Marietta, Georgia, trying to get to the team hotel in nearby Atlanta. His misadventures began when he was given the wrong departure time for his flight. Then, after catching a later plane to Atlanta, he […]
Whitey Herzog manages his first Cardinals game: June 9, 1980 Read More »
Ahead of the 1982 season, shortstops Ozzie Smith and Garry Templeton both needed a change of scenery. In a deal that took more than two months to complete, the St. Louis Cardinals sent Templeton, outfielder Sixto Lezcano, and pitcher Luis DeLeon to the San Diego Padres to obtain Smith, who became a Hall of Fame
Why the Cardinals traded Garry Templeton for Ozzie Smith Read More »
Nine months after the Cardinals ended the Giants’ 1987 world championship hopes in a hard-fought, seven-game NLCS, the two teams came to blows in a midsummer brawl involving Will Clark, Ozzie Smith, and Jose Oquendo. Neither team enjoyed the same success in 1988 that they had before. Entering the final game of their four-game series
July 24, 1988: Ozzie Smith and Jose Oquendo fight Giants slugger Will Clark Read More »
In one of his final trades as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Bob Howsam traded journeyman third baseman Charley Smith to the New York Yankees for baseball’s single-season home run king, Roger Maris. Little did Howsam know that Maris had informed the Yankees that he planned to retire in advance of the 1967
Why the Yankees traded Roger Maris to the Cardinals Read More »
As he started preparing for the 1997 season, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty was looking for a second baseman who could hit for power or inherit the top spot in the St. Louis lineup. On November 20, 1996, he opted for the latter, signing Delino DeShields to a one-year contract with a team option for a
Why Delino DeShields signed with the Cardinals in 1996 Read More »
Just two days after naming Tony La Russa the Cardinals’ new manager and one day after they began removing the AstroTurf from Busch Stadium to install natural grass, Anheuser-Busch announced that it was selling the Cardinals franchise on October 25, 1995. “As a publicly held company, we had to ask ourselves a question: Can we
Anheuser-Busch announces plans to sell the Cardinals (1995) Read More »
Eighteen years after Tony La Russa ended his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate, he was named the 48th manager in franchise history. On October 23, 1995, general manager Walt Jocketty signed La Russa to a two-year contract to manage the Cardinals, ending a 10-year run with the Oakland Athletics in which
Cardinals name Tony La Russa manager: October 23, 1995 Read More »
The pitching matchup between Cardinals starter Jeff Weaver and Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander certainly appeared lopsided on paper. But in Game 5 of the 2006 World Series, Weaver outpitched that season’s American League Rookie of the Year, needing just 99 pitches to get through eight innings in a 4-2 win that clinched the 10th world
Willie McGee thought he had made a name for himself during the regular season when he burst onto the scene with a .296 average, 56 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 123 games on his way to a third-place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting. After he hit two home runs
Willie McGee homers twice in Game 3 of the 1982 World Series Read More »
The Boston Red Sox and their fans weren’t afraid to give the Cardinals a little extra motivation heading into Game 7 of the 1967 World Series. Knowing that Game 7 would match Cardinals ace Bob Gibson against Red Sox ace Jim Lonborg, Boston first baseman George Scott predicted that Gibson wouldn’t “survive five” innings.[1] Earlier
Bob Gibson pitches St. Louis past Boston in Game 7 of the 1967 World Series Read More »