One inning after punching Bill Madlock in the face and sparking the bench-clearing brawl, Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons capped off his four-RBI day owith a walk-off single to give St. Louis a 6-5 win and a 1 ½-game lead in the National League East Division.

Simmons’ busy day was baseball’s equivalent of a Gordie Howe hat trick, if such a thing existed.

After splitting their first two games against the Cubs at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals entered the series finale with a ½-game lead over the Pirates in the NL East. Bob Gibson, now 38 and in his second-to-last season, took the mound for the Cardinals with a 10-12 record and a 3.82 ERA, while 26-year-old Steve Stone climbed the hill for the Cubs with an 8-5 record and 4.15 ERA.

Both pitchers allowed runs in the opening frame. Jose Cardenal drove in a run with an RBI single to left, and the Cubs loaded the bases before Gibson got Steve Swisher to ground out and end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Stone retired the first two batters he faced before Reggie Smith doubled and Simmons homered over the right-field wall to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Two innings later, Smith tripled to right field to score Brock. Simmons followed with a sacrifice fly – and his third RBI of the game – to give the Cardinals a 4-1 lead.

The Cubs answered in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, Rick Monday drove in two with a single to right field. A misplayed ground ball brought home the tying run and Madlock added a sacrifice fly to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead.

Chicago’s advantage was short-lived, as Joe Torre scored the tying run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth.

After seven innings of work, Gibson left the game with no decision and Al Hrabosky took the mound. He retired the Cubs in order in the eighth, though it required exceptional plays by McBride, Brock, and second baseman Tom Sizemore.

“I was struggling out there,” Hrabosky said.[1]

In the bottom half of the inning, home-plate umpire Shag Crawford drew the Cardinals’ ire with a controversial call that helped to snuff a potential rally. Torre led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Larry Herndon. Batting next, McBride attempted to lay down a bunt, but Dave LaRoche’s inside fastball kept sailing in on the lefthanded-hitting McBride and hit him on the left hand, leaving him with a gash on his forefinger that required four stitches.[2]

When the ball bounced into fair territory, Cubs catcher Steve Swisher threw to second to start a double play. McBride immediately argued that he had been hit by the pitch. Crawford insisted that the ball had also hit McBride’s bat.

“The ball was a fairly batted, bunted ball,” Crawford said after the game. “I don’t care whether his finger is bloody or cut or whatever.”[3]

Both McBride and Torre – who let his feelings be known from the dugout – were ejected.

“I really don’t understand why he couldn’t change his decision with a split hand in front of him and blood running all over the place,” Brock said.[4]

Cardinals-Cubs brawl

As a result, tensions already were high when things got weird in the ninth. Hrabosky was well known for his pre-pitch routine, which often included stomping around the mound, turning his back to the hitter, and psyching himself up before taking the mound to pitch. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs planned to counter Hrabosky by taking their own time once the “Mad Hungarian” got ready to pitch.[5]

When Hrabosky slammed the ball into his glove and stalked to the mound to face Madlock, the Cubs’ first hitter of the ninth inning, the rookie third baseman backed out of the box. When he returned, Hrabosky went through his routine again, and Madlock once again stepped out. Finally, Madlock turned away and went back to the on-deck circle to grab pine tar for his bat. At this point, Crawford was tired of the back-and-forth.

“I said, ‘Bill, get back here,’” Crawford related. “I thought maybe he didn’t hear me because of the crowd noise and so I went after him and said it again.”[6]

When Madlock again ignored Crawford’s instructions, the umpire returned to the plate and signaled for Hrabosky to begin pitching. According to rule 6.02(c): “If the batter refuses to take his position in the batter’s box during his time at bat, the umpire shall order to the pitcher to pitch, and shall call ‘Strike’ on each such pitch. The batter may take his proper position after any such pitch, and the regular ball and strike count shall continue, but if he does not take his proper position before three strikes are called, he shall be declared out.”

As Madlock rushed back to the plate, Crawford called Hrabosky’s first pitch a strike. By the time Hrabosky threw his second pitch, Cardenal and Cubs manager Jim Marshall had both arrived at the plate, and Hrabosky nearly hit Marshall. Feeling crowded, Simmons shoved Marshall out of the way, then turned to Madlock and asked, “What are you looking at?”[7]

Madlock responded with a profane two-word answer and was immediately punched in the jaw.

“I must have hit him pretty good,” Simmons said. “I cut my knuckles.”[8]

Both teams raced onto the field.

“I did a 9.2(-second) hundred from the bullpen,” Cardinals reliever Mike Garman said.[9]

Cubs first baseman Andre Thornton was the first to reach the scene, tackling Simmons and driving him to the ground.

“I had to get Simmons because he took a free shot at Billy,” Thornton said afterwards with the pinky finger on his left hand in a split.[10] It was unclear how he injured his finger, although players reported that after Thornton tackled Simmons, Cardinals pitcher Lynn McGlothen “blindsided him” before Chicago’s Jim Tyrone, in turn, punched McGlothen and sent him to the ground.[11]

Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst said he tried to pull McGlothen away from two Cubs.

“I couldn’t budge the big guy – he wore me out,” Schoendienst said.[12]

The fight lasted two or three minutes and no one was seriously injured. Sizemore’s leg was scratched and Chicago’s Ray Burris was spiked. Ken Reitz’s shoulder was dislocated, but he noted that it had popped out of place multiple times in his career.

“It goes away in a day,” he said.[13]

McBride, who was in the clubhouse having his finger treated following his eighth-inning incident, ran onto the field when he realized what was happening.

“I’m running out there and everybody starts asking me, ‘How’s your finger?’” McBride said. “I said, ‘Hey, this is supposed to be a fight!’”[14]

Players and coaches from both sides were quick to break up the fisticuffs, and Sizemore expressed his appreciation for Chicago’s Don Kessinger and Monday.

“They said, ‘You’ve got too much to lose – let’s break this up,’” Sizemore said. “That’s real class. They’re veterans and they know we have a chance to win a lot of money (in the pennant race).”[15]

Incredibly, Marshall was the only one to get the boot. When the Cubs’ manager realized no one was going to be ejected, he asked Crawford, “Don’t you care about the players?”

“No, I don’t care about the players – they don’t care about me!” answered Crawford.

“That’s when I started cussin’,” Marshall said.[16]

“Marshall didn’t like my statement, but I don’t think players should be thrown out for fighting,” said Crawford, who had been aboard a U.S. destroyer that was hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane in World War II.[17]

When the game resumed, Hrabosky felt refocused. He struck out Madlock, got Cardenal to fly out to Simmons, then struck out Dave LaRoche.

“It was the greatest thing that could have happened for me,” Hrabosky said of the brawl. “It was a personal challenge. It really psyched me up. It was just what the doctor ordered.”[18]

With runners on first and second and two outs, Simmons ended the game in the bottom of the ninth, punching the ball back up the middle to score Brock from second base and give the Cardinals a 6-5 win.

The victory delighted Pat Dean, Dizzy Dean’s widow. She was in the audience after Dizzy’s number 17 was retired in a pregame ceremony.

“They must have done this for Diz,” she said. “It looked like the old Gas House Gang.”[19]

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[1] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[2] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[3] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[4] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[5] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[6] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[7] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[8] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[9] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[10] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[11] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[12] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[13] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[14] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[15] Dick Kaegel, “Birds Avoided Fight Injuries,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[16] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[17] Richard Dozer, “Cards give Cubs ‘gas’ in 6-5 victory,” Chicago Tribune, September 23, 1974.

[18] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

[19] Dick Kaegel, “Blows By Simmons Send Cubs Reeling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1974.

The post The 1974 Cardinals-Cubs brawl sparked by Simmons, Hrabosky first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Even before Lou Brock singled to drive home the game-winning run in a 4-3, 12-inning victory over the Braves, the stadium alone was enough to delight the St. Louis crowd.

