Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Hitters’ Category

Enos Slaughter prepared Ron Santo for big leagues

Posted in Hitters, Opponents on July 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

On his path to earning induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cubs third baseman Ron Santo was assisted by a Cardinals legend.

Enos Slaughter, the former Cardinals outfielder who was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1985, was Santo’s manager at Class AAA Houston in 1960 and helped prepare him to enter the major leagues.

Like Slaughter, who was enshrined 26 years after he last played in a big-league game, Santo was elected in 2012 by a special committee. His last big-league season was 1974 and he died in 2010.

In 13 years with the Cardinals, Slaughter played on two World Series championship clubs (1942 and 1946) and batted .305. He missed three prime seasons, 1943-45, while serving in the military.

Slaughter completed his 19-year big-league career in 1959. He had a lifetime batting average of .300, with 1,304 RBI.

Marty Marion, the former shortstop who was a teammate of Slaughter’s with the Cardinals, was part of an ownership group that purchased the Houston Buffs minor-league franchise from the Cardinals and transformed it into a Cubs affiliate. On Nov. 9, 1959, Marion, the team president, hired Slaughter to manage Houston.

“I don’t think any man in baseball has been more successful in hustle, determination and the will to win,” Marion said to The Sporting News. “He’ll be a great manager.”

Said Slaughter: “I look on this as a challenge. I want to find out if I can manage. If I can be a successful manager, it will be an opportunity to stay in baseball.”

At the Cubs’ 1960 spring training camp in Arizona, Santo, 20, made a favorable impression on manager Charlie Grimm. “The kid can really swing the bat,” Grimm said. “He has improved tremendously in the field. Last year, he couldn’t find the first baseman. He was making a lot of bad throws. He really has developed fast.”

During the final days of training camp, the Cubs decided Santo would benefit from playing for Slaughter at Houston before facing the pressure of the big leagues.

Santo opened the 1960 season as Houston’s third baseman. Its left fielder was another future Hall of Famer, Billy Williams. Slaughter, 44, was activated as a player-manager.

In the second game of the season, Slaughter injured a rib in a collision at home plate. Relegated mostly to a pinch-hitting role, he batted .289 (13-for-45) during the season.

Santo collected 73 hits in 71 games for Houston. The Cubs promoted him to the major leagues on June 26, 1960, and Lou Boudreau, who had replaced Grimm as manager, installed him at third base.

“Santo has gained tremendous confidence just since last spring,” Boudreau said. “He can make all the plays at third base and he’s got plenty of power at the plate.”

In his big-league debut in the opener of a doubleheader on June 26, 1960, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Santo batted 2-for-4 with three RBI in a 7-6 Cubs victory. Boxscore In the second game, a 7-5 Cubs victory, Santo was 1-for-3 with two RBI. Boxscore

Santo completed his rookie season with a .251 batting average, nine home runs and 44 RBI in 95 games for Chicago. In a 15-year major-league career, Santo won the Gold Glove Award five times and hit 342 home runs with 1,331 RBI.

Meanwhile, Slaughter led Houston to an 83-71 record and third-place finish in the eight-team American Association. His top player was Williams, who hit .323 with 26 home runs.

After the season, Slaughter parted ways with Houston. In 1961, he managed Raleigh, the Class B Carolina League club of the fledgling New York Mets. Raleigh finished 58-80 _ and Slaughter’s managerial career was done.

Previously: If Ron Santo goes into Hall of Fame, Ken Boyer should, too

Read Full Post »

How Keith McDonald gained spot in Cards record book

Posted in Games, Hitters on July 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Aug. 16, 2026)

When Keith McDonald was promoted from Class AAA Memphis to replace injured catcher Eli Marrero and serve as the backup to Mike Matheny, he was shocked by the Cardinals’ decision.

McDonald was hitting .246 with one home run and 17 RBI for Memphis when the Cardinals called him to the majors in July 2000.

What happened next was magical.

McDonald hit home runs in his first two big-league at-bats, becoming the second major-league player to accomplish the feat. His first three Cardinals hits were home runs. Those would be his only hits in the major leagues.

