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Jim Thome: 18 homers, .430 batting mark vs. Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on August 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated July 29, 2018)

Jim Thome didn’t face the Cardinals often in a 22-year big-league career, but he usually pounded St. Louis pitching when given the opportunity. Of his 612 career home runs, 18 were hit against the Cardinals in 29 games.

Thome, elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, batted .430 (43-for-100) against the Cardinals, with 40 RBI, a .565 on-base percentage and a 1.010 slugging percentage.

Of his 18 home runs against St. Louis, three were hit against Matt Morris. Chris Carpenter and Dan Haren surrendered two apiece.

Thome hit three home runs against the Cardinals _ two off Morris and another off Mike James _ in the Indians’ 14-2 victory on July 6, 2001, at Cleveland. All three were two-run shots. Boxscore

In the eighth, Thome struck out against Steve Kline, missing a chance to become the first American League player to hit four home runs in a game since Rocky Colavito of the Indians in 1959.

“When everybody wants you to hit a home run, it’s pretty tough to do,” Thome told the Associated Press.

The next day, Thome walked in his first four plate appearances. He led off the 10th inning with a home run against Dave Veres, lifting Cleveland to a 7-6 victory over the Cardinals. Boxscore

“It was supposed to be a sinker away,” Veres said. “I missed my spot by, like, four feet.”

Said Thome: “I wanted to get a pitch up and drive it, and I did.”

Thome’s 18th and last home run against the Cardinals was perhaps his most devastating. On June 22, 2006, at Chicago, the Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes pitched a one-hitter _ and lost. The hit was a solo home run by Thome with one out in the seventh, giving the White Sox a 1-0 victory. Boxscore

“I was fortunate it was in the middle of the plate,” Thome said.

Said Reyes: “I just missed a little bit over the plate and you can’t really do that up in this league.”

Thome’s home runs against the Cardinals:

DATE………………..PITCHER

June 14, 1997……Matt Morris

June 25, 1998……Manny Aybar

June 25, 1998……Bobby Witt

June 2, 2000…….Darryl Kile

July 6, 2001……..Matt Morris

July 6, 2001……..Matt Morris

July 6, 2001……..Mike James

July 7, 2001……..Dave Veres

Aug. 15, 2003……Pedro Borbon

Aug. 16, 2003……Dan Haren

Aug. 17, 2003……Brett Tomko

Aug. 22, 2003……Dan Haren

Aug. 22, 2003……Steve Kline

April 29, 2004…..Chris Carpenter

May 4, 2004……..Chris Carpenter

May 6, 2004……..Jeff Suppan

June 21, 2006…..Jason Marquis

June 22, 2006…..Anthony Reyes

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Dave Campbell was hitless as Cardinal during 0-for-45 skid

Posted in Games, Hitters, Records on August 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated April 9, 2019)

Dave Campbell’s brief career with the Cardinals was most notable for what he didn’t do.

In 21 at-bats for the 1973 Cardinals, Campbell failed to get a hit.

Campbell went 45 consecutive at-bats without a hit in 1973. His streak occurred while playing for three teams.

In 2019, Chris Davis of the Orioles set a major-league record for a position player by extending his hitless streak to 47 consecutive at-bats.

Campbell, an ESPN baseball broadcaster from 1999-2010, began his seventh big-league season in 1973 as an infielder for the Padres. He went hitless in his last 17 at-bats for San Diego before he was traded to the Cardinals for infielder Dwain Anderson on June 7, 1973.

In 24 plate appearances in 13 games for St. Louis, the best Campbell could achieve was a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.

Campbell’s lone batting highlight as a Cardinal came on July 10, 1973, against the Dodgers at Los Angeles. In the top of the seventh, with the Dodgers ahead 2-1, the Cardinals had Jose Cruz on third, Mike Tyson on first and one out when manager Red Schoendienst called on Campbell to pinch-hit for pitcher Tom Murphy.

Facing Dodgers starter Claude Osteen, Campbell hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Cruz with the tying run. The Cardinals went on to a 5-4 victory. Boxscore

Campbell’s final at-bat as a Cardinal came on Aug. 17, 1973, at St. Louis against the Padres. After San Diego scored twice in the 13th inning, snapping a 2-2 tie, the Cardinals had Ted Simmons on second and Hector Cruz on first with two out. Schoendienst chose Campbell to pinch-hit for pitcher Diego Segui. Campbell popped out to second base, ending the game. Boxscore

The next day, the Cardinals traded Campbell to the Astros for outfielder Tommie Agee. St. Louis, in first place in the National League East, was seeking to bolster its bench for a pennant push.

