Just two days after Ozzie Smith inspired St. Louis to “go crazy” with a game-winning home run in Game 5 of the NLCS, Jack Clark finished off the Dodgers with a ninth-inning blast that sent the Cardinals to the 1985 World Series. With two outs in the ninth and the Cardinals trailing by a run, […]
How Jack Clark homered to win Game 6 of the 1985 NLCS Read More »
In the right-field bleachers, Cardinals fans hung a bedsheet declaring that evening’s starting pitcher, Joaquin Andujar, “one tough Dominican” in honor of the right-hander’s favorite self-description. On October 21, 1982, Andujar proved to be exactly that, pitching seven innings to lead the Cardinals to a 6-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 7 of
1982 World Series Game 7: Andujar, Sutter clinch the title Read More »
Decades later, Cardinals fans who find video of Tom Lawless’s go-ahead, three-run home run off Frank Viola in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series can be excused for coming away with several misperceptions. Without the benefit of high definition, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound native of Erie, Pennsylvania, looks like a practiced slugger, pulling the ball
The Tom Lawless bat flip: October 21, 1987 Read More »
Headed into the 1985 season, the St. Louis Cardinals were an enigma. After allowing Bruce Sutter to leave for Atlanta via free agency, Cardinals fans feared that star shortstop Ozzie Smith, entering the last year of his contract, would be the next Redbird out the door. Reports indicated that the Wizard and the Cardinals were as
Ozzie Smith signs new contract, then homers: April 15, 1985 Read More »
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 »
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 »
Arguably the most famous home run in St. Louis Cardinals postseason history may also have been the most unlikely. On October 14, 1985, broadcaster Jack Buck encouraged Cardinals to “go crazy, folks, go crazy!” after shortstop Ozzie Smith hit the first left-handed home run of his career. The unexpected blast gave St. Louis a 3-2 walk-off
Ozzie Smith, Cardinals go crazy with walk-off homer Read More »
Heading into the 1981 season, if someone suggested that the Cardinals would have the greatest shortstop of the decade, fans everywhere would assume they were referring to Garry Templeton, one of the most talented infielders in the National League. But a heated confrontation with Cardinals fans on August 26, 1981, led to a franchise-altering trade
Garry Templeton flips off the fans: August 26, 1981 Read More »