When the 1990 season ended, Willie McGee was the National League batting champion for the second time in his career – never mind that he had spent the past month as a member of the American League’s Oakland Athletics. On August 29, 1990, the St. Louis Cardinals traded the former National League MVP and four-time …
Willie McGee thought he had made a name for himself during the regular season when he burst onto the scene with a .296 average, 56 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 123 games on his way to a third-place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting. After he hit two home runs …
October 15, 1982: Willie McGee homers twice as Cardinals win Game 3 of the World Series Read More »
In the end, it wasn’t backup catcher Steve Lake’s game-tying, two-run home run in the ninth inning that impressed him the most. It wasn’t Jack Clark’s game-winning RBI single. It was the thousands of Cardinals fans still cheering on their Redbirds when the final pitch of a rain-delayed doubleheader was finally thrown at 3:01 a.m. …
July 7, 1987: Steve Lake and Jack Clark lead Cardinals to late-night doubleheader sweep Read More »
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” …
June 23, 1984: Willie McGee hits for the cycle in the ‘Ryne Sandberg game’ Read More »
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like that,” La Russa said. “This was more dramatic than anything I’ve seen in a movie, and then, it’s real life. Think about it. He was the last guy introduced (before the game). He got the biggest ovation. People wait around. He hits with two outs in …
April 8, 1997: Willie McGee hits his first career walk-off home run Read More »
On the day the Baseball Writers Association of America was set to announce the Hall of Fame class of 2002, Ozzie Smith had a backup plan ready. If the phone rang with the news that he had not been inducted in his first year of eligibility, Smith and his family were all set to drive …
January 8, 2002: Ozzie Smith is elected to the Hall of Fame Read More »
On the same day the Cardinals announced that shortstop Ozzie Smith had been medically cleared to play in the upcoming 1996 season, the team reunited with another star from its pennant-winning 1980s teams. On December 15, 1995, the Cardinals signed Willie McGee to a minor-league contract worth $500,000 if he made the team.[1] Though the …
December 15, 1995: Willie McGee returns to St. Louis Read More »
In the midst of his remarkable 1985 season, Willie McGee was invited to a Kiwanis luncheon where he was going to be honored for his humility. When the Cardinals outfielder arrived, there was a line at the door, so instead of stepping in front of those awaiting tickets, he joined the line. When he got …
November 18, 1985: Willie McGee is named National League MVP Read More »
Mark McGwire’s pursuit of Babe Ruth and Roger Maris took him past Johnny Mize before the 1998 calendar turned to August. On July 26, McGwire’s 44th home run of the season broke the franchise record set by Johnny Mize in 1940. The blast, which came in the Cardinals’ 104th game of the season, kept McGwire …
July 26, 1998: McGwire’s 44th home run breaks Johnny Mize’s 1940 record Read More »
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 »
