Boyer won a National League Most Valuable Player Award, starred in a World Series, claimed five Gold Gloves, earned 11 All-Star selections, and served as the longtime captain of one of baseball’s proudest franchises. For many Cardinals fans, he ranks as one of the greatest third basemen in club history and one of the most compelling Hall of Fame candidates not yet enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Born Kenton Lloyd Boyer on May 20, 1931, in Liberty, Missouri, Boyer grew up in nearby Alba in one of baseball’s most gifted families. He was one of 14 children, and seven Boyer brothers played professional baseball. Two also reached the majors: older brother Cloyd Boyer and younger brother Clete Boyer. Ken set the family standard. Even as a teenager, he ranked among the region’s best athletes, excelling in football, basketball, and baseball. During local competition, he sometimes faced another future legend from nearby Oklahoma: Mickey Mantle.

The Cardinals signed Boyer in 1949, initially as a pitcher because of his strong right arm. That experiment did not last. While he showed promise on the mound, his bat and athleticism demanded everyday use. After hitting .342 in the minors in 1950, the organization moved him permanently to third base. It proved one of the wisest positional shifts in franchise history.

Military service during the Korean War delayed his rise and cost him two seasons in the U.S. Army. When he returned, he quickly resumed his climb, starring for Double-A Houston in 1954 with a .319 average, 21 home runs, and 116 RBIs. Convinced Boyer was their future, the Cardinals traded incumbent third baseman Ray Jablonski to clear the position for him.

Boyer debuted in 1955 and homered for his first major-league hit. By 1956, he had become one of the National League’s premier young stars. Cardinals manager Fred Hutchinson offered a glowing evaluation: “He’s the kind of player you dream about: terrific speed, brute strength, a great arm. There’s nothing he can’t do. I think he has the greatest future of any young player in the league.”

What made Boyer exceptional was the completeness of his game. He could hit for average, hit for power, run, throw, and defend at an elite level. In 1957, he volunteered to move to center field so rookie Eddie Kasko could play third base. Rather than merely survive the switch, Boyer led National League outfielders in fielding percentage. Once he returned to third base in 1958, he won the first of five Gold Gloves. From 1956 through 1960, he led the league in double plays turned by a third baseman each season.

Though graceful and efficient on the field, Boyer sometimes drew criticism from those who mistook his calm demeanor for a lack of hustle.

“I know that I try, that I give everything I have,” he said. “I don’t loaf. I know that all my life people have been saying that to me, that I don’t look as if I’m trying. I guess I don’t look as if I’m putting out. But I am.”

By 1959, Boyer had become the Cardinals’ team captain, a role reflecting the respect he commanded in the clubhouse. Stan Musial later said, “Kenny Boyer was a pillar of strength in the Cardinal organization. It was kind of an understood thing that Kenny took care of the players coming into the organization. He took people under his wing.”

The Cardinals spent much of Boyer’s early career rebuilding, but as he matured, so did the franchise. Alongside emerging stars such as Curt Flood, Bill White, Bob Gibson, and Tim McCarver, Boyer helped restore St. Louis to contention.

From 1956 through 1964, Boyer ranked among baseball’s elite players. During that span, only a handful of legends — Mays, Aaron, Mantle, Eddie Mathews, and Frank Robinson — produced more value among position players. Among them, Boyer ranked sixth. He hit .299 during those years while averaging 25 home runs per season and excelling defensively. He also became the only Cardinals player since 1900 to hit for the cycle twice, accomplishing the feat in 1961 and again on the same day Lou Brock debuted with the Cardinals in 1964.

His finest season came in 1964. The Cardinals chased the Philadelphia Phillies through much of the summer before mounting one of baseball’s great September comebacks. St. Louis won 20 games that month and overtook Philadelphia to capture its first pennant in 18 years. At the center of it all stood Boyer. He batted .295, hit 24 home runs, scored 100 runs, and led the National League with 119 RBIs. He won the league MVP Award.

Then came the 1964 World Series against the New York Yankees. On the opposite side stood his younger brother Clete, the Yankees’ third baseman.

With the Cardinals trailing two games to one in the series and down 3-0 in Game 4, Boyer stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Yankees pitcher Al Downing delivered a pitch that Boyer crushed for a grand slam, turning the game and the series. It remains one of the most famous home runs in Cardinals history.

Game 7 brought another signature performance. Boyer collected three hits—including a home run and double—and scored three runs in a 7-5 Cardinals victory. Clete also homered, making it the only World Series game in which brothers have both hit home runs. Reflecting later, Clete said of the Game 4 grand slam, “When he hit that homer, I loved it.”

Back problems began limiting Boyer in 1965, and after that season the Cardinals traded their captain to the New York Mets. He later played for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers before retiring in 1969. He finished with 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, 1,141 RBIs, and a .287 batting average. At retirement, only a handful of Hall of Fame third basemen had hit more home runs.

Boyer later returned to the Cardinals as a coach, minor-league manager, scout, and eventually big-league manager from 1978 to 1980. Even after the club dismissed him as manager, he stayed with the organization in other roles rather than walk away. Few men were more deeply identified with the Cardinals.

In 1981, Boyer accepted an opportunity to manage Louisville, the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, but a devastating diagnosis of lung cancer ended those plans. He died on September 7, 1982, at just 51 years old—one month before the Cardinals won another World Series. That championship club honored him with mourning bands on their uniforms.

The Cardinals retired his No. 14 in 1984 and later inducted him into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. Yet Cooperstown has never called.

Perhaps someday it will. Boyer’s résumé already speaks loudly: captain, MVP, champion, elite defender, and cornerstone of a championship club. Whether or not the Hall ever acts, Ken Boyer’s place among the Cardinals’ immortals has long been secure.

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Down two games to one in the 1964 World Series, with the Yankees ahead 3-0 in Game 4, Boyer pulled a grand slam just inside the left-field foul pole, providing all the offense in the Cardinals’ 4-3 victory. With the win, the Cardinals deadlocked the series and helped set the stage for their eventual Game 7 victory a few days later.

Game 4 matched up a pair of 23-year-old lefthanders in Ray Sadecki for the Cardinals and Al Downing for the Yankees.

Sadecki had signed with the Cardinals out of Ward High School in Kansas City in 1958. He made his debut with the Cardinals as a 19-year-old in 1960. In 64, he enjoyed a breakout campaign with 20 wins, topping Bob Gibson’s 19 wins and Curt Simmons’ 18. Over 220 regular-season innings, he posted a 3.68 ERA.

Four days earlier, in Game 1 of the World Series, Sadecki threw six innings to earn the win. It certainly wasn’t his best outing, as he allowed four earned runs on eight hits and five walks. However, after the Yankees rallied for three runs in the second, he allowed just one run over the next four innings. When the Cardinals rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fourth, Sadecki was credited with his first World Series win.

Meanwhile, Downing was coming off a 13-8 regular season in which he led the American League in both walks (120) and strikeouts (217) and posted a 3.47 ERA in 244 innings. In Game 1, he had thrown 1 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits.

