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Danny Litwhiler: Perfect fit for champion Cardinals

Posted in Hitters on September 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Danny Litwhiler, left fielder for the Cardinals’ National League championship teams in 1943 and 1944, was manager Billy Southworth’s kind of player.

In 1942, when Litwhiler was with the last-place Phillies, he beat the Cardinals in a September game by stretching a single into a double and later crashing into catcher Walker Cooper to score the winning run. Southworth was impressed by Litwhiler’s all-out hustle while playing late in the season for a terrible team.

On June 1, 1943, on the advice of Southworth, Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey acquired Litwhiler and outfielder Earl Naylor from the Phillies for outfielders Buster Adams, Coaker Triplett and Dain Clay.

Among the many good trades made by Rickey, this was one of the best. Litwhiler fit perfectly on Cardinals teams that dominated the National League in 1943 and 1944.

In the book “Stan Musial: The Man’s Own Story,” Musial said Litwhiler “was a high-class fellow and a man I was proud to have as my friend.”

A right-handed batter, Litwhiler hit .279 with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 80 games for the 1943 Cardinals. He took over in left field for Debs Garms, who, at 36, was nine years older than Litwhiler.

In the book “The Spirit of St. Louis” by Peter Golenbock, Litwhiler described his feelings about being traded to the Cardinals and playing for Southworth:

“I felt pretty bad about (the trade), because I really liked Philadelphia. In fact, I cried. It broke my heart, because I was leaving Philadelphia. I really liked the fans … Billy (Southworth) and I started off in pretty good shape. He was a great teacher … Billy’s offensive philosophy was to bunt the ball and get the runner over. That’s why we won. He taught the fundamentals … It was bunting, and learning how to slide, even the pitchers, and we would take the extra base.”

Though he wasn’t a dominant slugger (107 home runs in 11 big-league seasons), Litwhiler had power. On June 27, 1943, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, the Cubs led the Cardinals 2-0 after six. In the seventh, Litwhiler hit a solo homer off Claude Passeau, and in the ninth he slammed a two-run shot off Passeau, lifting St. Louis to a 3-2 victory. Boxscore

In the 1943 World Series against the Yankees, Litwhiler batted .267 (4-for-15) with two RBI. In Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, Litwhiler made a shoestring catch of Joe Gordon’s drive in the second and drove in both Cardinals runs off Hank Borowy in New York’s 6-2 victory. Boxscore

Batting primarily from the sixth spot in the order, Litwhiler hit .264 with 15 homers and 82 RBI in 140 games for the 1944 Cardinals. He batted .359 against the Cubs in 22 games that season and .302 against the Dodgers in 18 games.

On July 29, 1944, Litwhiler slugged a grand slam off Dodgers rookie Ralph Branca in the Cardinals’ 14-2 victory at Brooklyn. Boxscore On Aug. 3, Litwhiler drove in six runs, including three on a homer against Preacher Roe, in St. Louis’ 15-2 victory at Pittsburgh. Boxscore

In Game 5 of the 1944 World Series, the Cardinals were clinging to a 1-0 lead against the crosstown Browns when Litwhiler led off the eighth with a homer to right-center off Denny Galehouse, capping a 2-0 Cardinals victory. Boxscore

“When I hit my home run off Galehouse, the fielder jumped up, and I heard this terrific roar,” Litwhiler told Golenbock. “I thought, ‘… He jumped up and caught it.’ But I looked out, and I saw the ball bouncing in the stands. I thought, ‘… It’s a home run!’ I don’t even remember touching the bases after that.”

The Cardinals won the World Series championship in six games. “A great feeling, one you’ll never forget,” Litwhiler said.

In 1945, Litwhiler served in the Army Special Service. He returned to the Cardinals in May 1946, but Southworth had left St. Louis to become manager of the Braves and the Cardinals had committed to rookie Erv Dusak as the left fielder. On June 9, 1946, the Cardinals sold Litwhiler’s contract to the Braves, where he was reunited with Southworth.

Litwhiler finished his big-league career with the Reds in 1951. His career batting mark was .281.

Litwhiler became baseball coach at Florida State, compiling a 190-83-1 record in nine seasons, and at Michigan State, where he was 488-362-8 in 19 seasons. Among the college players he prepared for big-league careers were Dick Howser and Woody Woodward at Florida State, and Steve Garvey and Kirk Gibson at Michigan State.

A brilliant innovator, Litwhiler developed the radar speed gun and created a powder, known as diamond dust, that enabled wet infields to dry quickly.