“This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” declared Mrs. Claudia Hanebrink of Affton. “They couldn’t have found a better place for this stadium.”[1]

Constructed in just under two years, the $26 million ballpark[2] was designed to accommodate both the Major League Baseball Cardinals and the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals. In a nod to the landmark Gateway Arch across the street, the stadium featured 96 arches.

Fans soon discovered that the ballpark offered a very different experience from the previous stadium, initially known as Sportsman’s Park but renamed Busch Stadium in 1953. The new stadium officially was named “Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium,” though fans quickly began to refer to it simply as “Busch Stadium.”

The new ballpark opened its doors at 5 p.m. ahead of its debut contest between the Cardinals and Braves on May 12, 1966. As Frank Leeming Jr. of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, “Its success was immediate and spectacular. The downtown sports center attracted 46,048 persons, probably the largest audience in the history of professional sports in St. Louis. It overwhelmed most of the customers with its size, simplicity, and spaciousness.”[3]

Each fan was given a certificate to verify their attendance at the historic contest. To guide the crowd around the Cardinals’ new home, the team employed 320 ushers, 100 more than had worked at the previous stadium. That total included the introduction of 42 “usherettes,” young women stationed in the box seat area to assist guests.[4]

One of the ushers’ duties for the first game was assisting the fans who were disoriented by the long climb to the upper-level seats and the unique view it offered. As Leeming wrote, “Many fans found they had a long climb to their seats. Because the stadium has four levels, seats at the top were much higher than most persons expected. Sitting in the top row of seats gives one a feeling of looking almost straight down to the distant playing field. Several persons, particularly elderly ones, experienced a sensation of vertigo as they climbed to their seats and turned around to face the field for the first time, ushers reported.”[5]

Once fans settled in, they were greeted by two large scoreboards above the outfield walls. The left-field scoreboard advertised Anheuser-Busch products while the right-field board advertised upcoming Cardinal games. Leeming wrote that many of the fans were disappointed that the scoreboards weren’t as innovative as the Houston Astrodome’s famous “exploding scoreboard” (named for the way it seemed to explode with color and animation) that opened the previous season.[6]

Ray Blades, who played 10 seasons with the Cardinals between 1922 and 1932 and managed the club in 1939 and 1940, was among those who came to see the new ballpark.

“Just came down tonight to see how things were being run,” said the 69-year-old Blades. “Fifteen more feet up and I’d be in heaven.”[7]

Righthander Ray Washburn threw the first official pitch in the new ballpark to Felipe Alou, then retired him on a ground ball to second base. Braves second baseman Gary Geiger, a Sand Ridge, Illinois, native who was in the lineup because Rico Carty asked to sit out so Geiger’s family and friends in attendance could see him play,[8] came to the plate next. His single to right field marked the first base hit in Busch Stadium II’s history.

While Geiger may have collected the first hit, it was St. Louis that pushed across the first run. Facing Wade Blasingame, a 22-year-old lefthander coming off a 16-win campaign in 1965, Cardinals shortstop Jerry Buchek led off with a single to center field. With two outs, Mike Shannon smacked a triple into right field to score Buchek, drawing raucous applause from the crowd. The Post-Dispatch reported that a reporter standing at Sixth and Locust streets could clearly hear the crowd’s cheer as Buchek crossed the plate.[9]

Curt Flood followed Shannon’s triple with a single into left that extended the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0.

The Braves rallied back. In the top of the fourth, Geiger doubled and then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Lee Thomas. Two innings later, Alou, who was celebrating his 31^st birthday, hit a solo home run to left field that tied the game.

The score remained 2-2 until the eighth inning. After seven innings of work, Washburn was replaced with Tracy Stallard, a 6-foot-5 righthander from Virginia who had won 11 games while working primarily as a starter the previous year. Alou greeted Stallard with his second home run of the game, once again putting the ball over the left-field wall to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead.

As the game entered the ninth inning, some of the crowd began to leave and didn’t see the Cardinals’ rally in the bottom of the ninth.[10] Braves reliever Billy O’Dell struck out Charley Smith for the first out, but Alex Johnson singled to left and advanced to second on an error. With two outs, Buchek hit a shallow fly ball that landed between the first baseman, second baseman, and right fielder.

“It was a good pitch, in on me, and you’ve got to be lucky to hit the ball the way I did,” Buchek said.[11]

With Buchek on first and two outs, manager Red Schoendienst called on Bob Gibson to pinch-hit and the Cardinals’ ace came through, singling into left and advancing Buchek to third base. However, O’Dell retired Julian Javier on a ground ball to third base to send the game into extra innings.

Both teams leaned on their bullpens in the extra frames. Hal Woodeshick pitched scoreless 10^th and 11^th innings for the Cardinals before he was replaced by Don Dennis with two outs in the 12^th. Meanwhile, the Braves used O’Dell, Chi-Chi Olivo, and Phil Niekro.

Niekro led off the 12^th inning by hitting Flood on the bill of his helmet with a knuckleball “that was attracted to him as if he were a magnet.”[12] With no one out, slugging first baseman Orlando Cepeda laid down a sacrifice bunt. Braves catcher Joe Torre attempted to catch Flood at second base, but his throw sailed wide and Flood and Cepeda each advanced a base. With runners on second and third, Niekro intentionally walked Smith to load the bases and bring Brock to the plate.

Brock, who was mired in a terrible slump, entered the game one inning earlier in place of pinch hitter Bob Skinner. With approximately 18,000 of the original 46,000 fans still in the ballpark,[13] Brock hit a low and inside knuckleball ball back up the middle, scoring Flood and giving the Cardinals a 4-3 win, their first victory at the new Busch Stadium.

“I was trying for a double-play ball,” Niekro said.[14]

Among the Cardinals’ 12 hits, Shannon went 3-for-6 and Buchek added two hits and an intentional walk. Dennis was credited for the win after retiring the lone batter he faced, while Joe Hoerner and Woodeshick combined for four innings of scoreless relief. In seven innings of work, Washburn allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk.

Stallard, who allowed Alou’s second home run, was able to laugh it off after the game.

“Listen, if I hadn’t given up that home run, this game would have been nothing,” he explained. “Think about it. If I don’t give up the home run, Buchek doesn’t start the big rally in the ninth and Curt Flood doesn’t get hit on the head and Brock doesn’t get out of his slump.”

The Braves finished the game with just six hits, five of which came from Alou (two homers) and Geiger (3-for-4 with two doubles).

Busch Stadium II served as the Cardinals’ home for 40 years. In 1970, the grass (which was difficult to keep alive in the hot summers) was replaced with AstroTurf, which only served to make the playing surface even hotter. In 1995, with the St. Louis Rams moving to their new domed stadium, Busch Stadium became a baseball-only complex and natural grass was returned.

The Cardinals’ final game at Busch Stadium II came in the 2005 National League Championship Series. That fall, it was demolished to make way for Busch Stadium III, which became the team’s new home beginning with the 2006 season.

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[1] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[2] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[3] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[4] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[5] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[6] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[7] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[8] Michael Tow, “May 12, 1966: Braves’ Gary Geiger gets first hit in Busch Stadium as Cardinals open new ballpark,” Society for American Baseball Research Games Project, https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-12-1966-braves-gary-geiger-gets-first-hit-in-busch-stadium-as-cardinals-open-new-ballpark/.

[9] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[10] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[11] Neal Russo, “Cards Give a Bit Extra for Debut,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[12] Neal Russo, “Cards Give a Bit Extra for Debut,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[13] Frank Leeming Jr., “46,048 Attend First Game In New Stadium,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

[14] Neal Russo, “Cards Give a Bit Extra for Debut,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 1966.

