From the moment he arrived in St. Louis, the Cardinals saw Milt Thompson as a Whitey Herzog type of player. On December 16, 1988, the Cardinals traded outfielder Curt Ford and catcher Steve Lake to the Phillies for Thompson. A former second-round pick of the Braves in 1979, Thompson was expected to serve as a […]
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As Whitey Herzog looked ahead to the 1985 season, he knew he had plenty of outfield talent in the pipeline, but he desperately needed pitching. The Pirates, meanwhile, had plenty of pitching – including John Tudor – but needed to add punch to their offense. On December 12, 1984, the Cardinals traded outfielder George Hendrick
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In October 1982, Bruce Sutter closed the door on the Cardinals’ first world championship since 1967. His path to that moment began almost three years earlier, shortly after he was named the 1979 National League Cy Young Award winner. Sutter had a contract with the Cubs for the 1980 season, but the agreement included a
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The first time Darrell Porter met Whitey Herzog, he asked the Royals manager what was expected of him. Porter had just arrived in Kansas City in a trade from the Brewers, while Herzog was coming off his second season with the Royals, a 90-win campaign that resulted in an American League West championship. “I expect
Whitey Herzog begins 1980 roster rebuild with Darrell Porter Read More »
Just weeks before the Cardinals were set to open the 1985 season, Whitey Herzog predicted that his club’s top prospect, Vince Coleman, had the talent to one day win the Rookie of the Year Award. He had no idea that day would come just 8 ½ months later. “You talk about a man with a
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On July 18, 1985, the course of Todd Worrell’s career changed forever. Cardinals director of player development Lee Thomas was in the stands watching Worrell pitch for Triple-A Louisville against the Iowa Cubs. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was “something of a mystery to baseball men,” as the Cardinals’ 1985 media guide put it. In his second
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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
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There wasn’t a catcher in baseball who could stop Vince Coleman during his rookie campaign in 1985. Unfortunately, the same rule didn’t apply to the Busch Stadium tarp. The Cardinals initially didn’t plan for Coleman to break their starting lineup in 1985. Coleman went just 4-for-29 in spring training[1] and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville
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The 1982 St. Louis Cardinals established exactly what baseball observers meant by the term “Whiteyball,” and no player on the roster was more likely to steal a base – or five – than Lonnie Smith. On September 4, 1982, Smith did exactly that, tying a modern-day National League record with five stolen bases in a
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On August 22, 1982, Glenn Brummer became arguably the most unlikely game-winning hero in Cardinals history. An Illinois native, Brummer had played his college baseball at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois, and signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 1974. After working his way through the Cardinals’ farm system, Brummer made
August 22, 1982: Glenn Brummer steals home and becomes an unlikely Cardinals hero Read More »