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Stan Musial and his magical month of May

Posted in Games, Hitters on May 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

In 1963, his final season as a player, Stan Musial went on a tear in May that began with a bases-loaded double and ended with one of the most bizarre RBI in his distinguished Cardinals career.

stan_musial24Musial, 42, had 23 RBI in 26 games in May 1963. Those were the most RBI he produced in a month since he had 27 in June 1957. He also hit seven home runs in May 1963. That represented his best output in a month since he clubbed seven in August 1957.

On May 2, his first game played in the month, Musial hit a two-out, three-run double off Cubs reliever Don Elston in the seventh, increasing the St. Louis lead from 1-0 to 4-0 in a game the Cardinals won, 4-3. Boxscore

In late May, Cardinals manager Johnny Keane moved Musial into the cleanup spot. In seven games from May 22 through May 31, Musial had nine RBI and hit .400 (12-for-30) while batting fourth.

On May 31, Musial was credited with an unusual game-winning RBI against the Giants at St. Louis.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the score 5-5, the Cardinals loaded the bases with none out. Giants manager Al Dark brought in left-hander Billy Pierce to face Musial.

With the infield playing in for a play at the plate, Musial hit a pop fly to the right of the second base bag.

“Rookie second baseman Cap Peterson looked about as Willie Mays charged in from his shallow center field spot and speedy Felipe Alou raced in from right field,” The Sporting News reported. “The ball fell among the befuddled trio. The play was ruled an infield fly. Thus, Musial was out, but Curt Flood, who had been on third base, roared home when the ball hit the ground and (Musial) was credited with the strangest of his 1,921 big-league RBI at that point.

“Mays came closest to getting the ball. He tried to scoop it up for a throw home, but the ball bounced away from him. Then in disgust Willie kicked his glove about 30 feet.”

With the 6-5 victory, Boxscore the Cardinals climbed into second place in the National League, two games behind the defending champion Giants. Boxscore

“In May, reinstated in the cleanup spot, (Musial) helped pull the Cards up by their bootstraps,” The Sporting News concluded.

Musial began June the same way he started May. He drove in three runs on June 1 in the Cardinals’ 7-4 victory over the Giants. Boxscore The three RBI gave Musial 1,924 for his career, moving him ahead of Jimmie Foxx for No. 3 on the all-time list. Babe Ruth then was first at 2,200 and Lou Gehrig second at 1,992.

Limited to 17 games in June because of a leg injury, Musial hit .311 for the month but had no home runs in 45 at-bats and drove in six runs.

After a subpar July and August, Musial finished strong in September, batting .299 for the month, with three home runs and 12 RBI.

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Silvio Martinez was special picher for Cardinals

Posted in Games, Pitchers on May 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

In 1978, Silvio Martinez pitched a one-hitter for the Cardinals against the Mets, four days after he pitched a no-hitter in the minor leagues.

silvio_martinezMartinez pitched two one-hitters and a pair of two-hitters for the 1978 Cardinals.

Martinez debuted in the major leagues with the 1977 White Sox, pitching 10 games in relief. After the season, the White Sox sent Martinez to St. Louis, completing an August trade of reliever Clay Carroll to Chicago for players to be named. (The Cardinals also got outfielder Nyls Nyman and pitcher Dave Hamilton.)

Martinez, 22, opened the 1978 season in the rotation of the Cardinals’ Class AAA club at Springfield, Ill. On April 24, he pitched a three-hitter against Iowa. Six days later, he combined with George Frazier on a two-hitter against Evansville.

On May 26, Martinez flirted with a perfect game against Omaha. He retired 23 in a row before an Omaha batter reached base on a error by third baseman John Scott with two outs in the eighth.

In the ninth, Martinez got a break when left fielder Jim Lentine made a diving catch of Jim Gaudet’s drive for the first out. After issuing a walk, Martinez completed the no-hitter in the 4-0 Springfield victory.

“I was throwing hard, but I wasn’t thinking about the no-hitter,” Martinez said to The Sporting News.

The Cardinals promoted Martinez and put him into their rotation. He made his first start in the major leagues on May 30 at New York’s Shea Stadium. Matched against Jerry Koosman, Martinez held New York hitless for six innings. In the seventh, Steve Henderson led off and hit the first pitch from Martinez over the left-field fence for a home run.

“I cried the minute I let it go,” Martinez said to the Associated Press.

