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Catching competition: Chris Cannizzaro vs. Tim McCarver

Posted in Games, Hitters on January 4, 2017| Leave a Comment »

In 1960, the Cardinals had two prized prospects, Chris Cannizzaro and Tim McCarver, competing to become heir apparent to Hal Smith as starting catcher.

chris_cannizaroMcCarver got to the big leagues first _ for eight September games with St. Louis in 1959 _ but Cannizzaro gained an edge when he earned a spot on the Cardinals’ 1960 Opening Day roster and McCarver was sent to the minor leagues.

Though Cannizzaro was a strong thrower, he couldn’t hit as well as McCarver. By the end of the 1961 season, the Cardinals had made their decision: McCarver would stay and Cannizzaro would go.

McCarver became the Cardinals’ everyday catcher in 1963 and developed into a standout who played a key role in helping St. Louis win three National League pennants and two World Series titles in the 1960s.

Cannizzaro built a 13-year career in the big leagues and was best known as being a catcher for two NL expansion teams: 1962 Mets and 1969 Padres.

Good impression

Cannizzaro, son of a police officer, was a top athlete in San Leandro, Calif., near Oakland, and played youth baseball against future Cardinals teammates Curt Flood and Ernie Broglio.

Cannizzaro received baseball scholarship offers from schools such as Stanford and Arizona, but signed with St. Louis after graduating from high school in 1956 because “I felt I could advance fastest with the Cardinals,” Cannizzaro told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In 1958, playing for manager Johnny Keane at Class AAA Omaha, Cannizzaro hit .272 in 110 games and established himself as a premier prospect.

At spring training in 1960, Cannizzaro, 21, and McCarver, 18, were on the big-league roster and competed for a backup job. Cannizzaro hit .419 (13-for-31) in exhibition games and “was outstanding on defense,” The Sporting News reported.

In what the magazine called “a surprise decision,” Cardinals manager Solly Hemus decided to open the 1960 season with four catchers: Smith, Cannizzarro, Carl Sawatski and Darrell Johnson.

“I can’t see how it will hurt Cannizzarro to stay with us,” Hemus said. “He’ll see how baseball is played in the majors. He’ll get plenty of work and we can use the hot bat.”

Plenty of fire

On April 17, 1960, Cannizzaro made his big-league debut for the Cardinals, replacing Sawatski in the seventh inning against the Dodgers at Los Angeles. In the eighth, Cannizzaro got his first at-bat. The pitcher: Sandy Koufax. Cannizzaro grounded out to second. Boxscore

Five nights later, on April 22, 1960, at St. Louis, Cannizzaro got his first Cardinals hit, a single to center off Dodgers rookie Ed Rakow. Boxscore

Cannizzaro was making a good early impression. “He has an excellent arm, a quick, searching mind and plenty of bounce and fire,” Cardinals general manager Bing Devine told the Post-Dispatch.

Umpire Frank Secory experienced Cannizzaro’s fire in a play at home plate on April 25, 1960, at St. Louis.

In the seventh, the Giants’ Willie McCovey hit a single to right off Bob Gibson. Willie Mays, racing from first base, was ruled safe at the plate by Secory. Cannizzaro, arguing that Mays never touched the plate, bumped into Secory three times, The Sporting News reported.

“I won’t take that from anybody,” Secory said.

Cannizzarro was ejected and the NL suspended him for two days, fining him $50.

Hemus called Secory’s ruling “a joke” and told the Post-Dispatch, “The umpire missed the play. He shouldn’t try to cover up his mistake by taking it out on a kid. Mays still hasn’t touched the plate.” Boxscore

Change in plans

With four catchers, the Cardinals couldn’t give Cannizzaro much playing time. He hit .222 (2-for-9) in seven games. The Cardinals decided Cannizzaro would benefit from playing regularly and sent him to the minors on May 10, 1960.

“At his age, he has made a fine impression to stay this long,” Devine said. “He is a very fine prospect who picked up considerable experience and confidence during his month with us.”

The following February, as spring training opened at St. Petersburg, Fla., the 1961 Cardinals were seeking a No. 3 catcher to back up Smith and Sawatski. “Hemus will pick between Tim McCarver and Chris Cannizzaro to bolster catching, with the latter favored,” The Sporting News reported.

