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Why Giants took Mike Matheny over A.J. Pierzynski

Posted in Hitters on July 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

(Updated July 5, 2018)

The catcher who displaced A.J. Pierzynski as the Giants’ starter before the 2005 season became his manager in 2014.

Pierzynski, signed by the Cardinals on July 26, 2014, to help compensate for the loss of injured all-star Yadier Molina, was the Giants’ starting catcher in 2004. The Giants were interested in having him return for 2005. Instead, given a chance for a defensive upgrade that better fit their budget, the Giants signed free-agent Mike Matheny in December 2004 and dumped Pierzynski.

A decade later, Matheny, 43, was the Cardinals’ manager and Pierzynski, 37, joined Tony Cruz as the St. Louis catchers.

The Giants paid a hefty price for Pierzynski when they acquired him from the Twins in November 2003 for pitchers Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser.

Pierzynski produced a career-best 77 RBI with 28 doubles, 11 home runs and a .272 batting average for the 2004 Giants, but he was criticized by teammates and booed by fans. He caught only 23 percent of runners attempting to steal (15 of 66) and was charged with nine passed balls.

Let’s make a deal

After the season, Pierzynski was eligible for arbitration. Because of his hitting, he appeared poised to be awarded a judgment of more than $5 million for 2005. The Giants, unwilling to pay that much for one season, wanted Pierzynski to consider instead a multiyear contract in the $9 million to $10 million range.

When Pierzynski suggested a larger amount, the Giants turned to Matheny, a free agent who earned three Gold Glove awards as the Cardinals’ starting catcher from 2000-2004. The Cardinals hoped Matheny would return to continue to mentor Molina in 2005, but were unwilling to offer Matheny more than $4 million for two years, according to the San Francisco Chronicle and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When the Giants offered a three-year, $10 million deal, Matheny accepted. Pierzynski requested his release, enabling him to become a free agent.

Run saver

Giants general manager Brian Sabean thanked Pierzynski for his contributions, but added, “We’re in a better position in a lot of ways going with Matheny.”

Matheny established the major league record for consecutive errorless games by a catcher (252 games from August 2002 until August 2004). He caught 30 percent (16 of 54) of runners attempting to steal in 2004 nd had just two passed balls.

”There’s no telling how many runs he’s going to save,” Sabean said to the San Jose Mercury News.

Said Matheny: ”As soon as the Giants hit the scene, we realized it could be a really special opportunity. There are a couple teams you want to play for and you’re not sure it will work out. In my case, it did.”

Chirpy personality

Several media reports cited Pierzynski’s personality as a factor in his departure.

_ Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Pierzynski was a defensive liability and rubbed many in the organization the wrong way, even as pitchers grew to respect his game-calling ability.”

_ Jorge L. Ortiz of the Chronicle: “Pierzynski quickly fell into disfavor because of his chirpy personality and defensive deficiencies.”

_ John Shea of the Chronicle: “Pierzynski never seemed to fit in as a Giant … He slumped early and late and was criticized by multiple anonymous Giants pitchers in an Oakland Tribune report.”

_ Chris Haft of the Mercury News: “Though Giants management had publicly expressed interest in retaining Pierzynski … his difficulty in meshing with teammates did not endear him to the club.”

_ Laurence Miedema of the Mercury News: “Pierzynski was criticized by several unnamed (Giants) pitchers in April and was booed regularly at home.”

_ Bud Geracie of the Mercury News: ‘Sabean’s one-year rental of A.J. Pierzynski … ranks as his worst deal. A.J., we hardly knew ye. And we didn’t like ye.”

Matheny won his fourth Gold Glove Award with the 2005 Giants. Pierzynski signed with the 2005 White Sox and helped them to their first World Series championship in 88 years.

Previously: Why Mike Matheny ended his playing career as a Giant

Previously: The play that defined Mike Matheny as Cardinals Gold Glove

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How Ozzie Smith, Matt Adams enjoyed key RBI streaks

Posted in Games, Hitters, Records on June 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Ozzie Smith and Matt Adams, opposites in size, shared at least one common trait: Both were able to drive in key runs for the Cardinals over a stretch of games.