Said Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons: “I couldn’t believe how calm (Martinez) was after his no-hit bid was wrecked. I told him to forget about it … He told me, ‘It’s not important. Don’t worry.’ ”

In the ninth, the Mets scored without a hit when Henderson walked, advanced on a wild pitch, moved to third on a ground out and scored on another wild pitch.

The Cardinals won, 8-2. Martinez walked six, hit a batter and struck out two. Boxscore

“He did a heck of a job of concentrating,” said Cardinals manager Ken Boyer. “He is real fast and just wild enough to keep the hitters off stride. I pitched him out of sheer need. He had thrown about 100 pitches Friday night (in the no-hitter). Tonight, he threw 121 times, so that’s not too bad.”

Said Mets manager Joe Torre: “He has a great fastball.”

Martinez pitched another one-hitter against the Pirates at St. Louis on July 8. He pitched a two-hitter against the Giants at Candlestick Park on July 26 and another two-hitter against the Mets on Sept. 25 at Shea Stadium.

In 22 starts, Martinez was 9-8 with a 3.64 ERA for the 1978 Cardinals. He yielded 114 hits in 138.1 innings but had more walks (71) than strikeouts (45).

Plagued by injuries and illness, Martinez never developed into a consistent winner. His record in four years (1978-81) with St. Louis was 31-31 with a 3.81 ERA. In November 1981, the Cardinals dealt him to the Indians for outfielder Lonnie Smith.

Previously: Jim Kaat revived both his career and the Cardinals

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How Cards’ mystery man nearly derailed Phils’ 1980 title run

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on May 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

On their way to a World Series championship, the 1980 Phillies got sidetracked by a Cardinals rookie pitcher whom Dallas Green, Philadelphia’s tough, savvy manager, called “the mystery man.”

al_olmsteadAl Olmsted, a left-hander and St. Louis native, baffled the Phillies with his screwball during a pair of September starts.

Another rookie left-hander, John Martin, who pitched for three minor league teams in 1980, joined Olmsted in the Cardinals’ starting rotation in September and impressed general manager Whitey Herzog as a pitcher “just wild enough to be good.”

With John Gast and Tyler Lyons, the 2013 Cardinals became the first St. Louis team to use two rookie left-handed starting pitchers in the same season since Olmsted and Martin in 1980.

Olmsted was chosen by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1975 amateur draft out of Hazelwood East High School in suburban St. Louis.

After a muscle tear in his left arm decreased his velocity, Olmsted developed a screwball. In 1980, he was 13-9 with a 2.93 ERA in 25 regular-season games combined for Class AA Arkansas and Class AAA Springfield (Ill.). Olmsted also earned two wins in Springfield’s four-game sweep of Denver in the American Association championship series.

The Cardinals rewarded him with a promotion to the big leagues that September.

On Sept. 12, 1980, Olmsted, 23, made his major-league debut, starting against the Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia. Facing a lineup that included Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski and Lonnie Smith, Olmsted held the Phillies scoreless for 9.1 innings before he was relieved by Jim Kaat.

The Cardinals scored five runs in the 11th and won, 5-0. Boxscore Olmsted didn’t get the decision but proved he belonged in the majors.

“I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be,” Olmsted said to United Press International. “I just wanted to go out there and throw strikes and not embarrass myself. I wasn’t really awed by anybody. My job was to make good pitches and have them hit the ball at somebody.”

Eleven days later, Sept. 23, Olmsted started against the Phillies again, this time at St. Louis. He was pitching on two days’ rest as a substitute for Bob Forsch, who left the team to attend the funeral of his mother.

Olmsted shut out the Phillies for the first six innings, extending his scoreless streak against them to 15.1 innings. He went 8.1 innings, yielding three runs and earning the win in the Cardinals’ 6-3 victory. Boxscore

The loss was a crusher for the Phillies, who fell a half-game behind the Expos in the National League East. The Phillies were 82-68 with 12 to play. Two of their last four losses in a 10-game stretch were in games started by Olmsted.

“(Olmsted) doesn’t throw that many strikes, but he gets us out,” Green said. “He’s a mystery man. But you’ve got to give him credit. He’s figured out how to do it and 82 other pitchers haven’t.”

Said Pete Rose: “(Olmsted) knows what he’s doing. He knows he’s not going to blow a fastball by anybody. Pitchers with slow stuff like that usually give us a lot of trouble.”

