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How Eduardo Perez persevered with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters on February 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Over a span of five seasons, the Cardinals twice demoted Eduardo Perez to the minor leagues and once sent him to Japan, but he maintained a positive attitude and earned his way back each time.

On Feb. 16, 1999, the Cardinals signed Perez, a free agent, with the hope he’d contribute as a utility player and pinch-hitter.

Eduardo was the son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez and, though not as skilled as his dad, he hit with power and provided “thunder off the bench,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Raised right

Eduardo Perez, who was born in Cincinnati and played college baseball at Florida State, was a first-round choice of the Angels in the 1991 amateur draft.

“When I was a kid, my mom (Pituka) really was the main person in my life,” Perez said. “My dad was gone a lot playing. My dad had a beautiful career. I’ve always been proud to be his son, but my mom was pretty much my father and mother figure. I am so grateful for all she did.”

Perez reached the big leagues with the Angels in 1993 and played for them in parts of 1994 and 1995. In 1996, he was traded to the Reds, the team for whom his father played for 16 seasons. Eduardo hit 16 home runs for the Reds in 1997 and was their Opening Day first baseman in 1998, but Sean Casey took over the position after being acquired from the Indians.

Keeping faith

The Reds released Perez after the 1998 season and he joined the Cardinals, who invited him to their major-league spring training camp in 1999. The Cardinals projected Perez, 29, for a reserve role on the Opening Day roster, but he hit .214 in spring training and was sent to the minors.

Perez batted .320 with 18 home runs and 82 RBI for Class AAA Memphis in 1999 and was called up to the Cardinals in September.

“I believed all year that I should be in the big leagues,” Perez said. “I never did stop believing.”

The Cardinals put Perez in the lineup and he produced three consecutive two-hit games against the Brewers.

On Sept. 27, 1999, against the Reds at Cincinnati, Perez hit a three-run home run off Brett Tomko. Perez said hitting a home run as an opposing player in his hometown was special. “I’m not going to say it wasn’t,” he said. Boxscore

Perez hit .344 in 21 games for the 1999 Cardinals, became a free agent and signed with St. Louis again in February 2000.

Grand slam

Perez hit well in spring training in 2000, but was the last player cut from the roster before Opening Day. He returned to Memphis, hit .289 with 19 home runs in three months and was promoted to the Cardinals.

On June 24, 2000, the day after his call-up, Perez started at third base, hit a double against Orel Hershiser and strained a hamstring running the bases. He was removed from the game and placed on the disabled list.

A month later, on July 14, 2000, a day after he was activated, Perez started at first base and hit the first grand slam of his major-league career 420 feet to center against Bob Howry of the White Sox at Chicago. Boxscore

“He’s a very intelligent hitter and he’s the kind of first-class person you want to have around,” said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

A week later, Perez got permission to leave the club to attend his father’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 23, 2000.

Perez hit .297 in 35 games for the 2000 Cardinals, but in December they sold his contract to the Hanshin Tigers of the Japan Central League.

Home and healthy

The Japan experience was a bust for Perez. He injured a knee and hit .222 with three home runs. After the 2001 season, Perez had knee surgery and Lasik eye surgery to treat a severe astigmatism.

On Feb. 8, 2002, the Cardinals purchased Perez’s contract from the Japanese team. At spring training, Perez credited his improved vision for his strong hitting. “It’s like night and day,” he said. “It makes a big difference when you’re not worried about something getting in your eye, which used to happen a lot with me.”

Perez earned a reserve role on the Cardinals’ 2002 Opening Day roster. On April 10, a week into the season, his walkoff home run in the 11th inning against Luis Vizcaino carried the Cardinals to victory over the Brewers. Explaining to the Associated Press his approach with the count at 2-and-2, Perez said, “I choked up and was just trying to put it in play.” Boxscore

In 96 regular-season games for the 2002 Cardinals, Perez hit .201 with 10 home runs. He also hit a home run against Jason Schmidt of the Giants in Game 2 of the 2002 National League Championship Series. Boxscore

Moving on

Perez, 33, spent the 2003 season with the Cardinals and hit .285 with 11 home runs. The right-handed batter was especially effective versus left-handed pitching, hitting .353.