The post The Cardinals’ first game at Busch Stadium II: May 12, 1966 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Knowing that Game 7 would match Cardinals ace Bob Gibson against Red Sox ace Jim Lonborg, Boston first baseman George Scott predicted that Gibson wouldn’t “survive five” innings.[1] Earlier in the series, the Red Sox had offered the Boston press other indications that they didn’t think much of their National League foes.

“What did they say?” Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver asked. “Well, (Boston manager Dick Williams) said Bob Gibson was the only pitcher on our club. And over his column yesterday, the paper had the headline: ‘Lonborg and Champagne.’ That was supposed to be Williams’ pitching ‘rotation.’ And (Carl Yastrzemski) was saying, ‘We’ll win it in six,’ and ‘I’ll hit the fence.’”[2]

Heading into Game 7, Boston’s hospitality industry seemed to annoy Gibson more than the Red Sox did. It didn’t help that the team hotel’s air conditioning hadn’t been turned on during the Cardinals’ stay.[3] When Gibson, McCarver, Dal Maxvill, and their wives went downstairs for breakfast, everyone received their food except for Gibson. After 45 minutes and several complaints, Gibson finally received a piece of burnt toast. When Gibson asked the waitress to take it away, she replied, “We’ll take you away.”[4]

With no breakfast coming, Gibson was forced to get on the team bus with an empty stomach. When St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg learned of Gibson’s situation, he hopped off the bus at a red light and caught a cab to a local diner, where he purchased two ham-and-cheese sandwiches. He then brought them to the clubhouse, where Gibson ate one and saved the other for later.[5]

Gibson had been dominant through his first two appearances in the series, striking out 10 batters while allowing just one run in a 2-1 victory in Game 1. In Game 4, Gibson threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just five Boston hits while striking out six.

The Red Sox, however, won the fifth game 3-1, then returned home to Fenway Park to pick up an 8-4 win in Game 6. That forced the decisive seventh game and the match-up between Lonborg, who had won Games 2 and 5, against Gibson.

The Cardinals struck first in the top of the third when Maxvill led off with a triple to center field.

“I was just hoping it was going to go over (Red Sox center fielder Reggie Smith’s) head,” Maxvill said. “When I saw it hit the wall, I was on my way to second base and I told myself, ‘We better get to running.’”[6]

Lonborg appeared primed to escape the jam unscathed when he got Gibson to line out to third base and Lou Brock flied out to shortstop. With two outs, however, Curt Flood singled up the middle to score Maxvill. Roger Maris’s second single of the game advanced Flood to third base, and when Lonborg threw a wild pitch that got past catcher Elston Howard, Flood scampered home to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals used a mix of power and speed to add two more runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Gibson helped his own cause when he homered for his first hit of the series. Lou Brock followed with a single to left field, then stole second and third before Maris lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 4-0.

Brock’s two stolen bases gave him six for the World Series. When he added another in the ninth, it broke the old record set 58 years earlier. His eight runs scored in the series tied the record held by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.[7]

“The only thing he might go back to Boston for is some of those wonderful lobsters,” Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst said. “He’s stolen everything else in Boston.”[8]

The Red Sox got on the scoreboard in their next at-bat when Scott led off with a triple and scored on a throwing error by Julian Javier, who attempted to catch Scott at third base.

“Scott hit a pretty good pitch, I thought,” Gibson said. “It was down and away. When he hit it, though, I thought it was gone.”[9]

The Cardinals answered with three runs in the top of the sixth. McCarver led off the inning with a double to right field before Mike Shannon smashed a hard-hit ground ball that glanced off Red Sox third baseman Joe Foy. With runners on first and second, Javier broke the game open with a three-run homer over the left-field wall.

With a 7-1 lead, the rest of the game belonged to Gibson. He worked around a leadoff walk to Yastrzemski in the seventh before the Red Sox scored their second run of the game on a ground ball in the eighth.

Yastrzemski led off the ninth inning with a single to right field, but he was erased from the base paths when Ken Harrelson hit into a 6-4-3 double play. When Scott, who had predicted that Gibson wouldn’t last five innings, struck out to end the game, the Cardinals were World Series champions for the eighth time in franchise history.

The top three hitters in the Cardinals’ lineup each reached base three times, as Brock singled, doubled, and walked; Flood singled and walked twice; and Maris singled twice and walked. Javier’s three-run home run was one of two hits for the second baseman on the day.

Maris’s seven RBIs for the series set a new record for the Cardinals, topping the previous franchise high of six that had been set by Les Bell in 1926, Jack Rothrock in 1934, Harry Walker in 1946, and Ken Boyer in 1964.[10] As his teammates doused one another in champagne after the win, Maris sipped from a can of beer and watched the others celebrate.

“I’m not a champagne guy,” he explained. “Sure, I’m happy, but my thrill is just watching these other guys be happy. That’s my thrill. I’m all tied up inside, but I don’t show emotion. I’ve always been that way.”[11]

Gibson’s win was his third of the series, making him just the seventh pitcher in major-league history to go 3-0 in a World Series.[12] Pitching on three days’ rest, he held the Red Sox to just three hits and three walks while striking out 10.

For the series, he allowed just three earned runs over 27 innings for a 1.00 ERA while striking out 26. With just 14 hits allowed over that span, he tied Christy Mathewson for the lowest hit total in three successive World Series games, matching a mark that was set 62 years earlier in 1905.[13]

“Too much Gibson and Brock,” Williams said to explain Boston’s defeat.[14]

Incredibly, less than three months earlier, Gibson’s leg had been broken by a line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente.

“That’s really something, winning three World Series games with a broken leg,” Flood said. “Don’t let anyone kid you. The leg is still bothering Gibby. He had to take some medicine several times each game to kill the pain. It’s some kind of big-league aspirin.”[15]

After the game, the first reporter in the clubhouse asked Gibson how his arm felt.

“I wish I could take it off and hang it up somewhere,” Gibson replied.[16]

“Listen, Gibson’s got some kind of vicious desire, hasn’t he?” McCarver said. “Tenacious. That’s what he is. Tenacious. He pitches on guts. You can see it. He challenges anybody. Hell, he’d challenge Michael the Archangel if he had to.”[17]

Pitching on two days’ rest, Lonborg took the loss after allowing six earned runs on 10 hits and a walk. He lasted six innings before four Red Sox relievers combined to throw the final three innings.

“Lonborg is eating ice cream now,” Brock said. “The only way Lonborg gets champagne is to order it himself.”[18]

“The Red Sox spent half their time popping off,” Flood said. “They would have spent that time better by taking extra batting practice. Now it’s our turn to pop off.”[19]

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[1] Ed Wilks, “Red Sox Columnists ‘Woke Up’ Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[2] Ed Wilks, “Red Sox Columnists ‘Woke Up’ Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[3] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), “Stranger to the Game,” New York; Penguin Books USA, 146.

[4] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), “Stranger to the Game,” New York; Penguin Books USA, 146.

[5] Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler (1994), “Stranger to the Game,” New York; Penguin Books USA, 146.

[6] Ed Wilks, “Red Sox Columnists ‘Woke Up’ Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[7] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[8] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[9] Ed Wilks, “Tim Hails ‘Vicious Desire’ by Hoot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[10] Neal Russo, “7^th Theft Puts Lou in Book,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[11] Neal Russo, “7^th Theft Puts Lou in Book,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[12] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[13] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[14] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[15] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[16] Ed Wilks, “Tim Hails ‘Vicious Desire’ by Hoot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[17] Ed Wilks, “Tim Hails ‘Vicious Desire’ by Hoot,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[18] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

[19] Neal Russo, “Gibson and Brock: 2 for the Whole Show,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 13, 1967.