However, neither Cannizzarro nor McCarver performed well enough. Gene Oliver, who also played first base and outfield, opened the 1961 season as the Cardinals’ No. 3 catcher.

Just before the Cardinals broke camp, Hemus informed Cannizzarro he was being sent to the minors. Cannizzaro, who had expected to make the roster, responded that his wife had left St. Petersburg that morning to drive to St. Louis. Leo Ward, Cardinals traveling secretary, called the local sheriff and “the highway patrol intercepted the Cannizzarro auto near Tallahassee,” advising Mrs. Cannizzarro to drive back to St. Petersburg, the Post-Dispatch reported.

Cannizzaro was called up to the Cardinals in July 1961 but got into just six games. He had one hit in two at-bats.

Casey’s catcher

Deciding McCarver had better potential, the Cardinals made Cannizzaro available in the NL expansion draft after the 1961 season and he was selected by the Mets, who had hired Hemus as a coach.

Casey Stengel, 72, the Mets’ manager, called his catcher Canzoneri. (He likely was thinking of Tony Canzoneri, a world champion boxer in the 1920s and 1930s.)

Nonetheless, Cannizzaro was a bright spot on a 1962 Mets team that finished in last place at 40-120. He threw out 55.6 percent of the runners attempting to steal against him.

“Cannizzaro is the only catcher the Mets own who can throw, run and make the plays,” The Sporting News opined in June 1962.

Said Stengel: “He can’t hit but … I want defense … A catcher like this kid, who can throw, will let my pitchers pay attention to the hitter instead of worrying about a runner on first base.”

In addition to the Cardinals and Mets, Cannizzaro played for the Pirates, Padres, Cubs and Dodgers. He was an all-star with the 1969 Padres, though he hit .220 in 134 games that season.

Previously: Cardinals have strong link to original Mets

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Cardinals tried Phil Gagliano to lure Lou Brock from Cubs

Posted in Games, Hitters, Trades on January 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Phil Gagliano could have been involved in one of the most lopsided trades in favor of the Cardinals.

phil_gaglianoIn spring 1964, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine offered Gagliano, a second baseman, to the Cubs for outfielder Lou Brock. The Cubs were seeking a second baseman to replace Ken Hubbs, 22, who died in a plane crash in February 1964.

“The Cardinals tried to lure Brock away for Phil Gagliano,” The Sporting News reported.

Gagliano, 22, would have been a potential fit to replace Hubbs, who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1962. Brock, meanwhile, had underachieved with the Cubs, but he appealed to the Cardinals, who were seeking to add speed to their lineup.

The Cubs turned down the Cardinals’ offer and instead acquired second baseman Joey Amalfitano, 30, from the Giants in a cash transaction in March 1964.

Three months later, in June 1964, the Cubs, needing pitching, agreed to deal Brock to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, an established starter.

The trade of Brock and pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the Cardinals for Broglio, reliever Bobby Shantz and outfielder Doug Clemens was considered a steal for the Cubs until Brock developed into a Hall of Fame player who sparked St. Louis to three National League pennants and two World Series titles.

Gagliano was a part of those Cardinals championship clubs as a utility player.

Gagliano played eight seasons (1963-70) with the Cardinals. Six years after offering Gagliano for Brock, Devine did deal him to the Cubs in May 1970.

Terrific tutors

Gagliano was a friend and teammate of Tim McCarver at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis. Scouted by former big-league player Buddy Lewis, Gagliano and McCarver signed with the Cardinals as amateur free agents in 1959.

McCarver made his big-league debut with St. Louis that year and established himself as the Cardinals’ catcher in 1963.

Gagliano debuted with the Cardinals in 1963. He could play all four infield positions and the corner outfield spots, but he fit best at second base and third base.

At the Cardinals’ Florida Instructional League camps in 1962 and 1963, Gagliano, a right-handed batter, caught the attention of instructors Joe Schultz, Eddie Stanky, Grover Resinger, Harry Walker and George Kissell.

“That’s where I learned to hit,” Gagliano told The Sporting News. “I learned to handle the bat in the Instructional League. I learned how to handle the outside pitch and I learned the strike zone there.”

Before the 1964 season, Gagliano was named by Cardinals writers as the hardest worker in spring training camp.