He was granted free agency after the 2003 season and, unlike his other departures, left on his terms, signing with the Rays.

In four seasons with St. Louis, Perez hit .266 with 25 home runs.

After two years with the Rays, Perez concluded his big-league playing career with the Indians and Mariners in 2006.

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How Shawon Dunston learned to like the Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters on February 10, 2019| 1 Comment »

Shawon Dunston, who spent his prime as a shortstop with the Cubs, contributed to the Cardinals for two seasons as a utility player.

On Feb. 16, 1999, the Cardinals and Dunston, a free agent, agreed to a one-year contract with a base salary of $500,000.

Dunston, who would turn 36 a month later, went on to play every position except pitcher, catcher and second base for the Cardinals over the next two seasons.

Multiple skills

As a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, Dunston batted .790 and had 37 stolen bases in 37 attempts. The Cubs chose him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 amateur draft.

Displaying a strong arm and wide fielding range at shortstop, Dunston made his major-league debut with the Cubs in 1985 and played for them through 1995 before becoming a free agent.

After a season with the Giants in 1996, Dunston split 1997 with the Cubs and Pirates. In 1998, no longer a premier shortstop, he adjusted to a utility role with the Indians and Giants.

A free agent again, Dunston had an attractive offer to stay with the Giants in 1999, but St. Louis manager Tony La Russa convinced him to join the Cardinals.

“Tony called me all the time, asking, ‘Are you motivated?’ He’d ask me over and over and over,” Dunston said to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Seeing red

After the Cardinals announced the signing, Dunston told the Post-Dispatch, “I’m still a Cub at heart.”

Columnist Dan O’Neill responded, “It’s OK for Shawon Dunston to still feel like a Cub, as long as he doesn’t field like one.”

The Cardinals had a quality shortstop, Edgar Renteria, so La Russa envisioned Dunston would fill in at all three outfield positions as well as first base, third base and shortstop.

“Dunston isn’t getting older; he’s getting busier,” Miklasz observed.

In the Cardinals’ season opener on April 5, 1999, against the Brewers at St. Louis, Dunston started in left field, produced a double and two singles and scored twice. Boxscore

In May 1999, Dunston batted .370 and had 16 RBI in 22 games. His hot month was highlighted by a pair of performances against the Pirates at St. Louis.

On May 7, 1999, Dunston hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth against Rich Loiselle, carrying the Cardinals to a 4-2 walkoff victory. Boxscore

Two days later, on May 9, 1999, Dunston hit a grand slam off Jose Silva in the first inning and a RBI-triple against Silva in the fifth. Boxscore

“He delivers big hits, matches manager Tony La Russa’s blowtorch intensity and hustles as if his pension depended on it,” Miklasz wrote.

Encore effort

On July 31, 1999, the Cardinals, who were out of contention, thought they were doing Dunston a favor when they traded him to the Mets for utility player Craig Paquette. The Mets were on their way to 97 wins and a berth in the postseason and Dunston would be going back to his roots near Brooklyn.

However, Dunston didn’t want to leave the Cardinals and was stunned by the deal. “I thought I found a home here,” he said.

In 62 games for the 1999 Cardinals, Dunston hit .307 overall and .412 with runners in scoring position.

After the 1999 postseason, when Dunston became a free agent again, he returned to the Cardinals, agreeing to a $500,000 contract. “I’ll do anything to help this team win,” he said.