While Downing held the Cardinals to one hit through the first five innings in Game 4, Sadecki was unable to get out of the first inning. Phil Linz led off the game with a double and slid safely into third on an error by Boyer. Bobby Richardson followed with an RBI double and Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle each singled (Mantle was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double). With two runs in and a runner on third, Cardinals manager Johnny Keane called upon Roger Craig out of the bullpen.

Craig, a native of North Carolina, was a 34-year-old veteran whom the Cardinals had acquired a year earlier in a trade with the Mets.  In two seasons with the often-overmatched Mets, Craig led the league in losses with 24 and 22 defeats, respectively. In St. Louis, however, he had become a valuable swingman, making 19 starts and 20 relief appearances. Over 166 regular-season innings, he had gone 7-9 with a 3.25 ERA.

Prior to the game, Craig approached Keane to make his availability known.

“I told him, I feel fine and I’d like to pitch if you need me,” Craig said.[1]

Elston Howard greeted Craig with a single to center field that scored Maris and gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. From there, Craig kept the Cardinals in the game, getting out of the first without further damage. After striking out the side in the second, Craig picked Mantle off second base to end the third.

“Picking Mantle off second was the first big break for us,” Keane said.[2]

In the fourth, Pepitone and Clete Boyer both reached base, but Craig struck out Downing and Linz to escape danger once again.

After he retired the Yankees in order in the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals finally gave Craig some run support. Carl Warwick, pinch-hitting for Craig, opened the inning with a single to left, and Curt Flood followed with a single to right.

With one out, Dick Groat grounded the ball to Richardson at second base. It appeared primed for a force-out at second base, but the ball stuck in Richardson’s glove and by the time he got it to Linz, Flood was crashing into the shortstop. The ball fell to the ground, Flood was called safe, and Boyer headed to the plate with the bases loaded.

“I figured I was out and I was just trying to break up the double play,” Flood said. “My front knee bumped Linz below his knee. I probably got there at the same time the ball did.”[3]

The 33-year-old Boyer was coming off another outstanding regular season, hitting .295 with 24 homers and a league-leading 119 RBIs. That summer, he had appeared in the 11^th all-star game of his career, and following the postseason, he would be recognized with the National League MVP trophy.

In the World Series, however, Boyer had been largely silent. In Game 1, he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, but since then he had gone 0-for-10. Now, however, he rose to the occasion, pulling Downing’s second pitch – a changeup – over the left-field wall for a grand slam.

“Downing had thrown me a couple of changeups in St. Louis, but I was set for a fastball,” Boyer said. “He got the ball up in my eyes, and that’s where any hitter likes to swing. If Downing had gotten the ball down, I probably would have hit into a double play.”[4]

Instead, Boyer yanked the ball down the line, hugging the left-field foul line.

“You know when you get out ahead of the pitch as far as I did today and hit it, your main concern is that the ball stay fair,” he said. “I thought it might go foul, then I saw it and I think it straightened out some. I knew when I got it that it had enough on it to go all the way – if only it stayed fair.”[5]

Howard initially called for a fastball, but Downing shook him off to go with the changeup. “In a situation like that, when you think the hitter is anxious, you try to get him out on a bad pitch,” Downing said. “It was trying to set Boyer up for something. If you get a changeup down, you’re going to have success with it.”[6]

Clete later admitted that he was secretly thrilled for his brother. “When he hit that homer, I loved it,” he said. “In my heart, I think I was pulling for him because it was his first Series.”[7]

With the blast, the Cardinals had a 4-3 lead. Now they just had to hold it.

To do so, Keane turned to 26-year-old righty Ron Taylor, who had gone 8-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 63 appearances that season. Relying heavily on a low fastball, Taylor retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced to claim the save. The only baserunner he allowed over four innings was a two-out walk to Mantle.

“With all those shadows, I was trying to keep the ball low,” said Taylor, who added that Boyer had advised him not to let the Yankees beat him on a breaking pitch. “I guess the big reason for my troubles early this season was throwing too much junk. My best pitch still is my fastball.”[8]

There was little drama in the ninth as Tom Tresh unsuccessfully tried to bunt for a single and Pepitone and Clete Boyer both grounded out to Bill White at first base.

Craig was credited with the win after throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits while walking three and striking out eight.

“I had excellent control and was throwing good sinkers to the lefthanders,” Craig said. “I did strike out Tom Tresh on a palm ball, but the curve was my big pitch. In fact, I’ve had a real good curve in my last five or six games.”[9]

Keane couldn’t have been happier with the performance of his relief pitchers.

“Taylor challenged every hitter he faced – he even dared to throw the ball inside to Mantle,” the Cardinals’ manager said. “Craig has never been better for us. I’ve seen him just as good for us, maybe. Never better. This game rode on every pitch and that’s why everybody was so great.”[10]

Former Cardinals third baseman Whitey Kurowski – a five-time all-star and three-time World Series champion in the 1940s – was at the game and noted the uncanny parallels between Bower’s blast and his own home run in Game 5 of the 1942 World Series to beat the Yankees.

“Just leave it up to us third basemen,” Kurowski said. “That home run was just like the one I hit off Red Ruffing to beat the Yankees 22 years ago, and it landed in just about the same spot.”[11]

While the 1942 Cardinals beat the Yankees in five games to claim the world title, it took the ’64 Cardinals seven games. Gibson, who won Games 5 and 7, was named the World Series MVP.

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[1] Neal Russo, “Boyer Bomb, Blazing Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1964.

[2] Jim McCulley, “Victory Keys: DP Mix-Up, Wrong Pitch to Hero Ken,” New York Daily News, October 12, 1964.

[3] Neal Russo, “Boyer Bomb, Blazing Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1964.

[4] Neal Russo, “Boyer Bomb, Blazing Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1964.

[5] Jim McCulley, “Victory Keys: DP Mix-Up, Wrong Pitch to Hero Ken,” New York Daily News, October 12, 1964.

[6] Dana Mozley, “Victory Keys: DP Mix-Up, Wrong Pitch to Hero Ken,” New York Daily News, October 12, 1964.

[7] “Clete Boyer 1937—2007,” Sports Illustrated, June 18, 2007.

[8] Neal Russo, “Boyer Bomb, Blazing Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1964.

[9] Neal Russo, “Boyer Bomb, Blazing Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1964.

[10] Jim McCulley, “Victory Keys: DP Mix-Up, Wrong Pitch to Hero Ken,” New York Daily News, October 12, 1964.

[11] Neal Russo, “Boyer Bomb, Blazing Bullpen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 12, 1964.

The post October 11, 1964: Ken Boyer grand slam wins Game 4 of the World Series first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

After Devine traded relief pitcher Willard Schmidt and minor-league pitchers Ted Wieand and Marty Kutyna to the Reds for outfielders Curt Flood and Joe Taylor, legendary St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg described the deal as “an exchange of lesser players.”[1] The Cincinnati Enquirer quoted an anonymous source – described as a “veteran observer” – who said, “It’s a deal that hurt both clubs.”[2]

Even Devine himself didn’t seem to understand what he had in Flood, who wouldn’t turn 20 until January.

