With his ballclub mired in last place in the National League East and rumors swirling of discontent in the clubhouse, Whitey Herzog called a press conference in San Diego on July 6, 1990, to announce that the St. Louis Cardinals’ Whiteyball era was officially over. Herzog’s resignation came with 2 ½ years remaining on his […]
Why Whitey Herzog resigned as Cardinals manager Read More »
As he started preparing for the 1997 season, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty was looking for a second baseman who could hit for power or inherit the top spot in the St. Louis lineup. On November 20, 1996, he opted for the latter, signing Delino DeShields to a one-year contract with a team option for a
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Just two days after naming Tony La Russa the Cardinals’ new manager and one day after they began removing the AstroTurf from Busch Stadium to install natural grass, Anheuser-Busch announced that it was selling the Cardinals franchise on October 25, 1995. “As a publicly held company, we had to ask ourselves a question: Can we
Anheuser-Busch announces plans to sell the Cardinals (1995) Read More »
Eighteen years after Tony La Russa ended his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate, he was named the 48th manager in franchise history. On October 23, 1995, general manager Walt Jocketty signed La Russa to a two-year contract to manage the Cardinals, ending a 10-year run with the Oakland Athletics in which
Cardinals name Tony La Russa manager: October 23, 1995 Read More »
On August 25, 1991, Lee Smith became just the fifth pitcher to reach the 300-save milestone, joining Rollie Fingers, Jeff Reardon, Rich Gossage, and Bruce Sutter as baseball’s top closers. “Starting pitchers use 300 wins as a measuring stick for the Hall of Fame,” Cardinals manager Joe Torre said. “For him to get 300 saves
August 25, 1991: Lee Smith earns his 300th save Read More »
With two blasts on the final day of the 1998 season, Mark McGwire established a new plateau for MLB sluggers with 70 home runs for the season. The 34-year-old slugger set a torrid pace from the outset of the 1998 campaign, beginning with a grand slam in the Cardinals’ season-opening win. On July 26, he
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On September 15, 1991, Ray Lankford became the first Cardinals rookie in 73 years to hit for the cycle when he collected a single, double, triple, and home run in a 7-2 win over the Mets at Busch Stadium. For good measure, Lankford also stole a base and scored four times. “It’s a great feeling,”
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On August 18, 1995, Tom Henke battled through arguably his toughest outing of the season to collect the 300th save of his career. Nine months earlier, the 6-foot-5 reliever from Kansas City, Missouri, had signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cardinals to pitch his 14th major-league season. After eight seasons in Toronto, where
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The 1991 season marked a new beginning for the St. Louis Cardinals. In their first full season under new head coach Joe Torre, the Cardinals had an entirely new starting outfield, as Bernard Gilkey, Ray Lankford, and Felix Jose replaced 1990’s opening-day threesome of Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, and Tom Brunansky. No one, however, was
Todd Zeile walk-off homer pulls Cardinals into pennant race: August 3, 1991 Read More »
On August 1, 1990, the St. Louis Cardinals officially moved on from the “Whiteyball” era when they brought former Cardinals star Joe Torre back to take the managerial position vacated by Whitey Herzog just three weeks earlier. “During the selection process, I interviewed a number of very good candidates,” Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill said,
Cardinals name Joe Torre manager: August 1, 1990 Read More »