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Cesar Cedeno and his amazing month with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Trades on August 24, 2015| 10 Comments »

Three years after his pitching helped the Cardinals to a National League pennant and World Series title, Jim Kaat used his skills as a talent evaluator to help them to another championship season.

Kaat, a left-handed reliever for the 1982 champion Cardinals, was a coach for the 1985 Reds when he recommended Cesar Cedeno to St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog.

Acting on Kaat’s advice, the Cardinals acquired Cedeno from the Reds on Aug. 29, 1985, for minor-league outfielder Mark Jackson.

The deal rejuvenated the Cardinals and Cedeno.

Filling in for injured first baseman Jack Clark, Cedeno batted .434 (33-for-76) with six home runs in 28 games, sparking the Cardinals to the 1985 NL East Division title and onto a path to a pennant and a berth in the World Series.

After clinching the division crown in the next-to-last game of the 1985 season, Herzog told The Sporting News, “If we hadn’t got Cedeno, we would have been at least three games out of first, maybe more, going into this last week.”

Breakfast bunch

With the Astros from 1970-81, Cedeno hit .289 with 343 doubles and 487 stolen bases. He was named an all-star four times and twice led the NL in doubles.

The Astros dealt Cedeno to the Reds in December 1981 for third baseman Ray Knight. By 1985, Cedeno, 34, had a falling out with Reds manager Pete Rose.

Cedeno, eligible to become a free agent after the 1985 season, said he expected to be traded and heard the Blue Jays were interested.

The Cardinals were in Cincinnati for an Aug. 26-28 series with the Reds when Kaat, who pitched for St. Louis from 1980-83, and Herzog met for breakfast.

In his book “White Rat: A Life in Baseball,” Herzog said, “Kaat told me Cesar Cedeno might be available to us, to fill in for Clark. Cesar was on the outs with Pete Rose … Kaat said he thought (Cedeno) could still play.”

The Cardinals and Reds arranged a deal.

“I’m very happy an opportunity like this _ to play with a contender _ came around,” Cedeno said. “I will welcome whatever they want me to do. I’m thrilled an organization like the Cardinals has interest in me. It’s a great feeling to be wanted.”

When the trade was made, the Cardinals led the second-place Mets by 2.5 games.

A right-handed batter, Cedeno hit .241 in 83 games for the 1985 Reds, but the Cardinals saw him as a good fit to platoon with Mike Jorgensen at first base until Clark, who had suffered a rib injury on Aug. 23, could return to the lineup.

Hot hitter

The trade paid immediate dividends.

In his first at-bat with the Cardinals, Cedeno hit the first pitch he saw from the Astros’ Mike Scott for a home run on Aug. 30 at St. Louis. Boxscore

A week later, on Sept. 6, Cedeno, batting for Jorgensen, clouted a grand slam off Gene Garber in an 8-0 Cardinals victory over the Braves at St. Louis. Boxscore

Cedeno had eight hits in his first 16 at-bats for the Cardinals. “He’s been awesome, hasn’t he?” teammate John Tudor said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. It seems like every time he’s up he hits the ball on the nose.”

Beat the Mets

On Sept. 10, the Mets beat the Cardinals at New York and moved into first place in the NL East, a game ahead of St. Louis.

The next night, Sept. 11, produced a matchup of aces: Tudor vs. Dwight Gooden. Both were sharp and the game was scoreless through nine innings.

In the 10th, Jesse Orosco relieved Gooden and the first batter he faced was Cedeno. Orosco hung a slider and Cedeno belted a home run, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Tudor held the Mets scoreless in the 10th, clinching the victory and moving the Cardinals into a tie for first place with New York. Boxscore and Video

Thanks, Pete

Four days later, Sept. 15, with the Cardinals clinging to a half-game lead over the Mets, Cedeno went 5-for-5 with four RBI in a 5-1 St. Louis victory over the Cubs at Chicago. Cedeno had two singles, two doubles, a two-run home run and a stolen base. Boxscore

Cedeno said he spoke with Rose and told him, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for trading me to St. Louis.”

Said Herzog: “He’s been a blessing to us.”