In May 1965, Cardinals scouting director George Silvey said, “Phil moved up faster than we expected because he always had so much poise.”

Red’s guy

Gagliano had his most productive season with the 1965 Cardinals. Filling in for starting second baseman Julian Javier, who broke his right hand in June when struck by a pitch from the Pirates’ Vern Law, Gagliano was batting .273 entering August before he tailed off. Overall, Gagliano batted .240 with eight home runs and 53 RBI in 122 games, including 48 starts at second base.

Red Schoendienst, the former second baseman who became Cardinals manager in 1965, liked Gagliano. “This kid is a tremendous player,” Schoendienst said.

Said Gagliano: “I like to hit the way Red Schoendienst wants me to. He says to go up and swing the bat _ don’t be a defensive hitter.”

New York calling

In spring 1967, Gagliano again almost was traded, and it was Devine who tried to acquire him.

The 1967 Mets were seeking a second baseman. Devine, who had been fired by the Cardinals in August 1964, was the Mets’ president. He contacted Cardinals general manager Stan Musial and inquired about Gagliano and infielder Jerry Buchek, according to The Sporting News.

“Gagliano is the man the Mets want,” The Sporting News reported. “The Cards, however, want to wait.”

On April 1, 1967, the Cardinals traded Buchek, pitcher Art Mahaffey and infielder Tony Martinez to the Mets for shortstop Eddie Bressoud, outfielder Danny Napoleon and cash.

Buchek became the Mets’ starting second baseman. Gagliano remained a valued backup to Javier at second base and to Mike Shannon at third.

Mentored by Schoendienst on fielding, Gagliano said, “I’ve been working mostly on the double play, getting my body in the proper position to throw. I had been throwing off balance too much. Red has worked hard with me and I feel I’ve improved a lot on the pivot.”

On April 11, in the Cardinals’ 1967 season opener against the Giants at St. Louis, Gagliano, replacing an ailing Shannon, hit a solo home run off Juan Marichal, supporting Bob Gibson’s shutout in a 6-0 triumph. Boxscore

Though Gagliano hit just 14 home runs _ all for St. Louis _ in 12 years in the majors, three of those came against future Hall of Famers: two off Marichal and one off Jim Bunning.

Devine intervention

Gagliano appeared in the 1967 and 1968 World Series for the Cardinals but was hitless in four at-bats.

On May 29, 1970, Devine, back for a second stint as Cardinals general manager, dealt Gagliano to the Cubs for Ted Abernathy, 37, a relief pitcher.

“It’s a shock … but I have no regrets,” Gagliano said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

On May 30, 1970, Gagliano made his Cubs debut and got a two-run pinch-hit single off Dave Roberts, helping Chicago to an 8-7 victory over the Padres at Wrigley Field. Boxscore

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How Tim Raines tormented Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on December 22, 2016| Leave a Comment »

(Updated July 30, 2017)

Tim Raines played like a Hall of Famer against the Cardinals.

In January 2017, Raines earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was inducted into the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine on July 30, 2017.

tim_rainesThe switch-hitting outfielder, who played 23 seasons in the big leagues, primarily with the Expos and White Sox, performed well against most teams, though he was especially good versus the Cardinals.

Raines had more career triples (12), walks (107) and RBI (70) against the Cardinals than he did versus any other team. Raines batted .324 against the Cardinals, with 187 hits, 105 runs scored, 68 stolen bases and a .424 on-base percentage.

Overall for his career, Raines batted .294 with 2,605 hits, 808 stolen bases and a .385 on-base percentage. Raines ranks fifth all-time in steals. Rickey Henderson (1,406), Lou Brock (938), 19th century player Billy Hamilton (914) and Ty Cobb (897) are ahead of him.

Deadly speed

Raines showed consistent excellence versus the Cardinals from 1982-85. During that stretch, his batting average against the Cardinals was .314 or better every year and his on-base percentage each season was .417 or higher. In 1982, when the Cardinals won the World Series championship, Raines batted .391 (27-for-69) against them, with an on-base percentage of .494.

One of Raines’ most significant games against the Cardinals occurred during a 7-4 Expos victory on Sept. 18, 1984, at St. Louis. Raines had four stolen bases, giving him 70 for the season. Raines became the first player to have 70 steals or more in four consecutive seasons.