(In an Aug. 15, 2026, game at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals’ Joshua Baez did even better than McDonald, hitting a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors.)

Surprise promotion

When Marrero tore ligaments in his left thumb, some speculated the Cardinals might make a trade for a catcher, but they opted instead to bring up McDonald, 27, on July 2, 2000.

McDonald, who spent seven seasons in the minor leagues after being selected by the Cardinals in the 24th round of the 1994 amateur draft, was “shocked” by the promotion, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Two days later, before a July 4 crowd of 46,022 at St. Louis, McDonald made his major-league debut, pinch-hitting for shortstop Edgar Renteria in the eighth inning with the Cardinals holding a 13-3 lead over the Reds. McDonald responded with a solo home run against reliever Andy Larkin. Video

“I just kept running, hoping I’d touch every base so I wouldn’t get called out,” McDonald told the Post-Dispatch. “I was running with my head down, so I didn’t see it go out.”

Said Matheny: “I told him before he went up there that when you get your first shot you should take advantage of it.”

The crowd urged a curtain call, but manager Tony La Russa, not wanting to show up the Reds in such a lopsided game, convinced McDonald to stay in the dugout, according to the Associated Press. Boxscore

Encore

In his next appearance, on July 6, McDonald was given the start at catcher against the Reds. Batting in the No. 8 spot, McDonald led off the second inning with a home run against Osvaldo Fernandez, tying the score 3-3. Video

“You got to be kidding me,” Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon said on the telecast.

Said broadcast partner Joe Buck: “Is it that easy?”

With a nod to McDonald’s teammate Mark McGwire, a headline in the Post-Dispatch declared, “There’s a new Mac in town.”

“I’m the most surprised of anyone,” McDonald said. “The fans are probably going to expect it every time, but it may be a long time before I hit the next one.”

Teammates Renteria and Jim Edmonds prodded McDonald to wave to the crowd from the dugout steps. “I didn’t want to go,” said McDonald. “I have never done that, but it felt great.”

McDonald became the second big-league player to hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats, tying the mark first achieved by Browns left fielder Bob Nieman on Sept. 14, 1951, at Boston’s Fenway Park.

“It would have been a lot better if we’d have won,” McDonald said after the Reds won, 12-6. Boxscore

McDonald’s final hit in the big leagues came in another blowout, a 15-7 White Sox victory over the Cardinals on July 15, 2000, at Chicago. Pinch-hitting for Matheny, McDonald, in his sixth big-league at-bat, hit a two-run home run against Jesus Pena with two outs in the top of the ninth. Video and Boxscore

Back to minors

After two weeks with the Cardinals, McDonald was returned to Memphis and was replaced by Rick Wilkins, 33, a big-league journeyman. In six games with St. Louis, McDonald had three hits in seven at-bats, with five RBI and three runs scored.

At Memphis, McDonald completed his minor-league season with a .263 batting average and five home runs. He helped Memphis advance to the Class AAA World Series, where he batted .412.

In 2001, McDonald appeared in two games (both in late September) for the Cardinals, going hitless in two at-bats. He left the Cardinals organization after the 2002 season and spent the next four years in the minor-league systems of the Cubs, Pirates, Rangers and Yankees.

In 13 years in the minors, he slugged 78 home runs in 984 at-bats, but it’s those three big-league home runs that make McDonald a permanent part of Cardinals lore.

Read Full Post »

No one hit more triples, as many HRs as Stan Musial

Posted in Hitters on June 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Aug. 19, 2026)

One measure of the exceptional baseball skills of Stan Musial is the number of triples he hit.

Musial was a slugger (475 home runs, 1,951 RBI) who also had the bat control, hitting eye and speed to collect a high number of doubles (725) and triples (177).

In the book “Stan The Man Musial,” by Irv Goodman, Musial said, “I think my favorite base hit is a triple, pounding around those bases, keeping an eye on the outfielder getting to the ball, and then sliding safely into third. That’s fun.”