Adams in 2014 became the first Cardinals player to deliver game-winning RBI in four consecutive games since Smith did so in 1988, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

A 6-foot-3, 260-pound first baseman, Adams primarily utilized power to produce his game winners in a stretch from June 13-16, 2014.

In three consecutive Cardinals wins over the Nationals at St. Louis from June 13-15, Adams hit a home run for the winning RBI in each game. The home runs were hit off Jordan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister. The Cardinals won, 1-0, on June 13 Boxscore; 4-1 on June 14 Boxscore; and 5-2 on June 15. Boxscore

Adams snapped a 1-1 tie with a RBI-single off Jacob deGrom for the game-winning hit on June 16 in a 6-2 Cardinals victory over the Mets at St. Louis. Boxscore

Twenty-six years earlier, Smith used a very different combination of productive at-bats for his four consecutive game-winning RBI. A 5-foot-11, 150-pound shortstop, Smith had a bunt, but no home runs, among his game winners in a stretch from Sept. 8-11, 1988. Here’s what he did:

Cardinals 1, Phillies 0, at St. Louis, Sept. 8, 1988

The Cardinals had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth inning when Smith came to bat against Phillies starter Kevin Gross. With the count at 3-and-2, Smith checked his swing and walked, forcing in Tony Pena from third base with the run. The Phillies appealed, saying Smith had swung and missed at strike three, but third-base umpire Steve Rippley upheld the call of home-plate umpire Fred Brocklander.

Phillies manager Lee Elia said Rippley blew the call.

Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog conceded to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “A lot of guys would have punched (Smith) out.” Boxscore

Cardinals 6, Cubs 2, at St. Louis, Sept. 9, 1988

With the Cubs ahead, 1-0, the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Facing starter Calvin Schiraldi, Smith said he was trying for a sacrifice fly. Instead, he doubled off the right-field wall, driving in Jose Oquendo and Greg Mathews and giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

Deflecting attention away from himself, Smith credited Pedro Guerrero, whom the Cardinals acquired from the Dodgers on Aug. 16, with boosting the offense. Guerrero had three RBI in the game.

“We’re a different team now,” Smith said. “We’re doing a lot more things with our pitching and a lot more with our offense. The addition of one person (Guerrero) has stabilized our offense.” Boxscore

Cardinals 9, Cubs 3, at St. Louis, Sept. 10, 1988

With the score tied at 2-2, Tom Pagnozzi at second and two outs, Smith doubled to center off starter Rick Sutcliffe, giving the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.

“What you’re seeing now is something that didn’t happen in spring training,” Smith said. “We never jelled offensively. We’re settling in now.” Boxscore

Cardinals 3, Cubs 2, at St. Louis, Sept. 11, 1988

In the seventh inning, with the score tied at 2-2, Curt Ford was on third with one out. With Smith at the plate, Herzog called for the squeeze play. Smith executed, dropping a bunt to the right side of the infield. Ford dashed home with the go-ahead run. The only play for pitcher Mike Harkey, who fielded the ball, was to toss to second baseman Ryne Sandberg, covering first, to retire Smith.

“You just hope you get a decent pitch and you can put it in play,” Smith said of the bunt.

Asked about the four consecutive game-winning RBI, Smith told the Post-Dispatch, “It’s good to be in a position to say you got the record game-winning RBI, but the important thing is we won the game.” Boxscore

Smith finished the 1988 season with 51 RBI and was tied with Pena for third on the team, behind Tom Brunansky (79) and Terry Pendleton (53). The Cardinals ranked 11th in the 12-team National League in both RBI (536) and runs (578).

Previously: Intimidation: Ozzie Smith, Will Clark and the Battle at Busch

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How Cardinals speedsters rattled Bob Welch in 1985 NLCS

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on June 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

After losing the first two games of the 1985 National League Championship Series, the Cardinals could have been fazed by the prospect of facing Dodgers pitcher Bob Welch in Game 3. Welch had produced two complete-game wins against St. Louis in the regular season. A loss to him in the third game of the postseason series would push the Cardinals to the brink of elimination.

Instead, it was Welch who was shaky.

Speedsters Vince Coleman and Willie McGee distracted a jumpy Welch and the Cardinals beat him, sparking a streak of four consecutive wins that propelled them into the World Series.