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In 1945, Cardinals hit into fewest double plays

Posted in Hitters, Records on September 14, 2011| 3 Comments »

(Updated July 2, 2014)

When it comes to double plays, the Cardinals, more than any other National League franchise, have experienced the extremes.

The 2011 Cardinals set the NL single-season record for grounding into the most double plays, with 169. The 1958 Cardinals had held the NL mark of 166. The single-season major-league record for double plays is 174 by the 1990 Red Sox.

A Cardinals team also holds the NL and major-league single-season record for grounding into the fewest double plays. The 1945 Cardinals hit into 75.

Because of military service during World War II, the 1945 Cardinals were without top hitters such as Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, Harry Walker, Terry Moore, Walker Cooper and Danny Litwhiler.

The lineup was short on sluggers but loaded with contact hitters who ran the bases exceptionally well.

In its Sept. 6, 1945, edition, The Sporting News wrote of the Cardinals:

Despite the fact the Redbirds have gained a nationwide reputation as speedboys in winning their last three pennants, (manager) Billy Southworth’s scheme of attack is based more on the hit-and-run, and taking that extra base on a hit, than trying to steal his way around.

The 1945 Cardinals ranked first in the NL in hits (1,498) and second in runs (756) and sacrifice hits (138).

Third baseman Whitey Kurowski was the lone Cardinal to reach double figures in hitting into double plays (10).

Reserve outfielder Augie Bergamo had 304 at-bats and never hit into a double play.

Among the regulars, rookie left fielder Red Schoendienst had 565 at-bats, 157 hits and grounded into just six double plays. Center fielder Buster Adams slugged 20 home runs and 26 doubles in 578 at-bats, with just eight double plays. Second baseman Emil Verban struck out only 15 times in 597 at-bats and hit into just nine double plays.

To put that into perspective, Pirates first baseman Babe Dahlgren hit into 23 double plays in 1945 and Reds first baseman Frank McCormick hit into 20. Each was one of four players on his team to reach double figures in hitting into double plays.

Even though Kurowski, Schoendienst, shortstop Marty Marion, first baseman Ray Sanders, outfielder Johnny Hopp and catcher Ken O’Dea all missed games because of injuries, Billy Southworth had the 1945 Cardinals playing fundamentally sound baseball. St. Louis posted a 95-59 record and finished in second place, three games behind the Cubs.

In the Oct. 4, 1945, edition of The Sporting News, Frederick G. Lieb wrote:

Nothing but praise can be bestowed on Billy Southworth for his grand job in keeping the Cards in the race until next to the last day of the season. Everyone votes it Billy’s greatest managerial job … There was scarcely a day that he had his regular lineup in the field.

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Ray Lankford did what Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle couldn’t

Posted in Games, Hitters, Records on September 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated May 4, 2018)

In a sport noted for great center fielders, the Cardinals’ Ray Lankford established a production standard for the position that largely hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

In 1992, Lankford became the first center fielder in major-league history to achieve at least 40 doubles, 20 home runs and 30 steals in a season.

Since then, two others have accomplished the feat: Carlos Beltran of the 2002 Royals (44 doubles, 29 homers, 35 steals) and Jacoby Ellsbury of the 2011 Red Sox (46 doubles, 32 homers, 39 steals), according to MLB.com.

Lankford (40 doubles, 20 homers, 42 steals) remains the only National League center fielder to meet the standard.

Four others who came close to achieving those numbers were Willie Mays of the 1959 Giants, Vada Pinson of the 1959 Reds, Andre Dawson of the 1980 Expos and Mike Trout of the 2013 Angels.

Mays (43 doubles, 34 homers, 27 steals) missed by three stolen bases; Pinson (47 doubles, 20 homers, 21 steals) missed by nine stolen bases; Dawson (41 doubles, 17 homers, 34 steals) missed by three home runs; and Trout (39 doubles, 27 homers, 33 steals) missed by one double.

Hall of Fame center fielders such as Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider never came close. Same with other top center fielders such as Ken Griffey Jr. (he missed by 12 steals in 1991, the only season he had a chance to match Lankford), Jim Edmonds, Bernie Williams, Kirby Puckett, Andruw Jones, Dale Murphy and Torii Hunter.

Lankford did it in dramatic fashion: his last two hits of 1992 were a double and a home run, putting him exactly at the 40 and 20 totals for those categories.

On Oct. 2, 1992, in the opener of a season-ending three-game series with the Phillies at St. Louis, Lankford hit a two-out, sixth-inning double to right off Curt Schilling. (The Cardinals won, 2-1, even though Schilling pitched a four-hitter). Boxscore

After going 0-for-4 the next day, Lankford went into the season finale on Sunday, Oct. 4, needing a home run to reach 20. He got it in the first inning _ a two-run blast to right-center off Tommy Greene, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in a game they won, 6-3. Boxscore

The home run also enabled Lankford to become the first Cardinals player to achieve 20 homers and 20 steals in a season since Lou Brock in 1967.

