It took a lot to make Stan Musial visibly angry. But when the legendary Cardinals outfielder learned just before boarding the team’s train to Pittsburgh that the Cardinals had traded Red Schoendienst, his roommate for more than a decade, Musial made his displeasure clear. “The rest of us got the word that Red had been …
On June 10, 1944, just four days after D-Day, the Cardinals found themselves facing a 15-year-old pitcher who had been facing high school opposition just a few weeks earlier. They showed him no mercy. Joe Nuxhall, a lefthander out of Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, lasted just 2/3 of an inning after allowing five …
June 10, 1944: Cardinals clobber 15-year-old pitcher Joe Nuxhall Read More »
On October 9, 1944, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched their second World Series championship in three years, defeating the crosstown rival Browns 3-1 and establishing themselves as baseball’s dominant wartime franchise. With America at war in Europe, players from every team either volunteered for or were drafted into the war effort. Though Cardinals stars Enos …
On July 24, 1949, Stan Musial hit for the only cycle of his illustrious career, helping to power the St. Louis Cardinals into first place in the National League with an emphatic 14-1 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Though the clubs were still in the dog days of summer, Musial’s achievement came in a series …
July 24, 1949: Stan Musial hits for the cycle, powers Cardinals into first place Read More »
Even at age 41, Stan Musial had the ability to take over a ballgame. On July 8, 1962, four months prior to his 42nd birthday, Musial hit three home runs to lead the Cardinals to a 15-1 win over the Mets and become the oldest player to hit three homers in a game. With the …
July 8, 1962: 41-year-old Stan Musial hits three homers to power Cardinals past the Mets Read More »
Even future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm couldn’t keep Stan Musial in the ballpark on May 2, 1954. In an afternoon doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park, Musial became the first player in major-league history to hit five home runs in a single day, smacking three home runs over the right-field wall in Game 1 before adding …
May 2, 1954: Stan Musial hits record five home runs in doubleheader vs. Giants Read More »
In the days before free agency, the reserve clause gave baseball teams all the leverage in determining each player’s salary. Even the greatest Cardinal of them all, Stan Musial, wasn’t immune. On March 4, 1948, Musial ended a brief spring training holdout in which the two-time National League MVP sought a $5,000 raise from his …
March 4, 1948: Stan Musial ends brief spring training holdout Read More »
Just a few days away from his 90th birthday, Stan Musial picked up the phone at his office at Stan the Man Inc. On the other end of the line was a White House representative, calling to tell him that he was being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award. …
February 15, 2011: Stan Musial receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom Read More »
When Stan Musial was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1969, the question wasn’t whether the three-time National League MVP Award winner would earn his place in Cooperstown. The real question was what the 23 voters who didn’t mark Musial’s name on their ballots were thinking. In his …
January 21, 1969: Stan Musial is elected to the Hall of Fame Read More »
Just how incredible was Stan Musial’s 1948 season? The 27-year-old from Donora, Pennsylvania, led the league in batting average (.376), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18), RBIs (131), on-base percentage (.450), slugging percentage (.702), OPS (1.152), and total bases (429). With 39 home runs, Musial was one homer shy of tying the Pirates’ Ralph Kiner …
December 2, 1948: Stan Musial wins his third MVP Award Read More »