On May 30, 2000, at Phoenix, Dunston hit a grand slam against Omar Daal of the Diamondbacks in the sixth. Facing Mike Morgan in the eighth, Dunston tripled and was waved home by third-base coach Jose Oquendo, who thought Dunston could achieve an inside-the-park home run. Umpire Greg Gibson ruled Tony Womack’s relay throw was in time to nail Dunston, “even though television replays indicated Dunston might have been safe,” according to the Post-Dispatch. Dunston argued the call and was ejected. Boxscore

Dunston hit two home runs and a double for six RBI against the Giants on June 22, 2000, at St. Louis. After a two-run double off Shawn Estes in the fifth and a solo home run against Aaron Fultz in the seventh, Dunston hit a three-run homer versus Felix Rodriguez in the eighth.

“The ball traveled only 330 feet to left field and probably wouldn’t have made it over the fence if not for leaping Giants left fielder Barry Bonds, who knocked it over with his glove,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

Said Bonds: “Shawon should send me a thank-you letter, at least.” Boxscore

Dunston finished the 2000 season with 12 home runs and a .250 batting mark and played in the postseason for the Cardinals against the Braves and Mets.

Though a free agent again, Dunston, 37, wanted to stay with St. Louis and the Cardinals were interested, but the Giants made a better offer.

The Giants gave Dunton a one-year, $1 million deal for 2001 with an option for 2002. The Cardinals came up with one year at less than $1 million.

“I love Shawon,” said Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty. “I wish we could have kept him.”

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Byron Browne had hit-or-miss year with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Prospects, Trades on February 7, 2019| 2 Comments »

Byron Browne, who had thunder in his bat and holes in his swing, intrigued the Cardinals as a power-hitting prospect.

On Feb. 12, 1969, the Cardinals purchased the contract of Browne from the Astros and assigned him to their farm club at Tulsa.

Browne battered baseballs with his right-handed slugging stroke, but he struck out a lot. The Cardinals wanted to see him make more contact before giving him a chance to return to the big leagues.

Working with instructors Joe Medwick and Tom Burgess, Browne hit consistently well for Tulsa and earned a promotion to the Cardinals.

Big chance

Browne was born and raised in St. Joseph, Mo., a town known as the starting point for the Pony Express and the place where outlaw Jesse James was killed.

In September 1962, Browne, 19, signed as an amateur free agent with the Pirates. He played in their farm system before being chosen by the Cubs in the minor-league draft in December 1963.

On Sept. 9, 1965, Browne made his major-league debut for the Cubs, starting in left field, at Dodger Stadium on the night Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game. Browne lined out to center, grounded out to short and struck out. It also was the debut game for Cubs center fielder Don Young. Boxscore.

At spring training in 1966, Browne impressed Cubs manager Leo Durocher, who told the Chicago Tribune, “I’m going to give this boy a good, long look in center field.”

On April 21, 1966, the Cubs acquired Adolfo Phillips from the Phillies. Scouts told Durocher the only center fielders better than Phillips were Willie Mays of the Giants and Curt Flood of the Cardinals.

Durocher put Phillips in center, moved Browne to left and kept Billy Williams in right. “I possibly may have the fastest outfield in the league,” Durocher said.

Tough on Cards

Three of Browne’s best games in 1966 were against the Cardinals.

On May 26, 1966, Browne hit a two-run home run against Bob Gibson “well up into the bleachers beneath Gussie Busch’s dancing beer sign” at Busch Memorial Stadium, the Tribune reported. Boxscore

Two months later, on July 18, 1966, Browne hit two home runs off Larry Jaster at St. Louis. His two-run home run in the second struck the yellow foul pole in left and his three-run homer in the eighth went into the seats in left-center. Boxscore

On Sept. 18, 1966, at Chicago, Browne had three hits, including a bloop double down the right-field line against Ron Piche to drive in the winning run and end the Cardinals’ seven-game winning streak. Boxscore

Browne batted .308 in 13 games against the Cardinals in 1966, but overall his season wasn’t nearly so good. He hit 16 home runs but batted .243 and struck out a league-high 143 times.

“He’s going to be a good one someday, but he’s going to have to work … and I mean work very hard,” Durocher said.

Lord Byron

Browne spent most of the 1967 season in the minors and on May 4, 1968, the Cubs traded him to the Astros for outfielder Aaron Pointer.

