Headed into the 1985 season, the St. Louis Cardinals were an enigma. After trading Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets in 1984 and 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 …
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 fans 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 …
It was fitting that Vince Coleman’s first career home run was of the inside-the-park variety. 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 win over the Braves. The Cardinals …
May 21, 1985: Vince Coleman hits his first career home run 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 …
April 2, 1985: Cardinals trade for ‘Secret Weapon’ Jose Oquendo 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 …
November 27, 1985: Vince Coleman wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award Read More »
In the midst of his remarkable 1985 season, Willie McGee was invited to a Kiwanis luncheon where he was going to be honored for his humility. When the Cardinals outfielder arrived, there was a line at the door, so instead of stepping in front of those awaiting tickets, he joined the line. When he got …
November 18, 1985: Willie McGee is named National League MVP Read More »
There wasn’t a catcher in baseball who could stop Vince Coleman during his rookie campaign in 1985. Unfortunately, the same rule didn’t apply to the Busch Stadium tarp. The Cardinals initially didn’t plan for Coleman to break their starting lineup in 1985. Coleman went just 4-for-29 in spring training[1] and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville …
October 13, 1985: Busch Stadium’s automated tarp runs over Vince Coleman’s legs Read More »
The trade to obtain Jack Clark may have taken longer than anyone would have liked, but in the end, the St. Louis Cardinals had the middle-of-the-order slugger they needed to capture two National League championships. After finishing third in the National League East in 1984, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog had made clear that his top …
February 1, 1985: Cardinals finalize trade for Jack Clark Read More »
On the same day that Tommy John threw seven shutout innings to lead the Yankees to a 3-0 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the 1981 World Series, the Cardinals and Yankees quietly made a deal that would help the Cardinals capture the 1982 world championship. The trade, which sent Yankees minor league …
October 21, 1981: Yankees’ outfield logjam allows Cardinals to trade for Willie McGee Read More »