As the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported the following day, “Bing Devine has swung his first trade as Cardinal general manager, but he is under no illusion that the five-player deal with the Cincinnati Redlegs will immediately solve any of the Red Birds’ problems, chiefly the center field situation.”[3]

In the same article, Devine said, “It’s safe to say neither club gave up any player who promised to be a key man in ’58. The Reds need plenty of pitching help and Tebbetts got the volume he wanted, although Kutyna and Wieand have better chances to stick with them than with us.”[4]

Ken Boyer, a natural third baseman, played 105 games in center field for the Cardinals in 1957, allowing rookie Eddie Kasko to break into the lineup at third base, but the Cardinals wanted to move Boyer back to third base, where he would go on to win five Gold Glove awards.

Ironically, the Reds had converted Flood from center field to third base, using him as an infielder and pinch-hitter in his eight major-league appearances in 1956 and 1957. However, Reds third baseman Don Hoak enjoyed an outstanding season in 1957, blocking Flood at that position. At the time of the trade, Flood was playing winter ball in Venezuela learning to play second base.[5]

“We’re counting on him for 1959, not next year,” Devine said.[6]

Nonetheless, Flood was clearly the most intriguing piece in the trade. As Broeg wrote, “He could be the sleeper in the deal, the main reason it could be anything to remember at all in a year or two.”[7]

In his first year in professional baseball, the 18-year-old Flood led the Class B Carolina League with a .340 batting average, totaling 29 homers, 128 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases. He was so impressive that the Reds called him up to the majors late in the year, though he struck out in his only plate appearance.

In 1957, Flood played with the Savannah Redlegs of the Class A Sally League, batting .299 with 14 homers and 82 RBIs. Again, he was called up in September, and on September 25 he collected the first hit of his career, a solo home run off the Cubs’ Moe Drabowsky.

“Flood isn’t a big boy, but he’s strong, fast, a good outfielder and, as some other clubs’ reports show, has a better arm than the average we’ve credited him with,” Devine said. “We figure him probably still a year away, but two other clubs already have contacted us in an effort to make a deal for Flood with the thought they’d play him right now. It would, however, take a real good deal to get him.”[8]

In Taylor, the Cardinals were acquiring a right-handed bat they believed could bolster their bench. In 1957, the 31-year-old Taylor had hit .262 with four homers and nine RBIs in 107 at-bats.

Cardinals manager Fred Hutchinson managed Taylor when both were with the Pacific Coast League’s Seattle Rainiers. At Hutchinson’s urging, the Cardinals tried to acquire him, but the Reds had an agreement that gave them the first opportunity to sign Seattle’s players, and they claimed Taylor for their major-league club. According to the Globe-Democrat, the Cardinals had been willing to pay as much as $50,000 for Taylor.[9]

In Schmidt, the Cardinals were giving up the only player in the trade with significant major-league experience. In five seasons with the Cardinals, Schmidt had gone 25-22 with a 4.09 ERA. In 1957, the reliever received wins in 10 consecutive decisions to finish with a 10-3 record despite a 4.78 ERA.

Earlier in the week, the Cardinals had offered Schmidt in a trade that would have brought catcher Smoky Burgess to St. Louis. The Reds, however, wanted pitcher Sam Jones and catcher Hobie Landrith in exchange.[10]

“I’m sure we helped ourselves without giving up much,” Tebbetts said. “True, Schmidt is not a good pitcher to watch. He’s not a smoothie like Spahn, Antonelli, or Burdette, but he posted a better record than Gene Conley did for the world champion Braves last season and Conley is rated one of the Braves’ ‘big four.’”[11]

Conley went 9-9 with a 3.16 ERA for the Braves in 1957.

Wieand had pitched the 1957 season for the Houston Buffaloes in the Texas League, going 13-14 with a 2.83 ERA. Kutyna, meanwhile, split his 1957 season between the Richmond Virginians and the Omaha Cardinals, going 11-9 for the season. The Globe-Democrat reported that neither pitcher had been expected to make the Cardinals’ roster in 1958.[12]

Cincinnati’s Tebbetts said everything he knew about Wieand and Kutyna was based on information from his pitching coach, Tom Ferrick.

“Tom liked what he saw of the two youngsters in the ‘B’ squad games we played with the Cardinals last spring at Tampa and St. Petersburg,” Tebbetts said. “He believes both of them have major league arms. (I’ll) tell you what I think of their chances to stick with us after spring training next year.”[13]

Schmidt proved the best of the Reds’ acquisitions. Across two seasons in Cincinnati, he posted a 6-7 record and 3.41 ERA before playing the remainder of his career in Triple-A.

Wieand threw just 6 1/3 innings major-league innings for the Reds.

Prior to the 1979 season, the Reds traded Kutyna to the Kansas City Athletics for Walt Craddock. Over four seasons with the Athletics and Senators, Kutyna appeared in 159 games, posting a 3.88 ERA.

Taylor made just 27 plate appearances for the Cardinals, batting 7-for-23 (.304) with a homer and three RBIs before the Orioles claimed him on waivers.

Flood was the breakout star of the trade. He opened the 1958 season in the minors, but was quickly promoted and played 121 games for the Cardinals, batting .261 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs.

Under the tutelage of manager Johnny Keane, Flood enjoyed a breakout season in 1961, batting .322 with a .391 on-base percentage. In 1963 he won the first of seven Gold Glove awards, and the following year, in 1964, Flood was selected for the first of three career all-star games. With Flood patrolling center field, the Cardinals won three National League pennants and two World Series championships.

In October 1969, the Cardinals traded Flood, Byron Browne, Joe Hoerner, and Tim McCarver to the Phillies for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas. Flood refused to report to the Phillies and sued to eliminate baseball’s reserve clause, which stated that teams retained the rights to players even after their contracts expired, making it impossible for a player to sign with another team unless they were given an unconditional release.

Flood appealed his case, Flood v. Kuhn, to the U.S. Supreme Court, and while it was unsuccessful, the reserve clause was finally struck down in 1975. In 1976, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association agreed to a new contract that gave players the right to free agency.

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[1] Bob Broeg, “Cards Trade Schmidt To Reds In Five-Player Deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 5, 1957.

[2] Lou Smith, “Reds Get Schmidt, Two Others From Cards For Flood, Taylor,” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 6, 1957.

[3] Jack Herman, “Devine Feels Deal Won’t End Birds’ Problems,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 6, 1957.

[4] Jack Herman, “Devine Feels Deal Won’t End Birds’ Problems,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 6, 1957.

[5] Brad Snyder (2007), “A Well-Paid Slave,” Plume, Kindle Edition, Page 51.

[6] Jack Herman, “Devine Feels Deal Won’t End Birds’ Problems,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 6, 1957.

[7] Bob Broeg, “Cards Trade Schmidt To Reds In Five-Player Deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 5, 1957.

[8] Bob Broeg, “Majors Ready to Join Minors in Ending Baseball’s Bonus Rule,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 6, 1957.