Browne hit .231 in 10 games for the Astros before being sent to the minors by manager Harry Walker, who wanted him to alter his hitting approach. “I’m just not a punch-and-judy hitter,” Browne said.

The Cardinals were set in the outfield for 1969 with Lou Brock in left, Flood in center and Vada Pinson in right, so when they acquired Browne from the Astros it was with the intent he open the season at Tulsa and position himself for a promotion if needed.

Browne responded to the instruction given by Medwick, who was a Hall of Fame slugger for the Gashouse Gang Cardinals of the 1930s. Medwick told him, “Get up to the plate. You’re standing too far back in the box.”

The results were immediate. Browne had two home runs, a double and five RBI in Tulsa’s season opener.

After 14 games, Browne was batting .416 with six home runs and 25 RBI.

“Browne is a big, strong guy and he can take those short, quick strokes and hit the ball out of the country,” said Tulsa manager Warren Spahn.

Browne batted .340 with 106 hits and 79 RBI in 84 games for Tulsa.

On July 12, 1969, the Cardinals traded utility player Bob Johnson to the Athletics and called up Browne, 26, to take his spot.

Clemente’s catch

Browne played his first game for the Cardinals on July 15, 1969, against the Phillies. Starting in left field in place of Brock, who had leg cramps, Browne had a hit, a run, a RBI and three walks. Boxscore

On Sept. 11, 1969, Browne was in the starting lineup for the Cardinals in a game at Pittsburgh. The Pirates started pitcher Bob Veale, who dated Browne’s sister when Veale attended Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., across the Missouri River from Browne’s home in St. Joseph, Mo.

In his first three at-bats versus Veale, Browne struck out looking each time. According to the Pittsburgh Press, Veale set him up with fastballs and slipped sliders past him for the third strikes.

In the ninth, Veale was protecting a 3-2 lead when Browne came up with one out and a runner on first. “I tried to get cute,” Veale said. He changed his pattern, throwing a slider on the first pitch, and Browne lined it to deep right-center.

Right fielder Roberto Clemente raced toward the wall and caught the ball a step or two in front of an iron gate 435 feet from home plate.

“It would have been an inside-the-park home run because the ball would have hit the bottom of the iron gate if Clemente hadn’t made that great catch,” Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Said Clemente: “I did not look at the ball at all. All I do is run to the spot where I think it will be because I know it is over my head from the sound. If I do not do that, I never catch it.” Boxscore

Big deal

Browne finished the 1969 season with a couple of highlights against the Expos. On Sept. 27, 1969, he hit a home run against Jerry Robertson, helping Jerry Reuss win his major-league debut. Boxscore. A day later, in the ninth inning of a scoreless game, Browne tripled against Bill Stoneman, scoring Gibson from second, and scored on Joe Torre’s single. Boxscore

In 22 games for the 1969 Cardinals, Browne batted .226 with 12 hits and 14 strikeouts.

On Oct. 7, 1969, the Cardinals traded Browne, Flood, Joe Hoerner and Tim McCarver to the Phillies for Richie Allen, Jerry Johnson and Cookie Rojas. When Flood refused to report, the Cardinals sent Willie Montanez and Jim Browning to complete the deal.

Browne had the only four-hit game of his major-league career for the Phillies against the Cardinals on June 27, 1970, at St. Louis. Boxscore

On Dec. 18, 1972, the Phillies traded Browne back to the Cardinals for outfielder Keith Lampard. Browne spent the 1973 season at Tulsa, batting .259, and played in Mexico in 1974 and 1975.

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Carlos Baerga played the heavy in Cardinals 2nd base saga

Posted in Games, Hitters on January 26, 2019| 2 Comments »

The Cardinals took a chance on Carlos Baerga, hoping the second baseman could revive his career, but the experiment didn’t last long because they couldn’t wait for him to lose weight.

On Jan. 27, 1999, Baerga, a free agent, signed a one-year contract for $1.25 million with the Cardinals, who needed a second baseman to replace departed free agent Delino DeShields.

