Nine months earlier, the 6-foot-5 reliever from Kansas City, Missouri, had signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cardinals to pitch his 14^th major-league season. After eight seasons in Toronto, where he had piled up 217 career saves, Henke had spent the 1993 and 1994 seasons with the Rangers, who had drafted him out of Texas State University in 1980.

To that point in his lone season with St. Louis, Henke had been dominant, posting a 1.59 ERA and 32 strikeouts through 39 2/3 innings.

The Cardinals, however, were scuffling. Heading into the August 18 series opener against the Braves, the Cardinals were just 40-63 and had lost 10 of their last 12, including six straight. Through it all, Henke remained a ninth-inning stalwart, picking up nine saves in May and six apiece in June and July. On August 10^th, he picked up his 24^th save of the season to bring his career total to 299.

It wasn’t until eight days later that Henke got the opportunity to collect No. 300.

The game also marked the return of Ozzie Smith, who had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and been on the disabled list since May 18.

“It was a great feeling going back out there when you people get excited like that,” Smith said after going 1-for-4 and scoring a run. “Any time people get to their feet and give you a standing ovation, it’s a great feeling.”[1]

The Cardinals started former first-round draft pick Allen Watson against the Braves’ Kent Mercker. Watson worked in and out of trouble in the early going as the Braves stranded four baserunners in the first three innings.

In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals got on the scoreboard first when Bernard Gilkey doubled and then scored on a two-out single by Brian Jordan. Braves outfielder David Justice tied the score when he led off the fourth with a solo homer to right field.

In the bottom of the fourth, catcher Scott Hemond, playing his only season in St. Louis, hit a solo home run of his own to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. With Braves reliever Brad Clontz on the mound, Gilkey added two much-needed insurance runs in the seventh inning with a home run to left field, his 12^th of the season.

Watson ran into trouble in the eighth. Marquis Grissom led off the inning with an infield single before Watson walked Jeff Blauser. After Watson retired Jose Oliva on a fly ball for the first out of the inning, Cardinals interim manager Mike Jorgensen called upon lefty specialist Tony Fossas to face Fred McGriff.

McGriff walked on five pitches, but Fossas struck out David Justice for the second out of the inning. With four outs remaining in the game and the bases loaded, Jorgensen turned to Henke.

“I was as nervous tonight as I have been in a long, long time,” Henke admitted afterward.[2]

Those nerves may have explained why Henke walked the first batter he faced, Javy Lopez. That brought Grissom home and cut the Cardinals’ lead to 4-2 before Henke struck out Ryan Klesko on three pitches.

In the ninth, Henke once again appeared out of sorts, walking Mark Lemke before pinch-hitter Luis Polonia doubled to left field. With Grissom at the plate, Henke threw a wild pitch that allowed Lemke to score and cut the Cardinals’ lead to 4-3.

Henke retired Grissom on a ground ball for the first out of the inning, but then walked Blauser, putting runners at first and third for standout rookie Chipper Jones. The veteran Henke, however, got a called strike three on the Rookie of the Year candidate for the second out. That brought McGriff to the plate.

“Sometimes in that situation, when you get a big strikeout, a pitcher might let up,” Henke said. “I just wanted to make a good pitch on Freddy. We’ve been friends for a long time, from when we played together with Toronto. I knew what he could do.”[3]

Of course, McGriff knew what Henke could do as well.

“It was tough for me, hitting against him,” McGriff said. “He knows me. I come in there thinking, ‘Is he going to try to trick me? I know he’s got the fastball and the forkball. What’s he going to throw?’”[4]

Henke went with the forkball, and McGriff flied out to left field to end the game. With the 4-3 victory, Henke became the seventh pitcher in baseball history to reach 300 saves, joining Lee Smith, Jeff Reardon, Rollie Fingers, Rich Gossage, Bruce Sutter, and Dennis Eckersley.

“Everybody says, ‘That’s an easy save.’ There’s no such thing,” Henke said. “I’ve had many tough ones in my career. I’ve had my so-called easy ones. I’m just glad this is over with now.”[5]

Watson earned the win after allowing two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 4.93.

“I finally found my mechanics,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence right now.”[6]

Mercker took the loss for the Braves after allowing two earned runs in six innings.

Henke finished the season with a 1.82 ERA to go along with 36 saves. He was awarded the Rolaids Man of the Year Award and was recognized by the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America as the J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner. He retired after the season with 311 career saves and a 2.67 ERA.

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[1] David Wilhelm, “Cards hang on, top Braves; Henke gets his 300^th save,” Belleville News-Democrat, August 19, 1995.

[2] Mike Eisenbath, “Given The Opportunity, Henke Finally Chalks Up His 300^th Save,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 19, 1995.

[3] Mike Eisenbath, “Given The Opportunity, Henke Finally Chalks Up His 300^th Save,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 19, 1995.

[4] Mike Eisenbath, “Given The Opportunity, Henke Finally Chalks Up His 300^th Save,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 19, 1995.

[5] Mike Eisenbath, “Given The Opportunity, Henke Finally Chalks Up His 300^th Save,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 19, 1995.

[6] Mike Eisenbath, “Given The Opportunity, Henke Finally Chalks Up His 300^th Save,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 19, 1995.

