RetroSimba

In the thick of a pennant race, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog put pitcher Todd Worrell in right field in the ninth inning of a one-run game.

The move worked.

Ken Dayley, brought in to relieve Worrell and pitch to one batter, got an out. Worrell then returned to the mound and retired the last two batters, earning a save and preserving a Cardinals victory over the Phillies at St. Louis.

Herzog’s unorthodox maneuvering displayed the creativity and courage that helped make him a championship manager with the Cardinals. It also showed the confidence Herzog had in his players.

Mix and match

On Sept. 22, 1987, the Cardinals were looking to build their lead in the National League East Division with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Cardinals starter Danny Cox was matched against Shane Rawley of the Phillies.

With the Cardinals ahead, 3-1, Worrell relieved Cox with two outs, one on, in the eighth and retired Chris James on a force play.

In the ninth, Mike Schmidt led off with a home run against Worrell, getting the Phillies within a run at 3-2.

With Von Hayes, a left-handed batter with extra-base potential, up next, Herzog brought in Dayley, a left-handed pitcher, to face him.

Herzog wanted to keep Worrell in the game because Rick Schu, a right-handed batter, followed Hayes in the order. Herzog removed right fielder Lance Johnson and replaced him with Worrell.

Stand and watch

“I think Todd’s my best right fielder,” Herzog said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “No kidding. He can play the … outfield.”

Said Cardinals second baseman Tommy Herr: “Todd is a good outfielder. He shags balls before the game and looks good. It’s not like he doesn’t have a clue out there.”

Still, Dayley didn’t want Hayes to pull a ball into right field. He threw pitches down and away. Hayes chased after those and struck out.

With that mission accomplished, Herzog lifted Dayley, put Worrell back to pitch and brought in outfielder John Morris off the bench to play right field.

“I didn’t get to use my blazing speed,” Worrell said of his uneventful stint in right.

Keep ’em guessing

It was the third time Herzog as Cardinals manager had sent a pitcher to the outfield, but the first time he brought that player back to the mound. In each of the other two times, the inning ended with the pitcher in the outfield.

“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else pops up,” Morris said.

When Dayley returned to the dugout, pitcher Bob Forsch asked him, “How does it feel to be replaced by the right fielder?”

Worrell got Schu to ground out for the second out of the inning. The next batter, Darren Daulton, lined out to shortstop Ozzie Smith.

The 3-2 victory gave the Cardinals four wins in a row and moved them 3.5 games ahead of the second-place Mets with 12 to play. Boxscore

Previously: Needing a strike for a save, Ken Dayley got hook instead