[9] Jack Herman, “Devine Feels Deal Won’t End Birds’ Problems,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 6, 1957.

[10] Lou Smith, “Reds Get Schmidt, Two Others From Cards For Flood, Taylor,” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 6, 1957.

[11] Lou Smith, “Reds Get Schmidt, Two Others From Cards For Flood, Taylor,” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 6, 1957.

[12] Jack Herman, “Devine Feels Deal Won’t End Birds’ Problems,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 6, 1957.

[13] Lou Smith, “Reds Get Schmidt, Two Others From Cards For Flood, Taylor,” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 6, 1957.

The post How Curt Flood became a Cardinal first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“I guess 14 must be my lucky number,” Boyer said. “That’s my uniform number and that’s how many birds we shot today.”^[1]

Boyer had enjoyed good fortune throughout the 1964 season, batting .295 with 24 homers and a major-league leading 119 RBIs to lead the club to the National League pennant and a World Series championship. Despite battling back stiffness at several points in the year, he appeared in every game for the Cardinals.

“I hurt my back three times diving for balls, so I finally decided to quit diving for a while,” he said.^[2]

In the World Series, Boyer played through a pulled hamstring that was more serious than he had acknowledged at the time.

“I didn’t want to make a lot of to-do about it because I was afraid they might start bunting on me,” he said. “I had to have the leg taped good. The leg was okay the last couple of games of the Series, but I kept it taped to make sure.”^[3]

The Liberty, Mo., native was especially successful in his home state, batting .320 in St. Louis compared to .268 on the road. Boyer got off to a hot start to the season and entered June batting .343 with a .415 on-base percentage and .558 slugging percentage. Though he hit just .225 in June, he bounced back with a .342 average in July.

“Ken deserves the award,” said Stan Musial, who won the MVP Award in 1943, 1946, and 1948. “He had a great and steady season and kept us in the race all year long.”^[4]

Though voting took place prior to the postseason, Boyer continued to make an impact for the Cardinals in the World Series, where they faced the Yankees and Boyer’s brother Clete. In Game 4, Boyer hit a sixth-inning grand slam off Al Downing to account for all four St. Louis runs in a 4-3 win. The Cardinals went on to win the Series in seven games.

Boyer, whom the Sporting News already had named Major League Player of the Year,^[5] received 14 of 20 first-place votes for 243 points. He was named on every ballot, including two votes for second place, one for fourth, and another for fifth.

“I had been told I was in the running, but I was still very much surprised – especially to get 14 votes for first with all that competition,” Boyer said.^[6]

“This just added to the happiest day of my life,” said Boyer’s father, Vernon Boyer. “After seeing Ken and his brother Clete play against each other in St. Louis.”^[7]

In addition to Ken and Clete, their older brother Cloyd Boyer also played in the majors, pitching for the Cardinals from 1949-1952.

Phillies outfielder Johnny Callison finished second in the MVP balloting with two first-place votes, 15 second-place votes, and 187 total points. Cardinals first baseman Bill White placed third with 106 points, including two first-place votes. White hit .303 with 21 homers and 102 RBIs.

The only other players to receive first-place votes were Braves catcher-first baseman Joe Torre and the Cardinals’ Lou Brock. Brock, whom the Cardinals acquired in a June trade with the Cubs, hit .315 with 14 homers, 58 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases on the season. After arriving in St. Louis, he hit .348 with 12 homers, 44 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases.

“Usually it goes to somebody from the pennant-winning team,” Boyer said. “Unless somebody has a real explosive year and hits a lot of clutch home runs and his team finishes way higher than it should have. I remember Hank Sauer winning it with the Chicago Cubs in 1952, but usually you have to win the pennant. That’s what makes you accept the award on behalf of the entire ball club. I was very lucky I had guys like Bill White and Dick Groat and Bob Gibson on the ball club.”^[8]

After Boyer hit .260 with 13 homers and 75 RBIs in 1965, the Cardinals traded him to the Mets for Al Jackson and Charley Smith. Boyer bounced around for the remainder of his career, playing for the Mets, White Sox, and Dodgers before he retired after the 1969 season. In 15 big-league seasons, he hit .287 with 282 home runs and 1,141 RBIs earning five Gold Glove awards and making 11 all-star selections.

Following his retirement, Boyer managed the Cardinals’ minor-league affiliate in Arkansas in 1970. He coached the Cardinals’ big-league club under Red Schoendienst for two years before managing the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, the Tulsa Oilers, and the Rochester Red Wings.

In 1978, Boyer was hired as the Cardinals’ manager, replacing Vern Rapp. Boyer remained in that post until 1980, when he was fired 51 games into the season with a 166-190 record over three years.

Boyer passed away on September 7, 1982, from cancer. The Cardinals retired his number 14 jersey in 1984 and inducted him into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

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[1] Neal Russo, “Ken Boyer Is Named MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1964.

[2] Neal Russo, “Ken Boyer Is Named MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1964.

[3] Neal Russo, “Ken Boyer Is Named MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1964.

[4] Neal Russo, “Ken Boyer Is Named MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1964.

[5] Neal Russo, “Ken Boyer Is Named MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1964.

[6] Neal Russo, “Ken Boyer Is Named MVP,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 1964.

[7] George Vecsey, “Boyer Is National League MVP,” Newsday, November 24, 1964.

[8] George Vecsey, “Boyer Is National League MVP,” Newsday, November 24, 1964.

The post Ken Boyer is named National League MVP: November 23, 1964 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Boyer’s 11^th-inning, game-winning blast against the Cubs concluded a busy day in the batter’s box for Boyer, who totaled seven hits in the evening double-header. In the opener, an 8-7 Cardinals win, Boyer went 2-for-5 with a two-run triple in the fifth inning. The Cardinals won the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Bob Lillis scored on a passed ball.

It proved to be one of two walk-off wins for the Cardinals that day.

The 40-year-old Stan Musial, who went 3-for-4 with his 13th home run of the season in the opener, was out of the lineup in the second game so Boyer moved up to the cleanup spot. The Cubs started Jack Curtis, a rookie left-hander from North Carolina who entered the game with a 10-11 record and a 4.52 ERA.

The Cardinals answered with Curt Simmons, a 32-year-old left-hander who already was in his 13^th major league season despite missing the 1951 campaign due to military service (he appeared in one game as an 18-year-old in 1947). Simmons entered the game with a 3.24 ERA and an 8-10 record.

The Cardinals scored two quick runs for Simmons in the first. After Julian Javier drew a one-out walk, Bill White hit an RBI triple into right field and Boyer singled to left to score White.

Boyer got his second hit of the day when he singled off Curtis again in the third inning.

In the fourth, the Cubs tied the score as Ernie Banks hit an RBI double and George Altman added a sacrifice fly. Curt Flood gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, but the Cubs answered when Ron Santo hit a three-run homer to left field. St. Louis right fielder Charlie James homered in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Cubs’ lead to 5-4.

