RetroSimba

Mike Shannon and Jerry Buchek, the only St. Louis natives among the players on the 1966 Cardinals, had special roles in the first game played at Busch Memorial Stadium.

On May 12, 1966, Shannon produced the first Cardinals hit and the first Cardinals RBI in the debut game at the $26 million circular stadium in downtown St. Louis. Buchek delivered a RBI-single that tied the score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Cardinals capped a successful evening when Lou Brock got a bases-loaded single in the 12th, giving the Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Braves.

Sky high

A crowd of 46,048, a record for a sporting event in St. Louis at that time, turned out to see the Cardinals and their new home. Among those attending on that Thursday night were baseball commissioner William Eckert and National League president Warren Giles.

Each spectator was given a parchment “First Nighter” scroll as a souvenir. Many of the fans were dazzled by the scoreboard and its color graphics and animation. “No matter who hits a homer, the Anheuser-Busch eagle flaps its wings and a tiny, chirping redbird darts across one side of the board,” The Sporting News reported.

The seats were located farther from the field than those at the original Busch Stadium, formerly Sportsman’s Park, on North Grand Boulevard. The elevation of the upper deck was intimidating to some. “Fifteen more feet up and I’d be in heaven,” said former Cardinals manager Ray Blades.

Among the players, reviews of the stadium generally were favorable.

“This park is tailored to our type of club,” Cardinals outfielder Alex Johnson said to the Associated Press. “It’s a paradise for line drive hitters.”

Said Shannon: “There will be a lot of doubles and triples.”

Redbirds rally

Shannon had hoped his wife Judy and their four children would attend, but they couldn’t because they developed the mumps. “So Mike showed off his punch without Judy,” wrote Neal Russo of The Sporting News.

In the bottom of the first, Shannon singled against Braves starter Wade Blasingame for the first Cardinals hit. In the third, Shannon’s two-out triple off Blasingame scored Buchek from first with the first Cardinals run.

Braves leadoff batter Felipe Alou, playing on his 31st birthday, hit two solo home runs _ in the sixth off Ray Washburn and in the eighth against Tracy Stallard. The second home run gave the Braves a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Alex Johnson was on third with two outs when Buchek batted against Billy O’Dell. With the count 2-and-2, Buchek swung at a pitch near his fists and looped a pop fly that fell into short right field for a single, scoring Johnson with the tying run.

As Buchek’s bloop fell safely between the Braves fielders, “a fast-retreating crowd set up a roar that would make the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion sound like Mickey Mouse,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg.

Said Buchek: “It was a good pitch, in on me, and you’ve got to be lucky to hit the ball the way I did.”

Extra-inning drama

The Cardinals got a surprise in the 11th. Hal Woodeshick, a Cardinals relief pitcher, stroked a double off Phil Niekro. For Woodeshick, who had a career .092 batting average, it was his only extra-base hit in 11 big-league seasons. With two outs, Niekro issued an intentional walk to Julian Javier, then got Shannon to pop out to second, ending the inning.

In the 12th, the Braves threatened, putting runners on first and second, before Don Dennis escaped the jam by getting Alou to fly out to right.

The Cardinals took advantage of a Braves miscue in the bottom half of the 12th. Curt Flood led off and was hit by a Niekro pitch. Orlando Cepeda, the cleanup batter, bunted. Catcher Joe Torre fielded the ball and threw to second in a bid for a forceout. Instead, the ball sailed over the head of second baseman Frank Bolling. Flood advanced to third and Cepeda to second on the error.

After an intentional walk to Charlie Smith, filling the bases, Brock came to the plate against Niekro. With the infield drawn in for a play at the plate, Brock bounced a single up the middle, scoring Flood from third with the winning run. Boxscore

The next night, Shannon hit the first Cardinals home run at Busch Memorial Stadium. It was a solo shot off Braves starter Ken Johnson. Five days earlier, Shannon had hit the last Cardinals home run at the original Busch Stadium.

Previously: The story of the final game at original Busch Stadium

Previously: Here’s how Mike Shannon became a Cardinals catcher

Read Full Post »

(Updated May 8, 2020)

The final day of baseball at the original Busch Stadium, formerly known as Sportsman’s Park, featured a melancholy mix of star power and nostalgia, with an unusual twist at the end.

On May 8, 1966, the Giants beat the Cardinals, 10-5, in the last game played at the ballpark on North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis.

Known as Sportman’s Park until it was renamed Busch Stadium in 1953, the ballpark was the home of the Cardinals from 1920-66. It also was the home of the American League Browns from 1902-53.

