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 […]
How Busch Jr. made Stan Musial the NL’s first $100,000 player Read More »
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.
How Anheuser-Busch kept the Cardinals from leaving St. Louis in 1953 Read More »
In 1988, Cardinals lefthander Joe Magrane put together one of the most unusual seasons in MLB history, winning the National League ERA title with a miniscule 2.18 ERA while somehow managing to win just five of his 24 starts. The dichotomy between Magrane’s mound dominance and his relatively small win total still stands as the
How Joe Magrane won the 1988 ERA title with just five wins Read More »
On the same day that Ozzie Smith won his 12th consecutive Gold Glove Award, another Cardinal “Ozzi,” Tom Pagnozzi, captured the first of his three career Gold Gloves as the National League’s premier defensive catcher. The recognition, announced on November 26, 1991, came at the end of Pagnozzi’s first season as the Cardinals’ starting catcher.
How Tom Pagnozzi won his first Gold Glove in 1991 Read More »
Seventeen years after the Cardinals drafted Gary Gaetti, they finally signed him on December 18, 1995. The native of Centralia, Illinois, was the Cardinals’ fourth-round selection out of Lake Land College in the January 1978 draft, but he chose to transfer to continue his collegiate career after the Cardinals offered him just a $500 bonus
How the Cardinals signed Gary Gaetti 17 years after drafting him Read More »
When the Cardinals signed Mike Matheny on December 15, 1999, they were just looking for a veteran backstop to play alongside Eli Marrero. Instead, they found a future Gold Glove Award winner and the franchise’s next manager. General manager Walt Jocketty was seeking a veteran catcher to complement Marrero, who had hit just .192 the
How Mike Matheny signed with the Cardinals Read More »
As a native of Brighton, Illinois, Jason Isringhausen was well aware of the Cardinals’ storied history when he was considering his options as a free agent following the 2001 season. Playing upon that knowledge – and Isringhausen’s respect for the stars who came before him – St. Louis manager Tony La Russa made it a
Why Jason Isringhausen turned down more money to sign with the Cardinals Read More »
Joaquin Andujar always felt like a ticking time bomb. Even when he won 15 regular-season games and two World Series contests to help the Cardinals win their first world championship in 15 years in 1982. Especially when he won a combined 41 games in 1984 and 1985, placing fourth in the Cy Young Award voting
Why the Cardinals traded Joaquin Andujar in 1985 Read More »
When the Cardinals signed all-star outfielder Dexter Fowler on December 9, 2016, it marked the largest contract the Cardinals had ever awarded a player who wasn’t already wearing the birds on the bat. In wooing Fowler from the rival Cubs with a five-year, $82.5 million contract, the Cardinals exceeded the five-year, $80 million contract they
Why the Cardinals signed Dexter Fowler after the 2016 season Read More »
With his mad dash from first base, Enos Slaughter raced home with the winning run of the 1946 World Series and into baseball history. “Enos Slaughter’s great gallop from first to score on a blow to left center will rate with Paul Revere’s ride in the history of our country, and the picture of
How Enos Slaughter and his mad dash won the 1946 World Series Read More »