“Coming from a small town (Sanford, Fla.) which nobody has ever heard of and then coming to the major leagues, it makes me proud to be able to do what I’ve done,” Raines said after the game to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Raines would finish the 1984 season with 75 stolen bases, leading the National League for the fourth year in a row. He had 71 steals in strike-shortened 1981, 78 in 1982 and 90 in 1983.

(Though Raines also achieved 70 steals in both 1985 and 1986, the Cardinals’ Vince Coleman surpassed him as the NL stolen base leader in those seasons.)

In his book “You’re Missin’ a Great Game,” Whitey Herzog, who managed the Cardinals from 1980-90, called Raines “a great hitter with deadly speed.”

“If you don’t keep him off base, you’re going to get beat, especially when you can’t hold him on,” Herzog told Hummel.

Hard to stop

With Joaquin Andujar pitching and Darrell Porter catching, Raines swiped second base three times and third base once in his four-steals game against the Cardinals.

Raines “took advantage of Andujar’s slow release toward home plate,” Hummel reported.

“He’s got a quick move to first, but he’s got that high leg kick when he comes to the plate,” Raines said of Andujar. “He comes to the plate slow all the time. I’ve always felt that when he’s pitching, I can run.”

Said Andujar: “That guy just flies. It doesn’t matter whether you throw 100 times to first, he will still steal the base.”

After Andujar was relieved by Kevin Hagen, Raines attempted to steal his fifth base of the game but was caught by Porter.

Porter was one of just four catchers to throw out Raines attempting to steal up to that point in the season, according to the Post-Dispatch. The others: Steve Lake (Cubs), Mike Scioscia (Dodgers) and Ozzie Virgil (Phillies). Boxscore

Raines also had a standout season against the Cardinals in 1990, batting .373 (19-for-51) with 13 RBI and a .469 on-base percentage. On Oct. 1, 1990, Raines had five RBI, including a grand slam off Frank DiPino, in a 15-9 Expos triumph over the Cardinals at Montreal. Boxscore

 

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How Dexter Fowler factored in rocky relief by Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on December 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Of the eight career home runs Dexter Fowler has hit against the Cardinals, including one in the postseason, the most dramatic helped the Rockies to a second consecutive late-inning comeback.

dexter_fowlerOn July 7, 2010, Fowler crushed a three-run home run in the eighth inning off Cardinals reliever Jason Motte, tying the score at 7-7 and positioning the Rockies for a win in the ninth.

Six years later, on Dec. 9, 2016, Fowler, a free agent, got a five-year, $82.5 million contract from the Cardinals after helping the Cubs win their first World Series title in 108 years.

Clutch performer

Fowler was in his second full season with the Rockies in 2010 when the Cardinals came to Denver for a three-game series.

In the opener, on July 6, 2010, the Rockies erased a 9-3 Cardinals lead when they scored nine runs in the ninth and won, 12-9. Seth Smith broke a 9-9 tie with a three-run walkoff home run off Ryan Franklin. Fowler doubled and scored in that inning. Boxscore

The next night, the Cardinals led 7-4 in the eighth. The Rockies had runners on first and second, one out, when Cardinals manager Tony La Russa brought in Motte to relieve Trever Miller and face Fowler.

A switch hitter, Fowler batted from the left side against the hard-throwing Cardinals right-hander.

Fastball hitter

After missing the strike zone with his first two pitches, Motte delivered a 97 mph fastball. Fowler swung and missed.

The next pitch was a ball, running the count to 3-and-1.

Motte threw another 97 mph heater and Fowler fouled off the pitch.

“You’re just trying to get a hit and keep the train going,” Fowler said to the Associated Press.

Motte’s payoff pitch was a 98 mph fastball. “That’s his best pitch, so that’s what I was looking for,” Fowler told the Denver Post.

Fowler connected and the ball sailed over the wall for a three-run home run.

It was Fowler’s first home run since April 28.

“That one to Fowler was right down the middle … and he got the barrel on it,” Motte said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You fall behind (in the count) and you’ve got to throw strikes. You throw strikes, they hit the ball.”

Rocky Mountain high

Fowler’s home run set the stage for a Rockies walkoff win in the ninth.