In his month with the Cardinals, Cedeno hit .528 (19-for-36) at home and .541 (20-for-37) against left-handers. He had a .477 batting average (21-for-44) with runners on base. Cedeno further endeared himself to Cardinals fans by shredding Cubs pitchers at a .560 clip (14-for-25) with nine RBI.

It was a different story in the postseason. Cedeno hit .167 (2-for-12) in the NL Championship Series versus the Dodgers and .133 (2-for-15) against the Royals in the World Series.

Cedeno became a free agent after the 1985 postseason, signed with the Blue Jays, got released before the 1986 season began and was picked up by the Dodgers, who released him in June. A month later, he signed with the Cardinals and was sent to Class AAA Louisville. Cedeno hit .169 in 20 games for Louisville and never returned to the big leagues.

Previously: Jim Kaat interview: ’82 Cards were close-knit club

Previously: How Cardinals’ Jim Kaat appeared forever young

Previously: Jim Kaat revived both his career and the Cardinals

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Why Jack Spring, Paul Toth are part of Cardinals lore

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Trades on August 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

For pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth, being part of one of the Cardinals’ best trades did little for their careers other than making them answers to a trivia question.

Who were the players the Cardinals acquired with outfielder Lou Brock from the Cubs on June 15, 1964, for pitchers Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz and outfielder Doug Clemens?

Spring and Toth.

Because of the impact of the deal on Brock and the Cardinals, few recall St. Louis got anyone else in the trade.

Brock sparked the Cardinals to the 1964 National League pennant and World Series championship and built a Hall of Fame career in St. Louis.

For Spring, the Cardinals became a brief stop during a year in which he played for three big-league teams before finishing the season in the minors.

For Toth, the trade was a reunion, returning him to the organization he started with but doing nothing to get him back to the major leagues.

Aloha, Jack

Spring, a left-hander, debuted in the major leagues with the 1955 Phillies. He also pitched for the 1957 Red Sox and 1958 Senators before joining the expansion Angels in 1961. In four years with the Angels, Spring was 11-2 with eight saves.

In 1964, Spring began the season with the Angels before being sent to the Cubs on May 15 in a cash transaction.

He made his Cardinals debut on the same day he was traded from the Cubs. In an inning of relief against the Colt .45s at Houston, Spring yielded four runs, one earned, on three hits and walk. In the eighth, Brock made his Cardinals debut, pinch-hitting for Spring. Boxscore

“When the trade was made, I was home in Chicago,” Spring told the Society for American Baseball Research. “My wife called out to me that they’re talking about it on the TV. Brock and I flew to Houston, where the game had already started. I went to the bullpen. They told me to warm up and go into the game. The catcher was Tim McCarver. I got to the mound, and he said, ‘Hi, Jack. I’m Tim. What do you throw?’ ”

Five days later, on June 20, Spring made his second and last Cardinals appearance. In two innings of relief against the Giants at St. Louis, Spring gave up five runs on five hits, including a three-run double by Hal Lanier and a two-run home run by Orlando Cepeda. All the runs were unearned. Boxscore.

Spring had yielded nine runs in three innings for St. Louis but had an ERA of 3.00 because only one of those runs was earned.

The Cardinals assigned Spring, 31, to their Class AAA club at Jacksonville, but he refused to report. If he was going to accept a demotion to the minors, Spring, a resident of Spokane, Wash., preferred to play in the Pacific Coast League.

On July 9, the Cardinals accommodated Spring, sending him to the Angels in a cash transaction. The Angels assigned him to their Pacific Coast League team in Hawaii. Bob Lemon, the Hall of Fame pitcher, was Hawaii’s manager. Spring thrived there, posting a 3-3 record and 2.11 ERA in 30 games.

Spring got his final big-league chance with the 1965 Indians, pitching in 14 games. He spent the remainder of his playing career in the Pacific Coast League, finishing with his hometown club, Spokane, in 1969.

Cardinals prospect

Unlike Spring, Toth was sent directly to the minor leagues after his trade to the Cardinals and never returned to the big leagues.

