At its height, Branch Rickey’s innovative farm system produced such a wealth of quality players that he could trade away the defending National League batting champion and a future Hall of Famer and barely skip a beat. On April 11, 1932, the Cardinals traded outfielder Chick Hafey to the Reds for outfielder and first baseman Harvey […]
As soon as Anheuser-Busch purchased the Cardinals in February 1953, Browns owner Bill Veeck knew that the battle for the hearts of St. Louis baseball fans was over. Desperate for funds and knowing that the Browns weren’t long for St. Louis, Veeck sold historic Sportsman’s Park to Anheuser-Busch on April 9, 1953. At the time
April 9, 1953: Anheuser-Busch buys Sportsman’s Park Read More »
Less than a week before the start of the 1982 season, Whitey Herzog found himself with more pitchers than he had roster spots. To alleviate the roster jam, the Cardinals made a trade to acquire a reliever who specialized in getting out of jams. On April 1, 1982, the Cardinals traded swingman Bob Shirley to
April 1, 1982: Cardinals acquire reliever Jeff Lahti in trade with Reds Read More »
After six road games to begin his Cardinals career, Nolan Arenado got to officially introduce himself to Cardinals fans with his first home game at Busch Stadium on April 8, 2021. He celebrated the occasion with a game-winning home run, becoming just the fifth Cardinal since 1900 to hit a game-winning home run in the
Nolan Arenado hits game-winning homer in his home debut at Busch Stadium Read More »
After a winless six-game road trip to open the season, the 1997 Cardinals needed to turn their fortunes around. Willie McGee was all too happy to oblige with the first walk-off home run of his 16-year major-league career. “How beautiful was that?” outfielder Brian Jordan asked. “Just the perfect ending.”[1] “You couldn’t write a better
April 8, 1997: Willie McGee hits his first career walk-off home run Read More »
It didn’t take long for Jim Edmonds to officially introduce himself to Cardinals fans. Just two weeks after the Cardinals traded Kent Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy to acquire the two-time Gold Glover, Edmonds launched his first home run as a Cardinal in a 10-4 victory over the Cubs. One day earlier, the Cardinals opened their
April 5, 2000: Jim Edmonds hits his first Cardinals home run Read More »
With no guarantees that they would be able to re-sign all-star shortstop Ozzie Smith before the end of the season, the Cardinals needed a secret weapon. They got exactly that on April 2, 1985, when they traded shortstop Angel Salazar and minor-league pitcher John Young to the Mets for shortstop Jose Oquendo and minor-league reliever
April 2, 1985: Cardinals trade for ‘Secret Weapon’ Jose Oquendo Read More »
Heading into the 1987 season, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog felt that his club needed a top-flight catcher to make a push for the National League pennant. On April 1, he got the backstop he coveted, trading right fielder and corner infielder Andy Van Slyke, catcher Mike LaValliere, and minor-league pitcher Mike Dunne to the Pirates
April 1, 1987: Pirates trade Tony Pena to the Cardinals Read More »
The Cleveland Indians were desperate for pitching and tired of waiting for Mark Whiten to live up to his potential. The Cardinals were willing to take a chance on a player who was – unbeknownst to anyone – was five months away from making history. As a result, the Cardinals and Indians came together on
March 31, 1993: Indians trade Mark Whiten to the Cardinals Read More »
Adam Wainwright may not have gotten nervous on the days he took the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals, but the morning that he and the Cardinals were set to announce the five-year, $97.5-million contract extension that would keep him in St. Louis through the 2018 season, he found that he couldn’t eat. The deal
How Adam Wainwright signed his five-year extension in 2013 to remain in St. Louis Read More »