Before choosing Baerga, the Cardinals also considered Pat Meares, a Twins shortstop who played second base early in his professional career, but the free agent wanted more than the club was willing to provide, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

With the Mets in 1998, Baerga, 30, got out of shape, limiting his fielding range, but he assured Cardinals manager Tony La Russa he’d come to spring training camp at Jupiter, Fla., ready to play.

The Cardinals, who were grooming prospect Adam Kennedy in the minors, hoped Baerga would be a short-term solution at second base in 1999 until Kennedy was prepared to take over, most likely in 2000.

Ready or not

Baerga, a switch-hitter, made his major league debut with the Indians in 1990 and developed into an elite player.

He batted .312 with 205 hits and 105 RBI for the Indians in 1992 and followed up by batting .321 with 200 hits and 114 RBI in 1993. Baerga also did well in 1994 and 1995, batting .314 each season, but in July 1996 the Indians dealt him and Alvaro Espinoza to the Mets for Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino.

Baerga didn’t have the kind of success with the Mets he had with the Indians. After the 1998 season, he became a free agent. The Reds and Angels wanted Baerga but he chose the Cardinals after La Russa called him multiple times and encouraged him to sign.

“He’s a premier guy who went in the opposite direction and he’s determined to get back the respect he had,” La Russa said to the Post-Dispatch.

La Russa conceded Baerga “gave the appearance of being a little listless mentally and physically” with the Mets, but “we’ve had it confirmed that he’s really working hard. I think he’s anxious to reassert himself.”

Said Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty: “We understand he still makes the double play very well. He always has. It’s just a question of whether he has enough range to make the plays.”

Post-Dispatch columnist Jeff Gordon was skeptical, asking, “Has there been any thought given to sending Baerga out to play second base on skates?” and colleague Bernie Miklasz concluded, “This is the end of the line for Baerga. If he doesn’t turn his career around in St. Louis, it’s over. So he should be motivated.”

Weight watchers

When Baerga reported to Cardinals training camp, he was listed as carrying 215 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame.

In exhibition games, Baerga produced two hits in 15 at-bats, twisted an ankle and, according to the Post-Dispatch, “impressed no one.”

On March 17, 1999, Baerga was released by the Cardinals because “he was too heavy and too slow,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

“He just wasn’t in shape,” said Jocketty. “He was overweight. I was disappointed with that weight. He just wasn’t able to move as well as you need to (as) a middle infielder.”

Said Baerga: “This has been my body all of my life, but when spring training is over I’m always down to where I want to be. I don’t think I hurt my defense. I didn’t miss any balls. I still make all the plays.”

La Russa met with Baerga and told him “if he could just pick up that step or two, he could have plenty of career ahead of him, but at this point, it’s not there.”

Six days later, Baerga signed a minor-league contract with the Reds.

Baseball journeyman

Placido Polanco was the 1999 Opening Day second baseman for the Cardinals. Joe McEwing eventually got most of the starts before Kennedy was called up in late August and given a look.

Baerga played in 52 games for the Reds’ farm club at Indianapolis before he requested his release. He signed with the Padres, played 21 games for their Las Vegas farm club and was called up to the big leagues in late June 1999.

On Aug. 2, 1999, Baerga started at second base for the Padres against the Cardinals at St. Louis, produced a single in four at-bats and fielded cleanly. It was his only start in the four-game series. Boxscore.

Baerga batted .250 in 33 games for the Padres before his contract was sold to the Indians on Aug. 16, 1999.

Baerga sat out the 2000 season, played in Korea and with the Long Island Ducks in 2001, and returned to the big leagues with the Red Sox in 2002. He went on to play for the Diamondbacks in 2003 and 2004 and with the Nationals in 2005.

In 14 major-league seasons, Baerga batted .291 with 1,583 hits.

After the 1999 season, the Cardinals acquired Fernando Vina from the Brewers to play second base in 2000.

