By the time St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Danny Cox finished the 1985 regular season with 18 wins, his teammates knew that the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder was a fighter. As it turns out, they had no idea just how right they were. On October 3, 1985, Cox earned his 18th win of the season, holding the New
Why Danny Cox beat up his ex-brother-in-law in 1985 Read More »
On February 25, 1985, the Cardinals made a surprise choice for their next general manager, hiring former shortstop Dal Maxvill away from the Atlanta Braves, where he had been serving as third-base coach. Maxvill was hired to replace Joe McDonald, who served three years in the role but resigned at the request of the Cardinals’
How Dal Maxvill became Cardinals GM in 1985 Read More »
Joaquin Andujar always felt like a ticking time bomb. Even when he won 15 regular-season games and two World Series contests to help the Cardinals win their first world championship in 15 years in 1982. Especially when he won a combined 41 games in 1984 and 1985, placing fourth in the Cy Young Award voting
Why the Cardinals traded Joaquin Andujar in 1985 Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
It was fitting that Vince Coleman earned the first home run of his big league career without clearing the outfield wall. On May 21, 1985, the rookie outfielder hit his first career homer, Willie McGee stole three bases, and Ricky Horton threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to lift the Cardinals to a 6-3
Vince Coleman hits his first career home run: May 21, 1985 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
Jose Oquendo: How the Cardinals got their secret weapon Read More »
It may have been Lou Brock’s first year of eligibility, but he had been waiting his entire life for Jack Lang’s phone call. At 6 p.m. on January 7, 1985, the secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America called to inform Brock that he had just been elected to the National Baseball Hall of
January 7, 1985: Lou Brock is elected to the Hall of Fame Read More »
Just weeks before the Cardinals were set to open the 1985 season, Whitey Herzog predicted that his club’s top prospect, Vince Coleman, had the talent to one day win the Rookie of the Year Award. He had no idea that day would come just 8 ½ months later. “You talk about a man with a
Vince Coleman is named 1985 Rookie of the Year Read More »