(Updated Sept. 10, 2022)
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 at St. Louis, Musial broke a scoreless tie in the sixth by smacking a single past second baseman Pete Rose, scoring Curt Flood. Lifted for a pinch-runner, Musial left to a thunderous ovation. He finished his final game with two hits and a RBI. Boxscore Ever consistent, Musial began his career in similar fashion, getting two hits and two RBI in his big-league debut on Sept. 17, 1941, against the Braves at St. Louis. Boxscore The Cardinals won both games by the same score: 3-2. For his career, Musial had 3,630 hits (1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road).
Why it qualifies: The final at-bat brought to a close the career of the greatest Cardinal. No Cardinal has been more outstanding.
Fun fact: After being lifted from the game, Jim Maloney, the Reds pitcher who gave up the two hits to Musial, went to the St. Louis clubhouse to seek out the retiring Cardinal and tell him, “It was a pleasure watching you play ball.”
Top quote: “It was a great day and I’m grateful that I was able to do something well in my last game.” _ Stan Musial to the Associated Press.
2: THE STRIKEOUT OF TONY LAZZERI
What happened: On Oct. 10, in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series at New York, the Cardinals led 3-2. In the seventh, the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs against starter Jesse Haines, who split a finger on his pitching hand. Cardinals manager Rogers Hornsby called on Grover Cleveland Alexander to relieve. Alexander had pitched a complete game the day before in the Cardinals’ Game 6 victory. Boxscore In the book “The Glory of Their Times,” Cardinals catcher Bob O’Farrell said Alexander was “tight asleep in the bullpen, sleeping off the night before,” when Hornsby called him into Game 7.
Facing rookie Tony Lazzeri, who had 18 home runs and 114 RBI that season, Alexander struck him out on four pitches. Alexander shut down the Yankees with 2.1 hitless innings, earning a save to go with two World Series wins and preserving the 3-2 St. Louis victory. Boxscore
Why it qualifies: By defeating the Yankees and winning their first World Series championship, the Cardinals transformed from a perennial also-ran into an elite franchise in the National League.
Fun fact: Alexander faced seven batters in Game 7. None of the first six hit the ball out of the infield. The seventh, Babe Ruth, walked with two outs in the ninth and was thrown out attempting to steal.
Catcher Bob O’Farrell, who fired the ball to Hornsby at second to nab Ruth, told author Lawrence Ritter, “I wondered why Ruth tried to steal second there. A year or two later, I went on a barnstorming trip with the Babe and I asked him. Ruth said he thought Alexander had forgotten he was there. Also, that the way Alexander was pitching they’d never get two hits in a row off him, so he better get in position to score if they got one. Maybe that was good thinking and maybe not. In any case, I had him out a mile at second.”
Top quote: “I knew he was all rattled and nervous and would go after anything, so I gave him a low curve a foot and a half from the plate and he swung and missed.” _ Grover Cleveland Alexander to The Sporting News, describing the pitch on which he struck out Tony Lazzeri.
3: DAVID FREESE’S HOME RUN
What happened: On Oct. 27, in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series at St. Louis, third baseman David Freese, whose two-out, two-run triple in the ninth tied the score, delivered a game-winning home run to lead off the 11th. The Cardinals rallied from deficits of 1-0, 3-2, 4-3, 7-4 and 9-7 against the Rangers to win 10-9 in 11 innings. St. Louis became the first team to score in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings of a World Series game. The Cardinals were within one strike of elimination in the ninth and 10th innings, and survived. Boxscore
Why it qualifies: The home run capped the most dramatic World Series comeback victory in Cardinals history. It advanced the Cardinals to Game 7 and they clinched their 11th World Series title.
Fun fact: Freese became the fourth Cardinal to receive the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, joining pitcher Bob Gibson (1964 and 1967), catcher Darrell Porter (1982) and shortstop David Eckstein (2006).
Top quote: “Your Game 6 performance, David, will turn out to be one for the ages.” _ Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, in presenting the World Series MVP Award to David Freese.
4: ENOS SLAUGHTER’S DASH TO HOME PLATE
What happened: On Oct. 15, in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 1946 World Series at St. Louis, the Cardinals’ Enos Slaughter was on first base with two outs and the score tied, 3-3. Harry Walker hit a line drive that fell into left-center, where Leon Culberson (who had replaced an injured Dom DiMaggio) retrieved the ball and threw to the cutoff man, shortstop Johnny Pesky. Slaughter rounded third and slid home safely, beating Pesky’s throw. The daring baserunning gave the Cardinals a 4-3 victory and the championship. Boxscore
Why it qualifies: Slaughter’s hustle symbolized the smart and sound Cardinals teams that dominated the National League in the 1940s. The Cardinals won four pennants and three World Series championships in the decade and finished second five times.