After six innings, Boyer certainly didn’t appear likely to hit for the cycle. In addition to his two singles, he had grounded out to lead off the fifth, leaving him a double, triple, and home run shy of the feat. In the seventh inning, however, he tripled to left field, chasing Curtis from the game as Cubs manager El Tappe turned to reliever Bob Anderson. Anderson struck out Carl Sawatski and got James to ground out to end the inning.

When Boyer next stepped to the plate, his thoughts were simply on keeping the Cardinals’ hopes for a double-header sweep alive. St. Louis still trailed 5-4 when White drew a one-out walk. Boyer followed with a double to right field that tied the game and sent it into extra innings.

In the 10^th, Flood and Javier each singled to put runners at first and third for White, but Anderson struck out the Cardinals first baseman to send the game into the 11^th. There, St. Louis reliever Craig Anderson retired Bob Will, Billy Williams, and Banks in order.

Don Elston took the mound for the Cubs, but it proved to be a short outing. Boyer led off the inning with a game-winning home run to right field, completing his cycle as he ended the game at 12:21 a.m.[1]  

In addition to becoming the first player to complete a cycle with a walk-off homer, Boyer joined Musial as the only Cardinals to hit two walk-off home runs in multiple seasons. Boyer hit two walk-off home runs in 1958, and already had one 1961 walk-off homer on August 8.

The 6-5 win also gave the Cardinals a season sweep of the Cubs at Busch Stadium I, with wins in all 11 match-ups at the old ballpark that season.

Craig Anderson earned the win for the Cardinals after throwing three innings of scoreless relief. Bob Miller played a key role as well, throwing 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief of Simmons, who allowed five runs – two earned – in 4 2/3 innings.

In addition to Boyer’s five hits, Flood added three and Javier had two.

With seven hits in the double-header, Boyer ended the day with a .333 batting average, trailing only Roberto Clemente (.359) and Vada Pinson (.344) for the National League lead.[2]

“I’ve always had one bad month a season until this year,” Boyer said.[3]

Boyer finished the year with a career-high .329 batting average to go along with 24 homers and 95 RBIs. It marked the third of six consecutive all-star seasons for the Alba, Missouri, native, culminating in a National League MVP season in 1964.

In 11 seasons with the Cardinals, Boyer appeared in seven all-star games, hit .293, and totaled 255 homers and 1,001 RBIs. Following the 1965 season, he was traded to the Mets, then went on to play for the White Sox and Dodgers in the later years of his career. He retired after 15 seasons.

In 1978, Boyer was named manager of the Cardinals, a role he held until 1980. Over three seasons, his teams went 166-190.

Boyer’s number 14 was retired in 1984 and he was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014. He passed away in 1982.

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[1] Neal Russo, “Boyer’s Seven Hits Help Cards Beat Cubs Twice, 8-7, 6-5,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 15, 1961.

[2] Neal Russo, “Boyer’s Seven Hits Help Cards Beat Cubs Twice, 8-7, 6-5,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 15, 1961.

[3] Neal Russo, “Boyer’s Seven Hits Help Cards Beat Cubs Twice, 8-7, 6-5,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 15, 1961.

The post September 14, 1961: Ken Boyer hits walk-off home run to complete the cycle first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

That April, Gibson had made three appearances for the Cardinals, each in relief.

On April 15, Gibson made his major league debut, pitching the seventh and eighth innings of a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers. Pitching opposite Don Drysdale, who threw a complete-game shutout, Gibson allowed a home run to the first batter he faced, Jim Baxes, and another run in the eighth on a sacrifice bunt.

The following day, he entered the game in the fifth inning and allowed one run on three hits, retiring just one of the four batters he faced. On April 18, Gibson entered a game against the Giants down 7-1 in the eighth inning. Orlando Cepeda greeted Gibson with an RBI double before Gibson got Felipe Alou to ground out to the shortstop to end the inning.

With three earned runs allowed in 2 2/3 innings, Gibson was returned to Triple-A Omaha. He remained in his hometown until July 29, when right-hander Dick Ricketts was optioned to Rochester and Gibson was summoned to take his spot on the roster.[1] Gibson had been 9-9 with a 3.07 ERA in Omaha.[2]

It was poetic that Gibson was making his first start against the Reds, the franchise that had come so close to signing him out of Creighton University.

“As late as two in the morning he agreed to verbal terms with us, but by daylight he had jumped to the Cardinals,” Reds farm director Phil Seghi told the Cincinnati Enquirer, noting that he believed a family member had nixed the deal. “I don’t know what he’ll do tonight, but he’s a pretty good major league prospect.”[3]

The 23-year-old Gibson’s biggest challenges came in the first and ninth innings. After Johnny Temple walked to lead off the first, Vada Pinson singled to left. With runners on first and second, Gibson got Gus Bell to ground into a force out at second, Frank Robinson to fly out to center field, and Jerry Lynch to ground out.

The Cardinals gave Gibson all the offense he would need in the second. Ken Boyer led off the inning with a double to center field. Bill White advanced Boyer to third base, then Joe Cunningham singled to left off Reds left-hander Jim O’Toole, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

From there, Gibson refused to allow a runner past first base until the ninth inning.

The 22-year-old O’Toole pitched seven innings for the Reds, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when he got Hal Smith to ground into an inning-ending double play. After O’Toole was removed for a pinch hitter, Brooks Lawrence threw two scoreless innings in relief.

In the ninth, Cardinals manager Solly Hemus subbed Curt Flood into the game to play center field, moving Gino Cimoli to left field and White to first base in place of the 38-year-old Stan Musial. Lynch led off the inning with a single to right field, but was retired when White knocked down a liner by Ed Bailey and threw to second for the force out.

Gibson got Willie Jones to pop up for the second out of the inning before he walked pinch hitters Frank Thomas and Don Newcombe on eight consecutive pitches. With the bases loaded and Marshall Bridges warm in the bullpen,[4] Gibson fell behind in the count 2-0 before Temple flied out to Flood to end the game.

Gibson finished the game with eight hits and three walks allowed. He struck out two.

“I can throw a lot harder but my shoulder has been a little sore for the past week,” Gibson said.[5]

Boyer led the Cardinals’ offense with three hits, including a double, and Smith and Alex Grammas each singled twice.

While Gibson’s performance demonstrated his outstanding potential, he wasn’t yet the dominant pitcher of the mid- to late-1960s. He allowed five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his next start, a 7-3 loss to the Pirates, then walked eight batters in his next outing, a 10-inning performance against the Phillies. After losing five consecutive decisions, he finished the year strong, striking out 10 Cubs in a complete-game win on September 12 and throwing 4 2/3 innings of relief to earn the win in a 14-8 victory over the Giants.

It was a mixed season for Gibson, who was still learning the slider, which would become a key pitch for him when paired with his fastball. On the other hand, Gibson was unlikely to reach his full potential while playing for Hemus.