Toth, a right-hander, was signed by the Cardinals in 1955. He pitched in their system until 1958 before spending two years in military service.

When he resumed his playing career in 1961, the Cardinals sent Toth to Class AA Tulsa. He had his best season, posting an 18-7 record and 2.37 ERA.

That performance caught the attention of Cardinals manager Johnny Keane. At the 1962 spring training camp, Toth got to pitch in Cardinals exhibition games and did well. He held the Mets to a hit in three innings in the second spring exhibition and was cited by The Sporting News as the camp’s “sleeper” prospect.

Toth was one of 10 pitchers on the Cardinals’ 1962 Opening Day roster. He appeared in six games and was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. His highlight was a complete-game win in a start against the Colt .45s on Aug. 5 at St. Louis. Boxscore

“Paul showed a good assortment and plenty of poise,” said Cardinals pitching coach Howie Pollet.

Wrote The Sporting News: “Toth’s chief assets are a good slider and a reputation as a tough battler.”

Less than a month later, though, on Sept. 1, the Cardinals traded Toth to the Cubs for pitcher Harvey Branch.

Toth was 3-1 with a 4.24 ERA for the 1962 Cubs. He earned his first win for them on Sept. 18 against the Cardinals in a 4-3 victory at Wrigley Field. Toth pitched 8.2 innings, yielding a solo home run in the second to his former road roommate, catcher Carl Sawatski, and a two-run homer in the ninth to Stan Musial. Boxscore

“He figures in my plans for next year,” Cubs manager Charlie Metro said. “He’s the kind of guy you like to have on your club. A real bear-down guy. He knows how to pitch. He moves all of his pitches around and showed a real good change-up.”

Toth was 8-12 in three seasons with the Cubs. He was with their Salt Lake City farm club when he was traded back to the Cardinals in the Brock deal.

The Cardinals assigned Toth, 29, to Jacksonville. He was 4-6 with a 3.25 ERA. After the 1964 season, Toth was sent to the Yankees, managed by Keane, in a cash transaction.

Toth never pitched for the Yankees, finishing his playing career in the minor leagues in 1967.

Previously: Lou Brock hit the ground running in 1st start with Cardinals

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Tony La Russa and the night he got to be No. 3

Posted in Games, Managers, Records on August 18, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Oct. 22, 2022)

On Aug. 25, 2005, Tony La Russa got his 2,195th win as a big-league manager when the Cardinals beat the Pirates, 6-3, at Pittsburgh. The victory moved him into third place for career wins as a manager, ahead of Sparky Anderson (2,194) and behind Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763).

Six years later, when La Russa left the Cardinals after leading them to the 2011 World Series championship, he remained third in career wins with 2,728, just 35 shy of tying McGraw.

On Oct. 29, 2020, La Russa was named manager of the White Sox, giving him a chance to pass McGraw. After the 2022 season, La Russa retired, ranking second in career wins with 2,902.

Mack and McGraw compiled all of their wins between 1894 and 1950.

Mack managed the Pirates from 1894-96 and the Athletics from 1901-50.

McGraw managed the Orioles in 1899 and from 1901-02 and the Giants from 1902-32.

La Russa managed the White Sox from 1979-86 and from 2021-22, the Athletics from 1986-95 and the Cardinals from 1996-2011.

Sparky helps Tony

Anderson, while managing the Tigers, offered advice to La Russa when he was with the White Sox.

“Nobody was as ready to help or impart knowledge as Sparky,” La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In the book “Tony La Russa: Man on a Mission,” La Russa said Anderson, who managed in the Cardinals minor-league system in the 1960s, taught him a major responsibility of a manager “is to try to figure out what your guys do well and where they struggle _ and try to play one away from the other.”

“For example,” said La Russa, “if a guy can’t bunt, don’t put him in a position to bunt. If someone is a bad runner, don’t give him a green light to run. If a guy has trouble going back on the ball but can come in, play him deeper. If a guy can go better to his right, shade him to the left. All of that crystallized the idea to play to strengths and away from weaknesses.”

