Whitey Herzog

Jose Oquendo Ozzie Smith Will Clark

July 24, 1988: Ozzie Smith and Jose Oquendo fight Giants slugger Will Clark

Nine months after the Cardinals ended the Giants’ 1987 world championship hopes in a hard-fought, seven-game NLCS, the two teams came to blows in a midsummer brawl involving Will Clark, Ozzie Smith, and Jose Oquendo. Neither team enjoyed the same success in 1988 that they had before. Entering the final game of their four-game series […]

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Joe Torre

Cardinals name Joe Torre manager: August 1, 1990

On August 1, 1990, the St. Louis Cardinals officially moved on from the “Whiteyball” era when they brought former Cardinals star Joe Torre back to take the managerial position vacated by Whitey Herzog just three weeks earlier. “During the selection process, I interviewed a number of very good candidates,” Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill said,

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Willie McGee

Willie McGee hits for the cycle in the ‘Ryne Sandberg game’: June 23, 1984

On almost any other day, Willie McGee would have been the star of the game. On June 23, 1984, Willie McGee became the first Cardinal since Lou Brock in 1975 to hit for the cycle, driving in six runs and scoring three times. Nonetheless, the game will forever be known as “the Ryne Sandberg game”

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Jeff Lahti

April 1, 1982: Cardinals acquire reliever Jeff Lahti in trade with Reds

Less than a week before the start of the 1982 season, Whitey Herzog found himself with more pitchers than he had roster spots. To alleviate the roster jam, the Cardinals made a trade to acquire a reliever who specialized in getting out of jams. On April 1, 1982, the Cardinals traded swingman Bob Shirley to

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Jose Oquendo

April 2, 1985: Cardinals trade for ‘Secret Weapon’ Jose Oquendo

With no guarantees that they would be able to re-sign all-star shortstop Ozzie Smith before the end of the season, the Cardinals needed a secret weapon. They got exactly that on April 2, 1985, when they traded shortstop Angel Salazar and minor-league pitcher John Young to the Mets for shortstop Jose Oquendo and minor-league reliever

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Tony Peña

April 1, 1987: Pirates trade Tony Pena to the Cardinals

Heading into the 1987 season, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog felt that his club needed a top-flight catcher to make a push for the National League pennant. On April 1, he got the backstop he coveted, trading right fielder and corner infielder Andy Van Slyke, catcher Mike LaValliere, and minor-league pitcher Mike Dunne to the Pirates

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Jose DeLeon

How Jose DeLeon was traded to the Cardinals

For years, Cardinals scouts had believed in the potential of Jose DeLeon. On February 9, 1988, the team gambled on that potential, trading center fielder Lance Johnson, left-handed pitcher Ricky Horton, and an estimated $100,000 to the White Sox to obtain the 27-year-old right-hander. Negotiations for the right-hander had begun back in back in November,

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Jack Clark

Jack Clark signs with the Yankees: January 6, 1988

With the holidays in the rearview mirror and spring training just a few weeks away, Jack Clark finally lost patience. On January 6, 1988, the Cardinals’ leading home-run hitter during their National League pennant-winning seasons in 1985 and 1987 signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Yankees. Since the Cardinals acquired Clark from the

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Bob Horner

Why the Cardinals signed Bob Horner despite Herzog’s initial concerns

When the idea of signing Bob Horner to replace Jack Clark was first broached, Whitey Herzog didn’t pull any punches. “I don’t like Horner,” the Cardinals manager said. “Of his lifetime homers, about 70% were hit in Atlanta. He never could hit in St. Louis. He can’t hit and he can’t field, and he wants

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