Musial led the National League in triples four times _ 20 in 1943, 20 in 1946, 18 in 1948 and 13 in 1949 _ before he turned 29. (He shared the NL lead with teammate Enos Slaughter in 1949.) Musial also was the NL co-leader in triples (with 12) in 1951, becoming the first player to lead the league in that category five times.

(Tigers outfielder Sam Crawford led the American League in triples five times. Crawford, who played for the Reds and Tigers from 1899-1917, is the big-league career leader in triples, with 309.)

In the first three seasons Musial led the NL in triples, he also was the batting champion and winner of the Most Valuable Player Award in each of those years (1943, 1946 and 1948).

When Musial received his first MVP Award, he told The Sporting News he got a bigger thrill from leading the league in triples.

“I guess it’s because I get a chance to run when I hit for three,” Musial said. “Sure, a home run is good for one more base, but I like that contest with the running outfielder and I get a big thrill out of sliding safely to third base.”

Among the outstanding hitters with fewer career triples than Musial are Rogers Hornsby (169), Roberto Clemente (166), Lou Gehrig (163), Willie Mays (140), Babe Ruth (136), Joe DiMaggio (131), Jimmie Foxx (125), Hank Aaron (98), Barry Bonds (77), Mickey Mantle (72), Mel Ott (72), Frank Robinson (72), Ted Williams (71), Reggie Jackson (49), Willie McCovey (46), Ken Griffey Jr. (38), Alex Rodriguez (31) and Albert Pujols (16).

“To hit a home run, all you need is some strength and quick wrists,” Aaron told Baseball Digest in 1999. “To be able to hit a triple, you need speed, power to the gaps and you need to be a smart baserunner.”

Throughout his big-league career (1941-63), Musial most often was compared with his AL counterpart, Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams. In October 1946, the only time Musial and Williams competed against one another in a World Series, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher rated Musial the best.

“Musial is a two-to-one better hitter,” Durocher told The Sporting News. “You can pitch to Williams, crowd him and keep the ball on the handle. Williams can hit to only one field. Musial can hit to all fields and you can’t fool him. Williams has only one advantage. He has more power _ and power worries you. You are afraid to make one mistake. But I’ll take Musial any day _ and what is more, I’m not comparing dispositions.”

From 1942-60, no one hit more triples than Musial.

Read Full Post »

Carlos Beltran challenged 78-year-old Cardinals record

Posted in Hitters, Records on June 13, 2012| 2 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 13, 2017)

Carlos Beltran had a chance in 2012 to break one of the longest-lasting records in Cardinals history.

Beltran was a threat to top the Cardinals’ single-season record for home runs by a switch-hitter, a mark established by Rip Collins, with 35, for the 1934 World Series championship team.

Beltran finished the 2012 season with 32 home runs, three shy of tying Collins’ mark.

Cardinal with clout

James “Rip” Collins, a 5-foot-9 first baseman, played for the Cardinals from 1931-36 before being traded to the Cubs. He hit better than .300 in four of his nine big-league seasons and played in three World Series (for the Cardinals in 1931 and 1934 and for the Cubs in 1938.)

Collins was the first switch-hitter to top the 30-homer mark in the big leagues. His 35 home runs in 1934 tied him with Mel Ott of the Giants for the National League lead. Collins remains the only Cardinals switch-hitter to lead the NL in homers in a season.

After Collins, no other NL switch-hitter achieved a 30-homer season until the Dodgers’ Reggie Smith hit 32 in 1977. It took 53 years for a NL switch-hitter to break Collins’ league record of 35 homers in a season. Howard Johnson of the Mets did it with 36 homers in 1987. (Johnson also hit 36 in 1989 and 38 in 1991 for the Mets.)

The home run barrage was part of a career year for Collins in 1934. His 128 RBI were second in the NL to Ott’s 135. His .333 batting average tied for fourth in the NL. Collins led the league in both slugging percentage (.615) and total bases (369.) He collected 200 hits, including 40 doubles and 12 triples.

Collins was described by Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a “choked-grip longball batter (who) hit for more distance left-handed but he stroked the ball better and for higher average right-handed.”

Batting left-handed, Collins hit 30 of his 35 homers in 1934 against right-handers.

