RetroSimba

In the first at-bat by a Cardinals designated hitter in a regular-season game, Dmitri Young singled to center field in the second inning against the Brewers’ Ben McDonald on June 16, 1997, at Milwaukee. The Brewers then were an American League franchise.

That successful start set the tone for what has been a well-utilized position for the Cardinals.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Cardinals designated hitters have a .321 batting average and 83 RBI in regular-season games played in American League ballparks since interleague play began in 1997. No other National League team’s designated hitters have produced more RBI and none have managed a cumulative batting average as high as .280. 

Among the best-producing DHs for the Cardinals are Albert Pujols (.360 in 12 starts), Scott Spiezio (.333 in 11 starts) and Chris Duncan (.333 in nine starts), Elias Sports Bureau reported.

Dmitri Young, a switch-hitting first baseman and outfielder, went 1-for-4 as the first Cardinals designated hitter in a regular-season game. It was his only appearance as a designated hitter that season. Boxscore

(In a 13-year big-league career with the Cardinals, Reds, Tigers and Nationals, Young went on to appear in 318 games as a designated hitter, hitting .285 with 53 home runs from that position).

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa used four players as designated hitters in the first year that National League teams were able to employ the position during the regular season at American League ballparks.

After trying Young in that first game, he played Ron Gant and Scott Livingstone at designated hitter in consecutive games at Milwaukee.

In a three-game series in August 1997 at Kansas City, La Russa exclusively used Willie McGee as designated hitter. McGee’s three-run triple in the eighth inning snapped a 6-6 tie and carried St. Louis to a 9-7 victory on Aug. 29. Boxscore

Here is how Cardinals regular-season designated hitters have fared each year:

_ 1997: .160 batting average (4-for-25), 0 home runs, 3 RBI.

_ 1998: .294 batting average (10-for-34), 0 home runs, 4 RBI.

_ 1999: .320 batting average (8-for-25), 0 home runs, 3 RBI.

_ 2000: .394 batting average (13-for-33), 3 home runs, 11 RBI.

_ 2001: .292 batting average (7-for-24), 0 home runs, 1 RBI.

_ 2002: .200 batting average (4-for-20), 1 home run, 4 RBI.

_ 2003: .424 batting average (14-for-33), 4 home runs, 10 RBI.

_ 2004: .154 batting average (4-for-26), 0 home runs, 3 RBI.

_ 2005: .429 batting average (12-for-28), 3 home runs, 10 RBI.

_ 2006: .342 batting average (13-for-38), 1 home run, 5 RBI.

_ 2007: .378 batting average (14-for-37), 2 home runs, 10 RBI.

_ 2008: .371 batting average (13-for-35), 2 home runs, 7 RBI.

_ 2009: .333 batting average (7-for-21), 2 home runs, 6 RBI.

_ 2010: .211 batting average (4-for-19), 0 home runs, 1 RBI.

_ 2011: .182 batting average (2-for-11), 1 home run, 3 RBI.

The first Cardinals designated hitter in a post-season game was Gene Tenace, who went 0-for-3, in Game 1 of the 1982 World Series. Boxscore Cardinals designated hitters batted .462 (12-for-26) in the seven-game series, playing an integral role in St. Louis winning the championship.