“I think it serves Texas’ needs for this year because they’re getting Royce and Todd, who can help them try to win the West Division,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “It really helps us too. I think we’ll be good for the next couple of months and in the future.”[1]

The 51-57 Cardinals were 13 ½ games out of first place in the National League Central Division at the time of the trade. With four players slated to become free agents after the season – Stottlemyre, Clayton, Brian Jordan, and Delino DeShields – the Cardinals had been at the center of trade rumors, particularly around Stottlemyre and Jordan.

Meanwhile, Jocketty was seeking to improve the Cardinals’ pitching and obtain a third baseman to replace 39-year-old Gary Gaetti.

“Those are the real glaring needs,” he said.[2]

Ahead of the trade deadline, Rangers general manager Doug Melvin was in Denver to watch Todd Stottlemyre pitch against the Rockies.[3]

“There have probably been six clubs that have shown interest” in Stottlemyre, Jocketty said. “Just about every club that’s in the race – with different degrees of interest.”[4]

The trade was part of a busy day for the Rangers, who also sent two prospects to the Marlins for former Cardinal Todd Zeile.

“I think it’s going to help our ballclub and there’s no doubt what we did today is an effort to win our division and go beyond,” Melvin said.[5]

In Stottlemyre, the Rangers were obtaining a veteran right-hander who had won 35 games for the Cardinals since signing with St. Louis ahead of the 1996 season. Jocketty and Stottlemyre had been negotiating a possible long-term deal, but Stottlemyre was reportedly seeking four years while the Cardinals would not go past their three-year, $21 million offer.[6]

“We think very highly of Todd, and we’d love to have him back, and we may have him back, but this allowed us to get a few pieces to help our situation,” Jocketty said.[7]

Both the Cardinals and Stottlemyre expressed a willingness to continue negotiations after the season ended.

“This has been a great experience,” Stottlemyre said. “When I was traded (from Oakland), they told me it was a great baseball town. They were wrong. It was the best. The fans are real special. The times they gave me standing ovations when I was walking off the mound? Awesome.”[8]

The Rangers turned to Stottlemyre after their negotiations to acquire Roger Clemens from the Blue Jays failed to gain traction. Sources said the Jays wanted left fielder Rusty Greer, Oliver, and a premier prospect.[9]

“He’s a real competitor,” Melvin said of Stottlemyre. “I told him he was probably pitching against Boston next weekend and he said, ‘Good.’”[10]

“I go from a club that was 13 ½ games out to a club that’s in the pennant race,” Stottlemyre said. “From that standpoint, it’s pretty exciting. For the next two months, going out and pitching with that kind of pressure, it’s what every player wants.”[11]

Clayton was all too familiar with pressure, having come to St. Louis in a December 1995 trade that made him the heir apparent to Ozzie Smith. In Clayton’s first season in St. Louis, Clayton and Smith split time at the position, creating a tense situation that was only resolved when Smith announced his retirement effective at the end of the season.

After hitting .277 with six homers, 35 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases in his debut season in St. Louis, Clayton earned All-Star recognition in 1997, batting .266 with nine homers, 61 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. His 1998 campaign, however, was disappointing, and at the time of the trade he was batting just .234.

“I didn’t think anything was going to happen,” Clayton said. “I thought things had pretty much subsided when you don’t hear your name, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to help this team.”[12]

Clayton was taking the place of Kevin Elster, whom the Rangers released upon completing the trade. Elster had helped Texas win the AL West in 1996, but when he returned ahead of the 1998 season the Rangers found that the 33-year-old had lost a step.

“Of all the priorities we had, improving at shortstop was No. 1,” Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. “Shortstop is such an important position defensively. A good one makes your pitching better, makes your outfielders better by cutting down on their throws. I talked to Tony La Russa at length this afternoon and he’s very high on (Clayton). He said we’ll like him, that the ball jumps off his bat, that he has good range and a good arm, and that he likes to play and play hard. Those were all the things we were looking for.”[13]

“I’m just happy to be part of an organization that is trying to better itself,” Clayton said. “This team showed they will do what it takes to help the ballclub – not to say that they needed help, because I personally felt like Texas had a great team to start with.”[14]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz considered the Cardinals’ trade of Clayton to be addition by subtraction.