With his bullpen depleted, La Russa chose Evan MacLane, making his major-league debut, to pitch the ninth.

MacLane, a left-hander, worked the count to 3-and-2 against the leadoff batter, Chris Iannetta. MacLane’s next pitch, a changeup, was drilled for a home run, giving the Rockies an 8-7 walkoff win. Boxscore

Previously: Jason Motte ran table on Cardinals saves in 2012

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Boo Ferriss had role in Cardinals World Series controversy

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on December 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

A decision by Red Sox manager Joe Cronin to bypass his ace, Boo Ferriss, in Game 6 of the 1946 World Series against the Cardinals created controversy and second guessing.

boo_ferrissAfter the Red Sox won Game 5, giving them three wins in the best-of-seven Series, Cronin indicated he’d start Ferriss in Game 6. Ferriss had shut out the Cardinals in Game 3 and he had led the Red Sox in wins during the regular season, with 25.

At the last minute, however, Cronin changed his mind and started Mickey Harris in Game 6. The Cardinals beat Harris, evening the Series. Ferriss started the decisive Game 7, but the Cardinals won that, too, earning their third World Series crown in five years.

Cronin was criticized for not starting his best pitcher when the Red Sox had the opportunity to claim the championship with a Game 6 triumph. Few pitchers in 1946 had better credentials than Dave “Boo” Ferriss.

Big winner

Ferriss got his nickname when, as a child, he tried to say the word “brother” and it came out “boo,” according to a biography by the Society for American Baseball Research.

He debuted in the major leagues with the Red Sox in 1945 and posted a 21-10 record.

In 1946, Ferriss was even better. The right-hander won his first 10 decisions and finished the regular season at 25-6, including a 13-0 mark at home.

After the Red Sox and Cardinals split the first two games of the 1946 World Series at St. Louis, Ferriss got the start in Game 3 on Oct. 9 at Boston. Throwing a sinker from a three-quarters sidearm delivery, Ferriss held the Cardinals scoreless for nine innings, limiting them to six hits and a walk in a 4-0 Red Sox triumph.

Stan Musial tried to spark the Cardinals in the first inning when he walked with two outs and stole second base. Noticing Musial taking a big lead off second, Ferriss turned and caught him flat-footed. Holding the ball, Ferriss moved toward Musial, who broke for third. Ferriss threw to third baseman Pinky Higgins, who applied the tag.

In the ninth, Musial tripled with two outs, but Ferriss preserved the shutout by striking out Enos Slaughter. Boxscore

Chance to clinch

The Cardinals evened the Series with a win in Game 4 and Boston went ahead with a win in Game 5. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the St. Louis Star-Times reported Ferriss would start Game 6 on Oct. 13 at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Cronin said, “Don’t worry about any seventh game. There won’t be any.”

Cronin “thinks Ferriss will turn back the Redbirds and clinch the world title in the sixth game. Ferriss is a real hurdle for the Birds,” Post-Dispatch columnist John Wray wrote.

Retired Cardinals ace Dizzy Dean told the Post-Dispatch on the eve of Game 6, “I reckon it’ll be Ferriss for the Sox tomorrow.”

Change of plans

Ferriss, though, would have been pitching on three days’ rest, instead of the usual four, if he had started Game 6. He also would have been matched against Harry Brecheen, who had shut out the Red Sox in Game 2 and was chosen the Cardinals’ Game 6 starter by manager Eddie Dyer.

“Ferriss was set to start,” reported the Detroit Free Press, “but at the last hour” Cronin reconsidered and opted to start Harris.

A left-hander, Harris had started and lost Game 2, but he pitched well, yielding one earned run in seven innings. Harris had a 17-9 record during the regular season.

“Cronin gambled on (Harris) because Sportsman’s Park usually has been a paradise for southpaws,” United Press reported.

However, Harris gave up three runs in 2.2 innings and the Cardinals won Game 6, 4-1. Boxscore

Cardinals clout

After a scheduled off day on Oct. 14, Game 7 was played on Oct. 15 at St. Louis. Described by the Post-Dispatch as “a master of variable speed and control,” Ferriss, starting on five days’ rest, was opposed by Murry Dickson.

In the fifth inning, with the score tied at 1-1, Dickson doubled, scoring Harry Walker from second. Red Schoendienst followed with a single, scoring Dickson and giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead. After Terry Moore singled, Cronin replaced Ferriss with Joe Dobson.