Although Lankford struck out a NL-leading 147 times, the 1992 season was a breakthrough for him. Thanks, in large part, to the work of first-year hitting coach Don Baylor, Lankford led the Cardinals in 13 offensive categories. After hitting .251 with nine homers and 69 RBI in 1991, Lankford batted .293 with 20 homers and 86 RBI in 1992.

When Baylor resigned after the 1992 season to become manager of the Rockies, St. Louis general manager Dal Maxvill told The Sporting News, “His importance to the Cardinals was demonstrated by the development of our young hitters last season, especially Lankford.”

After 1992, Lankford hit 20 or more homers five times and topped 30 steals once more, but he never again achieved 40 doubles in a season.

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Cardinals pitchers enjoy grand slam streak

Posted in Games, Hitters, Pitchers on September 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

From Curt Davis in 1938 to Jake Westbrook in 2011, 10 Cardinals pitchers have hit grand slam home runs.

Bob Gibson is the only one to do it twice. Gibson and Rick Wise are the only Cardinals pitchers to hit grand slams in the same season.

With grand slams from Chris Carpenter in 2009, Brad Penny in 2010 and Westbrook in 2011, the Cardinals are the only team in major-league history to have a pitcher slug a four-run homer in three consecutive seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Here are the Cardinals pitchers who hit grand slams:

_ Curt Davis: A right-hander who earned 158 wins and hit 11 home runs in a 13-year big-league career, Davis slugged a fourth-inning grand slam off Al Hollingsworth, helping St. Louis to a 5-0 lead on April 26, 1938, at Cincinnati. Playing before a Tuesday afternoon gathering of 2,386, the Reds rallied for an 8-7 victory. Boxscore

_ Bob Gibson: Twenty-seven years after Davis’ blast, Gibson connected for a grand slam off Gaylord Perry on Sept. 29, 1965, at San Francisco. With Cardinals runners on second and third, one out, in the eighth, Perry relieved Bob Shaw. Perry issued an intentional walk to Bob Skinner, loading the bases for Gibson, who gave St. Louis an 8-0 lead with his fifth homer of the season. The Cardinals held on for an 8-6 victory. Boxscore

“I knew it was going to the fence,” Gibson told the Associated Press, “but I didn’t think it was going over.”

_ Bob Gibson: In the first game of a doubleheader on July 26, 1973, at St. Louis, Gibson earned a complete-game win and smashed a fifth-inning grand slam off Mets reliever John Strohmayer in the Cardinals’ 13-1 victory. It was the 24th and last home run of Gibson’s 17-year big-league career. Boxscore

_ Rick Wise: Capping a seven-run third inning, Wise powered a grand slam off Roric Harrison on Aug. 21, 1973, at Atlanta. It was the second grand slam of Wise’s career (he hit one for the Phillies in 1971) and the 15th and final homer of his 18-year big-league career. The Braves held St. Louis scoreless the rest of the game and Atlanta won, 11-7. Boxscore

_ Joaquin Andujar: In the eighth inning on May 15, 1984, at St. Louis, Braves reliever Jeff Dedmon gave an intentional walk to Tom Nieto, loading the bases with two out. Andujar, a career .127 hitter in 13 big-league seasons, belted a grand slam, helping the Cardinals to a 9-1 victory. Boxscore

“I usually hit five or six home runs in batting practice every day,” Andujar told United Press International.

_ Bob Forsch: With a fifth-inning grand slam off a hanging curve by Mike Bielecki, Forsch earned his 12th win of the year in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over the Pirates on Aug. 10, 1986, at St. Louis. Forsch hit 12 homers in a 16-year major-league career. Boxscore

“I looked terrible on the breaking ball when he struck me out (in the third),” Forsch told the Associated Press, “so I figured he’d throw it again.”

Said Pirates manager Jim Leyland: “He (Bielecki) can’t hang a pitch like that; anybody could hit it out.”

_ Donovan Osborne: A switch-hitter batting left, Osborne slugged a fifth-inning grand slam off Andy Ashby in the Cardinals’ 8-3 victory over the Padres on Sept. 7, 1996, at St. Louis. It was the only homer hit by Osborne in nine big-league seasons. Boxscore

_ Kent Mercker: On the same night Mark McGwire hit two home runs, Mercker had the big blast, a fourth-inning grand slam off Jesus Sanchez, helping St. Louis to a 14-4 victory over the Marlins on Sept. 2, 1998, at Florida. For Mercker, a .113 career hitter, it was his lone homer in 18 major-league seasons and his first since high school. Boxscore

“Mark gave me some batting tips,” Mercker told the Palm Beach Post.