The post Bob Gibson pitches St. Louis past Boston in Game 7 of the 1967 World Series first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

At 6 p.m. on January 7, 1985, the secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America called to inform Brock that he had just been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Lang himself had just finished counting the votes that afternoon in New York.[1]

“It doesn’t rank among baseball accomplishments as much as a high honor (of) my lifetime,” Brock said. “Baseball accomplishments are based on how you perform on the field. This is a reward for everything you have done. This is high and above, head and shoulders above the crowd.”[2]

Brock received 79.7% of the vote, becoming just the 20^th player in history to be inducted on their first ballot.

Earlier that day, Brock had said that waiting for that phone call was “like a guy waiting for a baby in the waiting room. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve done what I’m supposed to do – five years ago.”[3]

He was joined in the Class of 1985 by knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, who received 83.7% of the vote in recognition of a 21-year major-league career.

Former White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox, in his final year on the ballot, received 295 votes, falling two votes shy of the 75% threshold. Fox had to wait until 1997 to be elected by the Veterans Committee.

Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer received 68 votes, well shy of election but enough to keep him on the ballot for the next 15 years.

Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, and raised in Collinston, Louisiana, Brock played at Southern University before beginning his career with the Cubs. The left-handed hitter played two full seasons in Chicago before he was traded to St. Louis on June 15, 1964, alongside Jack Spring and Jack Toth for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens, and Bobby Shantz.

In 327 games with the Cubs, Brock hit a relatively average .257/.306/.383 with 20 homers, 86 RBIs, and 50 stolen bases. Things changed immediately when he arrived in St. Louis. Through the remainder of the 1964 season, he hit .348 with 12 homers, 44 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases.

With Brock providing a spark at the top of the lineup, St. Louis went 65-39 the remainder of the season to win the National League pennant by one game over the Reds and Phillies. In the World Series, Brock hit .300 with a home run and five RBIs to help the Cardinals defeat the Yankees in seven games.

In 1967 and 1968, Brock again helped to lead the Cardinals to the National League pennant. In the two World Series, Brock compiled 25 hits and batted .439, including a record 13 hits in the 1968 Fall Classic. Brock later pointed to the 1967 season as his best, as he hit .299/.327/.472 with 21 homers and 76 RBIs. His 113 runs scored and 52 stolen bases both led the league.

“I was second only to Hank Aaron in total bases (with 225) and I was fourth or fifth in the league in home runs,” Brock said. “The Cards won going away from the rest of the league. It was undoubtedly my best performance.”[4]

Brock continued to go strong in the 1970s. In 1974, the 35-year-old broke Maury Wills’ single-season record with 118 stolen bases. Three years later, he passed Ty Cobb’s career stolen base record.

He described his aggressive baserunning style as “baserunning arrogance.”

“Baserunning arrogance is just a factor which forces one out of a comfort zone,” Brock said. “It’s almost as if somebody is standing there turning up or down your thermostat. It’s not based on fear but on knowledge.”[5]

After a down season in which he hit just .221 and appeared in just 92 games in 1978, Brock bounced back for his final season in 1979, as he batted .304 and collected the 3,000^th hit of his career in 1979. Brock retired with 3,023 hits, 1,610 runs, 900 RBIs, and 938 stolen bases.

“Three thousand hits fuse your career,” Brock said. “They take you out of the category of a baserunner.”[7]

Hall of Fame voters clearly agreed. On July 28, 1985, Brock was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He and Wilhelm were joined by another Cardinal, Enos Slaughter, and posthumous honoree Arky Vaughan.

Brock was up at 5 o’clock in his hotel room that morning putting the finishing touches on his speech.[8] In his remarks, Brock spoke of the ray of hope baseball provided for a black boy raised in the Jim Crow era of the south.

“The first time I heard about the Hall of Fame, Jackie Robinson had just broken the color barrier and I was a 9-year-old boy growing up in a southern town,” Brock said. “During those days, as black players began to enter the big leagues, there were those who condemned that act by announcing to the world that baseball is turning into a black nightmare. But the world of baseball soon forgave them because they knew that those persons were merely acting upon borrowed attitudes.”[9]

For Brock, baseball was beamed into his home through KMOX radio in St. Louis and WLAC radio in Nashville, Tennessee.

“They were the cross-fertilization of culture in the days before the dominance of television, carrying the big-city words back to the sticks,” he said. “It is also important to remember that during the ‘50s, Jim Crow was king in the south and the blacks had very little opportunity to be in touch with their own experience.

“One summer night while searching the dial on our old Philco radio, I came across a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. This game was being broadcasted by two broadcasters – one Harry Caray and Jack Buck. I was so overwhelmed by this game that I thought I had tuned into another world – a world of genuine expression of feelings in which life had no façade and that hurt and loneliness were not the natural price for being alive. Such a world was in total contrast to my surroundings.”[10]

That glimpse of a better world inspired Brock to attend Southern University, he said.

“I found it extremely difficult to explain why the pursuit of excellence and the desire to excel were very special to me,” Brock explained. “During the heydays of my career, I discovered that there are three factors which cause one to sustain any kind of success. The first one is the ability to put it all together. Many times you hear that expression but nobody ever tells you what exactly it means. Many players can run, many can hit, many can throw, but when they put it all together, the media refers to them as superstars.

“Determination was the other factor to remain at the top. One must believe that he could be the very best.

“The third factor that became very important to sustaining success was something called the support of the people. Many times I have said there is nothing like the roar of the crowd to start a rally or to give that player that extra edge, and today I would like to acknowledge some of those who were always in my corner, rooting for me as I tried to get that extra edge.”[11]

After thanking his family, Brock recognized his former high school baseball coach, Roosevelt Johnson.

“I never played under a coach until I was a junior, and in came a guy who had just finished college, a couple of years older than we were, and was about to tell us what to do,” Brock recalled. “He made a statement that I never forgot, and he said, ‘No one can make you feel inferior without getting your permission.’”

Next, Brock thanked his college coach, Emory Hines, and Buck O’Neill, the Cubs scout and former Kansas City Monarchs star who first signed him. From the Cardinals, he thanked August A. Busch, Jr., Fred Kuhlmann, and Jim Tooney.

“He had what you were looking for,” O’Neil said. “He had that great desire to succeed. This was his way to get out of the ghetto. You can scout all the God-given tools, but what does he have here?” O’Neil tapped the left side of his chest and said, “You don’t know until you put him under the fire.”[12]

Afterwards, Brock was asked how long it took him to write his 15-minute Hall of Fame speech.

“About 25 years,” he replied with a grin.[13]

[1] Rick Hummel, “Basepaths Were Brock’s Laboratory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 9, 1985.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Basepaths Were Brock’s Laboratory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 9, 1985.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Lou Brock Joins Hall Of Fame,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 8, 1985.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Basepaths Were Brock’s Laboratory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 9, 1985.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Basepaths Were Brock’s Laboratory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 9, 1985.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Basepaths Were Brock’s Laboratory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 9, 1985.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Basepaths Were Brock’s Laboratory,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 9, 1985.

[8] Joe Donnelly, “Brock’s Dream Hits New Level,” Newsday, July 29, 1985.

[9] “Lou Brock delivers Hall of Fame induction speech,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k_nHvRmxo.

[10] “Lou Brock delivers Hall of Fame induction speech,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k_nHvRmxo.

[11] “Lou Brock delivers Hall of Fame induction speech,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k_nHvRmxo.

[12] Joe Donnelly, “Brock’s Dream Hits New Level,” Newsday, July 29, 1985.

[13] Joe Donnelly, “Brock’s Dream Hits New Level,” Newsday, July 29, 1985.

