Even future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm couldn’t keep Stan Musial in the ballpark on May 2, 1954. In an afternoon doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park, Musial became the first player in major league history to hit five home runs in a single day, smacking three home runs over the right-field wall in Game 1 before […]
Stan Musial hits record five home runs in doubleheader: May 2, 1954 Read More »
Desperate to bolster their relief corps, the Cardinals purchased the rights to future Hall of Famer Jim Kaat from the Yankees on April 30, 1980. The three-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award winner played the final four seasons of his career in St. Louis, including 62 appearances as a valuable bullpen piece for the
How Jim Kaat shored up the Cardinals’ bullpen Read More »
Albert Pujols closed Busch Stadium III’s first homestand in style with a three-homer game on Easter. Pujols and more than 36,000 Cardinals fans[1] celebrated Easter on April 16, 2006, with an 8-7 win over the Reds that featured three homers and five RBIs from Pujols, including a walk-off, two-run blast in the bottom of the
Albert Pujols hits three homers on Easter: 4/16/2006 Read More »
On April 13, 1993, Cardinals closer Lee Smith claimed his place as baseball’s career leader with his 358th save in a 9-7 win over the Dodgers. “It feels good to get it out of the way, but I’m not in the game to set records,” Smith said. “I want to pitch in the World Series, and
Lee Smith becomes baseball’s career saves leader: April 13, 1993 Read More »
April 13, 1954, marked a new beginning in Cardinals baseball as Tom Alston became the first black player to make the major-league club and Wally Moon became the second Cardinal to homer in his first career at-bat. Just two and a half months earlier, the Cardinals traded Eddie Erautt and Dick Sisler, agreed to option
Tom Alston, Wally Moon make history in their debuts: April 13, 1954 Read More »
At its height, Branch Rickey’s innovative farm system produced such a wealth of quality players that he could trade a defending National League batting champion and 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 Hendrick, right-hander
Chick Hafey: Cardinals trade defending NL batting champion in 1932 Read More »
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
Anheuser-Busch buys Sportsman’s Park: April 9, 1953 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 the
Jeff Lahti is traded to St. Louis: April 1, 1982 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 home Cardinals debut 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 »