“Clayton represented everything wrong with this disappointing team: moodiness and stubbornness,” Miklasz wrote. “He pouted when he didn’t bat leadoff. He never embraced the suggestions to hit smarter with two strikes. Clayton never tried to hit the ball the opposite way, no matter how many lectures he heard from batting instructor Dave Parker. So before firing Clayton, the Cardinals exchanged him for Tatis, who could be their third baseman for many summers. Jocketty made it clear to Rangers GM Doug Melvin that he wouldn’t trade Stottlemyre for Oliver unless the deal was expanded to include the swap of Clayton for Tatis. Because of his tough posture, Jocketty got Tatis as a bonus.”[15]

A native of the Dominican Republic, the 23-year-old Tatis made his debut the previous year, batting .256 with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 241 plate appearances. At the time of the trade, he was batting .270 with three homers and 32 RBIs through 95 games.

“We don’t like giving him up because we really think he’ll be an All-Star third baseman,” Melvin said.[16]

“The guy we liked is Tatis,” Jocketty said. “We needed to find a third baseman and he was the best guy available.”[17]

Oliver, 27, had been in the Rangers organization since they drafted him in the third round in 1988. In his previous two seasons with the Rangers, he won 27 games and threw 375 innings. At the time of the trade, however, he was struggling through a down year and was just 6-7 with a 6.53 ERA.

“We’ve had good reports on Oliver,” Jocketty said. “He’s a solid third or fourth starter and probably better than that. He gives us a little depth in our rotation. A couple of clubs have called about him, but we’re going to hold onto him.”[18]

“He’s very deceptive,” said Mark McGwire, who had played against Oliver in the American League. “He’s got a very smooth delivery. Great demeanor on the mound. You wouldn’t know if he had given up five runs or that he had a no-hitter going.”[19]

Oliver’s contract ran through the 1999 season, making him a rotation piece the Cardinals could count on in the upcoming season.

The Rangers, however, were clearly focused on that fall.

“We’re the front-runners now,” Texas second baseman Mark McLemore said.[20]

Indeed, the Rangers went on to pass Anaheim in the AL West race, going 37-23 in August and September to win the division with an 88-74 record, three games ahead of the Angels. Stottlemyre went 5-4 with a 4.33 ERA in 10 starts while Clayton hit .285 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 186 at-bats.

In the playoffs, the Rangers’ surge came to an abrupt halt, as the Yankees swept them in a three-game AL Division Series. Stottlemyre took the loss in Game 1 despite holding New York to two runs over eight innings (David Wells and Mariano Rivera combined for a shutout in the Yankees’ 2-0 win).

Clayton went 2-for-9 in the series with four strikeouts.

That December, Clayton signed a four-year, $18 million contract to return to the Rangers. He played two seasons of that contract before he was traded to the White Sox. Clayton spent two years in Chicago before playing for the Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Reds, Blue Jays, and Red Sox over the next five seasons.

After the 1998 season, Stottlemyre signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, Stottlemyre’s time in Arizona was plagued by injury. He threw 101 1/3 innings in 1999, followed by 95 1/3 innings in 2000. He missed all of the 2001 season with shoulder and elbow injuries, and his attempt at a comeback at age 37 lasted just 20 1/3 innings. He retired after the 2002 season with a 138-121 record and a 4.28 career ERA.

Tatis hit .287 with eight homers and 26 RBIs down the stretch for the Cardinals in 1998. In April 1999, Tatis set a record that is unlikely ever to be broken, as he hit two grand slams in one inning against Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park.

Tatis posted career highs that season as he batted .298 with 34 homers, 107 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. The following year, his numbers dipped as he batted .253 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs. That December, the Cardinals traded Tatis and pitcher Britt Reames to the Expos for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline.