The post January 7, 1985: Lou Brock is elected to the Hall of Fame first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Growing up, McBride believed he was more likely to make his living playing basketball or football than playing baseball. In high school, he didn’t even play baseball, as his school didn’t have a team. Instead, he played football and basketball.^[1]

When McBride broke his left ankle playing basketball and required surgery, he was only given a 50% chance of running again.^[2] After he recovered, he ran track at Westminster College, playing only a handful of baseball games for the Fulton, Mo., college.^[3]

When the Cardinals selected him in the 1970 draft, he was the 37^th of their 41 selections, the 811^th player taken overall. By the time the Phoenix Suns offered him an NBA tryout, the Cardinals had already signed him for a bonus of about $2,500.[4]

Despite his limited experience on the diamond, McBride was an immediate success. In 17 games with the Cardinals’ rookie league affiliate, McBride hit .423. When he was promoted to Class A Modesto for 26 games, he hit .294 and stole nine bases.

As McBride climbed the ranks, he continued to hit over .300, batting .315 for Double-A Arkansas and .329 for Triple-A Tulsa in 1972.

“Maybe not right now, but a ball player of the future for the Cardinals certainly is Bake McBride, the flash from Fulton,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg wrote prior to the 1973 season.^[5]

McBride hit .289 that season to earn a call-up to the majors. In 63 big-league at-bats, he hit .302.

With his rookie eligibility still intact, McBride claimed a starting job in 1974, playing alongside Lou Brock and Reggie Smith. The trio became the first Cardinals outfield since 1902 to each hit over .300, as McBride and Smith each batted .309 and Brock hit .306.^[6]

In addition to his offensive prowess, which included six homers and 56 RBIs, McBride committed just four errors in the field. His .990 fielding percentage ranked sixth among National League outfielders with more than 100 games.^[7]

 With 30 stolen bases, McBride became the first Cardinal not named Brock to steal that many since Frankie Frisch stole 48 in 1927. Brock, who stole 118 bases, and McBride combined for the most stolen bases by two teammates in one season, beating the record set by Maury Wills and Willie Davis of the Dodgers in 1962 when Wills stole 104 and Davis stole 32.

“I feel pretty happy, but I don’t feel as happy as I could because Lou Brock didn’t win the most valuable player award,” McBride said after he won the 1974 National League Rookie of the Year. “I owe most of the honor to Brock, just because I played with him. Every game he would tell me something different about how to play. He used to talk to me as he walked out to the outfield, and he talked to me every day about stealing bases.”^[8]

McBride received 16 of 24 votes for the Rookie of the Year Award. Houston’s Greg Gross, who was voted the top rookie in the Sporting News coaches’ poll after batting .314 with 36 RBIs and 12 stolen bases, received seven votes. Chicago’s Bill Madlock received one vote after batting .313 with nine homers, 54 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.

“It was pretty tough, but at the end of the season I thought I had as good a chance as any,” McBride said.^[9]

McBride’s recognition made him the third player in Cardinals history to win rookie of the year, following Wally Moon and Bill Virdon, who won the award in 1954 and 1955, respectively.

McBride hit an even .300 with 26 stolen bases in 1975. The following year, he was limited to just 72 games due to injury, but hit .335 in 272 at-bats. Beset by injuries again in 1977, McBride was batting .262 through 43 games when the Cardinals traded him, along with Steve Waterbury, to the Phillies for Rick Bosetti, Dane Iorg, and Tom Underwood. McBride stole 27 bases the rest of the season to help the Phillies win the National League East.

McBride played five seasons in Philadelphia, batting .292 across 553 games. His best season with the Phillies came in 1980, when he batted .309 with nine homers, 87 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.

Prior to the 1982 season, the Phillies traded McBride to the Indians for Sid Monge. McBride played two seasons in Cleveland, batting .311 in 97 games. An eye infection limited him to just 27 games in 1982, and in his final season in 1983, he was limited by two stints on the disabled list.

Over 11 seasons, McBride hit .299 with 63 homers with 430 RBIs and 183 stolen bases. Following his retirement, he coached in the Mets’ and Cardinals’ minor-league systems.

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[1] “Baseball,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 17, 1974.

[2] Neal Russo, “McBride Races Off With Rookie Prize,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 27, 1974.

[3] Neal Russo, “McBride Races Off With Rookie Prize,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 27, 1974.

[4] Neal Russo, “McBride Races Off With Rookie Prize,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 27, 1974.

[5] Bob Broeg, “Whoosh! That’s Bake McBride, New Fulton Flash,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 11, 1973.

[6] Neal Russo, “McBride Races Off With Rookie Prize,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 27, 1974.

[7] Neal Russo, “McBride Races Off With Rookie Prize,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 27, 1974.

[8] “McBride’s speed, bat earns him rookie honors,” Port Arthur News, November 27, 1974.

[9] “McBride Grabs NL’s Rookie Honors,” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, November 27, 1974.

The post How Bake McBride won the 1974 Rookie of the Year Award 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.

In 1974, injuries to both his hands may actually have helped Lou Brock break Maury Wills’ single-season stolen base record. Due to a right thumb injury, Brock had wrapped the digit in tape most of the season. On his left hand, a loose tendon would slide uncomfortably down off his middle knuckle during games.

As a result, Brock, who led the majors with 46 doubles in 1968 and seven double-digit home runs seasons to his credit, was primarily a singles hitter in 1974.

“I haven’t been able to rip the ball,” Brock said. “It’s almost like trying to learn to hit again.”[1]

All those singles led to more stolen-base opportunities for the 35-year-old outfielder. Brock ended August with 94 stolen bases, then stole four bags in a September 1 game against the Giants. He stole bases No. 100 and 101 in a September 6 contest against the Mets, then added two more in the series finale.

Heading into the Cardinals’ final game of the homestand against the Phillies on September 10, Brock was one stolen base shy of Wills’ record of 104.

Philadelphia was pitching Dick Ruthven, a 6-foot-3 right-hander they had made the first overall selection in the previous year’s January draft. The California product was 8-11 on the season with a 3.61 ERA and already had pitched against the Cardinals three times that season. In April, he allowed just one run over eight innings to earn his first win of the year, but in two later starts St. Louis had chased him from the game before the fourth inning.

The Cardinals answered with Alan Foster, a 27-year-old right-hander who was 7-9 with a 3.78 ERA entering the game. In the top of the first, Mike Schmidt greeted Foster with his major-league leading 35^th home run of the season.

In the Cardinals’ half of the first, Brock led off with a single into left field. With Ruthven on the mound and 26-year-old catcher Bob Boone behind the plate, Brock waited just one pitch before taking off for second. Boone’s throw hit Brock in the shoulder and deflected into left field, allowing Brock to advance to third.

Cardinals assistant general manager Jim Toomey called commissioner Bowie Kuhn from the press box to update him.

“Tell Lou he’s the most exciting player in baseball,” Kuhn replied.[2]

Reggie Smith doubled to score Brock and Ted Simmons added an RBI single to give St. Louis a short-lived 2-1 lead. Two innings later, Schmidt hit an RBI double to left to tie the game. In the fifth, Schmidt and Willie Montanez each drove in runs to give the Phillies a 6-2 lead.

Brock hit his second single of the day to lead off the seventh inning, giving him his first crack at the stolen-base record. Infielders Dave Cash and Schmidt visited Ruthven on the mound, who held the ball a long while before finally pitching to the Cardinals’ Ron Hunt. As Ruthven delivered the first pitch, Hunt called time and the play was ruled no pitch.

Ruthven then attempted a pickoff, but Brock returned easily to first base.

Finally, Ruthven threw home again and Hunt fouled the ball off. After another pickoff attempt, Boone came to the mound to confer with Ruthven. On Ruthven’s next pitch, Brock took off. Boone’s throw arrived late and in the dirt, and the single-season stolen base record belonged to Brock.

Smith and Simmons led a rush of teammates to congratulate Brock, accompanied by photographers seeking to capture the moment. Cool Papa Bell, who led the Negro Leagues in stolen bases seven times during his 21-year career, presented Brock with second base.