Welch was a premier pitcher for 17 years in the big leagues with the Dodgers and Athletics. He posted a career record of 211-146. In 1990, he was 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA and earned the American League Cy Young Award while pitching for the pennant-winning Athletics team of manager Tony La Russa and coach Dave Duncan.

In 1985, Welch was 14-4 with a 2.31 ERA in 23 starts for the Dodgers. He averaged less than two walks per nine innings.

The Cardinals, though, jolted Welch out of his comfort zone in the National League Championship Series.

Give the ump a mitt

In the first inning, Coleman lined a single over the head of third baseman Bill Madlock. With the count 1-and-0 on the next batter, McGee, the Dodgers pitched out, but Coleman swiped second anyway. Distracted by Coleman dancing off second, Welch walked McGee.

Tommy Herr came up next and worked the count full. Welch then whirled and attempted a pickoff of Coleman. The throw came closer to hitting umpire Paul Runge than it did to reaching the glove of shortstop Dave Anderson, covering second, and the ball sailed into center field. Coleman scored and McGee raced to third.

“I’m supposed to be able to make this play,” Welch said to the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif. “But for some reason I threw the ball to Runge. Too bad he didn’t have a mitt. He could have made the tag.”

Said Coleman to the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register: “I was surprised he threw. The count was 3-and-2 and I wasn’t going to run until he threw to the plate.”

After walks to Herr and Andy Van Slyke, McGee scored on Terry Pendleton’s grounder to second, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

Sitting on the fastball

In the second inning, the Cardinals continued to apply pressure on Welch. With one out, Coleman singled. Catcher Mike Scioscia tried to pick off Coleman, but the throw eluded first baseman Greg Brock. Coleman advanced to third and scored on McGee’s single. After McGee was nailed attempting to swipe second, Herr smacked a Welch fastball over the right-field wall for a home run, putting the Cardinals ahead, 4-0.

“Welch kept throwing me fastballs,” Herr said to the Daily Breeze. “I fouled three of them off and I was sitting on the fastball when he threw the home run pitch.”

Said Welch: “I never got in a situation where I could use my curve ball. I never got in a situation where I was pitching, period. I just threw it up there.”

(Including the postseason, Herr batted .300 against Welch in his career, with 12 hits in 40 at-bats. Eleven of those hits were singles.)

Herr told the San Diego Union that the reason Welch beat the Cardinals twice during the 1985 regular season was because “he kept Coleman and McGee off base and was able to throw his breaking ball a lot. Today, he had to throw more fastballs with Vince and Willie on base.”

Welch was lifted after 2.2 innings. His line: 6 walks, 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned. Harried by the Cardinals, he’d made 20 pickoff throws.

“We weren’t trying to screw Welch up, even though that’s what happened,” said McGee.

Given the 4-0 lead, Cardinals starter Danny Cox and relievers Ricky Horton, Todd Worrell and Ken Dayley held the Dodgers to two runs. St. Louis won, 4-2. Boxscore

The Dodgers never recovered, losing the next three games, including Game 5 on the Ozzie Smith “Go crazy, folks” walkoff home run and Game 6 on Jack Clark’s ninth-inning three-run homer.

Welch finished his career with a 7-8 record and 3.99 ERA against the Cardinals in 18 regular-season appearances, including 15 starts.

Previously: How Bing Devine tried coaxing Kirk Gibson to Cardinals

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How Tony Gwynn tormented Dennis Eckersley, Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on June 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In a showdown of future Hall of Famers, the Padres’ Tony Gwynn prevailed against the Cardinals’ Dennis Eckersley.

On June 10, 1997, at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, Gwynn hit doubles in the first and third innings off Cardinals starter Todd Stottlemyre, helping the Padres to a 3-1 lead and extending his hitting streak to 20 games.

In the ninth, the Cardinals scored four runs off closer Trevor Hoffman for a 5-3 lead.

Eckersley was brought in by Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to try for the save. Eckersley and Hoffman ranked among the best closers all-time. What were the odds of both blowing leads in the same inning?

The first batter Eckersley faced, Chris Gomez, singled. With one out, Greg Vaughn also singled. After Eckersley retired Rickey Henderson on a fly out, Gwynn stepped to the plate.

