Bob Humphreys, a reliever for the 1964 World Series championship Cardinals, played a significant role in the professional baseball development of catcher Mike Matheny.
Matheny was drafted by the Brewers in 1991, played in their minor-league system and made his big-league debut with Milwaukee in 1994. He played for the Cardinals from 2000-2004 and was their manager from 2012-2018.
Humphreys was among his most influential Brewers instructors, Matheny told MLB.com. Humphreys was the Brewers’ coordinator of player development from 1984-94 and their coordinator of pitching and field development from 1994-95.
In 1964, Humphreys played a role in helping the Cardinals win the National League pennant and World Series title. Called up to St. Louis from Class AAA Jacksonville in July, the right-handed reliever went 2-0 with two saves and a 2.53 ERA in 28 appearances for the 1964 Cardinals.
Both of Humphreys’ wins occurred in September, when the Cardinals compiled a 21-8 record and overcame the first-place Phillies.
Humphreys was acquired by the Cardinals from the Tigers in a cash transaction in March 1963. He had the inscription “You can’t make it” on his glove as a motivational reminder of what the Tigers told him when he left their organization.
Humphreys started the 1963 season with Class AAA Atlanta and was 5-1 with a 1.13 ERA as a reliever before getting promoted to the Cardinals in late May.
He featured an unusual side-saddle windup, pumping two or three times with both hands to one side of his body.
In Humphrey’s second appearance for the Cardinals, on June 2, 1963, at St. Louis, he gave up home runs to Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. The home run by Mays hit the scoreboard in left field and traveled about 480 feet, according to The Sporting News. Boxscore
Humphreys spent most of the rest of the 1963 season on the Cardinals’ disabled list. In nine games for the 1963 Cardinals, Humphreys was 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA.
When the Cardinals sent Humphreys to Jacksonville at the end of spring training in 1964, he said he was tempted to quit baseball. Instead, he posted a 6-2 record and 3.07 ERA in 26 games for Jacksonville.
Along with Barney Schultz and Gordon Richardson, Humphreys helped revamp the Cardinals’ bullpen in the second half of the 1964 season.
“I didn’t think I’d get another chance up here after spring training,” Humphreys said in an August 1964 interview distributed by the Associated Press. “I allowed only one run in 9.1 innings and still didn’t make the team. I was going to quit if I didn’t get a chance to pitch more at Jacksonville.”
On Sept. 6, 1964, Humphreys, 29, earned his first big-league win. Facing the Cubs in St. Louis, the Cardinals scored twice in the ninth, tying the score at 4-4. In the 10th, Cardinals reliever Mike Cuellar yielded a walk and a double to the first two batters and was lifted for Humphreys.
After issuing an intentional walk to Ron Santo, loading the bases with none out, Humphreys retired Ernie Banks and Jimmy Stewart on forceouts and struck out Len Gabrielson without allowing a run.
In the 11th, Humphreys executed a successful sacrifice bunt, moving Tim McCarver to second and setting up Lou Brock for a game-winning single. Boxscore
“If I have to wait as long for my second big-league win as I did for my first, I’ll be an old man,” Humphreys said.
Three days later, Sept. 9, 1964, against the first-place Phillies at Philadelphia, Humphreys recorded his second win, along with his first major-league hit and first major-league RBI. The Cardinals scored twice in the ninth, tying the score at 5-5. Humphreys relieved and pitched two scoreless innings. In the 11th, the Cardinals scored five times for a 10-5 victory. Humphreys’ single scored Julian Javier from second with the final run. Boxscore
Humphreys appeared once for the Cardinals in the 1964 World Series against the Yankees and pitched a scoreless inning in Game 6. Boxscore
In April 1965, the Cardinals traded Humphreys to the Cubs for infielder Bobby Pfeil and pitcher Hal Gilson.
Humphreys pitched nine years in the big leagues for the Tigers, Cardinals, Cubs, Senators and Brewers, posting a 27-21 record, with 20 saves and a 3.36 ERA. From 1974-78, he was head baseball coach at Virginia Tech.
Humphreys returned to professional baseball as minor-league pitching coordinator for the Blue Jays. After five seasons with Toronto, he began his long run in player development with the Brewers.
In 2002, after a stint coaching his alma mater (Hampden-Sydney College), Humphreys returned to the Cardinals’ organization. He was the Cardinals’ minor-league field coordinator from 2002-2004 when Matheny was the Cardinals’ catcher.
Previously: Cardinals can thank Pat Hentgen for Mike Matheny
Leave a comment