Warren Spahn and Ferguson Jenkins, both destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame, had prominent links to Cardinals pitcher Chris Zachary.
Spahn managed Zachary in the minors and recommended him to the Cardinals.
Jenkins was the foe Zachary outdueled when he pitched the best game of his major-league career.
On May 27, 1971, Zachary pitched a two-hit shutout for the Cardinals against the Cubs. The gem was the highlight for Zachary during the season he spent as a member of the Cardinals’ starting rotation.
Welcome to The Show
Born and raised in Knoxville, Tenn., Zachary signed with the Houston Colt .45s after he graduated from high school in June 1962.
A right-hander, Zachary was 19 when he made his major-league debut on Thursday night April 11, 1963, against the Giants at Houston. Entering in the ninth, with the Giants ahead 4-1, the first batter Zachary faced was Willie Mays.
Colt Stadium had poor lighting and created dark spots on the field. Hoping to make Mays uncomfortable, catcher Jim Campbell said to him, “This kid is the wildest son of a gun I’ve ever caught,” The Sporting News reported.
As he settled into the batter’s box, Mays replied, “Man, are you putting me on?”
“No, that’s the truth,” Campbell said.
Mays stepped in front of the plate and yelled to Zachary, “Hey, kid, can you see me all right?”
Zachary had no trouble with his vision, but may not have believed what he was seeing: The first three batters he faced in the majors all were headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
After Mays drew a walk, Willie McCovey singled and Orlando Cepeda followed with a three-run home run. Boxscore
Trials and tribulations
From 1963-68, Zachary shuttled back and forth between Houston and the minors. He lost 16 of 22 decisions with Houston.
In 11 appearances, including four starts, for Houston against the Cardinals, Zachary was 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA. He held the Cardinals to a run in 5.1 innings and got the win on Sept. 6, 1966. Boxscore
The Astros were shut out in Zachary’s two losses to the Cardinals. Ray Sadecki and Hal Woodeshick combined for a shutout in 1965. Boxscore. Al Jackson pitched a one-hitter in 1967. Boxscore
Zachary was acquired by the Royals in October 1968. He spent most of the 1969 season in the minors and was back there again in 1970.
On July 1, 1970, the Cardinals traded reliever Ted Abernathy for Zachary and assigned him to their Tulsa affiliate. “I didn’t think it was a break because all I was doing was switching triple-A clubs,” Zachary said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Chance to shine
In April 1971, the Cardinals became disenchanted with starting pitcher Mike Torrez and sought a replacement. Tulsa manager Warren Spahn suggested Zachary, who was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts for the farm club in 1971.
“Spahn said Zachary was as good as a lot of pitchers in the big leagues right now, and better than a lot of them,” Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst told the Post-Dispatch.
Zachary, 27, got his first win for the Cardinals on May 22, 1971, in a start against the Padres at St. Louis. Boxscore
It was his first win in the majors since 1967 when he beat the Mets as an Astro.
A week after the win over the Padres, the Chicago Tribune described Zachary as “sensational” in his shutout of the Cubs. He retired the first eight batters before Ferguson Jenkins doubled. The only other Cubs hit was a single by ex-Cardinal Chris Cannizzaro in the sixth. Zachary retired the last 12 batters “to finish a humiliating evening” for the Cubs, the Tribune reported. Boxscore
“I feel I finally know how to pitch after nine years,” Zachary told the Post-Dispatch. “I was just a thrower when I was with Houston. I’m just glad I got a second and third chance. Some guys don’t get those extra chances.”
The good vibes didn’t last long. Zachary was 0-4 with a 9.37 ERA for the month of June. His last win for the Cardinals came in relief against the Expos on July 23 at Montreal. Boxscore
Zachary finished 3-10 with a 5.32 ERA for the 1971 Cardinals. He was 2-8 with a 5.98 ERA in 12 starts and 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 11 relief appearances.
Time to go
After the season, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine informed Zachary the club intended to remove him from the big-league roster to make room for younger prospects. According to the Detroit Free Press, Zachary said he would prefer to be traded and Devine promised to try to make a deal.
In December 1971, the Cardinals traded Zachary to the Tigers for pitcher Bill Denehy. Zachary opened the 1972 season in the minors, but got called up to the Tigers in May and helped them win a division title. In 24 relief appearances, Zachary was 1-0 with a 0.81 ERA and one save. He also made a start and lost.
Zachary made one more stop in the majors, with the 1973 Pirates. After his playing career, he owned a miniature horse farm in Tennessee.
RetroSimba 
Chris Zachery also picked up two hits against Jenkins. In fact, the year he was with us he batted .242 . If any one is interested you can see his brief appearance in game 2 of the 1972 ALCS on MLB1 Classic. Billy Martin brings him in around the 53:00 minute mark.
Thanks, Phillip. Your comment prompted me to look into the 15 hits Chris Zachary got as a big-league hitter. Four came against Hall of Famers: Ferguson Jenkins (2), Tom Seaver (1), Phil Niekro (1).