“They decided to give him this base so he could take it home,” Bell said. “If not, he’d steal it anyway.”[3]

A microphone was brought onto the field and the game was halted for 11 minutes despite protests from Boone, who complained to the home-plate umpire. In his remarks, Brock recognized his “partner in crime,” Ted Sizemore, who usually batted behind Brock but was out of the lineup with an ankle injury. Brock also thanked trainer Gene Gieselmann, teammates Smith and Bake McBride, and his many fans in the left-field stands – affectionately called the “Base Burglars 105 Club.”[4]

In the end, Brock concluded the celebration. “We’d like to get back on the field and catch up with these Philadelphia Phillies, who seem to be beating our brains out tonight,” he said.[5]

There would be no comeback this evening, however, as Boone and Ruthven each hit RBI singles off Sonny Siebert in the seventh and the Phillies went on to an 8-2 win.

In the ninth inning, Brock reached first on an error by Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa and attempted his third steal of the night. This time, Boone threw Brock out, though after the game he was still angry about the ninth-inning attempt.

“I thought it was brutal,” he said. “I lost a lot of respect for him because of that. They are fighting for the pennant and you damn well better make it if you’re going to steal in that situation. Maybe he’s got something in his contract.”[6]

Neither Ruthven nor Bowa were perturbed by the attempt, which Brock said he attempted to avoid the double play and because Ruthven was no longer holding him closely at first.[7]

“He’s unbelievable,” Bowa said. “Everybody in the ballpark knows he’s gonna run and he makes it anyway. I don’t think this record will be broken for a while.”[8]

In Los Angeles, Wills admitted that he was disappointed to see his record broken.

“I’m not going to say records are made to be broken; that would be wishy-washy,” he said. “I just feel that that was my record, I was very proud of it. It is very much a part of me, a part of my identification. I don’t think anyone looks forward to seeing his own record broken. I was hoping he wouldn’t, but once he got around 80, it became very obvious. I talked to him about three weeks ago and he thinks he might get 115. My hat is off to him.”[9]

Brock may have slightly underestimated himself, as he finished the season with 118 stolen bases. Three years later, on August 29, 1977, Brock stole his 892^nd and 893^rd bases to break Ty Cobb’s career stolen base record (more recent research has Cobb’s career total at 897).

Brock retired following the 1979 season with 938 career stolen bases to go along with 3,023 hits and a .293 career batting average. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1982, Rickey Henderson broke Brock’s single-season stolen bases record with 130.

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[1] Dick Kaegel, “A Real Thief: Lou! Lou! Lou!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[2] Dick Kaegel, “A Real Thief: Lou! Lou! Lou!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[3] Dick Kaegel, “A Real Thief: Lou! Lou! Lou!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[4] Dick Kaegel, “A Real Thief: Lou! Lou! Lou!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[5] Dick Kaegel, “A Real Thief: Lou! Lou! Lou!” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s Last Attempt Rankles Phils’ Catcher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s Last Attempt Rankles Phils’ Catcher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s Last Attempt Rankles Phils’ Catcher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

[9] “Wills Tips Hat To Lou Brock,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1974.

The post September 10, 1974: Lou Brock breaks Maury Wills’ single-season stolen base record first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Decades later, research found that Cobb’s career stolen-base total was inaccurate, missing four 1907 stolen bases and one from 1921.[1] As a result, Cobb’s career total now stands at 897.

However, as Brock and the Cardinals prepared to face the Padres in San Diego, California, on August 29, 1977, baseball historians had credited Cobb with 892 stolen bases. Brock had pulled within one theft of the mark four days earlier in St. Louis, when he stole two bases against the Giants in a 4-2 loss.

As Brock and the Cardinals came to San Diego for the start of a three-game series, they sought to snap a four-game skid. The previous night, the Dodgers’ Don Sutton held Brock hitless in three at-bats while shutting out the Cardinals in an 11-0 St. Louis win.

The Padres entered the game on the heels of four consecutive losses to the Pirates. With a 56-76 record, San Diego was in fifth place in the National League West, 23 games behind the division-leading Dodgers.

The Cardinals sent John Urrea, a 6-foot-3 rookie right-hander they selected in the first round of the 1974 draft, to the mound to face San Diego right-hander Dave Freisleben, who had won 10 games with a 3.51 ERA the previous season. Heading into his August 29 match-up against the Cardinals, however, Freisleben was just 5-7 with a 4.97 ERA.

He opened the game by walking Brock, then slowed his pace and spent a long time watching Brock on first base.

“I didn’t have that big of a lead, but he stepped off,” Brock said. “I don’t know why – unless he was as nervous as I was.”[2]

On Freisleben’s first pitch to Jerry Mumphrey, Brock took off.

“He had a great jump off first,” Padres shortstop Bill Almon said. “I don’t think any kind of throw would’ve got him.”[3]

Brock safely claimed his stolen base, then advanced to third on a throwing error by Padres catcher Dave Roberts, who was in his first season at the position after transitioning from third base. Mumphrey followed with an RBI single, then stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Ted Simmons. After another Padres error, Mike Phillips hit a run-scoring double into left field to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead.

After all nine Cardinals came to the plate in the first, Brock led off the second inning with a double, but was left stranded at third base. That seemed to mark a turning point for Freisleben, who didn’t allow another hit until the seventh inning.

After an RBI triple by Gene Richards and a run-scoring groundout by Almon trimmed the Cardinals’ lead to 3-2, Urrea led off the Cardinals’ seventh with a single. Up to bat next, Brock hit a ground ball back to Freisleben, who threw Urrea out at first but was unable to get the double play. That set up Brock’s record-breaking stolen base. With Padres fans chanting, “Lou,” he again took off for second base with Mumphrey at the plate.

Roberts’ throw was off the bag again, and this time glanced off Almon’s glove as Brock slid into Almon and the bag.

“The throw was to the first-base side, so I moved up the line,” Almon said. “As he started his slide, he was starting to go by me, so I knew I had to try to sweep at the ball to get him. It just went off the end of my glove. If I’d have caught it, it would’ve been a bang-bang play, but he stole it clean.”[4]

With the major league stolen-base record in hand, Brock’s first act was to check that Almon was OK.

“He was afraid he’d spiked me,” Almon said. “He asked me if I was okay. Here he is, he’s just set the record, and he’s turning around and showing concern. That’s just the kind of person he is.”[5]

The game was briefly halted while Brock’s teammates congratulated him and Padres pitcher Randy Jones presented Brock with the historic base. Even Freisleben admitted, “I kind of got goosebumps.”[6]

“It has not been an easy thing, but the moment is here,” Brock said into a microphone that was brought onto the field before grinning at Jones. “Looking back on it, Randy, I did it my way.”[7]

When play resumed, Freisleben escaped the inning unscathed. When the Cardinals took the field for the bottom of the seventh, Rick Bosetti replaced Brock in left field. Brock left the game to a standing ovation from Padres fans.

“It just shows how much he’s appreciated in the sports world,” Padres manager Alvin Dark said. “It shows you don’t have to be at home to be appreciated. When you’re a great athlete and a great person, it doesn’t matter what town you’re in. People appreciate you.”[8]

Of course, the Cardinals and Padres still had a game to complete. Urrea led off the eighth by walking Gene Tenace. Cardinals manager Vern Rapp called on Al Hrabosky as part of a double-switch, and Hrabosky retired the first two batters he faced. With two outs, however, Padres third baseman Mike Ivie hit a two-run home run to left field to put San Diego ahead, 4-3.

In the ninth, the Padres turned to future Hall of Fame closer Rollie Fingers, who earned his 29^th save of the season with a scoreless frame. Rapp, whose Cardinals had just lost their fifth consecutive game, slammed the door to his office so hard that it jammed and stadium employees had to help him get it back open.[9]

Nonetheless, the day belonged to Brock and his legacy.

