RetroSimba

Jerry Lynch, one of the premier pinch-hitters in National League history, had more career hits, including two of his most dramatic, against the Cardinals than any other team.

A career .277 batter in 13 big-league seasons (1954-66) with the Pirates and Reds, Lynch hit .301 with 16 home runs against the Cardinals. His 128 hits off St. Louis pitching were his most against any opponent.

A left-handed batter, Lynch especially enjoyed hitting in Sportsman’s Park (Busch Stadium I). His batting average in that St. Louis ballpark was .321 (71-for-221).

In 1961, when Lynch helped the Reds to their first NL pennant in 21 years, he had a .404 batting average as a pinch-hitter (19-for-47), with five home runs. Against the Cardinals that season, Lynch hit .333 (10-for-30) overall, with two homers.

Lynch retired as the major league career leader in pinch-hit homers (18). He had broken the big-league record of 14 established by ex-Cardinal George Crowe. Though his big-league mark since has been surpassed by Matt Stairs (23 pinch-hit homers) and Cliff Johnson (20), Lynch’s 18 pinch-hit homers remain the NL record.

Lynch, an outfielder, hit two big-league grand slams _ both against the Cardinals.

The first occurred on Aug. 7, 1960, in the opener of a doubleheader at St. Louis. Lynch hit an eighth-inning grand slam off reliever Ron Kline, helping the Reds to an 18-4 victory. (Kline and Lynch had been Pirates teammates and eventually became business partners). Boxscore

Four years later, July 21, 1964, at St. Louis, Lynch hit a fifth-inning grand slam against reliever Ron Taylor, lifting the Pirates to an 8-4 triumph. Boxscore

Lynch had at least three other significant hitting performances against the Cardinals.

Twice in 1959 Lynch had four-hit games against St. Louis.

On June 28, 1959, Lynch, batting third and playing left field, was 4-for-5 with two doubles and a RBI for the Reds in the Cardinals’ 11-8 victory in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Cincinnati. Boxscore

Less than three weeks later, Lynch, batting fifth and playing left field, went 4-for-5 with four RBI, including a two-run homer off Ernie Broglio, in the Reds’ 7-5 win at St. Louis on July 16, 1959. Boxscore

In the May 1959 edition of Baseball Digest, Si Burick wrote of Lynch:

He was an outfielder who performed atrociously on defense. He moved uncertainly after fly balls. He wasn’t adept at fielding ground balls. He had just a fair arm. What kept him in business was his bat. Even when he wasn’t hitting for an average, he swung with an authority that was recognized by all who saw him.

Lynch hit Bob Gibson well. He was 18-for-58 (.310) against the Cardinals ace. In the last game he started for the Reds, Lynch drove in three and hit two doubles, both against Gibson, in Cincinnati’s 10-6 victory at St. Louis on May 19, 1963. Boxscore

Four days later, the Reds traded Lynch to the Pirates for outfielder Bob Skinner (who would play for the Cardinals from 1964-66 and help them to a World Series title).

Lynch had started his big-league career with the Pirates in 1954 before being acquired by Cincinnati in December 1956. After receiving word he had been reacquired by Pittsburgh in May 1963, Lynch told The Sporting News, “I sure was surprised.”

After his playing career, Lynch co-owned a golf course in Pennsylvania with former Cardinals shortstop Dick Groat.

Previously: George Crowe: mentor to Curt Flood