On October 9, 1944, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched their second World Series championship in three years, defeating the crosstown rival Browns 3-1 and establishing themselves as baseball’s dominant wartime franchise. With America at war in Europe, players from every team either volunteered for or were drafted into the war effort. Though Cardinals stars Enos …
On July 24, 1949, Stan Musial hit for the only cycle of his illustrious career, helping to power the St. Louis Cardinals into first place in the National League with an emphatic 14-1 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Though the clubs were still in the dog days of summer, Musial’s achievement came in a series …
July 24, 1949: Stan Musial hits for the cycle, powers Cardinals into first place Read More »
In the days before free agency, the reserve clause gave baseball teams all the leverage in determining each player’s salary. Even the greatest Cardinal of them all, Stan Musial, wasn’t immune. On March 4, 1948, Musial ended a brief spring training holdout in which the two-time National League MVP sought a $5,000 raise from his …
March 4, 1948: Stan Musial ends brief spring training holdout Read More »
On January 20, 1942, Rogers Hornsby, the greatest right-handed hitter in baseball history, was getting his hair cut when he received the official word that he had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “Wait’ll I get out of here and to the ballpark,” he said. “That’s the place to talk about this.” …
January 20, 1942: Rogers Hornsby is named a Hall of Famer Read More »
Just how incredible was Stan Musial’s 1948 season? The 27-year-old from Donora, Pennsylvania, led the league in batting average (.376), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18), RBIs (131), on-base percentage (.450), slugging percentage (.702), OPS (1.152), and total bases (429). With 39 home runs, Musial was one homer shy of tying the Pirates’ Ralph Kiner …
December 2, 1948: Stan Musial wins his third MVP Award Read More »
On September 17, 1941, the greatest Cardinal of all time made his major-league debut. Sandwiched between center fielder Johnny Hopp and first baseman Johnny Mize in the No. 3 spot in the Cardinals’ lineup, 20-year-old Stan Musial had two hits, including a two-run double, in the Cardinals’ 3-2 win over the Boston Braves. The native …
The Cardinals needed every one of Johnny Mize’s four hits to beat the New York Giants 7-6 in the first game of a July 13, 1940, doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park III. Mize’s feat marked the sixth time in franchise history that a Cardinal hit for the cycle, joining Cliff Heathcote, Jim Bottomley, Chick Hafey, Pepper …
July 13, 1940: Johnny Mize hits walk-off triple to complete the cycle Read More »
Just three weeks into the season, the 1940 St. Louis Cardinals already were in dire straits. Heading into their May 7 contest against the first-place Brooklyn Dodgers, the Cardinals had won just five of their first 15 ballgames. They opened the season by losing six of their first eight, and had already lost their first …
May 7, 1940: Cardinals clobber seven home runs in 18-2 rout of the Dodgers Read More »