Red Schoendienst, the Cardinals’ interim manager, compared Olmsted with Fred Norman, the former Cardinal who went on to become a fixture in the Reds’ rotation, and said Olmsted “gets the ball where he wants it.”

Said Olmsted: “I hope I’m not a mystery man forever.”

Olmsted made five starts for the 1980 Cardinals and posted a record of 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA.

Like Olmsted, Martin spent most of the 1980 season in the minor leagues. A 27th-round choice of the Tigers out of Eastern Michigan in the 1978 draft, Martin was pitching for Class AAA Evansville when Detroit traded him and outfielder Al Greene to the Cardinals for outfielder Jim Lentine on June 2, 1980.

The Cardinals assigned Martin to Springfield and he broke his foot. After he healed, he was sent to Arkansas. He had a 3-3 record and 4.15 ERA in 25 games combined for Evansville, Springfield and Arkansas when he received a surprise promotion to the Cardinals.

Martin’s big-league debut with St. Louis was as unexpected as his call-up. On Aug. 27, in a game against the Astros at St. Louis, Cardinals starter John Fulgham was lifted after one inning when his shoulder stiffened. Martin relieved, limited the Astros to a run in seven innings and earned the win in a 10-2 Cardinals victory.

Martin made 109 pitches and retired 13 in a row during one stretch. Boxscore

“It caught me off guard,” Martin said to the Associated Press of being called into the game in the second inning. “It didn’t give me time to think about it.”

Said Cardinals catcher Terry Kennedy: “He never really gave them anything good to hit. I think he can compete here. I liked his aggressiveness.”

Martin, 24, made his first start on Sept. 6, in the second game of a doubleheader at Houston, yielded a grand slam to former Cardinals outfielder Jose Cruz and took the loss in the Astros’ 6-4 victory. Boxscore

In the season finale, Oct. 5 at St. Louis, Martin pitched his first complete game and got the win in the Cardinals’ 3-2 triumph over the Mets. Martin pitched a seven-hitter and retired the last 10 batters in a row. Boxscore

Herzog said of Martin, “He’s got a good arm. He’s just wild enough to be good.”

In nine games, including five starts, for the 1980 Cardinals, Martin was 2-3 with a 4.29 ERA.

After the 1980 season, the Cardinals traded Olmsted to the Padres in a package for pitchers Rollie Fingers and Bob Shirley and catcher Gene Tenace. After spending the 1981 season at Class AAA Hawaii, Olmsted came back to the Cardinals in the Ozzie Smith trade. He pitched his final season (1982) in the Cardinals’ farm system.

Martin was 17-14 in four seasons with the Cardinals before he was sent back to the Tigers in August 1983.

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How Ted Simmons got ejected after belting a home run

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on May 22, 2013| 6 Comments »

(Updated May 26, 2019)

In the time it takes to circle the bases, Ted Simmons experienced the high of hitting an improbable home run and the low of being ejected.

The incident symbolized the frustrations of the 1978 Cardinals.

ted_simmons16On May 27, 1978, the Cardinals, who’d lost 13 of their last 14 games, faced the first-place Cubs in St. Louis. Frustrated by the strike zone of Paul Runge, Simmons jawed with the plate umpire.

“(Simmons) seemed to be uptight through most of the game,” Runge said to the Associated Press. “Before the seventh inning, I was joking with him and telling him to relax. There was something working on him.”

In the ninth, the Cubs called in closer Bruce Sutter to protect a 2-1 lead. Simmons, who doubled and tripled in the game, was first to bat.

Sutter got ahead on the count 0-and-2. On his next pitch, “I tried to bounce it up there,” Sutter said to the Chicago Tribune, but the pitch was up in the strike zone. Batting left-handed, Simmons crushed it for a 400-foot home run, tying the score.

As he stepped on the plate after rounding the bases, Simmons tipped his batting helmet in Runge’s direction and, according to the ump, said, “Take that.”

Runge ejected Simmons.

“He definitely showed me up, but he didn’t cuss me,” Runge said. “It was a perfect opportunity for him and he took the opportunity.”

Simmons told the Tribune, “I didn’t say a word.”

Cubs manager Herman Franks said he was surprised Simmons got tossed. “I always thought as long as you didn’t swear you couldn’t get thrown out of a ballgame,” Franks said. “It ain’t so anymore.”

