Like a scene from the movie “The Natural,” Stan Musial achieved one of baseball’s rarest hitting feats with flair.
Shedding the bandages from his ailing wrists, Musial took just five swings in the Cardinals’ game against the Braves at Boston on Sept. 22, 1948.
Each swing produced a hit.
It was Musial’s fourth five-hit game of the season. No major-league player had done that in 26 years. Only two have done it since.
Joining Musial as the only big-league players with four five-hit games in a season: Willie Keeler (1897 Orioles), Ty Cobb (1922 Tigers), Tony Gwynn (1993 Padres) and Ichiro Suzuki (2004 Mariners).
Musial had jammed his left wrist making a diving catch at Brooklyn on Sept. 17, 1948. The next day, he was hit on the right hand, near the wrist, by a pitch.
With his wrists taped, Musial remained in the lineup as the Cardinals pursued the National League-leading Braves.
A win over the Cardinals on Sept. 22 would clinch for the Braves their first pennant in 34 years. The Braves started their ace, left-hander Warren Spahn.
Going for broke
When Musial arrived at the Boston ballpark that day, he noticed the wind was blowing out toward right field, favoring a left-handed batter.
St. Louis writer Bob Broeg approached Musial at the batting cage and said, “A great day for the hitters.”
“Yeah, but I can’t hit like this,” Musial responded.
In his book “Stan Musial: The Man’s Own Story,” Musial said, “I held up the wrists with the flesh-colored tape. Angrily, I ripped it off.”
Without the tape to restrict him, Musial wanted to be able to snap his wrists, no matter how painful, and try to take advantage of the favoring wind and the short carry (319 feet) to the right-field bleachers.
Musial’s first two hits that day came against Spahn.
In the first inning, Musial singled to left. He said he punched the ball in that direction “to minimize wrist strain.”
In the third, Musial lined the ball over the head of left fielder Mike McCormick for a double.
Musial batted in the fourth against right-hander Red Barrett, who had been a teammate on the 1946 Cardinals.
Said Musial: “He tried to fool me with a 2-and-0 changeup, but I saw it coming and said to myself, ‘To hell with the wrists.’ ”
Musial pulled the pitch over the right-field wall for a two-run home run, his 38th of the season.
Swing away
In the sixth, Musial singled off left-hander Clyde Shoun. Musial said he was “entirely aware” Cobb had been the last player to achieve four five-hit games in a season.
“I wanted that fifth hit,” he said.
In the eighth. Musial got his chance against Al Lyons.
The first two pitches from the right-hander missed the strike zone. Musial didn’t want a walk.
“I made up my mind, with the Cardinals far ahead (8-2), that I’d swing at anything close to the plate _ wrists be hanged,” Musial said.
“The next pitch was a bit outside, but I jerked it around … It bounced in the hole between first and second and got through. Saving the sore wrists as much as possible, I had hit safely five times by taking the absolute minimum number of swings _ just five.” Boxscore
All four of Musial’s five-hit games in 1948 came away from home.
“If I could have played the 1948 season on the road, I might have hit .400 and ripped the record book apart,” Musial said.
Instead, Musial batted .376 overall _ .415 on the road and .334 at home.
Here is a look at his other five-hit games in 1948:
_ April 30, 1948, at Cincinnati: Musial hit a home run, two doubles and two singles off four right-handers in the Cardinals’ 13-7 victory over the Reds. The homer, a two-run shot, was off starter Howie Fox. Musial batted .447 (21-for-47) at Crosley Field in 1948. Boxscore
_ May 19, 1948, at Brooklyn: Musial singled twice off right-hander Rex Barney, tripled against right-hander Erv Palica and had a single and double off left-hander Preacher Roe in the Cardinals’ 14-7 victory over the Dodgers. Musial batted .522 (24-for-46) at Ebbets Field in 1948. Boxscore
_ June 22, 1948, at Boston: Musial had five singles, four off right-handed starter Bill Voiselle and another against Shoun that snapped a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning, in the Cardinals’ 5-2 triumph over the Braves. Musial hit .467 (21-for-45) at Braves Field in 1948. Boxscore
In his 22-year big-league career with the Cardinals, Musial had eight five-hit games. In addition to the four in 1948, the others were:
_ July 21, 1943, versus the Giants, at St. Louis. It was his only five-hit game at home.
_ Sept. 19, 1946, at Boston. Former Cardinals ace Mort Cooper started for the Braves.
_ Sept. 3, 1947, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
_ Sept. 27, 1962, two months before his 42nd birthday, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The fifth hit was a single off former teammate Stu Miller.
Previously: How Stan Musial turned in a great comeback year at 41
Musial saying, “To hell with the wrists” is a quote that will stay with me forever. Some days are really hard to get through, moments too, but keeping Musial in mind, to do like him and say, screw the handicaps, both mentally and physically and try to push through anyway…..very inspiring. The more I read about Musial on your blog Mark, the more I am amazed.
Thanks for taking the time to read this story and to comment thoughtfully about it, Steve. Keep up your spirits and keep pushing through the adversity. You are appreciated.
You are welcome Mark. I like it when you link to previous articles that you’ve written as well as the boxscore links. And thanks for the encouragement to keep pushing through. I needed that. Sometimes the voice in my head gets so negative and talks so gloomy about the future.