“He told me, like he told Flood, that I would never make it in the majors, and he went so far as to suggest that I take a shot at basketball instead,” said Gibson, who had played for the Harlem Globetrotters before Cardinals general manager Bing Devine increased his salary enough to convince him to give up basketball. “He was apparently convinced that I didn’t have a thought in my head when I was on the mound, and was not the least reluctant to insult my intelligence. When the pitchers would meet before a series to review the hitters on the other team, Hemus would say things like, “You don’t have to listen to this, Gibson. You just try to get the ball over the plate.”[6]

In his third season as the Cardinals’ manager in 1961, Hemus was fired and replaced with Johnny Keane. With Keane’s encouragement changing the trajectory of his career, Gibson went on to establish himself as the most dominant pitcher in franchise history. Over 17 seasons, Gibson won one National League MVP trophy, two Cy Young awards, two World Series MVP awards, and nine Gold Globe Awards. He led the Cardinals to two World Series championships and appeared in nine all-star games before retiring in 1975. Gibson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981 with 251 career wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 ERA.

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[1] “Ricketts Sent To Rochester; Gibson Back,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 29, 1959.

[2] “Birds to Start Gibson, Former Basketball Pro,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 30, 1959.

[3] Bill Ford, “Don’s Control Just Too Good,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 31, 1959.

[4] Neal Russo, “Cards’ Gibson, in First Big League Start, Shuts Out Reds,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 31, 1959.

[5] Neal Russo, “Cards’ Gibson, in First Big League Start, Shuts Out Reds,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 31, 1959.

[6] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), “Stranger to the Game,” Penguin Books USA, New York, Page 52.

The post Bob Gibson gets his first career win: July 30, 1959 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Just imagine what he could have accomplished if he had been fully healthy.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Musial missed most of the Cardinals’ pre-game batting practice because he was in the trainer’s room with a cold and a sore heel.[1] The ailments seemed to have little effect on the 40-year-old veteran, who hit a three-run homer and the ninth grand slam of his career to help relief pitcher Craig Anderson win his major-league debut.

“I don’t feel any older than, say, seven years ago when I hit five homers in a double-header off the Giants,” Musial said.[2]

Musial got the day’s scoring started in the bottom of the third. Giants left-hander Billy O’Dell walked Bill White and Ken Boyer before Musial launched a three-run homer over the right-field wall.

In the fourth, the Giants answered with an RBI double by Orlando Cepeda, and in the fifth Tim McCarver hit an RBI single to give the Cardinals a short-lived 4-1 lead.

In the sixth, the Giants’ first four hitters each collected hits to spark a four-run rally. Harvey Kuenn hit a two-run double and Cepeda added an RBI triple to chase Cardinals starter Curt Simmons from the game. Ernie Broglio entered the game in relief and allowed a sacrifice fly to Jim Davenport before walking the next batter he faced. Cardinals manager Solly Hemus called upon Anderson, who had just been called up for the Cardinal’ farm club in Portland. Anderson got out of the inning without allowing a run.

Though the Giants had a 5-4 lead, it was once again short-lived. In the bottom of the sixth, White singled and scored on a double by Charlie James.

In the seventh, the Cardinals finally broke the game open. Facing Giants reliever Stu Miller, Anderson doubled down the right-field line for his first major league hit, then scored on a double by Julio Gotay. After White singled, Giants manager Al Dark replaced Miller with Bobby Bolin.

Bolin intentionally walked Boyer to load the bases, then struck out James for the second out of the inning. For a moment, it looked as though the Giants might escape trailing by a single run, but Musial launched the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall and onto the pavilion roof for a grand slam.

“He sure can hit ‘em, can’t he?” said Dark, shaking his head after the game.[3]

“I didn’t hit the second one real good and I thought it would just hit the screen,” Musial said.[4]

Musial’s two home runs gave him 2,340 extra-base hits for his career, passing Lou Gehrig’s 2,338 and placing him second only to Babe Ruth’s 2,920. He also increased his career home run total to 438.

“It’s not just that Musial hit the grand slammer,” Hemus said. “He doesn’t surprise you when he does anything. People get to expect it because he’s so great.”[5]

Following the grand slam, Anderson kept the Giants in check. In the ninth inning, he worked around singles from Felipe Alou and Jim Marshall, retiring Willie McCovey on a fly ball to center field to end the game. He finished with three hits allowed over 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

“I was nervous at first, but not for long,” Anderson said.[6]

Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ lineup enjoyed 14 hits on the day. James led the team with three hits to boost his season average to .330 while White, Curt Flood, and Bob Lillis each had two.

Musial’s home runs gave him nine on the season to go with a .310 batting average. The next day, Cepeda approached Musial at the pre-game batting cages.

“Who said you were done?” the Giants first baseman asked.

“I never said I was,” Musial replied, “but a few thought I was.”[7]

Musial finished the season with a .288 batting average, 15 homers, and 70 RBIs. He played even better in his age-41 season in 1962, batting .330 with 19 homers and 82 RBIs. After earning all-star honors for the 24^th time in his career, he retired following the 1963 season.

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[1] Neal Russo, “Ailing Musial Rocks Giants With Grand Slam and 3-Run Homer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24, 1961.

[2] “Cards Gain Steam,” Oakland Tribune, June 24, 1961.

[3] “Cards Gain Steam,” Oakland Tribune, June 24, 1961.

[4] Neal Russo, “Ailing Musial Rocks Giants With Grand Slam and 3-Run Homer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24, 1961.

[5] “Cards Gain Steam,” Oakland Tribune, June 24, 1961.

[6] Neal Russo, “Ailing Musial Rocks Giants With Grand Slam and 3-Run Homer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 24, 1961.

[7] Harry Mitauer, “Rookie Halts Cards, 6 to 1,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 25, 1961.

The post 40-year-old Stan Musial drives in seven: June 23, 1961 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“I hadn’t worn it at all on this trip, so I figured I might break our bad luck if I put it on,” he said on the team’s bus ride to Colt Stadium. “(Cardinals publicity director) Jim Toomey said he was going to have the coat sewed on me if we won.”[1]

Boyer, who was hitless in his last eight games, had run into a string of mild health issues, including a cold suffered earlier on the Cardinals’ road trip and a back strain caused when he swung at a Juan Marichal pitch in San Francisco.^[2]

Whether it was the addition of Brock to the starting lineup or Boyer’s lucky jacket, the Cardinals turned their fortunes and made a little history. During their 7-1 win, Boyer hit for the natural cycle and Brock reached base four times in his first game in the St. Louis starting lineup.

The Cardinals entered their contest with the Astros on a five-game losing streak and were just 3-11 in the month of June. For the season, they held a 28-31 record, good for eighth place in the 10-team National League. The Astros sat just half a game behind the Redbirds at 28-32, ahead of only the 19-40 Mets.

Curt Simmons took the mound for the Cardinals after missing his last start due to “sacroiliac problems.”[3] In opposition, the Astros started Bob Bruce, a right-hander from New York who was destined to enjoy the best season of his career with 15 wins in 1964. On this day, however, he faced a Cardinals offense that was finally waking from its early-season slumber.

Brock drew a first-inning walk but was doubled up on a line drive off the bat of Bill White. An inning later, Boyer began his pursuit of the cycle with an infield single.