The Cubs scored in the 11th and won, 3-2, sending the Cardinals to their 14th loss in 15 games. The Cardinals filed a protest with the National League, arguing Simmons shouldn’t have been ejected.

“I think this has been happening, or brewing, over a long period of time, but unless you call an umpire a name, he (Simmons) shouldn’t be kicked out,” Cardinals manager Ken Boyer said. “We think very strongly that umpires ought to be fined, suspended or reprimanded, just like players.

“The only job (Runge) had was to see if (Simmons) touched the plate. I don’t think that the average fan knew they were having words before. Teddy never once turned around.” Boxscore

Three decades later, in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the ejection of Simmons remained memorable.

“Teddy was not in agreement with Paul Runge’s strike zone,” Hummel recalled. “They had a little debate about balls and strikes. Then Teddy hits a home run to tie the game and as Teddy steps on home plate he is ejected. That’s one of my favorites. Home run and gone.”

 

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Ozzie Smith still tops NL shortstops for durability

Posted in Games, Records on May 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Nov. 28, 2024)

Displaying a gold standard for consistency and durability at his position, Ozzie Smith holds the National League record for most games played at shortstop.

ozzie_smith6On May 22, 1993, when the Cardinals took the field at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium against the Pirates, Smith set the National League record for most games played at shortstop, with 2,223. Smith broke the mark of 2,222 held for eight years by Larry Bowa. Before Bowa, the National League record had been held for more than 50 years by Rabbit Maranville. Boxscore

“It’s a record that’s been there a long time,” Smith told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You have no idea when you start out that you’ll be able to achieve it. It’s an honor.”

Smith achieved the record by overcoming a serious shoulder injury in 1985. Smith chose to let the injury heal naturally rather than undergo surgery. Remarkably, he led National League shortstops in games played in 1985, with 158.

“I had a torn rotator cuff (in 1985),” Smith told Hummel in May 1993. “People don’t talk about that much. I’m proud of (overcoming) that. I thought Mother Nature was the best way to handle it.

“For a while, I knew that I was going to have only one long throw a day. You had to kind of position yourself so you could get the ball over there, but at the same time not make it so far that you were going to hurt yourself for the rest of the day. I battled around that pretty well.”

Thomas Boswell wrote in the Washington Post, “He rehabilitated himself so quickly he never missed a game. Most fans, and even foes, didn’t know he was ever hurt … He positions himself to avoid long throws and has developed the quickest release since Joe Namath faced a blitz.”

Smith also topped National League shortstops in games played in 1980 (158), strike-shortened 1981 (110), 1987 (158) and 1989 (153).

Smith played in the major leagues from 1978-96 for two National League clubs: Padres (four years) and Cardinals (15 years).

He finished his career with 2,511 games played at shortstop, ranking him fourth in big-league history. The three ahead of him played either exclusively or primarily in the American League.

The top 10 in big-league games played at shortstop:

_ 1. Omar Vizquel, 2,709 games. Vizquel performed in the major leagues from 1989-2012. Four of those years were spent in the National League (with the Giants).

_ 2. Derek Jeter, 2,674. Of the shortstops in the top 10, Jeter is the only one who played even one game for the Yankees.

_ 3. Luis Aparicio, 2,581. In 18 seasons in the big leagues, all in the American League (with the White Sox, Orioles and Red Sox), Aparicio never played a position other than shortstop.

_ 4. Ozzie Smith, 2,511. Like Aparicio, Smith never played a position other than shortstop in the majors. He won a Gold Glove Award in 13 consecutive years (1980-92) and led National League shortstops in fielding percentage eight times.

_ 5. Cal Ripken, 2,302. He spent his entire big-league career with the Orioles (1981-2001). Ripken led American League shortstops in fielding percentage four times. After shifting to third base, he led the league in fielding percentage at the hot corner in 1998.

_ 6. Jimmy Rollins, 2,227. After 15 seasons with the Phillies, for whom he won four Gold Glove awards, Rollins finished with a year each for the Dodgers and White Sox.

_ 7. Larry Bowa, 2,222. Bowa played his whole career in the National League, with the Phillies, Cubs and Mets (1970-85).

_ 8. Luke Appling, 2,218. He spent his entire big-league career (1930-50) with the White Sox. When he retired, Appling held the major-league record for most games played at shortstop.

_ 9. Dave Concepcion, 2,178. Concepcion played his entire career with the Reds (1970-88).