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How Mel Stottlemyre beat Cardinals in World Series

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on January 24, 2019| 4 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 8, 2024)

As a 22-year-old rookie, Mel Stottlemyre pitched with poise and precision for the Yankees against the Cardinals in the 1964 World Series.

Stottlemyre started three World Series games versus the Cardinals and was matched against Bob Gibson in each. Stottlemyre got a win in Game 2, a no-decision in Game 5 and a loss in Game 7. He had a 3.15 ERA in 20 innings and yielded no home runs to the Cardinals.

Relying primarily on sinkers and sliders, Stottlemyre didn’t possess an overpowering fastball like Gibson did, so he tried to get groundouts rather than strikeouts.

In his victory over the Cardinals, Stottlemyre got 18 of the 27 outs on ground balls, according to The Sporting News. Of the 35 Cardinals batters he faced, nine hit the ball into the air, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Stottlemyre “pitched impressively with a sinker that was so good he needed only three outfield putouts,” Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg noted.

Yankee from Yakima

Stottlemyre was born in Hazleton, Mo., a village along the Big Piney River near Mark Twain National Forest in the southern part of the state. His father was a pipefitter and moved the family to Oregon and South Carolina before settling in Mabton, a town in Yakima Valley in Washington state, in the early 1950s.

Stottlemyre attended Yakima Valley Community College, joined the baseball team and was taught to throw a sinker by coach Chuck Brayton.

“He was a hard worker and a dedicated pitcher from the start,” Brayton told The Sporting News.

The Yankees’ Eddie Taylor, the only scout to make Stottlemyre an offer, said, “What impressed me most was he always pitched winning baseball and had a free-throwing arm. His fastball was really not much, but he had that effortless way of throwing the ball. What kept me interested was his sinker.”

Stottlemyre, who didn’t get a signing bonus, was assigned to the Class D level of the minor leagues in 1961.

In 1964, he was at Class AAA Richmond, Va., and had a record of 13-3 with a 1.42 ERA. Seeking a replacement for Whitey Ford, who had a hip problem, the Yankees called up Stottlemyre in August.

The right-hander made his major-league debut on Aug. 12, 1964, pitched a complete game and got the win in a 7-3 Yankees triumph over the White Sox. Stottlemyre went on to post a 9-3 record and 2.06 ERA for the Yankees, who won the American League pennant by finishing a game ahead of the White Sox.

“He filled a big pitching gap when we needed it,” Yogi Berra, manager of the 1964 Yankees, told Super Sports magazine. “He kept coming through for us in the clutch. Few rookies had as much poise as he had.”

Go low

After Ray Sadecki beat Ford in Game 1 of the World Series, Stottlemyre was matched against Gibson in Game 2 at St. Louis on Oct. 8, 1964.

“I was very nervous,” Stottlemyre recalled to Super Sports magazine in 1969. “People said I didn’t look it, but I was. The whole idea of me pitching in the World Series was too much to believe.”

Stottlemyre dodged trouble in the sixth when struck on the right wrist by a Lou Brock shot. Stottlemyre retrieved the ball, threw out Brock and assured Berra the wrist was all right.

“It was numb for a little bit, but that feeling went away,” Stottlemyre told the New York Daily News.

In the eighth, with the Yankees ahead, 4-1, the Cardinals put runners on second and third with none out. “I thought about taking Stottlemyre out,” Berra said. “One more hit and I would have.”

Relying on the sinker, Stottlemyre got Curt Flood to ground out to third and Brock to ground out to short. Carl Warwick scored from third on Brock’s groundout, cutting the Yankees’ lead to 4-2, but the Cardinals had two outs and a runner, Jerry Buchek, on second. Buchek moved to third on catcher Elston Howard’s passed ball and Bill White walked, bringing cleanup hitter Ken Boyer to the plate.

Stottlemyre’s first pitch to Boyer was a mistake, high and inside, but Boyer swung and missed. Howard went to the mound and reminded Stottlemyre to keep the ball down and away. Boyer grounded out softly to short, ending the inning.