“I think a lot of Lou Brock as a ballplayer and a man,” said Hank Aaron. “You know, what a lot of people don’t realize is that he’s such a great hitter. There isn’t anybody yet who’s invented a way to steal first base, and he didn’t walk very much, so you know he was hitting his way on there.

“I’ve seen people who could run faster, but none who studied the pitchers better or stole bases better. I still believe that if Lou wanted to, he could still lead the league.”[10]

Meanwhile, Cobb’s only surviving son, James Cobb, admitted he was hoping his father could keep the record.

“I was kind of wishing he would fall into a ditch or something, but there was nothing I could do about it,” James Cobb said with a chuckle. “I hated to see it happen, but records are made to be broken. Congratulate him for me. We’re just glad he plays in the National League, so my father still has the American League record.”[11]

Brock retired following the 1979 season with 938 career stolen bases to go along with 3,023 hits and a .293 career batting average. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1991, Rickey Henderson stole his 939^th career base to claim Brock’s record on his way to 1,406 career steals.

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[1] Joseph Wancho, “August 29, 1977: Lou Brock passes Ty Cobb as MLB’s stolen-base king,” Society for American Baseball Research, https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-29-1977-lou-brock-passes-ty-cobb-as-mlbs-stolen-base-king.

[2] Dick Kaegel, “Brock Steals Base No. 893,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[3] Dick Kaegel, “Brock Steals Base No. 893,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[4] Dick Kaegel, “Brock Steals Base No. 893,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[5] Dick Kaegel, “Brock, Man Of The Hour, Proves To Be Quite A Man,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[6] Dick Kaegel, “Brock Steals Base No. 893,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[7] Dick Kaegel, “Brock Steals Base No. 893,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[8] Dick Kaegel, “Brock Steals Base No. 893,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[9] Dick Kaegel, “Rapp Finds Defeat Is A Door-Slammer,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[10] Rick Hummel, “And The Praises Poured In … From Aaron …” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

[11] Rick Hummel, “And The Praises Poured In … From Cobb’s Children …” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 1977.

The post Lou Brock passes Ty Cobb in career stolen bases: August 29, 1977 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

That season, the 40-year-old Kaline had reached the milestone in the final campaign of his career, the same year that Brock set a major league record with 118 stolen bases.

“I’d met Al on the banquet circuit that winter and congratulated him,” Brock said. “He told me, ‘I think you can do it too,’ and I looked it up. Pete Rose was doing a lot of talking – early – about getting to 3,000, averaging 195 hits a year, as I recall, and I looked up my own figures and saw where I’d had 191 for an average.”[1]

On August 13, 1979, Brock, now 40 years old himself, was just two hits shy of 3,000 entering that night’s game against his former team, the Cubs. Just one year earlier, Brock slumped early in the season and lost his starting job in left field. His batting average fell to a career-low .221 as he appeared in just 92 games.

In April, Brock announced that 1979 would be his final season, but instead of quietly fading away in the year that followed, Brock returned to form. After a teammate pointed out late in 1978 that he was hitting off his back foot,[2] Brock made an adjustment and not only regained his starting job in 1979 but even earned a trip to the all-star game. He was batting .321 and already had 10 hits in the Cardinals’ eight games that month.

“What he’s going through is a lesson to all of us,” rookie Cardinals pitcher John Fulgham said. “Not many guys can go through something the magnitude of this. Think of all the great athletes and what they did. Hank Aaron only went through it once. Willie Mays only went through it once, but Lou’s gone through it three times (counting his career and single-season stolen base records) and the guy hasn’t changed a bit. He’s something. I’m glad to be a part of this scene.”[3]

So were the 44,457 fans at Busch Stadium that night, including approximately 20,000 who purchased their tickets that day to see Brock pursue history.[4] The game was delayed 15 minutes to accommodate the late rush for tickets.[5]

“That’s an amazing thing about Lou, there’s no difference in him,” first baseman Keith Hernandez said. “Absolutely no difference. He’s so even-keel you’d never know what was at stake.”[6]

Brock got hit number 2,999 against Cubs starter Dennis Lamp in the first inning. Garry Templeton led off the bottom of the first with a single before Brock hit a line drive into left field. With runners on first and third, Hernandez grounded into a double play that scored Templeton and gave the Cardinals an early lead.

The score was still 1-0 when Brock led off the fourth. Lamp got ahead in the count 0-2, missed with a pitch off the plate, then came high and inside with a brushback pitch that knocked Brock to the dirt.

“It kind of jarred me back to reality,” Brock said of the pitch. “After that, it made me realize that I wasn’t concentrating as much as I had to.”[7]

On a 2-2 count, Brock lined Lamp’s pitch – a low curveball – back up the middle. It appeared destined for center field until the 6-foot-4 Lamp reached out with his pitching hand and deflected the ball, sending it toward third base for an infield single.

With his second hit of the day, Brock became just the 14^th player in major league history to reach 3,000.

“I waited 19 years for this moment,” he said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time because both hits were instrumental in a team victory. I’d hoped it would happen this way.”[8]

With the milestone, Brock joined Ty Cobb, Aaron, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins, Rose, Mays, Nap Lajoie, Paul Waner, Cap Anson, Kaline, and Roberto Clemente. As the injured Lamp was led away, Brock teammates and photographers surrounded Brock to celebrate the milestone. Musial, who also had collected his 3,000^th career hit against the Cubs in 1958, stepped onto the field alongside owner August A. Busch Jr. to congratulate Brock.

“You look at Lou’s career and you envy it. I do. I think most players do,” said Ted Simmons, a future Hall of Famer in his own right. “I’ve enjoyed every ballgame I’ve ever played with him. What he’s done has been remarkable. It’s sad to think of him retiring, but it’s nice to see him going out on the right end of the game. There are too many players who don’t.”[9] 

Despite the milestone, there was still a game to be played. Doug Capilla entered the game in place of Lamp and got Hernandez to ground the ball to Cubs first baseman Bill Buckner, who threw Brock out at second base. With Simmons at the plate, Hernandez advanced to second on an error, then scored when George Hendrick singled into center field.

Pete Vuckovich held the Cubs scoreless through the first six innings. Chicago got on the scoreboard with back-to-back doubles by Steve Dillard and Larry Biittner to lead off the seventh inning. After Ivan de Jesus singled, Vuckovich was replaced with Will McEnaney. Pinch hitter Mike Vail lined out to left field to score Bittner and tie the game 2-2.

The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Ken Reitz singled for the 1,000^th hit of his career and was replaced by pinch-runner Tom Herr. Cubs reliever Willie Hernandez hit the Cardinals’ next batter, Ken Oberkfell. With runners on first and second, Chicago called upon its stopper, Bruce Sutter, while Cardinals manager Ken Boyer called upon Dane Iorg to bat for relief pitcher Mark Littell, who had thrown scoreless eighth and ninth innings.

Iorg singled to load the bases, and with one out, Templeton lifted a fly ball into left field that scored Herr and sent the Busch Stadium crowd home happy.

Nonetheless, even a walk-off win wasn’t enough to turn the attention away from Brock’s 3,000^th hit and his legacy as one of baseball’s all-time great players – and great people.

“Nothing surprises me about Lou,” pitcher Bob Forsch said. “He plays with incredible intensity, but there have been a lot of great baseball players. The thing I’ll remember most about Lou is how helpful he’s always been. I know he made me feel welcome, and I’ve seen him do the same with other players.

“I’ll never forget seeing him take Jimmy Dwyer out into left field a couple of years ago. He was showing him how to play the bounce off the wet turf. This was another guy they were bringing up to take Lou’s position, and he was out there helping him. But I guess a lot of guys were supposed to take his job at one time or another. He’s still out there though, isn’t he?”[10]

Indeed, Brock appeared in 120 games that season on his way to comeback player of the year honors. With 123 hits on the year, he finished with a .304 batting average.