In the third, the Cardinals broke the scoreless tie as White hit an RBI single and Boyer added an RBI double.

In the fifth inning, the Cardinals broke the game open. Brock singled and scored on a triple by Boyer. Houston replaced Bruce with Don Larsen, who allowed Boyer to score on an error and gave up an RBI single to Tim McCarver to make the score 5-0.

Already having singled, doubled, and tripled, Boyer stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh needing a home run to complete the cycle. He met the challenge, homering over the left-field wall to make the score 6-0.

Rusty Staub homered in the Houston half of the seventh to get the Colt .45s on the scoreboard, but that would prove to be all the offense they would manage against Simmons. In a complete-game effort, the Cardinals starter allowed one run on just four hits and a walk, striking out four. With his first win in a month, Simmons improved to 7-5 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.04.

The 35-year-old Simmons finished the season with 18 wins. He also pitched in two games against the Yankees in the World Series. He allowed four earned runs in 14 1/3 innings, the only postseason games of his career.

The Cardinals added an insurance run in the eighth after Javier led off with a single. With Simmons at the plate, Javier stole second, then stole third and scored on a throwing error.

Boyer finished the day with three RBIs to go with his cycle. Javier added three hits, and Brock went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks.

“There was a lot of traffic out there,” third base coach Vern Benson said. “When was the last time one of our outfielders other than Flood got on base four times?”[4]

Benson also noted that Brock stumbled around second base, but still arrived at third base in plenty of time on his sixth-inning triple to left field. Coach Joe Schultz said that “Brock outran the ball.”[5]

“You’ll see Brock run better in St. Louis, where the ground is harder,” Schultz said. “I had the clock on him in the last two series with the Cubs when he was with them. He consistently ran to first base in 3.8 seconds, once in 3.75. That’s extremely fast. Javier makes it in close to 4 seconds.”[6]

Pitcher Glen Hobbie noted that the addition of Brock changed the Cardinals’ lineup, with Flood and Brock setting the stage for the team’s RBI men, White and Boyer.

“Pitchers have to work on Flood and Brock all the harder because they don’t want either of them on base with White and Boyer coming up,” he said. “Brock has a lot of power, too.”[7]

The victory kicked off a four-game win streak for the Cardinals, who slowly but surely climbed the National League ranks. In seventh place at the end of June, they climbed to fourth by the end of August and moved into a tie for first on Sept. 29. They wound up edging the Cincinnati Reds by a single game with a 93-69 record.

The Cardinals and Yankees then embarked on a legendary seven-game series in which Bob Gibson won games 5 and 7 to earn World Series MVP honors and capture the Cardinals’ seventh world championship.

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[1] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

[2] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

[3] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

[4] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

[5] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

[6] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

[7] Neal Russo, “Birds and B’s Brake Skid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 17, 1964.

The post Ken Boyer hits for the cycle, Lou Brock makes first Cardinals start: 6/16/1964 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

While some of the Cardinals’ star players, such as Stan Musial and Ken Boyer, rented beachfront properties for their families, most of the Cardinals stayed at the team’s accommodations at the Vinoy Park Hotel. However, for black players such as White, Bob Gibson, and Curt Flood, the Vinoy Park Hotel was off-limits. Hotel rules did not allow black men and women to stay at the hotel. As a result, the black players stayed at a boardinghouse in the black side of town, where a widow named Mrs. Williams rented rooms to the black players.[1]

Two years earlier, in 1959, White had been traded to the Cardinals, along with Ray Jablonski, in exchange for Don Coate and Sam Jones. White, who missed the 1957 season due to military service, returned to a Giants team that now featured two other star first basemen in Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey. When the New York Daily News asked him how he fit in with the team, he told the reporter that he didn’t fit in at all anymore. Instead, he suggested that the Giants should trade him.[2]

However, that didn’t mean he wanted to go to St. Louis. As White wrote in his 2011 autobiography, “At the time, St. Louis was the worst city in the league for black players. We couldn’t stay at white hotels there, and couldn’t eat in the white restaurants. For black players on the board, it was a terrible environment.”[3]

White also remembered how the Cardinals and their fans had treated Robinson in his first year in the majors, including one incident in which a black cat had been thrown onto the field.[4]

When White arrived for his first spring training with the Cardinals in 1959, he realized that St. Petersburg wasn’t much better. At the airport, he caught a “black” taxi (driven by a black driver for black passengers) to the team hotel. When he arrived, the desk clerk informed him that his room was with the “other” players. Another “black” taxi was called to take him to the boardinghouse, where White ran into Gibson and Dick Ricketts.

“So this is the way it is here?” White asked. “Black players can’t stay in the team hotels?”

Gibson shrugged. “Welcome to St. Petersburg,” he said.[5]

White, who had grown up in Warren, Ohio, brought national attention to the team’s segregation in 1961. On March 9, the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce scheduled a “Salute to Baseball” breakfast. Hosted at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, the event would celebrate the economic benefits spring training brought to the community. Members of the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees would serve as guests of honor.

In the days leading up to the breakfast, a notice was posted in the Cardinals’ clubhouse letting the players know who was invited. The list was comprised entirely of white players. The names of White, Flood, and Gibson were nowhere to be found.

“Not one of the players listed was black,” White wrote. “That was bad enough. Then I saw that the list included a couple of rookies who had never swung a bat in the majors. The idea that the local bigwigs wanted to honor unproven players while ignoring proven players because of the color of their skin rankled me. No, it more than rankled me. Combined with all the other crap that black players had to take, it made me furious.”[6]

White shared his frustrations with Associated Press reporter Joe Reichler.

“When will we be made to feel like humans?” he asked. “They invited all but the colored players. Even the kids who never have come to bat once in the big leagues received invitations – that is, if they were white. I wanted very badly to go. I think I’m a gentleman and can conduct myself properly.”[7]

Of course, White’s criticism went far beyond a mere chamber of commerce breakfast.

“How much longer must we accept this without saying a word?” White asked Reichler. “This thing keeps gnawing away at my heart. I think about this every minute of the day. … As long as those things continue to go on, I’d rather not train here. I’d rather train somewhere else, like Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.”[8]

Reichler’s story hit the Associated Press wire at 5:20 p.m. on March 8. The response from both the Cardinals and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce came within hours.

“We invited baseball players, not colors,” said Richard A. Parker, president of the Chamber of Commerce, who noted that the Chamber asked both the Cardinals and Yankees to invite their players. “There is absolutely no reason why White and other Negro players don’t have invitations. We had a breakfast like this for the Holiday Bowl teams and Negro players attended. White and the others can consider this a personal invitation from me. I certainly hope they attend.”[9]

Cardinals public relations director Jim Toomey took the blame for the list of invited players posted in the clubhouse, asserting that he only listed the players residing in the Vinoy Park Hotel because it was close to the yacht club and it would be more convenient for those players to attend the 8:15 a.m. breakfast.