“When Stottlemyre got in the jam, I expected to get a good shot at him, but he didn’t give in,” Boyer said.

Said Howard: “He has more poise than any other young pitcher I’ve ever caught. Base hits don’t rattle him. He keeps coming back.”

The Yankees went on to an 8-3 victory. The first four batters in the Cardinals’ order, Flood, Brock, White and Boyer, were held hitless.

In his book, “Pride and Pinstripes,” Stottlemyre said, “In addition to my sinker, I was able to use my backdoor slider effectively against their left-handed hitters. I dropped it on the outside corner to their lefties to get some key strikes. I’d have to say it was the best game I ever pitched, considering the circumstances.”

Stottlemyre’s line: 9 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks 4 strikeouts.

Gibson’s line: 8 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts.

“We have a pretty good-hitting ballclub, but we couldn’t get much off that kid,” Gibson said. “He’s nothing but good. I’d have had to be awfully good to beat him today.” Boxscore

Dueling aces

Stottlemyre and Gibson both were good in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Cardinals prevailed, 5-2, on Tim McCarver’s three-run home run off Pete Mikkelsen in the 10th.

Stottlemyre’s line: 7 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts.

Gibson’s line: 10 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts. Boxscore

Stottlemyre and Gibson started Game 7 on two days’ rest at St. Louis. They were tired but Gibson was better, going the distance in a 7-5 Cardinals triumph.

Stottlemyre’s line: 4 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts.

Gibson’s line: 9 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts. Boxscore

In his book, Stottlemyre said, “What nobody ever really knew about that last game was my shoulder stiffened up after I fell on it reaching for an errant throw as I covered first base.”

In 11 big-league seasons, all with the Yankees, Stottlemyre was 164-139 with a 2.97 ERA.

He served as pitching coach for the Mets (1984-93), Astros (1994-95), Yankees (1996-2005) and Mariners (2008). The 1986 Mets and the Yankees of 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 won World Series championships.

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How John Stuper found a second home with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers, Trades on January 16, 2019| 4 Comments »

(Updated Oct. 18, 2022)

Born and raised near Pittsburgh, John Stuper wanted to pitch for the Pirates, went to the Cardinals instead and became a World Series winner as a rookie.

On Jan. 25, 1979, the Pirates traded Stuper to the Cardinals for infielder Tommy Sandt.

The minor-league move turned into a big deal for the Cardinals, but not before Stuper had to revive a career headed in reverse.

Hometown hopeful

A native of Butler, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Stuper had a 34-3 record in three seasons as a college pitcher. He was 25-3 in two years at Butler County Community College and 9-0 for Point Park College in downtown Pittsburgh.

The Pirates chose Stuper in the 18th round of the June 1978 amateur draft, offered a $2,500 bonus and signed him that night.

“It’s been my lifelong dream to be a professional baseball player,” Stuper said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I know the odds are against making it to the majors, but I’m not thinking about that now.”

Years later, asked by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch why he wasn’t drafted in a higher round, Stuper replied, “The rap on me in high school and later in college was I labored too much and didn’t have a smooth enough delivery.”

A right-hander, Stuper was assigned to the Pirates’ Class A club at Charleston, S.C., and posted a 4-8 record and 5.33 ERA.

“He still has a few mechanical problems he has to correct,” said Pirates farm director Murray Cook.

Said Stuper: “I learned a lot. It was an adjustment getting used to being away from home and playing against better talent.”

Climbing the ladder

Four months after his first professional season ended, Stuper was called at home by Cook, who told him of the trade to the Cardinals.

“I was a little disappointed when I was traded, but my friends encouraged me to think positively that the Cardinals wanted me, not that the Pirates didn’t,” Stuper said to The Pittsburgh Press.

In the Cardinals’ minor-league system, Stuper had ERAs of 2.71 in 1979 and 2.41 in 1980. He credited Cardinals pitching instructor Hub Kittle for the turnaround.