Oliver went 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA for the Cardinals during the remainder of the 1998 season. He made 30 starts for St. Louis in 1999, going 9-9 – again posting a 4.26 ERA – before signing with the Rangers ahead of the 2000 season. In 2004, Oliver was converted to a relief pitcher, a move that allowed him to continue pitching as a left-handed specialist through his age-42 season.

Oliver was in his third stint with the Rangers in 2011 when the Cardinals met them in the World Series; he earned the win in Game 5 after throwing a scoreless eighth inning.

After being named as the fifth player in the trade, Little joined the Cardinals and appeared in seven games, posting a single in 12 at-bats. He did not return to the majors again until 2001, when he hit .341 in 85 at-bats with the Rockies. Little played parts of four big-league seasons with the Cardinals, Rockies, Mets, Diamondbacks, and Indians.

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[1] “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton,” Belleville News-Democrat, August 1, 1998.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Jocketty is confident he’ll swing a deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1998.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Jocketty is confident he’ll swing a deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1998.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Jocketty is confident he’ll swing a deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1998.

[5] Johnny Paul, “Real Deals For Rangers, Astros,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

[6] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards GM salvaged some future options in trade with Texas,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1998.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[9] Johnny Paul, “Real Deals For Rangers, Astros,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

[10] “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton,” Belleville News-Democrat, August 1, 1998.

[11] J. Douglas Foster, “New acquisitions elated to join Rangers for a drive to playoffs,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 2, 1998.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[13] Jim Reeves, “Rolls Royce is driving key in this deal,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

[14] J. Douglas Foster, “New acquisitions elated to join Rangers for a drive to playoffs,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 2, 1998.

[15] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards GM salvaged some future options in trade with Texas,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1998.

[16] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards GM salvaged some future options in trade with Texas,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 2, 1998.

[17] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[18] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[19] Rick Hummel, “Cards trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998.

[20] Jim Reeves, “Rolls Royce is driving key in this deal,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 1, 1998.

The post Why the Cards traded Todd Stottlemyre and Royce Clayton at the 1998 trade deadline first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

A third-year player from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Tatis hit two grand slams off Chan Ho Park in the third inning of a 12-5 win over the Dodgers, becoming the first player in major league history to accomplish the feat.

“I just want to enjoy the moment,” Tatis said. “I can’t believe it. I know this will probably never happen again for me.”[1]

“The game’s been played 100 years and this is the first time,” La Russa said. “That was an electrifying moment in the dugout.”[2]

Only nine previous players had hit two grand slams in the same game, and it marked just the second time a pitcher allowed two grand slams in the same inning. Pittsburgh’s Bill Phillips allowed two such blasts against the Cubs on August 16, 1890.[3]

Tatis’s eight RBIs in the inning broke the MLB record of six set by Matt Williams in 1997, and he became the first Cardinal to hit two home runs in an inning.[4] The only other time the Cardinals hit two grand slams in the same game came in 1929, when Jim Bottomley and Chick Hafey accomplished the feat.

“You’ve got a better chance of winning the lottery,” said McGwire, who hit two homers in an inning with the Athletics, but only one of the blasts came with the bases loaded.[5]

The Cardinals had acquired Tatis the previous year as part of the trade that sent Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre to the Rangers. When the trade was made, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said that Tatis was the best third baseman available on the market, and La Russa noted that Tatis had both a power bat and an above-average arm.

“He’s got the talent to become an impact-type third baseman,” La Russa said.[6]

He certainly made an impact against Park and the Dodgers.

Tatis originally was slated to bat fifth in the Cardinals’ lineup, but when Eric Davis was unavailable due to a hand injury, Tatis moved up to fourth in the Cardinals’ lineup.

The Dodgers entered the third inning with a 2-0 lead on sacrifice flies from Gary Sheffield and Todd Hundley.

After stranding three runners in the first two inning, Park couldn’t escape trouble in the third. Darren Bragg led off the inning with a single. Edgar Renteria walked and McGwire singled to load the bases for Tatis. Park missed with his first two pitches, drawing the count to 2-0, but Tatis didn’t miss when he swung at the third pitch, launching a fastball over the left-field wall to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

It didn’t end there.

