With his 9-year-old son Dustin standing beside him on June 19, 1996, Ozzie Smith tearfully announced that the current campaign would mark the end of a legendary 19-year career that included a World Series championship, NLCS MVP Award, 13 Gold Glove Awards, and, with his upcoming appearance in the midsummer classic, 15 all-star appearances. “It’s […]
June 19, 1996: Ozzie Smith announces he will retire at season’s end Read More »
Albert Pujols chose an ideal moment for his first career home run. The 2001 Cardinals had just lost their first three games, allowing 32 runs during a winless season-opening series against the Rockies. The series hadn’t gone any better for Pujols, who went just 1-for-9 in Colorado, including 0-for-5 in the second game of the
Albert Pujols hits first career home run in breakout game Read More »
For the first time since the Whitey Herzog days of the 1980s, the Cardinals were in the thick of a pennant race. So it was fitting that two stars of the 1980s, Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee, led the Cardinals to an extra-inning victory over the Astros on September 2, 1996. The Cardinals entered the
September 2, 1996: Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee spark Cardinals’ comeback Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter’s 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the fourth in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 On September 8, Chris Carpenter earned win No.
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 4) Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter and his 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the second in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Chris Carpenter’s father, Bob, knew by
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 2) Read More »
Admittedly, this story about Chris Carpenter and his 2005 Cy Young Award-winning season got quite a bit longer than I originally intended. As a result, this is the first in a four-part series of articles. You can find the other parts here: Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 For years, Chris Carpenter and his
How Chris Carpenter won the 2005 Cy Young Award (Part 1) Read More »
The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t want to wait until the winter meetings to establish their roster for the 2011 season. On November 16, 2010, they re-signed starting pitcher Jake Westbrook to shore up the rotation. Two weeks later, they traded pitching prospect Blake Hawksworth to the Los Angeles Dodgers for shortstop Ryan Theriot. Then, on December
How Lance Berkman signed with the Cardinals Read More »
A muscle strain that literally took Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny’s breath away opened the door for 21-year-old Yadier Molina to make his major league debut and – as the third member of the catching Molina brothers to reach the majors – make a little history as well. On June 2, 2004, Matheny was removed in
June 3, 2004: Yadier Molina gets two hits, throws out first baserunner in his debut game Read More »
When Rick Ankiel arrived at Busch Stadium III on August 9, 2007, it had been almost seven years since he’d thrown five wild pitches in Game 1 of the National League Division Series and tied a 110-year-old record. It had been almost three years since he’d been in the majors, and 2 ½ years since
August 9, 2007: Rick Ankiel homers in his return to the majors – as an outfielder Read More »
Heading into the game that came to define his career, 21-year-old rookie left-hander Rick Ankiel wasn’t nervous. “I was not hurt. I was not afraid. I was not sick or distracted or particularly anxious,” he wrote 17 years later. “In game one of the National League Division Series, on a warm and sunny afternoon with
Rick Ankiel develops the yips: October 3, 2000 Read More »