RetroSimba

The return of Nolan Ryan to the 2014 Astros as an executive adviser got me thinking about his days as a pitcher and his duels against the Cardinals.

In researching which Cardinals had the most success against Ryan, I discovered Ted Simmons (.353 career batting average versus Ryan), Joe Torre (.318), Lou Brock (.263 with 11 walks) and Ken Reitz (.385) did well against the right-hander who has 324 wins and is the all-time leader in strikeouts (5,714).

The Cardinals hitter who tormented Ryan the most, though, was Lonnie Smith.

A right-handed batter, Smith has the best career batting average and best career on-base percentage of any hitter with at least 30 plate appearances against Ryan. Smith hit . 500 (12-for-24) with five walks versus Ryan. He also twice was hit by Ryan pitches. Smith’s on-base percentage against Ryan is .613.

(In a 27-year major-league pitching career, Ryan held opponents to a .204 batting average and a .307 on-base percentage.)

Cardinals catalyst

In four seasons (1982-85) with the Cardinals, Smith hit .556 (10-for-18) against Ryan, who was with the Astros then. (Ryan spent more seasons with the Astros, nine, than he did with the Mets, Angels and Rangers.)

Smith had eight singles, a double, a home run, four walks and twice was hit by pitches in seven games with the Cardinals against Ryan. Smith is part of the reason Ryan posted a losing career record (10-13) versus the Cardinals.

The first and last games Smith played as a Cardinal versus Ryan may have been the most significant.

In his first regular-season game with the Cardinals, April 6, 1982, at Houston, Smith was hit by a pitch from Ryan to lead off the game. He triggered a five-run inning against the Astros ace. Smith singled in two more plate appearances before Ryan was lifted after three innings. The Cardinals opened with a 14-3 victory, foreshadowing a season that would yield their first World Series title in 15 years. Boxscore

“I felt like I had good stuff, but my location wasn’t there,” Ryan told the Port Arthur News after the game. “I never did get the ball down and get ahead of the hitters. Nothing I did was right. The only thing that looked reasonable was the change-up … I started over-striding. I never could do anything with my curve or my fastball.”

Smith stunner

Two years later, Aug. 31, 1984, in his final appearance as a Cardinal against Ryan, Smith, batting fifth instead of his customary leadoff spot, hit a grand slam in the first inning, launching the Cardinals to a 7-5 victory over the Astros at St. Louis. Boxscore

The grand slam was Smith’s first home run in two months (since June 28 off Mark Thurmond of the Padres) and his first with a runner on base in two years (since Aug. 14, 1982, off John Candelaria of the Pirates).

It also was the second of three grand slams Smith would hit in his major-league career. (Smith’s first grand slam was against Rick Rhoden of the 1982 Pirates and his last was off Roger Mason of the 1992 Pirates.)

Ryan hadn’t given up a grand slam in seven years (to Pat Kelly of the 1977 Orioles) until Smith delivered his stunning shot.

“You’ve got to give them credit,” Astros manager Bob Lillis said to the Associated Press of the Cardinals. “They hit with men on base and that’s what it takes.”

Previously: Steve Carlton vs. Nolan Ryan: fateful 1971 finale of aces

Previously: How Lonnie Smith came clean with the Cardinals