Busch Stadium II had one heck of an opening night. Even before Lou Brock singled to drive home the game-winning run in a 4-3, 12-inning victory over the Braves, the stadium alone was enough to delight the St. Louis crowd. “This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” declared Mrs. Claudia Hanebrink of […]
The Boston Red Sox and their fans weren’t afraid to give the Cardinals a little extra motivation heading into Game 7 of the 1967 World Series. Knowing that Game 7 would match Cardinals ace Bob Gibson against Red Sox ace Jim Lonborg, Boston first baseman George Scott predicted that Gibson wouldn’t “survive five” innings.[1] Earlier
On October 7, 1969, the St. Louis Cardinals made the most impactful trade in the history of Major League Baseball when they agreed to send Curt Flood, Tim McCarver, Byron Browne, and Joe Hoerner to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas. Flood refused to report to the Phillies. Instead, he
October 7, 1969: Curt Flood refuses trade to the Phillies Read More »
It was a strange twist of fate that in Solly Hemus’s final game as Cardinals manager, he watched two players whose careers he arguably had mismanaged lead his club to a 9-1 win over a Dodgers team that was chasing a National League pennant. Bill White hit three home runs and a double and Bob
July 5, 1961: Bill White hits three homers as Cardinals bid farewell to Solly Hemus 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 »
Off to a slow start to the 1964 season, the Cardinals had to do something. For manager Bing Devine, that meant making one of the most famous deals in baseball history, trading Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens to the Cubs for Lou Brock, Jack Spring, and Paul Toth. For Ken Boyer, that meant
Fourteen years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Bill White, a four-time all-star and the defending National League Gold Glove Award winner at first base, arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida, for spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals. While some of the Cardinals’ star players, such as Stan
How Bill White, Curt Flood, and others integrated Cardinals spring training Read More »
The excitement of Gaylord Perry’s no-hitter against the Cardinals hadn’t worn off yet when Ray Washburn stepped to the Candlestick Park mound on September 18, 1968. As improbably as it seemed that 30-year-old right-hander would match Perry’s accomplishment, trainer Bob Bauman had an inkling. “When I was working on Washburn just before the game, I
How Ray Washburn matched Gaylord Perry’s no-hitter in 1968 Read More »