La Russa positioned his outfielders to play deep, near the warning track, willing to concede a single rather than a score-tying extra-base hit.

From the batter’s box, Gwynn searched for holes in the defense. “He was looking out there (to left-center),” Eckersley told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Gwynn sliced a line drive between left fielder Willie McGee and center fielder Ray Lankford. Gomez and Vaughn raced home, tying the score at 5-5.

Gwynn reached second with his career-best third double of the game.

San Diego scored in the 12th and won, 6-5.

“I’m sure Eck would want that pitch back to Gwynn,” La Russa said. “He didn’t get it where he was trying to get it. With a single, we’ve still got a chance, but he hit right where he was trying to hit it. That’s what a Hall of Famer does.”

Said Eckersley: “I just couldn’t get the ball down. Even if it was down, he would have hit a bullet anyway.”

Including the postseason, Gwynn hit .474 (9-for-19) against Eckersley in his career.

“I think people tick (Gwynn) off when they say he can’t drive in runs,” Lankford said. “I think he can do just about anything he wants to do.” Boxscore

Gwynn, 37, enjoyed his most productive season in 1997. He hit .372, earning the last of his eight National League batting titles, and had single-season career highs in hits (220), doubles (49), home runs (17) and RBI (119).

Two years earlier, Ted Williams, the last big-leaguer to hit .400 in a season, advised Gwynn to turn on the inside pitch and drive it, according to the book “Bob Chandler’s Tales from the Padres Dugout.”

Initially reluctant to alter his approach, Gwynn tried Williams’ suggestion in 1997.

“In late June, I hit three home runs over a four-game span by turning on the inside pitch and driving it over the wall,” Gwynn said. “From that time on, I noticed pitchers stopped throwing inside to me and I was able to hit the ball all over. Finally, I understood what Ted meant.”

Three other big performances by Gwynn versus the Cardinals:

_ July 15, 1988: Gwynn had three hits and four RBI, including a two-run single off reliever Ken Dayley in the ninth, lifting the Padres to a 7-3 victory at St. Louis. Boxscore

_ April 18, 1993: In producing five hits in five at-bats in the Padres’ 10-6 triumph at San Diego, Gwynn had three singles off starter Donovan Osborne, a single off Mike Perez and a two-run home run off Omar Olivares. Boxscore

_ Aug. 4, 1999: Gwynn, 39, hit a grand slam off starter Kent Mercker, but the Cardinals won, 7-6, at St. Louis. The grand slam was the third and last of Gwynn’s big-league career. Boxscore

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Eddie Morgan had flashy start to Cardinals career

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Prospects, Trades on June 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

(Updated April 2, 2021)

Eddie Morgan of the Cardinals hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in the majors.

eddie_morgan He did it on Opening Day, April 14, 1936, against the Cubs at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

Even before Morgan began his big-league career with a home run, Dodgers manager Casey Stengel had interest in acquiring the rookie after seeing him in spring training games.

Good outfield group

The 1936 Cardinals opened the season with a stellar starting outfield of Joe Medwick in left, Terry Moore in center and Pepper Martin in right. They also had three rookie outfielders _ Lynn King, Lou Scoffic and Morgan _ on the Opening Day roster.

“One thing I don’t have to worry about is my outfield,” Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch said to The Sporting News. “I’ve really got three fine-looking kids in Lou Scoffic, Lynn King and Ed Morgan. The only difficult thing about the outfield situation will be to decide which one of the three we’ll send back to the minors. That’s how good they all are.”

Cardinals ace Dizzy Dean got raked for nine runs in six innings in the season opener against the defending National League champion Cubs at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. With the Cubs ahead, 12-3, in the seventh, Frisch tabbed Morgan, 21, to make his big-league debut as a pinch-hitter for reliever Bill McGee.

A left-handed batter, Morgan swung at the first pitch he saw from starter Lon Warneke and hit a drive into the pavilion in right-center for a two-run home run. Boxscore

Soon after, Stengel and the Dodgers approached Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey about a proposed trade. The Cardinals wanted third baseman Joe Stripp. When Stengel asked for Morgan, Rickey declined and the talks ended without a deal.