After J.D. Drew grounded out, Eli Marrero homered to left. Placido Polanco, pinch-hitting for David Howard, drew a walk. So did Joe McEwing. Cardinals pitcher Jose Jimenez laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the Dodgers couldn’t retire anyone, loading the bases. On the next play, Polanco scored on a ground ball when Eric Karros’s throw drew Hundley off the plate. Dodgers manager Davey Johnson came out to argue that Karros had kept his foot on the plate, but it was to no avail.

Renteria’s RBI single made the score made the score 7-2. Park retired McGwire for the second out of the inning, but that brought Tatis to the plate again with the bases loaded. This time, Tatis worked a full count before hitting a slider for his second home run of the game.

“I didn’t think I had enough explosion,” Tatis said. “I was not sure it was going to go. It just happened. I thought, ‘I’m going to fly.’ My mind is in other worlds right now.”[7]

A kid in the stands grabbed the home run ball, then sold the ball to another fan for $80. That fan gave the ball to Tatis after the game, along with the advice that he should donate it to the Hall of Fame.[8]

 With the score now 11-2, Johnson mercifully replaced Park with Carlos Perez, who retired J.D. Drew to end the inning.

In 2 2/3 innings, Park allowed 11 runs – six earned – on eight hits and three walks.

“Chan Ho pitched like he was pitching defensively,” Johnson said. “That was a different pitcher than I saw in spring training. He wasn’t going after guys.”[9]

Drew hit a solo home run in the sixth on the way to a 12-5 Cardinals win.

Jimenez pitched seven innings in the win, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and a walk. He struck out six and improved to 2-0 on the season. Manny Aybar allowed one run in the final two innings.

After the game, Tatis welcomed calls from family, friends, and members of the media in the Dominican Republic, where he instantly was hailed as a national hero.

“They were watching the game and they were having a party,” Tatis said.

“I think that’s what every baseball player is looking for – to be famous, to be in the Hall of Fame. You just want your name to get bigger and bigger every year.”[10]

The game marked the high point in the best season of Tatis’s career. He finished the year with a .298 batting average, 34 homers, 107 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. All were career highs.

The following season, a strained groin limited him to 96 games as he hit .253 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs. It was his final season in St. Louis.

On December 14, 2000, the Cardinals traded Tatis and Britt Reames to the Expos for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. Over three seasons with the Expos, Tatis was limited to just 208 games.

In 2004, Tatis joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but he did not make the team in spring training and spent the next two years in the Dominican Republic. He returned to baseball in 2006 and spent most of the year with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate. He played in 28 games for the Orioles, hitting two home runs in 56 at-bats.

Tatis spent the final four years of his career with the Mets organization. He spent the entire 2007 season with their Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. Over the next three seasons, he appeared in 258 games for the Mets, totaling 21 homers and 101 RBIs.

He finished his major-league career with 113 homers and 448 RBIs over 11 seasons.

[1] Jason Reid, “In Grand Style – Twice,” Los Angeles Times, April 24 ,1999: Page D1.

[2] Rick Hummel, “It was grand night for Tatis,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 1999: Page F9.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Tatis hits two grand slams in third,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 24, 1999: Page 14OT.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Tatis hits two grand slams in third,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 24, 1999: Page 14OT.

[5] Rick Hummel, “It was grand night for Tatis,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 1999: Page F9.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals trade Stottlemyre, Clayton to Texas for pitcher, third baseman,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 1, 1998: Page 5OT.

[7] Rick Hummel, “It was grand night for Tatis,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 1999: Page F9.

[8] Rick Hummel, “It was grand night for Tatis,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 1999: Page F9.

[9] Jason Reid, “In Grand Style – Twice,” Los Angeles Times, April 24 ,1999: Page D11.

[10] Rick Hummel, “It was grand night for Tatis,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 1999: Page F9.

The post Fernando Tatis hits two grand slams in the same inning first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.