Almost 25 years after his playing career ended, Orlando Cepeda wept with joy when he learned that on March 2, 1999, that he finally had been elected the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. “It’s hard to explain the feeling … I’ve been ready for this for 17 years,” Cepeda said. “When they told […]
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For 34 of the past 35 years, the birds on the bat had adorned the Cardinals’ jerseys. On February 26, 1956, Cardinals general manager Frank Lane announced that the iconic logo would be missing from their uniforms during the upcoming season. “We hope the new uniforms will match the new, bold look and attitude of
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On February 18, 1955, the Cardinals signed promising third base prospect Ken Boyer to his first big-league contract with an eye toward making him their starting third baseman that season. The Cardinals already had cleared room for Boyer by trading all-star third baseman Ray Jablonski and pitcher Gerry Staley to Cincinnati for relief pitcher Frank
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On February 3, 1989, former Cardinals first baseman Bill White was named National League president, becoming the first black man to lead a major professional sports league in America and the first player to become NL president in more than 70 years. White’s hire came two years after Dodgers general manager Al Campanis was fired
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On February 25, 1985, the Cardinals made a surprise choice for their next general manager, hiring former shortstop Dal Maxvill away from the Atlanta Braves, where he had been serving as third-base coach. Maxvill was hired to replace Joe McDonald, who served three years in the role but resigned at the request of the Cardinals’
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On January 21, 1947, Frankie Frisch, the starting second baseman and manager of one of the most colorful teams in Cardinals history, was elected to the Hall of Fame. Frisch was elected alongside pitchers Carl Hubbell and Lefty Grove and catcher Mickey Cochrane. It marked the first time since 1942 that anyone had surpassed the
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On January 19, 2018, the Cardinals’ outfield carousel took its next spin as they traded outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Blue Jays for relief pitcher Dominic Leone and starting pitching prospect Conner Greene. The move came just a month after the Cardinals traded Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen, and Magneuris Sierra to the Marlins
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When the Cardinals traded outfielder Randy Arozarena, Jose Martinez, and a supplemental first-round pick for pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore, catching prospect Edgardo Rodriguez, and a supplemental second-round pick on January 9, 2020, it looked like a no-lose scenario for St. Louis. Given the rumors swirling around the possible availability of Rockies all-star third baseman Nolan
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A decade after he briefly held out of spring training in a bid for a $5,000 raise, Stan Musial became the first $100,000 player in National League history. On January 29, 1958, the Cardinals called a morning press conference at Anheuser-Busch Brewery to announce that Musial, who had been playing for $80,000 per season since
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With ownership groups from Milwaukee and Houston seeking to move the Cardinals out of St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch announced on February 20, 1953, that it had purchased the team from Fred Saigh for $3.75 million. “During its 100 years of existence, Anheuser-Busch has shared in all St. Louis civic activity,” Anheuser-Busch chairman August A. Busch Jr.
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