Cardinals celebrate

On the night La Russa passed Anderson in career wins, Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds told the Post-Dispatch, “To have the most wins in the modern era is pretty special.” Boxscore

The Cardinals made sure the achievement was treated as special.

After the game, Edmonds spoke to his teammates in a closed-door meeting to make certain everyone understood the significance of the win.

Reliever Jason Isringhausen presented La Russa with the ball from the final out.

The players doused La Russa with beer. First baseman Albert Pujols playfully dumped a tub of ice water on him.

Isringhausen said the beer shower was planned; the ice water dump was spontaneous _ and momentarily worrisome. “We were afraid his heart was going to stop,” Isringhausen told reporter Rick Hummel.

The club brought out a case of Dom Perignon champagne and made a toast to their field leader.

Jim Leyland, a coach for La Russa with the White Sox from 1982-85 and a scout for the 2005 Cardinals, presented La Russa with a personal check for $2,194 _ a dollar for each win that tied La Russa with Anderson _ to be donated to the manager’s Animal Rescue Foundation.

Asked what career he would have pursued if he had flopped as a baseball manager, La Russa said, “I’d be an attorney. That would have been bad. I don’t think I would have been a very good one.”

La Russa thanked his wife, Elaine, and daughters Bianca and Devon.

“Without the support of Elaine and the two girls, I would have been gone a long time ago,” La Russa said.

Third will suffice

Anderson had said La Russa could pass McGraw on the wins list. “I don’t think so,” La Russa told Hummel.

Pujols predicted La Russa would aim higher. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to shoot for No. 1,” Pujols said. “Knowing him, it’s going to be real tough for him to walk out of this game.”

During the 2011 season, though, La Russa privately determined he was ready to stop managing. He wasn’t getting enough enjoyment from the job, even though he still loved the game.

In the book “One Last Strike,” La Russa said he spoke with his wife Elaine in September 2011 about his plan to leave the Cardinals that year.

“She said it would mean a lot to her and the girls if I passed John McGraw for second on the list for most managerial wins in a career,” La Russa said. “I could understand their thinking, but I couldn’t give in to it because that was something personal and not professional. Doing it for them, knowing that I shouldn’t be there, wasn’t something I could do. I hated to disappoint them.”

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5 surprising facts about Curt Flood

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on August 15, 2015| 4 Comments »

(Updated April 6, 2026)

Five facts that may surprise you about Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood:

No. 1: Cardinals foe

Flood made his major-league debut against the Cardinals.

On Sept. 9, 1956, at St. Louis, Flood, 18, was a pinch-runner for Smoky Burgess, the stocky Reds catcher who hit a double in the eighth inning off Cardinals starter Murry Dickson.

Flood was stranded when Bob Thurman popped out to third, ending the inning. Boxscore

As a September call-up, Flood played in five games for the 1956 Reds and three for the 1957 Reds. The Cardinals were the foe in three of those eight games.

Flood and outfielder Joe Taylor were traded by the Reds to the Cardinals for pitchers Willard Schmidt, Ted Wieand and Marty Kutyna on Dec. 5, 1957.

It was the first trade made by Cardinals general manager Bing Devine and it was one of his best. Devine credited Cardinals manager Fred Hutchinson with encouraging him to make the deal.

In his book “October 1964,” author David Halberstam wrote, “Devine was uneasy because it was his first deal and because he had not only never seen (Flood) but he had no sense of him either. But (Hutchinson) seemed confident of Flood’s ability and Devine had a good deal of faith in Hutchinson’s ability to judge talent.”

No. 2: Cardinals infielder

Flood, who won seven consecutive Gold Glove awards as a Cardinals center fielder from 1963-69, played two games at third base and one at second for St. Louis.