The post How Tom Henke got his 300th career save first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

With a new ownership group following Anheuser-Busch’s sale of the team, the Cardinals had retooled following a disappointing 62-81 season in 1995. Joe Torre had been replaced by Tony La Russa, Andy Benes and Ron Gant signed with the Cardinals as free agents, and Walt Jocketty made trades to obtain Royce Clayton, Todd Stottlemyre, and Dennis Eckersley.

In the second game of the season, the Cardinals’ saw their new additions pay off as Stottlemyre earned his first win as a Cardinal, Eckersley captured his first save, and La Russa earned his first win as Cardinals manager.

After seven seasons with the Blue Jays, Stottlemyre was coming off a 14-7 campaign with the Athletics, where he posted a 4.55 ERA and ranked second in the American League with 205 strikeouts. Recognizing that Stottlemyre was due for a raise in arbitration after earning $1.8 million in 1995, the Athletics dealt him to the Cardinals for outfielder Allen Battle and pitchers Jay Witasick, Carl Dale, and Bret Wagner.

Facing off against Jason Isringhausen and the Mets, Stottlemyre looked sharp in his Cardinals debut. He retired the first 10 batters he faced and struck out the side in the third inning.

Gant gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead with a third-inning home run to left field. Ray Lankford led off the inning with a single, then distracted Isringhausen by breaking for second base.

“When I saw him take off, I flinched,” Isringhausen said. “Once you take your eyes off the plate, you’re in trouble. I see Gant has hit a few home runs. He’ll probably hit a few more.”[1]

In the sixth, Lankford led off the inning with a triple into the right-field corner and Gant scored him on a sacrifice fly to center.

Bernard Gilkey, who had been traded to the Mets during the offseason following the Cardinals’ signing of Gant, tied the game in the bottom half of the sixth with a three-run homer to left-center to make it a 3-3 ballgame. It was Gilkey’s second home run in as many days and his fifth RBI.

In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals mustered a two-out rally to re-take the lead. Stottlemyre started the rally with a single.

“I never hit a ball out of the infield all spring,” said Stottlemyre, who was playing in his first National League game. “I was just as surprised as anybody else when the ball hit the outfield grass.”[2]

Jose Vizcaino misplayed a ground ball off the bat of Willie McGee to keep the inning alive, and Clayton followed with an RBI single that scored Stottlemyre.

“After I scored, I was gassed,” Stottlemyre said.[3]

With two outs in the eighth, catcher Danny Schaeffer added an RBI single off Jerry Dipoto to give the Cardinals a 5-3 lead.

“That’s what we talk about, staying ahead of hitters,” Mets manager Dallas Green said. “You want to bury guys, especially a guy like Schaeffer. We had a chance to stay in the game right there, but we didn’t get it done.”[4]

From there, it was up to Stottlemyre and Eckersley to hold the lead. With four outs remaining in the game, La Russa called upon Eckersley to close out the game. Butch Huskey greeted the 41-year-old by blasting a fastball that appeared headed for the outfield seats, but Lankford leaped to rob him of the home run.

“After my heart started back up, I think I was more excited than (Lankford) was,” Gant said. “It’s awesome to get a front-row seat on a play like that.”[5]

Gilkey said he knew Lankford would make the play, even as Eckersley, expecting an easy out, began to walk toward the dugout.

“I’ve been playing with Ray a long time and I know the ability he has in center field,” Gilkey said. “I was just hoping the ball was a little higher. I’ve seen this so many times, but this was the only time I was a little disappointed he made the catch.”[6]

The home run would have been Huskey’s first after he hit nine for the Mets during spring training.

“I thought it had a chance to go,” he said. “It would have if (Lankford) wouldn’t have stuck his glove up.

“I went in (the clubhouse) and lifted some weights so he won’t have a chance next time.”[7]

Eckersley worked around two singles in the ninth to earn his first save as a Cardinal. He struck out Edgardo Alfonzo to close the game.

“No matter how much experience you have, you’re a little uptight when you come into the game,” Eckersley said. “I felt very uncomfortable, like I’d never been in a game before.”[8]

Stottlemyre’s day ended with his first win as a Cardinal after allowing three runs in 7 2/3 innings. Lankford, Gant, and Stottlemyre each finished with two hits.

Isringhausen, who grew up in Brighton, Illinois, took the loss. He had gone 9-2 as a rookie in 1995 and was making his first appearance of the season.

“I had more butterflies because I was pitching against the Cardinals for the first time,” he said.[9]

With their new-look roster, the Cardinals won 88 games to win the National League Central in 1996, sweeping the Padres in the Division Series to advance to the NLCS.

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Stottlemyre And Gant Look Like A Million,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D1.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Stottlemyre And Gant Look Like A Million,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D5.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Stottlemyre And Gant Look Like A Million,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D5.

[4] Thomas Hill, “Mets, Huskey fall short,” New York Daily News, April 4, 1996: Page 98.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Stottlemyre And Gant Look Like A Million,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D1.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Gilkey Greets Ex-Team With 5 RBIs in 2 Games,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D5.

[7] Thomas Hill, “Mets, Huskey fall short,” New York Daily News, April 4, 1996: Page 98.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Stottlemyre And Gant Look Like A Million,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D5.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Gilkey Greets Ex-Team With 5 RBIs in 2 Games,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 1996: Page D5

The post Todd Stottlemyre, Dennis Eckersley earn Cardinals firsts in win vs. Mets: April 3, 1996 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.