Many Gary Carter obituaries properly cite his first game with the Mets as an important event in his big-league career. In that game on April 9, 1985, at New York, Carter, who twice had been hit by pitches (by Joaquin Andujar and Bill Campbell), hit a 10th-inning home run off Neil Allen, lifting the Mets to a 6-5 [...]
Archive for the ‘Games’ Category
Gary Carter and his two 5-RBI games against Cardinals
Posted in Games, Opponents on February 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Hank Aaron and the home run that wasn’t vs. Cardinals
Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on February 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Hank Aaron, the greatest home run hitter never to use performance-enhancing drugs, could have added to his historic total if not for an unusual call in a game against the Cardinals. Playing for the Braves, Aaron hit the 393rd home run of his career on Aug. 17, 1965, at St. Louis against the Cardinals’ Tracy [...]
How Stan Musial turned in a great comeback year at 41
Posted in Games, Hitters on February 10, 2012 | 8 Comments »
This year is the golden jubilee of one of the most remarkable seasons in the career of Stan Musial. In 1962, at age 41, Musial, thought by some to be finished, produced like a star player in his prime. He placed second in the National League in on-base percentage (.416) and third in batting average (.330), with 143 hits in [...]
Stan Musial and the Cardinals’ most iconic moment
Posted in Bloggers, Games, Hitters, Pitchers on January 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »
In participation with a United Cardinal Bloggers project, here are my choices for the top 5 iconic moments in Cardinals history: 1: STAN MUSIAL’S FINAL AT-BAT What happened: In a fitting ending to an illustrious career, Stan Musial went out like he came in. Playing in his final big-league game on Sept. 29, 1963, against the Reds [...]
On 25th anniversary, top 10 facts about 1987 Cardinals
Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on January 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most remarkable teams in St. Louis history, the 1987 Cardinals. Managed by Whitey Herzog, the ’87 Cardinals overcame adversity and several back-to-the-wall predicaments to finish 95-67 (3 games ahead of the favored Mets in the National League East). The Cardinals then won the pennant by beating the Giants [...]
An interview with former Cardinals pitcher Al Jackson
Posted in Games, Pitchers on January 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Al Jackson, acquired in the trade that sent Ken Boyer to the Mets, had a positive and historical impact on the Cardinals. In his two seasons with them, Jackson, a left-handed pitcher, helped the Cardinals to a World Series title, ranked among the National League’s elite in earned run average, pitched a one-hitter and posted an overall record [...]
Will 2012 trio rate with Cardinals’ all-time switch-hitters?
Posted in Games, Hitters on December 31, 2011 | 1 Comment »
If, as expected, the Cardinals have shortstop Rafael Furcal, outfielder Carlos Beltran and first baseman Lance Berkman in their Opening Day lineup April 4 against the Marlins, it will mark the first time in 18 years St. Louis has started a season with as many as three switch-hitters among its regulars. With Joe Torre as manager, the [...]
2011: a year of titles, turnarounds, turmoil for Cardinals
Posted in Bloggers, Games, Hitters, Managers on December 29, 2011 | 1 Comment »
In participation with a United Cardinal Bloggers project, here are my picks for the top five Cardinals stories of 2011: 1. Cardinals win 11th World Series championship Winning a World Series title remains a rare and special achievement. So even in a year of major personnel news for the Cardinals (manager Tony La Russa retiring. [...]
Mike Matheny saw first-hand Carlos Beltran at his best
Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Records on December 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny should be quite familiar with the talents of his team’s most recent acquisition, outfielder Carlos Beltran. Matheny caught in all seven games (six as a starter) for St. Louis in the 2004 National League Championship Series and thus had a close-up view as Beltran, then with the Astros, produced one of the best [...]
Cardinals were victims of historic homers by Gil Hodges
Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on December 26, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Gil Hodges hit two of the most important home runs of his career against the Cardinals. Hodges, a first baseman who played 18 seasons in the big leagues with the Dodgers and Mets, fell three votes shy of being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Dec. 5 in voting by the 16-member Golden Era [...]