In all three instances, Flood shifted from the outfield to the infield late in games. The breakdown:

_ On July 6, 1958, Flood started in center field against the Giants at San Francisco. In the ninth, Ken Boyer moved from third base to shortstop and Flood replaced Boyer at third. Flood didn’t field any chances in the inning. Boxscore

_ On May 10, 1959, at St. Louis against the Cubs, Flood moved from center field to second base in the 10th, replacing Don Blasingame, who had been lifted for a pinch-runner the previous inning. Flood played two innings at second base and didn’t field any chances. Boxscore

_ On June 21, 1960, Flood started in center field versus the Pirates at Pittsburgh. In the eighth, Boyer was ejected and Flood replaced him at third base. Flood had one ball hit to him at third _ by Burgess, then with the Pirates _ and fielded it cleanly. Boxscore

In the book “Redbirds Revisited,” Flood said to authors David Craft and Tom Owens, “There was a time when I was with Cincinnati … when they were hoping to teach me to play the infield (but) I had trouble making the double play, trouble throwing toward shortstop.”

No. 3: Tough and durable

At 5 feet 9 and 165 pounds, Flood was an iron man. He played in 150 or more games in a season seven times.

Flood ranks eighth all-time in games played (1,738) as a Cardinal. Just ahead of him is Red Schoendienst (1,795).

No. 4: Hit man

Flood ranks 10th all-time in most hits (1,853) by a Cardinal, just two behind Ken Boyer (1,855).

No. 5: Hitting the best

Flood often was at his best when facing the best.

Here are his career batting marks against some Hall of Fame pitchers:

_ .394 (13-for-33) vs. Don Sutton.

_ .326 (29-for-89) with a home run vs. Warren Spahn.

_ .319 (44-for-138) with two home runs vs. Don Drysdale.

_ .296 (32-for-108) with two home runs vs. Sandy Koufax.

_ .286 (34-for-119) with four home runs vs. Juan Marichal.

_ .286 (14-for-49) with two home runs vs. Ferguson Jenkins.

On May 3, 1968, at San Francisco, before a crowd that included his mother and other relatives, Flood hit two home runs in a game against Marichal. Flood hit a solo home run in the first and a two-run shot in the fifth “Curt hit a good pitch (fastball) the first time, but I hung a slider on the second home run,” Marichal told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Boxscore

Postscript

Flood was an integral member of a Cardinals franchise that won two World Series championships and three National League pennants in the 1960s.

In 12 seasons with the Cardinals, Flood was a three-time all-star who hit .293 with 1,853 hits in 1,738 games, including two consecutive seasons (1963-64) with 200 or more hits. When the Cardinals traded him to the Phillies after the 1969 season, Flood refused to report and challenged baseball’s reserve clause, paving the way for free agency.

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A dandy dozen shutouts for Bob Forsch, Ted Simmons

Posted in Games, Hitters, Pitchers on August 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Sept. 20, 2023)

In the seven seasons they played together for the Cardinals, Bob Forsch and Ted Simmons formed a special bond. Forsch pitched 12 shutouts during that time, including his first big-league win and a no-hitter, and Simmons was the catcher for each of those dozen gems.

When Forsch debuted with the Cardinals on July 7, 1974, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Reds at Cincinnati, Tim McCarver was the catcher and Simmons played first base. After that, Simmons caught the majority of Forsch’s games while they were Cardinals teammates from 1974-80.

Simmons caught more of Forsch’s games than any other catcher during the pitcher’s 16 seasons in the majors.

Forsch pitched in 498 regular-season games. Simmons was his catcher in 181 of those (or 36 percent), according to baseball-reference.com.

(The catchers who caught Forsch the next-most were Darrell Porter at 85 and Tony Pena at 40. Craig Biggio, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a second baseman, broke into the major leagues as a catcher and was Forsch’s batterymate in 25 games for the Astros in 1988 and 1989.)

Simmons, who led the Cardinals in RBI for seven consecutive seasons (1972-78), helped Forsch develop into a Cardinals ace. Forsch had a career ERA of 3.76. In games caught by Simmons, Forsch’s ERA was 3.43.

Opponents had a career batting average against Forsch of .261. In games caught by Simmons, foes hit .254 versus Forsch.

“Bob had a work ethic that was unsurpassed, but mainly he had a sinkerball that hitters just couldn’t lift,” Simmons told Cardinals Magazine. “It was such an effective pitch that it wasn’t unusual for him to throw six consecutive sinkers and sometimes as many as 10 in a row.