“It’s tough to leave a club that is in first place and has a shot at the big money,” Campbell told The Sporting News. “But due to my past association with (Astros coach) Preston Gomez it could be a break for me. Preston was the manager at San Diego when I was a regular there for four years. So he knows what I can do.”

After a 17 at-bat hitless streak for the Padres and a 21 at-bat hitless streak for the Cardinals, Campbell went hitless in his first seven at-bats for the Astros, tying the major-league mark of 45 consecutive hitless at-bats by a non-pitcher.

On Sept. 19, 1973, in the opener of a doubleheader against the Padres at Houston, Campbell hit a two-run double against Clay Kirby in the first inning, breaking his drought. Boxscore  Campbell had four hits in the doubleheader: two in each game.

In an eight-year big-league career, Campbell batted .213.

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Johnny Bench was nemesis of Steve Carlton

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on August 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated July 26, 2020)

In 1970, Cardinals pitcher Steve Carlton could do almost nothing right against the Reds. The Cincinnati hitter who hurt him the most was Johnny Bench.

On July 26, 1970, a muggy Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati, Bench went 4-for-5 with three home runs, seven RBI and three runs scored in the Reds’ 12-5 victory against the Cardinals. All three home runs were hit versus Carlton. Boxscore

To give Bench a break from catching in the midsummer heat, Reds manager Sparky Anderson started the 22-year-old in left field that day. It was one of 17 games Bench started in the outfield in 1970. Pat Corrales, a former Cardinal, was the Cincinnati catcher.

“If that boy didn’t have to catch, there’s no telling what you might see,” Anderson told the Dayton Journal Herald.

Bench said to the Dayton Daily News, “If I can hit like that, I don’t care where I play, but there’s no question I feel stronger when I’m playing in the outfield.”

Hardball tactics

In the first inning, Bench, batting in the cleanup spot, hit a Carlton fastball over the right-center field wall at Riverfront Stadium for a three-run home run. When Bench followed by hitting a slider for a two-run home run to left in the second, Carlton fired a brushback pitch at the next batter, Lee May, sending him sprawling to the dirt.

“Carlton throwing at May is, well, it’s just baseball, but I don’t like anybody throwing at my hitters,” Anderson said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Said Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst: “A pitcher doesn’t have a chance any more. There’s the lively ball and the AstroTurf and the smaller strike zone … If you’re a pitcher, you have to brush back those hitters.”

Reds starter Wayne Simpson delivered payback the next inning when Carlton batted and was struck in the right calf by a pitch. Anderson approached Simpson about it between innings. “I told him I didn’t want him bothering with Carlton,” Anderson said. “I don’t like that type of baseball.”

When Simpson came to the plate in the bottom half of the third, Carlton threw a pitch inside. Simpson made a move toward Carlton, but no fight erupted.

Bench let his bat do the talking. He led off the fifth by belting a fastball over the wall in left for his third home run of the game against Carlton. “That’s the best day I’ve had since I hit three homers one day as a nine-year-old playing Little League ball at Cement, Okla.,” Bench told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Said Anderson: “He’s only 22 and already he’s the best there is. Name me another catcher of our time you’d match him against.”

Fine wine

In his book “Chasing the Dream,” Joe Torre, who was Carlton’s roommate on Cardinals road trips in 1970, recalled, “After the game, Lefty and I commiserated over dinner and a little wine. I guess we had more than a little wine. When we got back to our hotel suite, I think we broke every stick of furniture in the room. When we awoke in the morning and realized what we had done, we tried to glue everything back together.

“When we left the suite, we had to make sure we didn’t close the door too hard because we were afraid the noise would cause everything to fall apart.”

Bench was the first Reds player with seven RBI in a game since Frank Robinson did it in May 1963, and he was the first Reds player with three home runs in a game since Art Shamsky in 1966. Bench went on to lead the National League in home runs (45) and RBI (148) in 1970, winning the Most Valuable Player Award and powering the Reds to the pennant.

Carlton made four starts against the Reds in 1970, posting an 0-4 record and 7.82 ERA. In 25.1 innings versus Cincinnati, Carlton yielded 24 runs and 35 hits.

Three years later, on May 9, 1973, Bench, catching and batting third, again smashed three home runs against Carlton, who was with the Phillies, in Cincinnati’s 9-7 victory at Philadelphia. Boxscore

“I don’t see how a man can cover so much of the plate,” Carlton told The Sporting News. “I threw Bench six inches inside and six inches outside, but it didn’t matter.”

Bench hit .305 (39-for-128) against Carlton in his career. The 12 home runs Bench belted against Carlton were the most he hit in his career against a left-hander.