As promised, Brock retired after the season with 3,023 hits, 938 stolen bases, and a career .293 batting average. A six-time all-star, Brock was at his best in the postseason, batting .391 (34-for-92) with four homers, 13 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 21 World Series games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1985.

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[1] Bob Broeg, “Brock Saw 3,000 As Symbolic Legacy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s 3^rd Jewel Is Winner For Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s 3^rd Jewel Is Winner For Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[4] Tom Barnidge, “When The Moment Arrived, It Seemed Time Stood Still,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s 3^rd Jewel Is Winner For Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[6] Tom Barnidge, “When The Moment Arrived, It Seemed Time Stood Still,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Brock’s 3^rd Jewel Is Winner For Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[8] Bob Logan, “Brock 19-year wait ends in glory,” Chicago Tribune, August 14, 1979.

[9] Tom Barnidge, “When The Moment Arrived, It Seemed Time Stood Still,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

[10] Tom Barnidge, “When The Moment Arrived, It Seemed Time Stood Still,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 14, 1979.

The post August 13, 1979: Lou Brock collects his 3,000th career hit in resurgent final season first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“Mrs. Nixon and I join sports fans everywhere in mourning the loss of this legendary figure,” President Richard Nixon said.^[1]

Dean cemented his place in Cardinals lore in 1934, when he led the Gashouse Gang to the World Series championship. Dean won the National League Most Valuable Player Award after he led the league with 30 wins – including seven shutouts – and struck out a league-high 195 batters. Pitching in nine games over a 19-day stretch in the heat of the pennant race, Dean finished the season with 311 2/3 innings and a 2.66 ERA.

He led the league with 28 wins the following season, pitching 325 1/3 innings as he threw 29 complete games. His 190 strikeouts marked the fourth consecutive year that he led the National League in strikeouts.

Given his incredible workload – which included at least 286 innings in five consecutive seasons, plus a variety of exhibition performances throughout each season to supplement the Cardinals’ revenue – Dean’s arm troubles in the late ’30s come as no surprise. Just before the 1938 season, the Cardinals traded him to the Chicago Cubs, where he battled through injuries until 1941, when he pitched a single inning before retiring.

Dean returned for a single start in 1947 when, as a radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Browns, he told the audience that he could pitch better than the Browns’ hurlers. Backing up his words, Dean pitched four scoreless innings in a Sept. 28 game against the White Sox.

In 1953, Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. That year, he began announcing the nationally televised Game of the Week alongside Buddy Blattner and Pee Wee Reese. Though Reese later denied that Dean ever said such a thing, legend holds that Dean once observed a young couple among the spectators.

“Look-a-there, Pee Wee,” he said over the air. “Those young folks are smooching after every pitch. He’s kissing her on the strikes, and she’s kissing him on the balls.”[2]

Dean’s colorful mangling of the English language, including using the term “slud” instead of “slid,” endeared him to audiences, including those who were too young to have seen him pitch in the ’30s. He continued to broadcast games for CBS through 1965 and Braves games from 1966 through 1968, giving him an opportunity to see Gibson’s emergence as the Cardinals’ next legendary pitcher. As Dean remarked, Gibson knew just the right pitch to throw “99 times out of 10.”[3]

Indeed, as Gibson took the mound in pursuit of his 3,000^th strikeout, he had long since earned his own recognition in the Hall of Fame. He entered the game with 2,999 strikeouts, one shy of becoming the first National League pitcher and just the second player in major league history to reach 3,000, joining Walter Johnson.

Earlier that day, Tony Perez had announced Geronimo as the favorite to be Gibson’s 3,000^th strikeout victim as he set odds for players in the lineup. Six years later, Geronimo also was at the plate for Nolan Ryan’s 3,000^th strikeout.

“Pete Rose is 20-to-1, Joe Morgan is 30-to-1,” he said. “Johnny Bench is 3-to-2, but only because he may bunt.”

“What if I say I’m not bunting?” Bench asked.

“Then you are 1-to-3,” Perez answered with a laugh. “Me, I’m even money if it gets to me. I (have) been helping Gibson for 10 years. Why not do it now? I mean, I always look for the fastball, right here. It never comes. Just that hard slider, hard slider.”[4]

The first time through the lineup, the Reds played spoiler to Gibson’s milestone. In the first inning, Morgan singled and stole second, scoring on a single by Bench. In the second, Dan Driessen reached on an error by Ted Simmons at first base and scored on a ground ball by Ken Griffey. Finally, with runners on first and second and two outs, Gibson struck out Geronimo on a fastball above the strike zone to end the inning.

As the Busch Stadium II crowd of 28,743 cheered Gibson’s 3,000^th career strikeout, he uncharacteristically tipped his cap to the fans.

“I wanted the fans to know that I appreciated that they appreciated my efforts,” he said the following day.[5]

Joe Torre hit a three-run homer, and Reggie Smith added a solo shot to give Gibson and the Cardinals a 4-2 lead. In the fourth inning, Lou Brock lost track of a Driessen fly ball, allowing it to drop for a double. Griffey smacked a double into right field to cut the St. Louis lead to 4-3.

Gibson maintained that lead until the sixth. With two outs, Dave Concepcion singled, Griffey walked, and pinch hitter Terry Crowley, who was batting just .160 on the season, singled into center to tie the game.

In the seventh, manager Red Schoendienst pulled Gibson for a pinch-hitter. Gibson finished the day with four strikeouts, giving him 3,003 for his career.

“I thought he was getting a little tired,” Schoendienst said. “He was also leading off the inning, and I thought we might get a run.”[6]

Both bullpens continued to put zeros on the scoreboard until the 12^th inning, when Cardinals reliever Rich Folkers walked Darrell Chaney and allowed a single to Concepcion. Schoendienst called on Orlando Pena to end the threat, but George Foster greeted him with a double to left field to score Chaney and Concepcion.

In the ninth, St. Louis second baseman Jerry DaVanon reached on an error, and pinch-hitter Ken Reitz singled. After Pedro Borbon uncorked a wild pitch, Reds manager Sparky Anderson called for him to intentionally walk Brock and pitch to infielder Mike Tyson.

The strategy worked. Tyson popped out to Morgan at second base to end the game.

“I wouldn’t have slept if we didn’t walk Lou Brock and he beat us,” Anderson said. “He’s beaten our club a lot in the last few years, at least three times with home runs. If Mike Tyson had beaten us, I would have slept.”[7]

“That’s the kind of game that makes you lose your hair and get ulcers,” Bench said. “Imagine, two out in the ninth, then an error and a hit. I thought, ‘Here we go again.’”[8]

Never inclined to discuss personal accomplishments following a loss, Gibson had already left by the time reporters reached the clubhouse after the game.

The 38-year-old Gibson finished the 1974 season with an 11-13 record and 3.83 ERA over 240 innings. He retired following the 1975 campaign with 251 career victories, a 2.91 ERA, and 3,117 strikeouts, concluding a career that included two World Series titles, two World Series MVP awards, two Cy Young awards, nine Gold Glove Awards, an ERA title, and nine All-Star Game appearances. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

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[1] “Dizzy Returns To South,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 18, 1974.

[2] John Heidenry (2007), The Gashouse Gang, PublicAffairs: Page 289.

[3] John Heidenry (2007), The Gashouse Gang, PublicAffairs: Page 292.

[4] Bob Hertzel, “Gibson Gets 3000^th Strikeout, Reds Get Hits,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 18, 1974.

[5] Jack Herman, “Fans’ Applause Earns Tip of Gibson’s Cap,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 19, 1974.

[6] Associated Press, “Reds Spoil Gibson’s March Into History,” Mexico Ledger, July 18, 1974.

[7] Neal Russo, “Cincy Book A Sleeper,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 18, 1974.

[8] Neal Russo, “Gibby Is Still Gibby,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 18, 1974.

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