RetroSimba

(Updated Dec. 14, 2021)

Of the eight big-league players who have achieved 300 career home runs and 300 career stolen bases, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Carlos Beltran are the ones who have been Cardinals.

In alphabetical order, the players in the 300/300 club are:

_ Carlos Beltran, 20 seasons, 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases.

_ Barry Bonds, 22 seasons, 762 home runs, 514 stolen bases.

_ Bobby Bonds, 14 seasons, 332 home runs, 461 stolen bases.

_ Andre Dawson, 21 seasons, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases.

_ Steve Finley, 19 seasons, 304 home runs, 320 stolen bases.

_ Willie Mays, 22 seasons, 660 home runs, 338 stolen bases.

_ Alex Rodriguez, 22 seasons, 696 home runs, 329 stolen bases.

_ Reggie Sanders, 17 seasons, 305 home runs, 304 stolen bases.

To put into perspective how difficult it is to reach 300 homers and 300 steals, two standouts who performed for the Cardinals, Stan Musial and Rogers Hornsby, didn’t come close. Musial had 475 home runs and 78 steals in 22 seasons. Hornsby had 301 home runs and 135 steals in 23 seasons.

Two former Cardinals who did come close to the achievement were outfielders Vada Pinson and Ray Lankford. Pinson had 256 home runs and 305 steals in 18 seasons. Lankford had 238 home runs and 258 steals in 14 seasons.

Beltran hit his 300th home run on Sept. 14, 2011, while playing for the Giants against the Padres at San Francisco. After hitting a solo homer off Mat Latos in the first inning for No. 299, Beltran hit another solo shot off Latos into McCovey Cove in the sixth inning. Boxscore

“It means a lot for me, actually,” Beltran said to the Associated Press after the game. “Thank God for that, being able to play this game for a long time. Three-hundred, for a guy from Manati, Puerto Rico, a small town, it’s good.”

Sanders signed with the Cardinals as a free-agent replacement for the traded J.D. Drew in December 2003, choosing St. Louis over the Tigers because he wanted to remain in the National League. The outfielder said, “I think it’s going to be an amazing two years.”

Jim Molony, writing for MLB.com about the signing, said of Sanders, “The guy hits, is a winner and has been a good fit in every clubhouse he’s been in.”

In two seasons (2004-2005) with the Cardinals, Sanders had 43 home runs and 35 steals and helped St. Louis qualify for the postseason in both years. He hit 22 home runs with 21 stolen bases in 2004, and 21 home runs with 14 stolen bases in 2005.

When he left the Cardinals after the 2005 season to sign with the Royals, Sanders had 292 home runs and 297 steals. He reached the 300 mark in each category while with the 2006 Royals.

Sanders’ 300th stolen base occurred on May 1, 2006, at Detroit. In the fourth inning, Sanders swiped second against the battery of pitcher Jeremy Bonderman and catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Boxscore

On June 10, 2006, Sanders hit his 300th home run, a two-run shot in the ninth inning against Tampa Bay reliever Chad Harville at Kansas City. Boxscore

After achieving 300/300, Sanders said, “I started thinking about where I came from, Florence, South Carolina, and where I am today. It shows the perseverance through the good and the bad. The home runs are tougher than the stolen bases. If you’ve got speed, you’ve got speed. Home runs are mistakes. I’ve been able to hit 300 mistakes.”

Bobby Bonds, who spent most of his career with the Giants, played one season (1980) with the Cardinals, contributing five home runs and 15 steals for them.

Previously: Reds-Cardinals: Easter night to remember