Both Bench and Carlton are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Rafael Furcal cost Rick Ankiel Rookie of Year Award

Posted in Hitters, Pitchers on August 3, 2011| 4 Comments »

If not for Rafael Furcal, Rick Ankiel would have won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Furcal, acquired by the Cardinals from the Dodgers July 31 in a trade for minor-league outfielder Alex Castellanos, earned the NL’s top rookie honor in 2000 when the shortstop hit .295 with 40 stolen bases for the Braves.

Furcal received 25 of 32 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He also had six second-place votes and one third-place vote, giving him 144 total points in the balloting.

Ankiel, a left-handed pitcher, was 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA for the 2000 Cardinals. He struck out 194 in 175 innings and yielded only 137 hits.

Finishing second to Furcal in the rookie of the year balloting with 87 points, Ankiel received six first-place votes, 17 seconds and six thirds. Mets outfielder Jay Payton (.291, 17 home runs) was a distant third, with 37 points.

Though Ankiel had an epic meltdown in the 2000 postseason (nine wild pitches and 11 walks in four innings), that performance didn’t impact the rookie of the year balloting because all votes were submitted before the playoffs began.

Furcal, the first middle infielder to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award since Steve Sax of the Dodgers 18 years earlier, had come to spring training as a non-roster player in 2000 and was issued a uniform with the number 78.

He led NL rookies in runs scored (87), walks (73) and on-base percentage (.394).

“He’s got a lot of confidence,” said Braves outfielder Andruw Jones when asked about Furcal in November 2000. “I’m not saying he’s cocky, but he knows when he does his best he can be successful.”

Said Furcal in a statement to reporters after learning he had won the award, “There were a lot of other rookies who had great years, and for me to win this means my hard work has paid off.”

Ankiel never would regain the pitching skills he showed in the 2000 regular season, and was converted to an outfielder. At the time of the rookie honor, though, many thought he would recover from the wildness that plagued him in the playoffs.

“He’s a young kid and he’s tough as nails,” Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan told the Associated Press. “He’s going to be fine.”

Said Pirates manager Gene Lamont of Ankiel: “He’s probably the best-looking young pitcher in baseball, at least in our league. When he starts throwing that curveball and change-up across (the plate), they’ll start talking about him like they did about (the Cubs’) Kerry Wood.”

After Ankiel was named the surprise starter of Game 1 of the 2000 NL Division Series against the Braves at St. Louis, the first batter he faced was Furcal, who singled and then was caught attempting to steal. In the third, after Furcal popped out to first base, Ankiel threw the first of his five wild pitches in the inning. Boxscore

Furcal made a big impression on the Cardinals in his first game against them. On Aug. 4, 2000, at St. Louis, Furcal was 2-for-2 with three walks, two RBI, two steals and two runs scored against Andy Benes and reliever Matt Morris in a 6-4 Braves victory. Boxscore His career batting average against the Cardinals is .344 (83-for-241).

 

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Carl Taylor, Roger Freed experienced the ultimate

Posted in Games, Hitters on July 16, 2011| 14 Comments »

Carl Taylor and Roger Freed are the only Cardinals to achieve one of the rarest of big-league baseball feats: the ultimate grand slam, a game-ending, four-run home run that erases a three-run deficit with one swing.

Big thrill

Taylor, acquired by the Cardinals from the Pirates in October 1969 for pitcher Dave Giusti and catcher Dave Ricketts, was expected to compete for the starting right field position in 1970. Instead, the job went to Leron Lee and Taylor primarily was used as a pinch-hitter.

On Aug. 11, 1970, the Padres led the Cardinals, 10-7, in the ninth inning at St. Louis. With two outs, the bases loaded and pitcher Harry Parker due to bat, Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst sent in Taylor.

Padres reliever Ron Herbel delivered a thigh-high fastball and Taylor drove it about two feet beyond the left-field wall, giving the Cardinals an 11-10 victory.

“I figured he’d go to the fastball to try getting ahead of me,” Taylor told the Associated Press. “It’s got to be the biggest thrill I’ve ever had, because this one won the ballgame. Heck, it’s my first grand slam ever, even in Little League.”

It also was the last big-league homer Taylor would hit in a six-year career. Boxscore

“I hit the ball off the end of the bat,” Taylor told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I thought it might be another one that would just reach the warning track. I hit a lot of those in batting practice, so many that the guys rib me about it.”

Making a contribution

Nine years later, on May 1, 1979, the Astros and Cardinals were involved in a see-saw game at St. Louis.

In the top of the 11th, with a 3-3 score, the Astros struck for three runs and led, 6-3.

Left-hander Joe Sambito loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the 11th, but when Garry Templeton struck out for the second out, the Cardinals’ hopes dimmed.