Fun fact: Slaughter credited third-base coach Mike Gonzalez for waving him to home plate as soon as he reached third. It was redemption for Gonzalez, who was criticized after Game 4 when two Cardinals baserunners he waved home were thrown out at the plate.
Top quote: “They say if Pesky hadn’t held the throw I would have been out by a country mile. I don’t know about that. I know the throw to the plate was a little wide, up the third-base line. I also know I had to score.” _ Enos Slaughter to International News Service.
5: OZZIE SMITH’S HOME RUN
What happened: In Game 5 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series on Oct. 14, 1985, at St. Louis, Ozzie Smith snapped a 2-2 tie with a home run in the ninth against Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer, giving St. Louis a 3-2 victory. Boxscore It was the first home run Smith hit left-handed in eight years as a big-leaguer.
Why it qualifies: The blast (along with broadcaster Jack Buck’s memorable call of “Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!”) symbolized the spirit of manager Whitey Herzog’s 1980s Cardinals clubs and helped clinch Smith’s reputation as a Hall of Famer.
Fun fact: Niedenfuer said the pitch was supposed to be up and in to Smith, but instead was down and in. That mistake enabled Smith to drop the head of the bat on the ball and golf it over the right-field wall.
Top quote: “All I was trying to do was get the ball down the line, into the corner. Fortunately, I got enough to put it out. It was exciting.” _ Ozzie Smith to the Associated Press.
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Great list and great memories. I would rank Jack Clark’s series-winning homer in the 9th in game 6 of the 1985 NLCS just above Ozzie’s. Smith’s was more unexpected and perhaps more memorable, but Clark’s was even bigger. The Cards did not want to play game 7 at LA with the pennant on the line. Lasorda should have walked Jack the Ripper lol.
Thanks for the feedback. The home run by Jack Clark is one of my favorites. It was like a lightning bolt in terms of its shocking, devastating impact.
Yes I agree, one of my favorites too. Especially back when the Cardinals did not hit many home runs…
On a somewhat related note, I was also at the game in Cincinnati, I believe it was 1997, when Ray Lankford hit not one but TWO upper deck right field homers at RIverfront Stadium, an unheard of feat. Might be a good future article topic. I am pretty sure Alan Benes pitched.
I was also supposed to go to the doubleheader game where Mark Whiten hit 4 homers at Riverfront, but it was too far for a weeknight trip. Listened to it on the radio.
I attended the first game of that Sept. 7, 1993, doubleheader at Riverfront as a fan. I was distraught after watching the Cardinals blow a 13-9 eighth-inning lead and lose, 14-13, in the opener. Uncharacteristically, I left and went home. Imagine my shock and angst when I turned on WLW and listened to Mark Whiten have his 4-HR, 12-RBI game in the nightcap. I should have witnessed it, but didn’t, because that first game sent me reeling. I saved the ticket stubs, though.
I think Lazzeri just missed hitting a grand slam when Alexander came in as a reliever in game 7 in 1926. He crushed one down the line that just went foul, missing a GS by a few feet. I think Ruth being thrown out to end game 7 in 1926 is the only time a World Series has ended in that fashion.
Correct on both accounts. On the Lazzeri foul ball, Bob Broeg wrote that Alexander tried to throw a pitch up and in to move Lazzeri back but it caught too much of the plate. On Ruth’s steal attempt, Broeg wrote that Alexander used a short delivery and catcher Bob O’Farrell had a terrific arm. Rogers Hornsby applied the tag and called it “the biggest thrill of my baseball career.”
One of my favorite moments is overlooked because it was regular-season, but Terry Pendleton hit a game-tying home run vs. the Mets at Shea Stadium in September 1987. The Cardinals eventually won, and they went on to win the division. It was great because the home run quieted a raucous NY crowd.
Thanks, Dave. Good one. I can remember where I was when Terry Pendleton hit that home run, so, yes, that qualifies as iconic. I vividly recall how it appeared the Mets were about to overtake and zoom past the Cardinals in the division race until Pendleton hit that 11th-hour shot off Roger McDowell.
Great list! Of course the Pujols home run off Lidge in game 5 of the 2005 NLCS is very memorable. Unfortunately, the Cards couldn’t win game 6 so it loses some of its luster.
Yes, so many big moments to choose from. The home run by Jack Clark in Game 6 of 1985 NL Championship Series vs. Dodgers comes to mind, too.