Enos Slaughter and the Cardinals tried to intimidate Danny Murtaugh and the Pirates, but the tactic backfired.
On Sept. 5, 1949, at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, Slaughter slashed Murtaugh in the chest with his spikes while sliding into second base in an unsuccessful effort to break up a double play.
Murtaugh, a former Cardinals prospect, considered the rough contact unnecessary because he had thrown the ball to the first baseman before Slaughter arrived at second.
Slaughter’s spikes-high slide shook the Pirates from a slumber.
Head hunters
On April 27, 1949, during a 7-1 Pirates victory at St. Louis, Cardinals pitchers twice hit leadoff batter Stan Rojek with pitches. The second one, by reliever Ken Johnson, beaned Rojek. The Pirates “thought it was deliberate,” according to the Pittsburgh Press. Boxscore
Rojek was sidelined for a week and the Pirates lost eight of their next nine.
Five months later, when they went to St. Louis for a Labor Day doubleheader, the Pirates (57-71) were 23.5 games behind the first-place Cardinals (81-48).
In the first game of the doubleheader, Slaughter produced a triple, home run and five RBI, carrying the Cardinals to a 9-1 triumph and handing the Pirates their eighth consecutive loss. Boxscore
Rough stuff
In the second inning of the second game, Nippy Jones led off with a single. Slaughter hit a grounder to the second baseman, Murtaugh, who fielded it cleanly but bobbled the ball as he started to throw. The error allowed Slaughter to reach first and moved Jones to third with none out.
Marty Marion batted next and hit a grounder to third baseman Eddie Bockman. As Jones held third, Bockman fired a throw to Murtaugh at second.
Murtaugh caught the ball on the bag for the forceout of Slaughter, pivoted and threw to first baseman Jack Phillips in time to complete the double play. Murtaugh’s throw “barely missed Enos’ head,” according to the St. Louis Star-Times.
Slaughter, who had gone into his slide, raised his feet high and crashed hard into Murtaugh, who was cut “across the right side of his chest,” drawing blood, the Pittsburgh Press reported.
Slaughter got up, dusted himself off, said nothing to Murtaugh and trotted into the Cardinals’ dugout along the third-base line.
Murtaugh “didn’t realize he was bleeding until he put his hands inside his shirt,” the Pittsburgh Press observed.
Sticks and stones
Incensed, Murtaugh shouted at Slaughter in words “too hot to handle or to take without retort,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Slaughter motioned for Murtaugh to come over to the dugout and fight. Murtaugh tossed his glove aside and moved rapidly toward Slaughter, who emerged onto the field.
Jones alertly left the third-base bag and clamped his arms around Murtaugh to keep him from pursuing Slaughter. Members of the Cardinals stopped Slaughter from proceeding.
No one was ejected because “nothing more harmful than expressive nouns and adjectives” were exchanged, the St. Louis Star-Times noted.
Murtaugh was given first aid in the Pirates’ dugout and insisted on staying in the game.
The Pirates built a 4-0 lead before the Cardinals fought back, tied the score and forced extra innings.
Sweet revenge
With one out and none on in the 10th, Murtaugh lashed a double into right-center. Ed Fitz Gerald ran for him and scored when Rojek doubled with two outs, giving the Pirates a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, Slaughter led off, singled and moved to second on Marty Marion’s sacrifice bunt, but Vic Lombardi got the next two batters to ground out, sealing the win. Boxscore
Three weeks later, the first-place Cardinals held a 1.5-game lead over the Dodgers when they went to Pittsburgh for a two-game series with the Pirates.
Still steaming from the beaning of Rojek and the spiking of Murtaugh, the Pirates won both games, 6-4 on Sept. 27 and 7-2 on Sept. 29, knocking the Cardinals from first place.
The Cardinals went on to Chicago for a season-ending series with the Cubs, lost two of three and finished in second, a game behind the champion Dodgers.
Murtaugh began his professional career in the Cardinals’ organization, but never played for their big-league club. He spent five seasons (1937-41) in the Cardinals’ farm system.
On June 28, 1941, the Cardinals sold Murtaugh’s contract to the Phillies. Five years later, the Cardinals reacquired Murtaugh, but sent him to their farm club at Rochester, where he batted .322. After the season, the Braves selected Murtaugh in the Rule 5 draft.
Murtaugh finished his big-league playing career with the Pirates. He hit .290 for them in 1948 and .294 in 1950.
In 1957, Murtaugh became the Pirates’ manager. He managed them for 15 seasons and led them to World Series championships in 1960 and 1971.
RetroSimba 
I’ve always thought that Murtaugh’s managing career is an impressive-enough resume’ for his membership in the Hall of Fame.
Yes, he won big in different decades with different styles of teams and adapted well to changes in the game.
Very interesting. He was my favorite Cardinal in times long ago. “Country” Slaughter was one tough player, especially during the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Thanks for posting the article.
Thanks for the feedback. It is amazing what Enos Slaughter was able to accomplish in his baseball career, even with missing 3 years in his prime to serve in the military during World War II.
Twenty two years later, almost to the same day, the Pittsburgh Pirates, under Danny Murtaugh, would field the first all minority starting lineup in MLB history.
Yes, that occurred on Sept. 1, 1971, when the Pirates, on the path to a World Series championship, played the Phillies and had a starting lineup of Rennie Stennett, Gene Clines, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillen, Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Jackie Hernandez and Dock Ellis.