Coming off the best offensive season of his career, Ozzie Smith came out swinging once again as the 1988 season was about to open, this time with controversial statements that made waves across the National League. In advance of the April 1988 publication of his new autobiography Wizard, which Smith wrote with St. Louis sportswriter […]
How a 1988 Ozzie Smith GQ interview created a firestorm Read More »
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 »
Headed into the 1985 season, the St. Louis Cardinals were an enigma. After trading Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets in 1984 and allowing Bruce Sutter to leave for Atlanta via free agency, Cardinals fans feared that star shortstop Ozzie Smith, entering the last year of his contract, would be the next Redbird out
How Ozzie Smith signed a new contract, then homered in the Cardinals’ 1985 home opener Read More »
Ahead of the 1982 season, shortstops Ozzie Smith and Garry Templeton both needed a change of scenery. In a deal that took more than two months to complete, the St. Louis Cardinals sent Templeton, outfielder Sixto Lezcano, and pitcher Luis DeLeon to the San Diego Padres to obtain Smith, who became a Hall of Fame
Why the Cardinals traded Garry Templeton for Ozzie Smith Read More »
Nine months after the Cardinals ended the Giants’ 1987 world championship hopes in a hard-fought, seven-game NLCS, the two teams came to blows in a midsummer brawl involving Will Clark, Ozzie Smith, and Jose Oquendo. Neither team enjoyed the same success in 1988 that they had before. Entering the final game of their four-game series
July 24, 1988: Ozzie Smith and Jose Oquendo fight Giants slugger Will Clark Read More »
Arguably the most famous home run in St. Louis Cardinals postseason history may also have been the most unlikely. On October 14, 1985, broadcaster Jack Buck encouraged Cardinals fans to “go crazy, folks, go crazy!” after shortstop Ozzie Smith hit the first left-handed home run of his career. The unexpected blast gave St. Louis a
Ozzie Smith hits a walk-off homer to win Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS Read More »
Heading into the 1981 season, if someone suggested that the Cardinals would have the greatest shortstop of the decade, fans everywhere would assume they were referring to Garry Templeton, one of the most talented infielders in the National League. But a heated confrontation with Cardinals fans on August 26, 1981, led to a franchise-altering trade
August 26, 1981: Garry Templeton flips off the fans Read More »
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
August 18, 1995: Tom Henke gets his 300th career save Read More »
On almost any other day, Willie McGee would have been the star of the game. On June 23, 1984, Willie McGee became the first Cardinal since Lou Brock in 1975 to hit for the cycle, driving in six runs and scoring three times. Nonetheless, the game will forever be known as “the Ryne Sandberg game”
June 23, 1984: Willie McGee hits for the cycle in the ‘Ryne Sandberg game’ Read More »
Given Ozzie Smith’s long journey to becoming an above-average major-league hitter, it was no wonder that he began to cry with joy and appreciation after he tripled on May 26, 1992, for his 2,000th career hit. “I did not want to leave the game being known as a one-dimensional player,” Smith said. “Maybe tonight will
Why Ozzie Smith wept after collecting his 2,000th career hit Read More »