Remembering the St. Louis Cardinals of Yesteryear
By 1967, Bob Gibson already had established himself as one of the fiercest competitors in baseball. On July 15, he cemented that reputation when he pitched to three batters with a broken leg before finally snapping the bone entirely. Less than three months later, he won the World Series MVP Award, leading the Cardinals to…
As Roger Maris emerged from the dugout in the sixth inning of the Cardinals’ 6-3 win over the Pirates on May 9, 1967, St. Louis first baseman Orlando Cepeda somehow knew that something special was about to happen. “I told him when he left the dugout he would hit a home run,” Cepeda said.[1] Maris…
In 1967, Orlando Cepeda was more than the heart of the World Series champion “El Birdos.” On November 7, he was named the first unanimous National League MVP since Carl Hubbell received all six first-place votes in 1936. “The Most Valuable Player Award, that’s the best compliment any ballplayer can desire,” Cepeda said.[1] The recognition…