(Updated Aug. 8, 2019)
A short, successful stint as a Cardinals catcher revived the big-league career of Mike Shannon.
Shannon opened the 1965 season as the Cardinals’ right fielder, but went hitless in his first 14 at-bats and had one hit in his first 23 at-bats.
Lunging for pitches out of the strike zone, Shannon was batting .095 on June 1 when manager Red Schoendienst moved him to the bench and tried other players in right.
On Aug. 6, 1965, the Cardinals were playing the Giants at St. Louis when Hal Lanier slid into home plate and spiked the left thumb of Tim McCarver as the Cardinals’ catcher attempted to apply a tag. McCarver was replaced by Bob Uecker, the Cardinals’ only other catcher. Boxscore
Two days later, Aug. 8, 1965, Uecker was struck by a foul tip off the bat of the Giants’ Dick Schofield in the first inning. The ball split Uecker’s right thumb, forcing him to leave the game.
McCarver was unable to play, so Schoendienst brought in Shannon to catch. According to The Sporting News, Shannon hadn’t caught in a game since he was a youth in sandlot baseball.
It didn’t take long before Shannon was tested. The Giants had runners on second and third with one out in the first when Willie McCovey lifted a pop-up in foul territory. Shannon made the catch.
In the fourth, Shannon provided “the defensive thrill of the game,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Willie Mays was on first with one out when Jim Ray Hart lined a double to center. Curt Flood retrieved the ball and fired it to shortstop Dick Groat, whose relay throw to Shannon was in time to tag out Mays. Hart broke for third base on the play and Shannon alertly threw to third baseman Ken Boyer, who tagged out Hart.
Shannon fielded flawlessly (no errors, one assist, six putouts) in the game and broke his batting slump, with a double, triple, walk, RBI and run scored. The Giants, who won 6-4, didn’t attempt a steal against Shannon. “They respected Shannon’s arm,” said coach Joe Schultz.
The Cardinals used five pitchers, including knuckleballers Barney Schultz and Bob Purkey and a left-handed sinkerballer, Hal Woodeshick. Boxscore
“I wouldn’t be afraid to go with Shannon after what he showed me handling Barney Schultz’s knuckleball and Hal Woodeshick’s sinker,” Schoendienst said.
Shannon said he was helped by having caught during batting practice that season. “I didn’t go into the job exactly cold,” Shannon said.
Schoendienst noted, “You could see Shannon’s signs from the scoreboard in the first inning, but coach Joe Becker showed Mike how to hide his signs after that.”
The Post-Dispatch reported Shannon “did superbly” and the San Francisco Examiner noted he “played a tremendous game.”
“Shannon showed he could do an excellent job as a catcher and that makes him even more valuable,” Schoendienst said.
After the game, the Cardinals called up Dave Ricketts from the minor leagues to be the everyday catcher while McCarver and Uecker mended.
Starting catcher
On Aug. 12, 1965, at Milwaukee, Ricketts got a day off and Shannon got his first start at catcher. He caught 12 innings, committing no errors and making six putouts, and the Braves attempted no steals against him.
“Shannon did a great job behind the plate,” said Braves manager Bobby Bragan, a former catcher. “I don’t think he boxed more than one ball all day long.”
In the seventh, Shannon hit a solo home run against Wade Blasingame. In the 13th, Shannon’s two-out single off knuckleballer Phil Niekro scored Boyer from second in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory. Boxscore
“Shannon showed he could hit a knuckleball as well as he could catch one,” the Post-Dispatch reported.
Ricketts came in to catch the bottom half of the 13th; Shannon moved to right.
“Mike Shannon hits better wearing a catcher’s mitt,” the Associated Press reported. “Shannon, who played himself out of a starting job in the outfield because of a .193 batting average before he turned catcher, now has four hits in eight trips to the plate as a receiver.”
Said Shannon: “I’m an outfielder, but if Red Schoendienst wants me to become a catcher, I’ll become a catcher.”
Shannon made one more start at catcher, Aug. 14, at St. Louis in the Reds’ 4-2 victory. Shannon made no errors, had nine putouts and kept the Reds from attempting a steal. Boxscore
When McCarver returned to the lineup, Shannon returned to the outfield, though he appeared in one more 1965 game at catcher, replacing McCarver for the final three innings of the Cardinals’ 19-8 victory at Houston Sept. 30. Boxscore
Versatile player
After the season, Shannon reported to the Florida Instructional League to develop his catching skills. In November, The Sporting News reported, “The talented outfielder, ready to do almost anything to get untracked after his miserable 1965 showing, is concentrating on catching and boning up on the strike zone.”
“Shannon has been working on the fundamentals of catching, especially throwing,” Cardinals general manager Bob Howsam said. “He’s done a great job, too. We’re figuring him as an outfielder yet, but this gives him a chance to do many things.”
The Cardinals opened the 1966 season by shifting Lou Brock from left field to right and starting Alex Johnson in left, with Shannon on the bench. Johnson was hitting .186 on May 17 when he was sent to the minor leagues. Brock was moved back to left field and Shannon took over in right. He played well all season, hitting .288 with 16 home runs.
Shannon made one appearance as a catcher in 1966. On June 5, in the Braves’ 14-4 victory at Atlanta, Shannon replaced McCarver in the eighth and caught a flawless inning. It was his last game as a catcher. Boxscore
Shannon’s career statistics as a catcher: five games, 33.2 innings, 24 putouts, one assist, no errors, no stolen bases against and a 1.000 fielding percentage.
After the 1966 season, the Cardinals acquired Roger Maris from the Yankees to play right field and asked Shannon to learn another position: third base. He became the starting third baseman for the Cardinals’ pennant-winning clubs in 1967 and 1968.
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