“Did you ever try to get a bowling ball in the air? A lot of nights, that’s what his sinker was like. The sinker came to him naturally. There is something about the combination of a pitcher’s release and his arm slot that enables him to turn the reverse-side spin of a sinker into a funky pitch. Bob had the gift. The only other pitcher I caught who had a comparable sinker was Mike Caldwell in Milwaukee.”

Here is a breakdown of the shutouts Forsch pitched with Simmons as his catcher:

First win

In his second appearance with the Cardinals _ and his first with Simmons as his catcher _ Forsch pitched a four-hit shutout against the Braves for his first win in the major leagues.

Forsch held the Braves to four singles at St. Louis on July 12, 1974. He also singled off Lew Krausse for his first big-league hit.

Simmons was 1-for-3 with a run scored. He also walked and was hit by a pitch.

The Cardinals supported Forsch with a nine-run first inning and won, 10-0.

“With a lead like that, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t walk anybody,” Forsch said to the Associated Press. Boxscore

Beat the Mets

Forsch yielded a leadoff single to Bud Harrelson, then didn’t give up another hit until the fifth. He pitched a four-hitter in a 3-0 Cardinals victory against the Mets on Sept. 6, 1974, at St. Louis.

Simmons contributed two singles against Jerry Koosman and a double off a former teammate, Harry Parker. Boxscore

Fast start

In the Cardinals’ second game of the season, Forsch pitched a two-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the Expos at St. Louis on April 9, 1975. The Expos were limited to singles by Tony Scott and Barry Foote.

Simmons had a sacrifice fly, a single and a RBI-double off Steve Rogers. Boxscore

Astros grounded

Cesar Cedeno singled in the first, Larry Dierker singled in the third and the Astros were held hitless by Forsch for the rest of the game. Forsch pitched a two-hitter in a 6-0 Cardinals victory at Houston on June 6, 1975.

Simmons had a single, a walk and scored a run. Boxscore

Cubs all wet

In a game delayed by rain for more than two hours at the start, Forsch retired the first 10 Cubs batters in a row before Rick Monday doubled with one out in the fourth. Forsch pitched a four-hitter in a 4-0 triumph on Aug. 2, 1975, at Chicago.

Simmons and Forsch each had a RBI. Boxscore

Big finale

In his last start of the season, Forsch pitched a three-hitter in a 1-0 victory over the Pirates on Sept. 26, 1975, at St. Louis. Simmons drove in the run with a single off Jim Rooker in the first, scoring Lou Brock.

Forsch limited the Pirates to singles by Rennie Stennett, Willie Stargell and Manny Sanguillen. Boxscore

Cruise control

Forsch pitched a three-hitter in a 4-0 Cardinals victory over the Astros at St. Louis on July 21, 1977. Jose Cruz, Forsch’s former teammate, had two of the hits. Enos Cabell had the other. Simmons twice drove in Garry Templeton from third with RBI-groundouts off J.R. Richard. Boxscore

Mets muzzled

After yielding a single to Bruce Boisclair in the first inning, Forsch gave up one other hit _ a Lenny Randle single in the sixth _ in pitching a two-hitter against the Mets on Aug. 17, 1977, at St. Louis.

Simmons had a single and a walk and scored a run in the Cardinals’ 2-0 triumph. Boxscore

Unhittable

Forsch pitched the first of his two no-hitters, beating the Phillies, 5-0, on April 16, 1978, at St. Louis.

“Forsch threw a profound power sinker, and that day it was so powerful that we all knew he was going to throw it, but that wasn’t going to make a bit of difference,” Simmons recalled to Cardinals Magazine.

“By the fifth inning, they realized he was going with his sinker 98 percent of the time and they weren’t going to be able to lift it. If they made contact, it was going to be a groundball and they were going to be out.”

In the ninth, Forsch got Jay Johnstone, Bake McBride, Larry Bowa on groundouts.

Simmons was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Boxscore

On a roll

In his third start after the no-hitter, Forsch pitched a five-hitter in a 9-0 Cardinals victory over the Giants on May 2, 1978, at St. Louis. Simmons and Forsch each had a RBI.

