April 13, 1954, marked a new beginning in Cardinals baseball as Tom Alston became the first black player to make the major-league club and Wally Moon became the second Cardinal to homer in his first career at-bat. Just two and a half months earlier, the Cardinals traded Eddie Erautt and Dick Sisler, agreed to option […]
As soon as Anheuser-Busch purchased the Cardinals in February 1953, Browns owner Bill Veeck knew that the battle for the hearts of St. Louis baseball fans was over. Desperate for funds and knowing that the Browns weren’t long for St. Louis, Veeck sold historic Sportsman’s Park to Anheuser-Busch on April 9, 1953. At the time
April 9, 1953: Anheuser-Busch buys Sportsman’s Park Read More »
Just weeks ahead of the 1959 season, the Cardinals gambled on the potential of 25-year-old Bill White, dealing their ace, Sam Jones, to the Giants in a four-player trade that provided the Cardinals with a cornerstone of their 1964 World Series championship club. On March 25, 1959, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine dealt Jones and
How the Cardinals traded for Bill White Read More »
No one seemed to think very much of Bing Devine’s first trade as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. After Devine traded relief pitcher Willard Schmidt and minor-league pitchers Ted Wieand and Marty Kutyna to the Reds for outfielders Curt Flood and Joe Taylor, legendary St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg described the
How Curt Flood became a Cardinal Read More »
On July 30, 1959, Bob Gibson formally introduced himself to the Cincinnati Reds and Major League Baseball, earning the first of 251 career victories in the first starting assignment of his career. That April, Gibson had made three appearances for the Cardinals, each in relief. On April 15, Gibson made his major league debut, pitching
Bob Gibson gets his first career win: July 30, 1959 Read More »
On July 27, 1953, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally recognized Dizzy Dean as one of the game’s elite. “It’s the greatest honor I ever received,” Dean said. “I want to thank the good Lord for giving me a good right arm, a strong back, and a weak mind.”[1] Dean was inducted alongside Al Simmons, a
Dizzy Dean is inducted into the Hall of Fame: July 27, 1953 Read More »
Over the course of his 12-year career, Wally Moon was better known for his “Moon shot” home runs than his base-stealing ability. Nonetheless, on May 25, 1954, the rookie center fielder came one stolen base shy of breaking a 50-year-old National League record as he swiped four bags in a 9-4 Cardinals win over the
May 25, 1954: Wally Moon steals four bases, nearly ties 50-year-old NL record Read More »
Stan Musial and the Cardinals had planned for his 3,000th career hit to take place in St. Louis. Then baseball, as it so often does, got in the way. Musial entered the 1958 season with 2,957 hits and quickly closed in on the milestone, opening the season with a 17-game hit streak. That season-opening tear
May 13, 1958: Stan Musial reaches 3,000 hits Read More »
St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Red Schoendienst was never quite sure what came over himself. The native of Germantown, Illinois, had never been one for boasting, but as he shagged fly balls in the Comiskey Park outfield alongside his fellow 1950 National League All-Stars, something came over him and he pointed to the right-field bleachers.
July 11, 1950: Red Schoendienst calls his shot at the 1950 all-star game Read More »
More than twenty-six years before Glenn Brummer made his mad dash home on August 22, 1982, to give the Cardinals a 5-4 victory over the Giants in 12 innings, a Washington Senators rookie named Whitey Herzog swiped home for his second career stolen base. Herzog, who engineered the Whiteyball teams that regularly stole more than
June 17, 1956: Whitey Herzog steals home Read More »