“Not all ballplayers are eager to get up early in the morning to attend a breakfast,” Toomey said. “To make sure we will be adequately represented, I put up a list that made it more or less mandatory.”[10]

Toomey noted that other players who weren’t invited included Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Lindy McDaniel, Joe Cunningham, and Hal Smith, and also said that White had not brought his concerns to the ballclub before speaking to Reichler. He did not mention that the reason none of the black players were staying in the Vinoy Park Hotel was that hotel policy forbade it.

The media was quick to categorize the incident as a misunderstanding. The March 9 Tampa Bay Times headline announced, “Today’s Town Meeting Big Story – By Mistake.”[11] The headline in the Press and Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, New York, read, “Bill White Eating Words?”[12]

On March 10, the Tampa Bay Times ran a photo of Yankees catcher Elston Howard at the breakfast (after White refused to attend) with a cutline that read, “NO SEGREGATION at yesterday’s Chamber of Commerce Salute to Baseball breakfast, but only Yankee Catcher Elston Howard, left foreground, turned up to prove it. Due to a misunderstanding, Cardinal Negro players stayed away.”[13]

White’s criticisms of the Chamber breakfast also drew attention to the team’s segregated housing. One black newspaper in East St. Louis suggested that if this was the way Anheuser-Busch, the owner of the Cardinals, treated its players, maybe black customers should boycott its beer.[14] That prompted the brewery to send Al Fleishman of the Fleishman-Hillard public relations agency to St. Petersburg to meet with White. As a Jewish American, Fleishman understood why White was making his stand.

“They wanted me to tell you to cool down,” Fleishman told White, “but the hell with that. The last thing you want to do now that you’ve got their attention is to cool down. You need to keep pressure on their ass.”[15]

While Fleishman offered private support, others were taking public steps to desegregate spring training housing. About a month earlier, Dr. Ralph Wimbish, a physician who served as president of the St. Petersburg NAACP, announced that he and Dr. Robert Swain would no longer assist Major League Baseball teams in arranging separate housing for black players. Wimbish, who had organized the picketing of lunch counters at city drug and department stores, said it wasn’t logical to battle for integration while helping to segregate players.

“The time has come when more adequate provisions without discrimination should be provided by the clubs themselves,” he said.[16]

The week of February 4, Flood spoke out about the situation in an interview with the Pittsburgh Courier.

“The rookie who is trying to win my job can bring his wife to camp and live in the most lavish surroundings,” he said. “Me, I’m forced to leave my wife at home because we can’t find a decent place to stay. It just doesn’t make sense.”[17]

At spring training, Flood told Cardinals owner Gussie Busch that it was unfortunate that he and the other black players had to be separated from their teammates.

“Do you mean to tell me that you’re not staying here at the hotel with the rest of the fellas?” Busch asked.

Flood was flabbergasted. “Mr. Busch,” he said, “don’t you know that we’re staying about five miles outside of town in the Negro section?”[18]

Facing public pressure, the Cardinals asked the Vinoy Park Hotel to allow its black players to stay there with their teammates. The hotel refused. Instead, a local businessman bought adjacent beachfront motels called the Skyline Motel and the Outrigger Motel and made the facilities available to the Cardinals. In a show of solidarity, players like Musial and Boyer, who had private beachfront condos, even moved into the motel. In all, 29 of the 32 players lived in the motel (three of the players with family from St. Petersburg stayed elsewhere).[19]

The shared facility suddenly made Cardinals spring training a bonding experience. The food at the Outrigger, based on the motel’s Polynesian theme, was unpopular with the players, so the Cardinals and their families responded with nightly barbecues. As Brad Snyder wrote in his biography of Curt Flood, “White and Gibson cooked, pitching coach Howie Pollet made the salad, and Boyer and pitcher Larry Jackson purchased the meat and worked the grill. Players, front-office personnel, and sportswriters stayed there, 137 people in all, including 32 wives and 25 children.”[20]

Team activities at the motel included a fried chicken picnic dinner, movie nights, costume parties for the kids, fishing trips, and even cruises on Busch’s yacht.[21]

“To get it accomplished, there were a lot of unsung heroes,” White wrote in 1994. “Stan Musial and Ken Boyer gave up their personal comforts to move in with the black players, and that lent a large measure of credibility to what we were doing. I also appreciated the considerable efforts of (general manager) Bing Devine and Arthur Fleischman of the Cardinals front office, because as long as the ballclub accepted segregation, there would be no change. It took a lot of people to pull off what we did, and in the end, I think most of us came away with a new respect for the South. It was our own little civil rights movement.”[22]

“The Cardinal motel became a tourist attraction,” Gibson wrote in his autobiography, Stranger to the Game. “People would drive by to see the black and white families swimming together or holding one of our famous team barbecues.”[23]

While White received criticism in the press, he did receive a letter of support that he would cherish in the years to come.

“Dear Bill,” the letter said. “I just wanted you to know that I appreciate everything that you’ve done for black baseball players. Keep up the fight.” The signature at the bottom of the letter read, “Jackie Robinson.”[24]

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[1] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 68 (Kindle edition).

[2] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 59 (Kindle edition).

[3] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 60 (Kindle edition).

[4] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), Stranger to the Game, New York; Penguin Books USA, 59.

[5] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 68 (Kindle edition).

[6] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 72 (Kindle edition).

[7] Bill Beck, “Today’s Town Meeting Big Story – By Mistake,” Tampa Bay Times, March 9, 1961: Page C1.

[8] Bill Beck, “Today’s Town Meeting Big Story – By Mistake,” Tampa Bay Times, March 9, 1961: Page C1.

[9] Bill Beck, “Today’s Town Meeting Big Story – By Mistake,” Tampa Bay Times, March 9, 1961: Page C1.

[10] Bill Beck, “Today’s Town Meeting Big Story – By Mistake,” Tampa Bay Times, March 9, 1961: Page C1.

[11] Bill Beck, “Today’s Town Meeting Big Story – By Mistake,” Tampa Bay Times, March 9, 1961: Page C1.

[12] “Bill White Eating Words?” Press and Sun Bulletin, March 9, 1961: Page 23.

[13] “Salute To Baseball Biggest Town Meeting,” Tampa Bay Times, March 10, 1961: Page C1.

[14] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 75 (Kindle edition).

[15] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 77 (Kindle edition).

[16] Jack Ellison, “Negro Major Leaguers Face Housing Problems,” Tampa Bay Times, February 1, 1961: Page C1.

[17] Brad Snyder (2007), A Well-Paid Slave, Plume, 59.

[18] Brad Snyder (2007), A Well-Paid Slave, Plume, 57.

[19] Brad Snyder (2007), A Well-Paid Slave, Plume, 59.

[20] Brad Snyder (2007), A Well-Paid Slave, Plume, 59.

[21] Brad Snyder (2007), A Well-Paid Slave, Plume, 59.

[22] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), Stranger to the Game, New York; Penguin Books USA, 59.

[23] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), Stranger to the Game, New York; Penguin Books USA, 58.

[24] Bill White (2011), Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play, New York, N.Y.; Grand Central Publishing, Page 79 (Kindle edition).

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