Said McGwire to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “I loved his trot.”

_ Chris Carpenter: The first big-league homer of Carpenter’s career was a second-inning grand slam off former St. Louis teammate Kip Wells in the Cardinals’ 13-0 victory on Oct. 1, 2009, at Cincinnati. Boxscore

_ Brad Penny: A third-inning grand slam by Penny off former St. Louis pitcher Joel Pineiro helped the Cardinals beat the Angels, 9-5, on May 21, 2010, at St. Louis, but Penny turned out to have an injury near his right shoulder, was unable to continue pitching and never played another game for the Cardinals. Boxscore

“I left a hanging slider to Penny,” Pineiro told the Associated Press. “I knew he was coming out swinging.”

_ Jake Westbrook: An 11-year big-league veteran, Westbrook’s first homer was a grand slam off Randy Wolf in the Cardinals’ 8-3 victory on Aug. 31, 2011, at Milwaukee. Boxscore

“It’s pretty special,” Westbrook told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Just to go back and say you hit a grand slam in the big leagues is a lot of fun.”

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Five fabulous facts about Willie McGee

Posted in Games, Hitters on August 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated June 8, 2024)

Center fielder Willie McGee batted .294 with 1,683 hits and 301 stolen bases in 13 years with the Cardinals, helping them win three National League pennants and a World Series crown.

Whitey Herzog, his manager on those 1980s title teams, told Cardinals Magazine, “Willie gave me everything I asked for and more. He was one great guy, a great ballplayer. He is the most popular guy during my time (with the Cardinals). If you’re going to talk about the Cardinals, you’re going to talk about (Stan) Musial, (Red) Schoendienst and (Enos) Slaughter, and then along came (Bob) Gibson and (Lou) Brock and Ozzie (Smith). But I don’t think anybody was as dear to the fans’ hearts as Willie McGee.”

Here are five fun facts about McGee’s Cardinals playing career:

McGEE VS. CARLTON

Twice, McGee hit two home runs in a game. Most remember the two homers he ripped against former Cardinal Pete Vuckovich in Game 3 of the 1982 World Series against the Brewers in Milwaukee. What may not be so well-known are the two homers he hit against another former Cardinal, Steve Carlton.

On July 21, 1986, at St. Louis, Carlton, 41, who had been released by the Phillies in June after 15 seasons with Philadelphia, was making his third start for the Giants.

McGee, who would hit just seven home runs in 1986, hit a solo shot into the upper deck in left off Carlton in the first inning and added a two-run blast to right-center in the fourth, tying the score at 3-3. The Cardinals went on to win, 8-3 Boxscore

“I wasn’t swinging for homers,” McGee told the Associated Press. “I was just trying to hit the ball good and just trying to do my job.”

LAUNCH OF LA RUSSA ERA

McGee was the first batter in the first regular-season game Tony La Russa managed with the Cardinals.

Batting leadoff against Bobby Jones, McGee grounded out to shortstop in the first inning of the season opener against the Mets on a rainy, cold April 1, 1996, at New York.

McGee, playing right field, went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. In the fourth, he smacked a three-run homer off Jones, giving St. Louis a 6-0 lead before the Mets rallied for a 7-6 victory.

McGee, who made the first out of the game, also made the last out of the game, grounding out to shortstop Rey Ordonez, who made a diving stop of a ball up the middle. Boxscore

HELLO, MAD HUNGARIAN

McGee, called up to the Cardinals from Class AAA Louisville in May 1982, went hitless in his first four big-league at-bats. He broke through in dramatic fashion against the Braves on May 13, 1982, at Atlanta.

In the fifth inning, the Cardinals led 6-5 and had the bases loaded with one out. Herzog called on McGee, a switch-hitter, to bat for Tito Landrum, even though Landrum had three RBI in the game.

Braves manager Joe Torre countered by lifting Preston Hanna and bringing in Al Hrabosky, the former Cardinals closer. McGee greeted the “Mad Hungarian” with a RBI-single to left. St. Louis went on to a 10-9 victory. Boxscore

Asked about lifting Landrum for McGee, Herzog said, “It worked, didn’t it?”

Said McGee: “That was my first big-league hit and I’ve got to feel pretty good about it. I know I can play defense and run the bases. I just hope I can get some bat experience.”

