(Updated April 27, 2020)
Duke Snider had one of the most productive performances of his career in the same game Stan Musial achieved a slugging milestone.
On June 3, 1955, Snider went 4-for-5 with five RBI and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 12-5 victory over the Cardinals at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.
In the same game, Musial hit his 300th career home run _ a three-run shot off Johnny Podres in the fifth. Boxscore
Snider batted .300 in his career against the Cardinals, with 60 home runs and 189 RBI.
In his book “Stan Musial: The Man’s Own Story,” Musial said, “After he learned the strike zone in the majors, the Duke became one of the great sluggers of our era. He couldn’t hit the high and tight pitch early, but he learned to lay off it. He had great power, though he didn’t like to hit against left-handers. He was a fine outfielder with a good arm and good speed.”
In choosing his all-time National League all-star team, Musial selected Willie Mays in center, Hank Aaron in right and Duke Snider in left. “In the outfield, I hated most to leave off Enos Slaughter,” Musial said, “but I just couldn’t pass up Duke Snider for left field.”
Musial said with Snider in center, Carl Furillo in right and Andy Pafko in left “the Dodgers had the best-throwing outfield I ever saw.”
On July 16, 1950, at St. Louis, Snider went 5-for-5 with three RBI, three runs scored, a walk and a stolen base in the Dodgers’ 10-2 victory over the Cardinals. Boxscore
In 1961, Snider was involved in two rough-and-tumble incidents involving Cardinals pitchers Larry Jackson and Bob Gibson.
While facing the Cardinals in a spring training exhibition game, Snider shattered his bat on a slider from Jackson. The ball struck Jackson on the backside and the bat hit him in the jaw.
In his book “The Duke of Flatbush,” Snider said, “I reached first base, but Jackson was still on the ground, seriously injured. His jaw was broken … I felt awful about it, but that’s one of the occupational hazards of pitching.”
A few weeks later, April 17, 1961, in a game between the Cardinals and Dodgers in Los Angeles, Snider hit a two-run home run against Gibson in the third inning. Boxscore
“I knew what would happen next … Word was already around the league that he had that mean streak that so many good pitchers have,” Snider said.
When Snider came to bat in the fifth, a Gibson fastball struck him in the elbow.
In the book, “We Would Have Played For Nothing,” Snider told former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent, “He threw a 95 mph fastball right at my ribs. I put my right elbow down to protect my ribs and it hit me right on the bone.”
When he tried to bat again in the seventh, Snider “felt a sharp pain in that right elbow, like someone jabbing a needle in there” and was lifted for a pinch-hitter.
The elbow was fractured and Snider was sidelined for a month.
“It’s the only time I was ever on the disabled list,” Snider said. “I know that Bob Gibson has told people he never threw at a player on purpose. Bob Gibson is a nice guy, but he stretches the truth a little bit once in a while.”
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