Jerry Mumphrey was due up next, and he hit right-handers better than he did left-handers, so manager Ken Boyer sent Freed to bat for him.

Freed, hitless in five at-bats that season, was keenly aware of reports his demotion to the minors could be imminent.

Sambito got ahead on the count, 1-and-2, but Freed worked the count back to his favor.

“My knees were shaking and sweat kept pouring into my eyes,” Freed told United Press International. “I asked the ump (Dave Pallone) for time and took a few deep breaths. I felt a bit strange because I’d only been up two or three times in the last three weeks.”

Freed launched Sambito’s 3-and-2 pitch over the left-field fence, giving the Cardinals a 7-6 victory. Boxscore

“This is the biggest, most pleasing experience anyone could have in a lifetime,” Freed said to the Post-Dispatch. “Something like this really makes me feel like a part of the ballclub, like I’m an asset to the team. You get to feeling like dead weight when you’re not contributing in some way.”

Freed said Sambito’s full-count pitch “was away, but out over the plate. I’m sure he got more of the plate, maybe four or five inches, than he wanted.”

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#2,000: Hornsby, Musial, Slaughter, Brock all singled

Posted in Games, Hitters, Records on July 12, 2011| 3 Comments »

(Updated May 5, 2018)

On July 29, 2011, Albert Pujols became the first right-handed batter in 85 years to achieve 2,000 hits as a Cardinal. Pujols got his 2,000th hit, a double, against Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol.

Pujols became the fifth player to collect 2,000 hits as a Cardinal. Pujols finished his Cardinals career with 2,073 hits before becoming a free agent and joining the Angels after the 2011 World Series.

Stan Musial (3,630), Lou Brock (2,713), Rogers Hornsby (2,110) and Enos Slaughter (2,064) also achieved 2,000 hits as Cardinals. Of those four, only Musial played his entire big-league career with St. Louis. The career hit totals of the others: Brock (3,023), Hornsby (2,930) and Slaughter (2,383). Pujols achieved his 3,000th career hit on May 4, 2018.

Here is a look at the 2,000th Cardinals hit for each of the four who achieved the feat before Pujols did:

ROGERS HORNSBY

At age 30, Hornsby became both the youngest and the first to reach 2,000 hits as a Cardinal.

The player-manager achieved the milestone with a single against Don Songer of the Pirates on June 23, 1926, at St. Louis.

Hornsby, playing second base and batting third, received greater attention for his 2,001st hit _ a grand slam off Songer in the seventh inning, lifting St. Louis to a 6-2 victory. Boxscore

The Cardinals, who entered the game in third place, went on to win the pennant and their first World Series title that year.

STAN MUSIAL

With a fourth-inning single against the Phillies’ Curt Simmons on Sept. 9, 1952, at Philadelphia, Musial became the first of three left-handed batters to achieve 2,000 hits as a Cardinal.

Batting third and playing first base, it was Musial’s only hit in five at-bats that Tuesday night, but it extended his hitting streak to 14 games. The Cardinals overcame a 4-2 deficit with a five-run ninth inning, winning 7-4. Boxscore

Musial, 31, went on to earn his sixth National League batting championship (.336) that season.

ENOS SLAUGHTER

In his last season with St. Louis, Slaughter, 37, still was a productive everyday player.

Batting cleanup and playing right field, Slaughter’s 2,000th hit as a Cardinal was a RBI-single that scored Red Schoendienst from second, snapped a 2-2 tie in the third and knocked out Dodgers starter Russ Meyer on July 18, 1953, at Brooklyn. The Dodgers erupted for nine runs in the fourth and won, 14-6. Boxscore

The loss was the sixth in a row for the Cardinals, who fell eight games behind the first-place Dodgers. Slaughter was traded to the Yankees the following April.

LOU BROCK

In 1974, Brock, 35, seemed to set a record a day for the Cardinals.

On July 28, 1974, his leadoff single in the seventh inning against Cubs reliever Oscar Zamora gave the left fielder his 2,000 hit as a Cardinal. St. Louis scored a run in the eighth to tie and another in the ninth to win, 5-4, at Chicago. Boxscore

The next day, Brock stole his 700th career base in a game the Cardinals won, 11-4, against the Cubs. Boxscore

Watching Brock excel had to be torment for Chicago. Brock began his big-league career with the Cubs in 1961 and had 310 hits for them before being traded to St. Louis in June 1964.

Brock achieved his 2,000th major-league hit _ a single against Larry Gura of the Cubs to lead off the 15th inning _ on Sept. 30, 1972, at Chicago. The Cardinals won, 2-1, in 16. Boxscore

As a Cardinal, Brock batted a career-best .334 against the Cubs, with 342 hits and 103 RBI.

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