Star power

On what The Sporting News described as “a delightfully warm Sunday afternoon,” the best all-time players from the two St. Louis franchises _ Stan Musial of the Cardinals and George Sisler of the Browns _ were honored in ceremonies before the game.

The starting pitchers were Larry Jaster for the Cardinals and Bob Shaw for the Giants before a crowd of 17,503.

The Giants led, 5-0, after three innings. The Cardinals rallied behind a barrage of home runs.

Tim McCarver and Bob Skinner each hit a two-run home run off Shaw in the fourth. Skinner’s blast landed deep in the center field bleachers. “That’s as good as I’ve ever hit a ball,” he said.

Mike Shannon, who first had played in the ballpark as a 14-year-old in the Catholic Youth Council tournament, hit a solo home run in the fifth off Joe Gibbon. It would be the last home run hit by a Cardinal in the ballpark.

In the sixth, with two outs and the score tied at 5-5, Giants slugger Willie McCovey, hitting for shortstop Hal Lanier, delivered the game-changing hit, a three-run, opposite-field home run to left off Tracy Stallard.

The Giants never looked back.

Milestone moments

With a fifth-inning single, Charlie Smith got the last hit by a Cardinal in the ballpark.

With a walk in the ninth, Jerry Buchek, a St. Louis native, was the last Cardinal to reach base in the ballpark.

Giants second baseman Tito Fuentes produced five singles in five at-bats.

Willie Mays hit the last home run at original Busch Stadium _ a solo shot in the ninth against Hal Woodeshick.

Lucky Lindy

Lindy McDaniel, who pitched for the Cardinals from 1955-62, earned the win with five innings of scoreless relief for the Giants.

In the bottom of the ninth, McDaniel struck out Jimy Williams, walked Buchek and got Alex Johnson to bounce into a double play.

“I didn’t really think much about it until that last inning and then I suddenly realized that if I held ’em I’d be the last pitcher to work there,” McDaniel said. “I was always a Cardinals fan as a kid. The Cardinals were the only club I really wanted to sign with. My idols were Stan Musial and Dizzy Dean before him. It was a real good feeling for me, winning the last game in the old ballpark in St. Louis.” Boxscore and Video

Bidding farewell

In a brief ceremony after the game, Cardinals owner Gussie Busch gave the deed to the ballpark to Richard Amberg, president of the Herbert Hoover Boys Club. The stands would be demolished but the field was to remain for use by the youths.

As a band played “Auld Lang Syne,” Bill Stocksick, who planted home plate in 1909, was given the honor of digging up the dish. It was transported by helicopter and placed in the new Busch Memorial Stadium in downtown St. Louis.

When the ceremonies ended, children were permitted to run around the bases. One of manager Red Schoendienst’s daughters scooped up some dirt around second base, where her father had performed as a player, and planned to place it in a bottle as a souvenir, The Sporting News reported.

A bulldozer appeared on the field, preparing to tear down the stands.

Stan and Red

In the Cardinals clubhouse, Musial walked into Schoendienst’s office.

“They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but this old diamond has been pretty good to us, Red,” Musial said to the manager.

Schoendienst nodded.

Wrote The Sporting News: “The two old Redbirds sipped a beer in a farewell toast to the old stadium where both became famous.”

Unusual twist

As the farewells played out, general managers Bob Howsam of the Cardinals and Chub Feeney of the Giants made a stunning announcement.

First baseman Orlando Cepeda, who was 2-for-4 with two RBI, a walk and a run scored in the Busch Stadium finale, was traded by the Giants to the Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki.

Howsam and Feeney had agreed to the deal during the game.

The acquisition of Cepeda would be an important step in rebuilding the Cardinals into a championship club in 1967, their first full season in the new stadium.

Read Full Post »

(Updated April 28, 2020)

Though he appeared in only nine games for the Cardinals, Doug Clarey is a part of franchise lore because of an improbable home run.

On April 28, 1976, Clarey produced the only hit of his big-league career, a two-run home run in the 16th inning that gave the Cardinals a 4-2 victory over the Giants.

The storybook feat occurred on a Wednesday afternoon at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, just north of Clarey’s boyhood home in Los Altos. Among the 4,193 in attendance were Clarey’s parents, high school coach and friends.

“It’s something you always dream about ever since I was a little boy watching the Giants play and just wishing I could be one of them,” Clarey told The Sporting News.

Just a few days before his dramatic home run, Clarey had been playing in the Class A Florida State League.