Morgan, 5 feet 10, 160 pounds, appeared in eight games for the Cardinals, hitting .278 (5-for-18, with four singles and the home run). Unlikely to get much playing time with St. Louis, Morgan was sent to Class AA Columbus (Ohio) on May 9.

In his first at-bat for Columbus on May 10, Morgan hit a home run off Milwaukee’s Joe Heving.

Let’s make a deal

By July, the Cardinals were seeking pitching. The Dodgers still wanted Morgan. When the Dodgers offered George Earnshaw, 36, a right-hander in his last season in the majors, the Cardinals accepted, with both clubs agreeing that Morgan would report to the Dodgers after the conclusion of the Columbus season.

In reporting the trade, The Sporting News called Morgan a “hard-hitting farmhand” and “a left-handed pull hitter of the type the Dodgers need to caress that short right-field wall at Ebbets Field.”

Throughout the summer, Stengel spoke enthusiastically about his plans to play Morgan in September games with the Dodgers, who were out of contention and heading for a seventh-place finish.

Morgan hit .299 in 118 games for Columbus, but, just before the minor-league season ended, he fractured a bone in his lower leg, preventing him from joining the Dodgers in September.

After the 1936 season, Stengel was replaced as manager by Burleigh Grimes, the former Cardinals spitball pitcher. Grimes managed Morgan with the 1935 Bloomington (Ill.) Bloomers. Morgan hit .347 in 112 games for that Cardinals Class B minor-league club.

Expectations were for Morgan to compete for a starting outfield job with the 1937 Dodgers, but he hit .188 in 39 games for them and was returned to the minors in July. He never played in the big leagues again. His lone major-league home run was the one he hit in his first at-bat.

Morgan played in the minor leagues until 1950. In 17 minor-league seasons, he had a .313 batting average and hit 172 home runs.

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

Posted in Games, Hitters on June 15, 2014| 2 Comments »

In his first start with the Cardinals, Lou Brock gave them a much-needed lift as well as a sample of what was to come with him in their lineup.

On June 16, 1964, Brock was in the Cardinals starting lineup for the first time since being acquired from the Cubs the day before.

Before getting Brock and pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth from the Cubs for pitchers Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz and outfielder Doug Clemens on June 15, the Cardinals had lost 16 of their previous 22 games. In a stretch of seven games from June 9 through June 14, St. Louis scored six total runs, losing five times.

The Cardinals lost again the night of the Brock trade. Brock arrived in time to pinch-hit in the eighth inning. Jim Owens, a Houston Colt .45s reliever, struck him out on three pitches.

Cardinals manager Johnny Keane put Brock in the starting lineup the next day.

Sizzling start

Playing right field and batting second, between leadoff batter Curt Flood and Bill White, Brock had a superb start, producing a triple, single, two walks, scoring a run and stealing a base in the Cardinals’ 7-1 victory over the Colt .45s at Houston.

In the fifth inning, with the Cardinals ahead, 2-0, Brock singled to center against starter Bob Bruce and scored on Ken Boyer’s triple. In the sixth, Brock tripled with two outs against Don Larsen.

Brock’s first stolen base for the Cardinals occurred in the eighth. After drawing a walk from Larry Yellen, Brock swiped second, beating the throw from catcher Jerry Grote. Boxscore

“Brock just outruns the ball,” Cardinals coach Vern Benson told The Sporting News.

Igniting the offense

Rejuvenated, the win was the first of four in a row for the Cardinals.

In his first seven starts for St. Louis, Brock batted .393 (11-for-28). He produced two doubles, two triples, a home run, two walks and three RBI in that stretch, scoring five runs and swiping four bases.

Brock was in right field for three of his first five Cardinals starts. After that, Keane kept him in left field for the remainder of the season. Brock made 99 starts in left field and three in right for the 1964 Cardinals.

With Brock sparking the offense, creating RBI opportunities for Boyer and White, the Cardinals went on to win the National League pennant and World Series championship.

Brock hit .348 and had 33 stolen bases for the 1964 Cardinals. In 103 games, he had 146 hits and scored 81 runs. His .387 on-base percentage was tops on the team.

Previously: Bill White: We thought Brock deal was nuts

Previously: Cubs knew Lou Brock was on verge of stardom in 1964

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