Ferriss’ line: 4.1 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts.

The Red Sox tied the score with two runs in the eighth, but the Cardinals went ahead in the bottom half when Slaughter made a mad dash from first and scored on a Walker hit off Bob Klinger. Brecheen, who had relieved Dickson, shut down the Red Sox in the ninth, giving the Cardinals a 4-3 triumph and the championship. Boxscore

Decisions, decisions

Cronin caught heat for his decision-making:

_ Sid Keener, St. Louis Star-Times: “Why didn’t Cronin pitch Ferriss in the sixth game and then, if the Red Sox lost that number, Joe Dobson was the top ace up the sleeve?”

_ Herbert Goren, New York Sun: “Cronin’s pitching strategy was questioned in the last two games. How judicious was it to save Ferriss for the seventh game when he was ready for the sixth?”

_ The Sporting News: “Some surprise was expressed over Cronin’s decision to start Harris. Many thought he would lead with Ferriss in the hope of winding up the Series.”

Keener reported Cronin “originally had Ferriss primed and ready” for Game 6, but had “a change of heart” after learning Brecheen was starting.

In defense of Cronin, Ed McAuley of the Cleveland News wrote, “Ferriss’ performance in the (seventh) game confirmed the manager’s suspicion that (Ferriss) needed more than three days’ rest.”

The 1946 season was the pinnacle of Ferriss’ pitching career. He pitched six seasons, all with the Red Sox, and had a 65-30 record.

Previously: The story of Joe DiFabio, original No. 1 pick of Cards

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Ralph Branca was at his best in rivalry with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on November 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Jan. 4, 2025)

Ralph Branca came close to pitching two no-hitters against the Cardinals within a month. He earned a one-hit shutout in one of those games and he had another one-hitter when he departed with two outs in the ninth inning of the other game.

ralph_brancaOn July 18, 1947, Branca delivered the best performance of his career, retiring the first 21 Cardinals batters in a row and finishing with a one-hitter in the Dodgers’ 7-0 victory at Brooklyn.

A month later, on Aug. 20, 1947, Branca again held the Cardinals to one hit before he was lifted after pitching 8.2 innings. The Cardinals rallied against Hugh Casey, tying the score in the ninth and winning with a run in the 12th at Brooklyn.

Best known for yielding the ninth-inning home run to Bobby Thomson that gave the Giants a pennant-clinching victory over the Dodgers in 1951, Branca was a key figure in the National League rivalry between the Dodgers and Cardinals in the 1940s.

Pennant race

As a youth in Mount Vernon, N.Y., near the Bronx, Branca became a Giants fan, going to their games with his brothers Ed and Jules. In the book, “We Would Have Played For Nothing,” by former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent, Branca said, “My heroes were Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell and Hal Schumacher … I remember sitting in the bleachers in the Polo Grounds and watching (Hubbell’s) screwball … and marveling at it.”

At 17, Branca signed with the Dodgers in 1943 (the Giants didn’t make an offer) and reached the majors with them the next year. The first team he faced was the Giants. Among the batters he retired that day was Mel Ott. Boxscore

On his first Dodgers road trip, Branca, 18, roomed with Paul Waner, 41. Branca recalled to Fay Vincent, “In the morning, he reaches under the bed. He takes out a bottle. They had these round tumblers and he filled it about that high and said, ‘This is my orange juice.’ ”

Branca, 20, started for the Dodgers in pivotal games against the Cardinals during the 1946 pennant stretch.

On Sept, 14, 1946, Branca pitched a three-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory against the Cardinals at Brooklyn, moving the Dodgers within a half game of first place. Boxscore

Branca’s performance in that game was a surprise because the Dodgers weren’t expecting him to last the first inning.

Branca told Fay Vincent, “Leo Durocher, our manager, announces to me I’m to pitch to one man and then he’s going to bring in Vic Lombardi because the Cardinals will load up their team with left-handers. And, of course, I warmed up, and I was going, ‘Sacrificial lamb, my butt.’ I get them out in the first inning on five pitches. I walked off and Leo said, ‘Hey, kid, keep throwing like that. I’m keeping you in.’ ”

Three weeks later, on Oct. 1, 1946, after the Dodgers and Cardinals ended the regular season tied for first place, Branca started the opener of a best-of-three series to determine the NL champion. He gave up three runs in 2.2 innings and took the loss in a 4-2 Cardinals victory at St. Louis. Boxscore The Cardinals won the next game, clinching the pennant, and then four of seven against the Red Sox in the World Series.

A year later, the Dodgers and Cardinals were battling for the 1947 pennant.

Nearly perfect

Branca lost each of his first three decisions against the Cardinals in 1947, but had a 14-7 record entering his July 18 start against them at Ebbets Field.

The game matched Branca against Red Munger. While Branca handcuffed the Cardinals, the Dodgers scored five runs off Munger in the first four innings.

After pitching seven perfect innings, Branca faced Enos Slaughter leading off the eighth. Slaughter hit Branca’s first pitch for a single to right field.

“I couldn’t help but know I was pitching a no-hitter the way they went down, one, two, three, in every inning,” Branca said to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “Naturally, I was disappointed when Slaughter got hold of that one in the eighth. It was my fault. I was pressing a little, being too careful. I didn’t get that high fastball … inside quite far enough.”

In its account of the game, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch opined, “The Cardinals looked at the best pitching they’ve seen all season.” Boxscore

Walks haunt

The Cardinals returned to Brooklyn in August for a four-game series with the league leaders. The Dodgers won two of the first three, opening a 5.5-game lead over second-place St. Louis.

Branca started the finale and responded with another gem, holding the Cardinals hitless again for seven innings.

Like Slaughter a month earlier, Whitey Kurowski ended the no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the eighth.

Branca entered the ninth with a 2-0 lead. Though he issued a walk to the first batter, Red Schoendienst, Branca retired Terry Moore and Stan Musial on groundouts, with Schoendienst advancing to third.

Slaughter was up next.

Branca got ahead in the count, 1-and-2. Needing a strike to complete another one-hit shutout, Branca walked Slaughter.

After Branca’s first two pitches to the next batter, Ron Northey, missed the strike zone, manager Burt Shotton yanked his ace and replaced him with Hugh Casey.

Northey greeted Casey with a single, scoring Schoendienst, moving Slaughter to third and cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1.

Kurowski followed with a grounder to Spider Jorgensen. The third baseman booted the ball for an error as Slaughter streaked to the plate with the tying run.

Spike ball

In the 11th, the game took another controversial twist.

Slaughter hit a ground ball to first baseman Jackie Robinson, who that season had broken baseball’s color barrier.

Robinson fielded the ball and raced to the bag. As Slaughter arrived _ “head down in a dash for first,” according to the Post-Dispatch _ he stepped on Robinson’s right foot, spiking him.

Robinson “limped and dropped to the ground,” the Post-Dispatch reported, “but apparently, because of the thickness of his shoe and the mud on Slaughter’s spikes, Robinson suffered no cut.”

To the Dodgers and the Brooklyn crowd, it appeared Slaughter intentionally tried to injure Robinson.

“No one can read Slaughter’s North Carolina mind, but the crowd unanimously decided to believe that he was curious to see how Robinson would look with one leg,” wrote Tommy Holmes of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Robinson told The Sporting News, “All I know is I had my foot on the inside of the bag. I gave Slaughter plenty of room.”

Said Slaughter: “I’ve never deliberately spiked anyone in my life.”

Comeback complete

More drama unfolded in the 12th.

Kurowski hit Casey’s first pitch of the inning into the left-field seats for a home run, giving the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, Robinson led off with a single against Howie Pollet and moved to second on Pete Reiser’s sacrifice bunt.

Cardinals manager Eddie Dyer lifted Pollet, who was working his fifth inning of relief, and replaced him with Red Munger.

Before delivering a pitch, Munger whirled and snapped a throw to shortstop Marty Marion, who tagged a startled Robinson for the second out.

The next batter, Arky Vaughan, grounded out, ending the saga. Boxscore

Despite the setback, the Dodgers went on to win the 1947 pennant, finishing five games ahead of the Cardinals. Branca posted a 21-12 record and 2.67 ERA.

For his 12-year career in the big leagues, Branca had an 88-68 record, including 8-10 against the Cardinals.

 

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