GRAND BEGINNING

By mid-summer of 1982, McGee had become the everyday center fielder and was sparking St. Louis toward its first postseason appearance since 1968.

On July 20, 1982, at St. Louis, the Braves scored five runs in the first against John Stuper. The Cardinals came back with six runs in the bottom of the first. The big blow was McGee’s first big-league home run, a grand slam off fellow rookie Ken Dayley. Boxscore

Dayley would be traded to the Cardinals in 1984 and would team with McGee to help the Cardinals win two more pennants.

THE LAST HOME RUN

On July 26, 1998, at Denver, after entering the game as a replacement for left fielder John Mabry in the eighth, McGee slammed a solo home run off Dave Veres (a future Cardinals closer) with two out in the ninth, helping St. Louis to a 3-1 victory over the Rockies. It was the first homer Veres had yielded since May 31. Boxscore

McGee would have 51 more at-bats in 1998 and 271 at-bats in 1999, but he never would hit another big-league home run.

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How Andy Van Slyke amazed Jose Oquendo

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on August 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A pair of former Cardinals, Andy Van Slyke and Mike LaValliere, combined to stun St. Louis by making one of baseball’s most sensational defensive plays, one so rare it wouldn’t be accomplished again for 23 years.

On Aug. 21, 2011, in the ninth inning of a game at Detroit, the Indians had runners on second and third with one out when Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson caught a fly ball by Matt LaPorta and unleashed a rocket to catcher Alex Avila, who tagged out Kosuke Fukudome at the plate, completing a double play and sealing an 8-7 win.

According to research by Baseball-Reference.com, it was the first time a major-league game had ended on a double play with a center fielder throwing out a runner at the plate since Sept. 27, 1988, when Van Slyke accomplished the feat.

On April 1, 1987, the Cardinals traded Van Slyke, LaValliere and pitcher Mike Dunne to the Pirates for catcher Tony Pena. The deal helped the Cardinals win the 1987 National League pennant and it also helped the Pirates begin a transformation from also-ran to contender.

On Sept. 27, 1988, the Cardinals were finishing out the final week of the season on their way to a fifth-place finish in the NL East. The Pirates would secure second place, their highest finish since 1983.

Before a Tuesday night crowd of 8,994 at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates took a 3-2 lead into the ninth. Pittsburgh closer Jim Gott, seeking his 34th save, issued a leadoff walk to Jose Oquendo. After Curt Ford struck out, John Morris singled to right, advancing Oquendo to third.

Luis Alicea, a switch-hitting rookie second baseman who had entered the game in the sixth, stepped to the plate and smashed a rising liner to center field _ “a drive,” wrote Paul Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “that seemed more than deep enough to score Oquendo.”

It seemed everyone in the ballpark, except Van Slyke and LaValliere, thought Oquendo would advance on the sacrifice, tying the score.

“I didn’t think he (Van Slyke) had a chance,” Pirates right fielder Glenn Wilson told Meyer.

Said Pirates manager Jim Leyland: “I thought he (Van Slyke) had no chance, to be honest with you.”

Here’s what Van Slyke said to Meyer:

“I always think I have a chance _ except when I’m standing on the warning track. I threw it as hard as I could. What made it a difficult play was that it was a line drive, and I couldn’t set up (to throw).”

As Oquendo streaked down the third-base line, he saw LaValliere standing motionless at the plate, trying to make it appear a play wasn’t imminent.

“When Andy let the ball go, I caught the runner out of the corner of my eye,” LaValliere said to Meyer. “… I tried to deke the runner to get as much of an advantage as I could. You want the runner to see the plate, so he’ll slide.”

Just before receiving the throw, LaValliere blocked the plate with his left foot. As Oquendo slammed into a shin guard, LaValliere applied the tag and umpire Doug Harvey ruled an out, giving the Pirates a 3-2 victory. Boxscore

“Unbelievable, the way he (LaValliere) kept him off there,’ said Leyland. “That was the key.”

Said Van Slyke: “When I saw Doug Harvey ring him up, it surprised the heck out of me. Mike made just as good a play as I did.”

Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog told the Associated Press, “It was a heck of a play on both ends. Andy made a great throw and he doesn’t get him if Mike doesn’t block the plate.”

In his lead to his game story, Meyer wrote:

You know him as Andy Van Slyke. Tuesday night, though, the Pirates center fielder was Andy Van Strike _ because that’s what he threw to the plate in the ninth inning for the final out of a 3-2 victory over St. Louis that clinched second place for the Pirates.

Twenty-three years later, when the play happened again, the teams and the players were different, but one of the managers was the same. Jim Leyland, Tigers skipper, was the winning manager in both games.

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