The Giants had three doubles, including one by Jack Clark, and stranded seven. Boxscore

Ted goes deep

Simmons broke a scoreless tie in the seventh with a home run off Burt Hooton and Forsch pitched a three-hitter in a 2-0 Cardinals victory over the Dodgers on May 11, 1978, at Los Angeles.

In the bottom of the ninth, Vic Davalillo, the former Cardinal, led off with a single. Forsch then got Ron Cey to hit into a double play and followed that with a strikeout of Steve Garvey. Boxscore

Phillies baffled

Forsch held the Phillies to three singles _ including one by their 37-year-old catcher, McCarver _ in a 5-0 Cardinals victory on July 27, 1979, at Philadelphia.

Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt were a combined 0-for-6 with a walk against Forsch.

Simmons and Forsch each contributed a RBI. Boxscore

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Willie Davis and his short, strange stay with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Trades on August 9, 2015| 16 Comments »

(Updated June 4, 2020)

Unable or unwilling to manage his personal finances, outfielder Willie Davis left the Cardinals during a pennant drive in an effort to protect his wages from being claimed by his ex-wife.

On Aug. 15, 1975, Davis, the Cardinals’ right fielder, was placed on the club’s disqualified list after informing management he was quitting because of financial problems.

The incident added another twist to a bizarre year in which Davis served a stint in jail, got into a shouting match with a manager, staged a protest during a game and got traded twice.

Trouble in Texas

Davis was the center fielder for the Dodgers throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. He appeared in three World Series for them, twice was named an all-star and twice led the National League in triples. He produced a 31-game hitting streak in 1969.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills said of Davis, “He was so talented. God really blessed him with some great tools _ for any sport, really _ speed, strength, agility _ everything an athlete needs in order to make the big time.”

Asked about Davis, Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax told ESPN’s Roy Firestone, “There might have been guys who were quicker, but I don’t think anybody was faster going from first to third.”

The Dodgers traded Davis to the Expos in December 1973 and 12 months later the Expos dealt him to the Rangers. Soon after, on Feb. 13, 1975, Davis was released from the Los Angeles County jail after serving two days of a five-day sentence for failure to make child support payments, The Sporting News reported. Davis’ attorney arranged for the release by promising that the Rangers would withhold some of Davis’ salary for alimony and child support payments. Davis agreed to pay about $12,000 in back payments, the Associated Press reported.

Calm before storm

At spring training with the Rangers in 1975, Davis told columnist Melvin Durslag he was at peace because he had become a member of Nichiren Shoshu, a Buddhist religious order based on the teachings of a 13th-century Japanese monk. Davis said he spent one to four hours a day chanting. Believers say chanting enables a person to change bad karma and achieve enlightenment.

“I consider myself better adjusted than anyone else in this game,” Davis said. “That’s because nothing can make me unhappy.”

Two months later, on May 7, 1975, Davis and Rangers manager Billy Martin got into a shouting match after Davis interrupted Martin while the manager was berating the team during a locked-door clubhouse meeting.

“I just can’t play for anybody who wants to keep his foot on my neck,” Davis said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Three weeks later, Davis staged a protest by petulantly squatting in center field, his glove under his arm, throughout an inning because teammate Steve Hargan didn’t hit a batter with a pitch after a Red Sox pitcher threw at Davis.

Soon after, when the Rangers wouldn’t give Davis a salary advance for the third time, he refused to go with the team on a road trip to Baltimore.

Feeling bad karma, the Rangers looked to trade Davis.

“We’ve been exceedingly lenient with the guy since last winter on all matters pertaining to his financial affairs,” Rangers general manager Dan O’Brien told the Star-Telegram, “but at some point you’ve got to draw the line.”

Cardinals roll dice

The 1975 Cardinals were in the market for a hitter because their rookie first baseman, Keith Hernandez, was overmatched by big-league pitching.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, O’Brien called Cardinals general manager Bing Devine and said, “We’ve got to get rid of Willie Davis. You wouldn’t want him, would you?”

Devine said no, but changed his mind three days later after talks with manager Red Schoendienst and others.