_ 10. Rabbit Maranville, 2,153. A National League shortstop from 1912-35, Maranville was the starter for the 1928 Cardinals pennant winners. He also played for the Braves, Pirates, Dodgers and Cubs.

 

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How Cardinals rookie Dick Hughes struck out 13 _ and lost

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers, Prospects on May 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

(Updated June 16, 2023)

As a Cardinals rookie, Dick Hughes delivered a dominant strikeout performance against the Reds that stands out for its artistry and drama.

dick_hughesOn May 30, 1967, Hughes was perfect for seven innings against the Reds at Cincinnati. Then a string of bad breaks and bizarre plays occurred. Hughes struck out 13 in eight innings but took the loss in the Reds’ 2-1 victory.

A right-hander, Hughes spent nine seasons (1958-66) in the minor leagues. His vision was 20-75 in one eye; 20-300 in the other, according to The Sporting News.

In 1966, Hughes turned around his career by developing a slider and a no-windup delivery. He got his first call to the big leagues with the Cardinals in September 1966.

Hughes, 29, opened the 1967 season in the Cardinals bullpen. He joined the starting rotation in May, swapping roles with Al Jackson.

Five days after pitching a two-hit shutout in the Cardinals’ 5-0 victory over the Braves in Atlanta Boxscore, Hughes was paired against Reds ace Jim Maloney at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field.

The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 35 minutes by rain. Unfazed, Hughes retired the first 18 batters. Then play was halted another 55 minutes by rain.

Hughes retired the Reds in order in the seventh, keeping his bid for a perfect game intact, but the second delay had been damaging.

“My slider was not going where I wanted it to and, after the rain stopped the game (a second time), I began relying on my fastball.” Hughes said to the Associated Press.

Said Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst: “The delay in the game by rain took a little of the edge off Hughes.”

With the Cardinals ahead 1-0, Tony Perez, leading off the eighth for Cincinnati, swung at a 3-and-2 fastball and lofted a high fly to center. The ball hit off the wall at cozy Crosley for a 380-foot triple “that would have been an easy out in any other park,” The Sporting News reported.

With the perfect game bid ended, Hughes focused on trying to preserve the lead. After he struck out Deron Johnson for the first out, Vada Pinson batted. “Pinson tried to duck from a high pitch, which he later confessed he never saw and, presto, he had a bloop, score-tying double to short left,” The Sporting News reported.

Pinson’s fluke double plated Chico Ruiz, who ran for Perez, tying the score at 1-1.

Trying to set up a double play, Hughes issued an intentional walk to Johnny Edwards, but Leo Cardenas followed with a single, scoring Pinson and giving the Reds a 2-1 lead. Edwards advanced to third on the play, but Cardenas was thrown out at second, trying to stretch the single into a double.

Maloney was due up next. Rather than lift him for a pinch-hitter and turn to a closer in the ninth, manager Dave Bristol opted to let Maloney bat and he ended the inning with a fly out.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, Maloney was tiring. Orlando Cepeda opened the ninth with a single. Tim McCarver followed with another single, sending Cepeda to third.

Bristol lifted Maloney and brought in Don Nottebart to face Phil Gagliano, subbing for third baseman Mike Shannon, who had a viral infection.

Gagliano swung at Nottebart’s first pitch and grounded sharply to Cardenas at shortstop. Cepeda should have raced for home. Instead, he hesitated. Cardenas fielded the grounder and flipped to second baseman Tommy Helms, forcing McCarver. Though McCarver slid hard into him, Helms relayed a throw to first baseman Deron Johnson, completing the double play.

(In his book, “Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans,” McCarver recalled, “I hit Helms so hard on that play that I was concerned enough to call him after the game. In my entire career, that was the only time I called an opposing player to find out if he was OK.”)

On Helms’ throw, Cepeda broke for home. Johnson spotted him and fired the ball to catcher Johnny Edwards, who tagged out Cepeda.

Triple play. Game over.

“Something, eh?” an astonished Bristol said to the Associated Press. “First time I ever threw my cap into the stands.

“I sent Nottebart in to pitch, hoping he would throw a low ball for a grounder. He sure did.” Boxscore

Hughes finished with a pitching line of eight innings, three hits, two runs, one walk and 13 strikeouts. Hughes held Pete Rose hitless, stopping Rose’s 25-game hit streak.

“If it hadn’t rained, we never would have got a hit off Hughes,” Chico Ruiz said. “Hughes was just great.”

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