One of three starters on the 1934 Cardinals who switch-hit (second baseman Frank Frisch and right fielder Jack Rothrock were the others,) Collins primarily batted fifth in the order (behind cleanup batter and left fielder Joe Medwick.)

Included in his top performances that year:

_ On June 2, 1934, in the first game of a doubleheader at Pittsburgh, Collins had a triple, two home runs and seven RBI in the Cardinals’ 13-4 victory over the Pirates. Boxscore

_ Collins went 5-for-5 against the Giants on July 23, 1934, in the Cardinals’ 6-5 victory at New York. Boxscore

_ In the 1934 World Series, Collins hit .367 (11-for-30) in helping the Cardinals defeat the Tigers in seven games.

Merry prankster

Clever, with a devilish sense of humor, Collins fit in well with the Gashouse Gang Cardinals of the 1930s. A 1975 article in Baseball Digest detailed one incident:

“A carefree refugee from the Pennsylvania coal mines, Rip Collins was reportedly the instigator of one unforgettable prank pulled off by the Cardinals at a hotel in Philadelphia where the club stayed.

“The Ripper had noticed ladders, paint buckets, white overalls and other paraphernalia of painters in a corner of the service area of the hotel. He rounded up Dizzy Dean, Heinie Schuble and Billy DeLancey. They donned the overalls, took the equipment into a busy dining room and began painting the walls and ceiling, splattering paint on the customers, shouting instructions to one another ala the Marx brothers and promoting general chaos.

“It took all of general manager Branch Rickey’s persuasive powers to prevent the hotel management from evicting the entire ballclub immediately.”

Collins said, “It was great until the cops showed up.”

 

Read Full Post »

How Red Schoendienst almost joined original Angels

Posted in Hitters on June 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

(Updated April 11, 2026)

If second baseman Red Schoendienst had signed with the expansion Angels _ and he came close to doing just that _ he might never have returned to the Cardinals and become their manager, guiding them to two National League pennants and a World Series title.

Rejecting a “lush contract” from the 1961 Angels, Schoendienst accepted an invitation to try out for a spot with the Cardinals, made the roster, finished his playing career with them, became a coach on manager Johnny Keane’s staff and then replaced Keane.

In October 1960, a year after his comeback from tuberculosis, Schoendienst, 37, was released by the Braves. “It doubtless was shocking to many that the Braves began cleaning house by cutting one of baseball’s biggest names,” The Sporting News reported.

In his book, “Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime,” Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews said, “That move made no sense to us. They didn’t trade him for anybody. They just let him go. Red was getting up in years, but he had some baseball left.”

Schoendienst had opened the 1960 season as the Braves’ starting second baseman. He was batting .306 on May 13, but manager Chuck Dressen eventually lost confidence in him. After starting at second base for the Braves on Aug. 10, Schoendienst appeared in only one game after Aug. 11 and finished the season with a .257 batting average in 68 games.

General manager John McHale offered Schoendienst a non-playing job in the Braves’ organization (The Sporting News reported it probably was a minor-league manager position) but Schoendienst rejected it. “I don’t know what they had in mind,” Schoendienst said, “but I told them to forget it.”

Schoendienst, who had excelled for the Cardinals from 1945-56 before being traded to the Giants and then the Braves, told reporters he preferred to stay in the National League. “You hear some people say I’ve slowed up in the field,” Schoendienst said. “Well, maybe I have a little bit, but I’m confident that I can still make the plays at second base and I know I can help some club next year.”

In November 1960, St. Louis general manager Bing Devine invited Schoendienst to attend Cardinals spring training in 1961 for a tryout. “There is no question in my mind that he can prove valuable in a reserve capacity,” Devine said. “Meanwhile, I told him that if any other opportunity comes his way he is not committed to the Cardinals.”

A month later, Angels general manager Fred Haney offered Schoendienst a contract to join the expansion team as a second baseman, The Sporting News reported. Haney had been manager of the Braves in 1957 and 1958 when Schoendienst helped Milwaukee win two pennants and a World Series title.

Schoendienst told friends, “If the contract is satisfactory, I’ll sign it. I think I can play 100 games in 1961.”