On June 4, 1975, the Cardinals traded shortstop Ed Brinkman and pitcher Tommy Moore to the Rangers for Davis. Hernandez, batting .203, was sent to the minors. The Cardinals switched Reggie Smith from right field to first base and Davis, 35, joined an outfield with Lou Brock in left and Bake McBride in center.

“The Cards took a good gamble with Willie Davis, only if they can get him to stop spending money faster than he runs,” wrote columnist Dick Young.

Devine and Davis said they believed Schoendienst would be key to making the deal successful.

“We take chances on players other teams might not want because of Red Schoendienst’s philosophy,” Devine said. “All Red looks for is a guy’s ability and how he can fit into our picture. Then, when we get a guy, Red leaves him alone.”

Davis said Schoendienst is “a lot like Walter Alston when I was with the Dodgers. Both of them leave you alone and let you enjoy playing this game.”

Schoendienst gave Davis the honor of taking the lineup card to the umpires before his first game with his new team. “With the Cardinals, I know I can play baseball without being suppressed,” Davis said. “I can be loose again.”

Unexpected departure

A left-handed batter, Davis hit .382 for the Cardinals in July.

In early August, Schoendienst was asked why he didn’t fine Davis after the outfielder made a blunder against the Padres. “How can I?” Schoendienst replied. “He doesn’t have any money.”

Davis again had fallen behind in alimony and child support payments. His ex-wife indicated she would seek a court order to have the Cardinals withhold his pay and send the money to her.

Davis said he was quitting rather than having his salary withheld. “I’m going back home and look into starting a new career,” he told the Post-Dispatch. “If I stayed, I’d be playing two months for nothing. That will never take place.”

The Cardinals placed him on the disqualified list and provided attorneys to help Davis resolve the issue, the Associated Press reported.

Regarding Davis’ absence, Brock said, “With him, we had a chance for the pennant. Without, it’s going to be tough.”

Davis’ yearly salary was $110,000. He was due about $30,000 for the remainder of the season, according to United Press International.

After missing five games, Davis and his ex-wife reached an agreement to split his remaining salary in 1975. Davis said she would receive $17,000.

“She’s satisfied and I’m satisfied,” Davis said.

Welcome back

The Cardinals were within 4.5 games of the first-place Pirates when Davis left the club and he was hitting .308.

When he returned, Davis told reporters Buddhism helped him deal with his financial problem. He delivered a few sample chants before dropping a bombshell. “I want a contract for five years and a million dollars,” Davis said. “St. Louis will have the first shot at me, but I won’t care where I go.”

In his first game back from the disqualified list, Davis started in right field, received an ovation from the fans at Busch Stadium and went 4-for-4 with a triple, double and two singles against the Reds’ Gary Nolan. Boxscore

“I felt like I was reborn,” Davis said.

Davis hit .368 in August and his Cardinals batting average entering September was .335. The Cardinals were 20-11 in August and were 72-63 overall, four games out of first place.

Reggie Smith said Davis is “the difference between winning and losing.”

Tough times

In September 1975, Davis swooned and so did the Cardinals. He hit .141 in September. The Cardinals were 10-17 for the month and finished at 82-80 _ 10.5 games behind first-place Pittsburgh.

Davis hit .291 with the 1975 Cardinals, with 50 RBI and 10 stolen bases. His batting average versus right-handed pitching was .329.

The Cardinals sought to trade him and found little interest until Padres president Buzzie Bavasi, who’d been Dodgers general manager when Davis played for them, made an offer.

On Oct. 20, 1975, the Cardinals dealt Davis to the Padres for outfielder Dick Sharon.

After his playing career, Davis “had a very difficult time … living life away from the game,” said Tommy Hawkins, a Dodgers executive.

In 1996, Davis was arrested and charged with threatening to kill his parents and burn down their house unless they gave him $5,000, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was armed with a set of throwing knives and a samurai sword.

Said Bavasi: “There was nothing more exciting than to watch Willie run out a triple. He could have been a Hall of Famer, but he had million-dollar legs and a 10-cent head.”

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