Called by Cards

Clarey, a second baseman, began his professional career in the Twins organization. The Cardinals claimed him in the December 1974 minor-league draft.

After hitting .206 for the Cardinals’ Class AA Arkansas club in 1975, Clarey was demoted to Class A St. Petersburg in 1976.

He got a break when Cardinals second baseman Mike Tyson suffered a knee injury in early April 1976.

Though Vic Harris came off the bench to replace Tyson as the starting second baseman, the Cardinals wanted someone who could fill in as a reserve fielder for a few weeks. Clarey, known more for his glove than his bat, fit the need because he could join the club quickly without having to clear waivers.

On April 20, 1976, his 22nd birthday, Clarey made his big-league debut. Batting in the sixth inning for pitcher Mike Wallace, Clarey faced Jon Matlack of the Mets and struck out. Boxscore

Stay fair

Eight days later, at San Francisco, Clarey got his second at-bat.

In the 16th inning, with the score tied at 2-2, the Cardinals had Don Kessinger on first base and two outs when acting manager Preston Gomez sent Clarey to bat for pitcher Mike Proly against Giants left-hander Mike Caldwell. Gomez was filling in for manager Red Schoendienst, who was in St. Louis to be with his daughter, Colleen, who was undergoing surgery. An inning earlier, Gomez told Clarey he’d bat if the Cardinals got a runner on base in the 16th.

“I was looking for something over the plate, something to hit,” Clarey told the San Francisco Examiner.

With the count at 1-and-1, Caldwell delivered a low, inside pitch. Giants catcher Dave Rader told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch it was a slider.

A right-handed batter, Clarey lifted the ball over the left-field fence.

“At first, I thought it was going to hook foul,” Clarey told the Oakland Tribune. “I kept saying to myself, ‘Stay fair, stay fair.’ ”

As the ball cleared the eight-foot fence, Kessinger said, ‘I couldn’t run the bases for jumping up and down. I’m so thrilled for him and us both.”

Danny Frisella retired the Giants in order in the bottom half of the 16th, saving the victory and securing Clarey’s place in Cardinals legend. Boxscore

“That’s the greatest experience of my life right there,” Clarey said. “I just wanted to get a piece of the ball.”

Said Caldwell: “That was the lowest point of my career.”

Giants manager Bill Rigney said, “Mike got it inside and his game is away. He made a bad pitch.”

After the season, the Giants traded Caldwell to the Cardinals.

Hailing a hero

In the Oakland Tribune, Ed Schoenfeld wrote of Clarey, “He’s a virtual unknown, even to his own teammates.”

The Sporting News referred to Clarey as the Cardinals’ “Cinderella Man.”

When Clarey entered the Cardinals clubhouse, he received a standing ovation. He also got a kiss from his mother and a handshake from his father, who built him a baseball backstop in the yard when Doug was almost 3 years old.

Afterward, the happy Cardinals boarded a bus to go to the airport for a flight to Los Angeles. The last to get on the bus was backup catcher Ken Rudolph, who was stationed in the bullpen when Clarey hit his home run. Rudolph alertly chased down the youths who grabbed the home run ball and traded three baseballs for the prize, the Post-Dispatch reported.

Inside the bus, Rudolph called for attention and said to Clarey, “First, the good news. Here is your home run ball. Now the bad news. Those three balls I traded cost $5 apiece. You owe the club $15.”

Clarey was speechless and everyone laughed, the Post-Dispatch reported.

When the Cardinals returned to St. Louis from their West Coast trip, the club rewarded Clarey for his achievement by presenting him with a watch, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Clarey appeared in one more game, May 4 vs. the Braves, before being returned to the minor leagues. He hit .228 in 63 games for manager Ken Boyer’s Class AAA Tulsa team.

Thanks, Mike

In July, Tyson got hurt again, breaking a finger, and the Cardinals called back Clarey.

“I’m keeping you in the big leagues,” Tyson told Clarey. “You ought to give me half your pay.”

In his second stint with the 1976 Cardinals, Clarey appeared in five games but didn’t get a hit.

End of the line

In March 1977, the Cardinals traded Clarey to the Mets for outfielder Benny Ayala. The Mets assigned Clarey to Class AAA Tidewater and he batted .125 in 28 games before he was released. Clarey signed with the Brewers and was sent to Class AA Holyoke.

In 1978, his last season as a player, Clarey joined the Orioles’ organization and hit .226 in 138 games for Class AA Charlotte.

His final big-league numbers for the Cardinals: nine games, four at-bats, one hit.

Read Full Post »