RetroSimba

The 1973 Cardinals eventually reached first place after losing 12 of their first 13 games of the season.

On April 22, 1973, the Cardinals lost both games of a doubleheader, dropping their record to 1-12. Rookie Mike Schmidt’s home run off Bob Gibson with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in Game 2 broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Phillies a sweep. “I never remember being this excited about anything,” Schmidt told the Associated Press. Boxscore

St. Louis’ slow start attracted national attention. An editorial in The Sporting News noted, “There was the Card record _ won 1, lost 12, pct. .077 _ jumping out from the standings like a stink weed at a flower show. Not surprisingly, the critics were in full cry. Their blasts flooded a nightly sports talk show on a St. Louis radio station.”

Noting that the 1951 Giants started 2-12 and recovered to win the pennant, the editorial concluded, “All of which indicates it may be a little early to consign the Redbirds to the wait-til-next-year category.”

Cardinals general manager Bing Devine asked for patience. “This is a young club that will make mistakes,” he said.

St. Louis correspondent Neal Russo wrote, “There were concerns because of the early leaks in the defense, especially the outfield. In three different losses, an outfield failure proved costly. There was concern because the pitching was porous in the early going. And there was concern because of the lack of timely hitting.”

By the end of May, the Cardinals had climbed ahead of the Phillies and into fifth place at 19-25. The Cardinals won eight of their final nine games in May.

They began June by winning their first five. By June 30, the Cardinals reached .500 (37-37) and moved into second place, seven games behind the Cubs. Gibson and Reggie Cleveland each went 4-1 in June. Ted Simmons hit .333 with five home runs during the month. Joe Torre batted .302 with five homers in June.

On July 22, a Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals erased a 4-2 deficit by scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth against Dodgers reliever Jim Brewer. Simmons tied the score with a two-run single and Bernie Carbo’s RBI-double was the game-winner. The 5-4 victory moved St. Louis (51-45) into first place, a half-game ahead of the Cubs. Boxscore

Russo wrote in The Sporting News, “Excellent pitching and brilliant defense were the keys to the rebounding by a club that had been booed and vilified for the first five weeks of the season.”

Shortstop Mike Tyson, second baseman Ted Sizemore, center fielder Luis Melendez and right fielder Jose Cruz were singled out for steadying the defense.

Said manager Red Schoendienst: “Defense makes pitching.”

It appeared the Cardinals, Cubs and Pirates would battle for the division title. On the day the Cardinals moved into first place, the Mets (42-51) were in last place, 7.5 games behind St. Louis.

The Cardinals (56-48) ended July with a two-game lead over the second-place Cubs.

On Aug. 4, at New York’s Shea Stadium, Gibson injured his right knee while running the bases. He required surgery and didn’t pitch again until Sept. 29, when he beat the Phillies.

Without their ace, the Cardinals stumbled, losing 11 of 12 from Aug. 6 to Aug. 18. Yet, on Sept. 11, the Cardinals (72-72) still clung to first place by a half game over the Pirates.

The Mets, however, surged, winning 20 of their final 28. The Cardinals went 13-15 over the same period. A seven-game losing streak, during which they scored a total of 14 runs, from Sept. 7 to Sept. 15 was the Cardinals’ undoing.

Even though St. Louis finished the season with a five-game winning streak, the Mets, who took over first place Sept. 21, won the division championship with an 82-79 mark, 1.5 games ahead of the runner-up Cardinals (81-81).

Russo spoke for many when he wrote, “You could spend all fall and winter replaying those nightmarish giveaways, the games that made the difference between winning and finishing second.”