“I don’t make it to the big leagues without Mr. Hub Kittle,” Stuper told Cardinals Magazine. “I loved the man. He believed in me. He was probably the best pitching coach for mechanics I’ve ever encountered.”

Kittle told The Southern Illinoisan, “When we got him, he was a strong and well-conditioned kid, but he was throwing down from the side. Gradually we changed his mechanics, and when he came over the top, the ball began to jump.”

After the 1979 season, Stuper earned a degree in English at LaRoche College in McCandless, Pa. He pitched winter ball in Mexico after the 1980 season.

When Stuper got to Cardinals spring training camp in 1981, he was “in midseason form,” he later told the Post-Dispatch, because of his work in Mexico.

Stuper impressed the Cardinals, who conceded he pitched well enough to deserve a role on the Opening Day roster, but they sent him to Class AAA Springfield, Ill., so he could pitch regularly as a starter.

“He’s going to be a good pitcher,” said Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog. “He’s been awfully impressive.”

A step back

Stuper struggled at Springfield and couldn’t get untracked. When major leaguers went on strike in June 1981, Herzog said he intended to go to Springfield “to see what’s wrong with Stuper,” who had lost seven of nine decisions.

Turns out the toll of pitching in Mexico, followed by a spring training workload, left Stuper out of sorts. He finished the 1981 season with a 6-14 record and 4.92 ERA.

“In the long run, pitching in the winter hurt me,” Stuper said. “My arm was very fatigued all season.”

Stuper went home and worked to get his arm in shape, but he had a poor spring training in 1982 and the Cardinals sent him to Class AAA Louisville in mid-March.

A year after being the surprise of spring training camp, Stuper went to Louisville knowing he needed a good showing to get back in the Cardinals’ plans.

Mission accomplished

“One of my goals this year is to show that last season was a fluke,” Stuper said to the Associated Press.

After taking the loss on Opening Night, Stuper won seven consecutive decisions for Louisville and was 7-1 with a 1.46 ERA when he was called up to the Cardinals on May 28, 1982.

“I was shooting for September,” Stuper said to the Louisville Courier-Journal. “I would have been happy with that, so obviously I’m elated with this.”

Stuper made his major-league debut on June 1, 1982, in a start against the Giants at St. Louis. He pitched eight innings, allowing three runs, tripled against Atlee Hammaker and scored the tying run, but the Giants prevailed, 4-3, in 11. Boxscore

Giants first baseman Reggie Smith, a former Cardinal, said, “I liked the young guy’s guts. He challenges you.”

Said Stuper: “I thought my stuff was OK, but I wasn’t real sharp. I was getting behind on too many hitters. My location wasn’t as good as I like it to be.”

Homeward bound

Stuper won four of his first five decisions with the Cardinals.

On Aug. 14, 1982, Stuper pitched in Pittsburgh for the first time as a big-leaguer, getting the start against the Pirates. He yielded one run in 7.1 innings, earning the win in a 4-1 Cardinals triumph. Boxscore

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t kind of special. Very special,” Stuper said. “I always dreamed about coming here to pitch for the Pirates. The day I got traded, I started dreaming about coming here to pitch against them.”

Stuper finished his rookie season with a 9-7 record and 3.36 ERA, helping the Cardinals win the National League East Division title.

In the postseason, he made three starts and the Cardinals won all three, though he didn’t get a decision in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Braves or in Game 2 of the World Series versus the Brewers.

Stuper did win Game 6 of the 1982 World Series, pitching a four-hitter in a 13-1 Cardinals victory and setting up a decisive Game 7 won by St. Louis.

Stuper was 12-11 for the Cardinals in 1983 and 3-5 in 1984 before he was traded to the Reds for outfielder Paul Householder.

In 1989, Stuper earned a master’s degree in English from Slippery Rock University. He was a Cardinals minor-league pitching instructor in 1991 and 1992 before becoming head baseball coach at Yale in 1993.

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