The Sporting News reported the contract as “lush” and Haney “undoubtedly will take the veteran second baseman to camp with the club at Palm Springs.”

Instead, Schoendienst, who turned 38 in February 1961, chose to attend Cardinals camp as a non-roster player. “I told Fred (Haney) I’d be better off staying in St. Louis with my family,” Schoendienst said.

In the book “Redbirds Revisited,” Schoendienst recalled, “I promised Bing Devine and the Cardinals that I’d go to spring training if they’d give me a shot to make the club. I made the promise … and I thought I should keep my promise.”

Reporting in top condition after a winter of workouts, Schoendienst impressed Devine and manager Solly Hemus with his play. On March 15, they signed him to a contract and declared he would back up starting second baseman Julian Javier.

The move paid off for the Cardinals and Schoendienst. He hit .300 in 72 games for the 1961 Cardinals. He was a player-coach for Keane (who replaced Hemus) in 1962 _ and did even better, hitting .301 in 98 games.

Schoendienst remained a Cardinals coach in 1963 and 1964 (appearing as a pinch-hitter in 1963) and became St. Louis manager in 1965. In 14 years as Cardinals manager, Schoendienst had a 1,041-955 record. Only Tony La Russa had more wins as a Cardinals manager.

 

Read Full Post »

Why Cardinals were keen on Gene Freese

Posted in Games, Hitters, Trades on May 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The Cardinals thought so highly of Gene Freese they offered to trade Ken Boyer for him.

Freese, an infielder, hit 14 home runs as a Pirates rookie in 1955 and batted .283 for them in 1957.

“I like that Freese … He’s my type of player,” Cardinals general manager Frank Lane told The Sporting News. “He’s aggressive and strong.”

In November 1957, Lane agreed to deal Boyer and another player (probably pitcher Willard Schmidt) to the Pirates for Freese and outfielder Frank Thomas, according to The Sporting News, but “Anheuser-Busch brass is understood to have frowned on the proposed deal.”

Soon after, Lane resigned to become general manager of the Cleveland Indians. Bing Devine replaced Lane in St. Louis and Freese appealed to him, too. On June 15, 1958, Devine acquired Freese and utility player Johnny O’Brien from the Pirates for shortstop Dick Schofield and cash.

The Cardinals projected Freese as a player who could back up Don Blasingame at second, Eddie Kasko at short or Boyer at third. In late July 1958, Blasingame was injured and Freese got his first stretch of starts for the Cardinals. After Blasingame returned to the lineup, manager Fred Hutchinson, unhappy with the weak hitting of Kasko and backup Ruben Amaro, installed Freese as the shortstop.

Though he lacked range, Freese provided pop. On Aug. 7, 1958, Freese, batting second, was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored in the Cardinals’ 12-1 victory over the Giants at St. Louis. Boxscore

Freese also was part of a power performance against the Dodgers at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. On Aug. 17, 1958, Curt Flood and Freese led off the game with back-to-back home runs to left field off Sandy Koufax. It was only the fifth time a National League team opened a game with consecutive homers. Boxscore Freese slugged three home runs in the four-game series.

Impressed, The Sporting News reported, “Since coming to the Redbirds, the 24-year-old Freese has been a life-saver. He’s filled in competently at both second base and shortstop … Neither the ex-Pirate nor the Cards’ high command has any illusions about his defensive talent. He doesn’t pretend to be a premier shortstop, but Hutchinson reluctantly sacrificed defense to get some hitting.”

Freese hit .257 with six home runs in 62 games for the 1958 Cardinals, but his on-base percentage was a poor .294. He committed eight errors in 28 games at shortstop and four errors in 14 games at second base.

On Sept. 29, a day after the 1958 season ended, the Cardinals traded Freese to the Phillies for infielder Solly Hemus, who became St. Louis’ player-manager, replacing Hutchinson.

Freese became the starting third baseman for the 1959 Phillies, hitting 23 home runs. His best season was 1961. As the third baseman for the National League champion Reds, managed by Hutchinson, Freese posted single-season career highs of 26 home runs and 87 RBI.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »