Hitters | RetroSimba

Archive for the ‘Hitters’ Category

Stan Musial and his 1955 All-Star Game home run

Posted in Games, Hitters, Records on July 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated July 12, 2020)

With one swing of the bat, the Cardinals’ Stan Musial won the 1955 All-Star Game for the National League.

In 2011, MLB.com asked fans to vote for the best All-Star Game moment. Musial’s 12th-inning walkoff home run at Milwaukee on July 12, 1955, was voted the best.

It was Musial’s fourth All-Star Game homer. He would hit two more All-Star Game home runs, giving him six for his career. That remains the record. The runners-up are Ted Williams and Fred Lynn, each with four.

Warming up

In batting practice before the 1955 game, the National League players were told they would get just one swing each the last time around. “Tell you what let’s do,” Duke Snider of the Dodgers told Musial and Ted Kluszewski of the Reds. “Let’s swing from the heels and go for the distance.”

According to The Sporting News, Musial went first and and sent a shot into the right-field bleachers, near where he would later hit his game-winning homer. Kluszewski sent an even deeper blast over the fence. When Snider stepped in, he took a mighty swing _ and missed. “Serves me right,” Snider said.

Wild swings

Musial wasn’t named an all-star starter in 1955. He entered in the fourth inning as a replacement for Del Ennis in left field and wasn’t much of a factor for most of the game. Musial struck out in the fourth against Early Wynn, grounded into a double play in the sixth against the same pitcher, and tapped to second baseman Bobby Avila in the eighth with Whitey Ford on the mound. In the ninth, Musial drew a walk from Frank Sullivan of the Red Sox.

In the dugout, all-star teammate Frank Thomas told Musial, “You’ve been pulling your head, trying to kill the ball,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Musial admitted to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, “I was going for the bundle the two previous times up.”

Just meet the ball

With the score tied at 5-5, Musial was the first to bat for the National League in the bottom of the 12th. “This time, I was just trying to get on base,” Musial told the Globe-Democrat.

As Musial approached the batter’s box, American League catcher Yogi Berra, who had been bantering happily with him throughout the game, was grumbling.

“What’s the matter, Yogi?” Musial asked.

“It’s these extra innings,” Berra replied. “Tough on a guy catching every day.”

As Musial dug in at the plate, he said, “Yeah, I’m getting tired, too.”

Sullivan’s first pitch to Musial was a fastball just above the waist. Musial uncoiled and met the pitch squarely. “The moment Musial connected, everyone in the park, including Sullivan, knew that the ballgame was over,” The Sporting News reported.

The home run gave the National League a 6-5 victory. Boxscore and Video

After Musial crossed the plate, his teammates wanted to carry him off the field, but Musial resisted the gesture.

Obliging every media request for a picture or interview, Musial was one of the last players to leave the locker room. Most of the National League stars were waiting aboard the team bus when Musial emerged from the clubhouse and got surrounded by adoring fans.

“It took a squad of police to disperse the happy crowd and hustle Musial to the waiting bus,” The Sporting News reported. “For the final run of about 100 feet from the point where the crowd had Stan pinned against a wall to the (bus), five police officers formed a wedge with Musial in the middle and forced their way through the throng. They had the most difficulty with a middle-aged matron who was intent upon kissing Musial.”

Read Full Post »

How Dave Duncan got traded for Boog Powell

Posted in Hitters, Trades on June 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Feb. 24, 2019)

The Orioles traded one of their most popular players, Boog Powell, for catcher Dave Duncan.

A 6-foot-4, 250-pound first baseman, Powell slugged 303 home runs in 13 years with the Orioles, won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1970 and helped Baltimore to four World Series appearances.

After Powell had his second consecutive subpar season in 1974 (12 home runs, 45 RBI), the Orioles acquired first baseman Lee May from the Astros, making Powell expendable.

On Feb. 25, 1975, the Orioles traded Powell and pitcher Don Hood to the Indians for Duncan and outfield prospect Al McGrew.

According to The Sporting News, the Orioles initially wanted pitching prospect Dennis Eckersley as the player to join Duncan in the deal, but settled for McGrew when the Indians refused to part with Eckersley. Twelve years later, as pitching coach of the Athletics, Duncan would convert a reluctant Eckersley from a starter to a closer, launching him on a path into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In going to Cleveland, Powell was reunited with his former Orioles teammate, Frank Robinson, who had become Indians manager, the first African-American to hold that position in the big leagues.

“Boog contributed a heck of a lot to this franchise over the years,” Orioles general manager Frank Cashen said. “I’m truly sorry that he had to go. But when we got Lee May in a trade, he was committed to play first base. That left Boog without a position, and without a job.”

Though the Orioles had three other catchers _ Andy Etchebarren, Elrod Hendricks and Earl Williams _ they anticipated Duncan would win the starting job.

“Despite a .226 career average, the Orioles were impressed with Duncan mainly because of his reputation as a good handler of pitchers,” The Sporting News reported. “His power totals, 67 homers in the last four years, are respectable even if his average could stand a booster shot.”

In a column for the Baltimore Sun, Bob Maisel described Duncan as “a good defensive catcher and handler of pitchers.”

“Duncan should prove the best catcher on the squad,” Maisel wrote. “He has the reputation of being a good competitor, who wants to play, a good man on a club.”

Duncan told the Associated Press he was happy to go to the “strongest team in the Eastern Division.” He said the Orioles had a better chance than the Indians of winning “and winning is what it’s all about.”

The trade worked out better for the Indians than it did for the Orioles. Powell hit .297 with 27 home runs and 86 RBI for the 1975 Indians and was named American League Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News. Duncan hit .205 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI for the 1975 Orioles.

After batting .204 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 1976, Duncan was traded by the Orioles to the White Sox after the season.

In 1979, Duncan returned to the Indians as a coach for manager Jeff Torborg. Duncan developed into a respected pitching coach and served on the staff of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa from 1996-2011.

Read Full Post »

Rip Collins was one-of-a-kind hitter for Cardinals

Posted in Hitters on June 21, 2011| 5 Comments »

In 1932, the Cardinals’ top slugger also was their most effective bunter.

Rip Collins, a first baseman and outfielder, paced the 1932 Cardinals in home runs (21) and tied with pitcher Dizzy Dean for the team lead in sacrifice bunts (eight).

Collins, 28, was in his second big-league season with the Cardinals. A switch-hitter, Collins primarily batted fourth (80 games) or fifth (42 games) in the St. Louis order in 1932.

According to author Robert E. Hood in the book “The Gashouse Gang,” Collins earned his nickname as a youth in Altoona, Pa., “when a line drive from his bat stuck on a nail in the right-field fence.”

Collins was a favorite of Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch because he had a sly, engaging personality that fit well in the Gashouse Gang clubhouse, and he knew how to handle a bat. The latter skill explains why Collins was adept at slugging as well as bunting.

In the book “The St. Louis Cardinals: The 100th Anniversary History,” author Rob Rains wrote, “One (Cardinal) who knew how to play and when to be serious, Frisch’s type of guy, was the versatile Collins.”

In “The Gashouse Gang,” Hood described Collins as “a chunky, powerful man who hit long home runs even though he choked up on the bat.”

To put Collins’ achievement in perspective, consider that the Cardinals’ career home run leader, Stan Musial, only once had as many as eight sacrifice bunts in a season (10 in 1943) during a 22-year big-league career.

The instigator behind many of teammate Pepper Martin’s legendary pranks, the baby-faced Collins could be as an innovative off the field as he was with a baseball bat in his hand.

In “The Gashouse Gang,” Hood wrote, “Rip Collins was clever. Although he had little formal education, he started out the 1934 season writing daily news stories for the East St. Louis (Ill.) Journal and the Rochester (N.Y.) Times Union. Part way through the season, he suspended his writing career when, after he struck out one day, manager Frisch shouted at him, ‘Next time, swing your typewriter.’ “

Read Full Post »

Stan Musial reached 500 hits vs. six NL franchises

Posted in Hitters on June 18, 2011| 2 Comments »

(Updated May 24, 2025)

Stan Musial of the Cardinals had 500 or more hits against each of six franchises: Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Pirates and Reds.

To put that in perspective, consider Pete Rose, the only player with more National League hits (4,256) than Musial (3,630), never got 500 hits against any franchise.

Hank Aaron, who had more total hits (3,771) than Musial, also never achieved 500 hits against any opponent.

The most hits Rose recorded against an opponent were 486 in 1,513 at-bats against the Braves.

Aaron’s career-best hits total against one team: 448 against the Reds in 1,403 at-bats.

Musial was amazingly consistent in a big-league career that stretched from 1941-63. He hit against most teams with equal skill.

Not counting the Mets and Colt .45s (who entered the league in 1962 and against whom he had 79 career at-bats apiece), Musial failed to reach 500 hits against just one franchise _ the Cubs (and he missed by only eight).

Musial used a Louisville Slugger bat with the thinnest handle the company made. Musial’s bat “was 15/16th of an inch at its thinnest point on the handle, and he would shave it even closer to his liking,” according to the 2004 Cardinals Yearbook. Rex Bradley of the Hillerich & Bradsby bat company said to writer Thomas R. Raber, “Musial held the bat way out in his fingers. His grip was a lot like a golfer’s.”

First baseman Bill White, a Cardinals teammate of Musial, told Yankees Magazine, “Stan could beat you any way he wanted to. He hit the ball wherever it was pitched. He had power. He was just the best hitter I’ve ever seen.

“Ted Williams, I understand, was a great hitter, but Ted’s reputation was built on his eyes. If the pitch was that far outside, he wouldn’t swing at it. Stan would have gotten a base hit on that pitch. If you pitched him outside, he could get the bat on it and get a base hit to left. If you pitched him inside, he’d hit it up on the roof. I’ve never seen anybody handle a bat like that.”

Listed in order of most hits, here is how Musial did against NL opponents:

TEAM……..HITS…….AT-BATS…….BATTING AVERAGE

Pirates……526……….1,546……….. .340

Dodgers….522……….1,530………. .341

Phillies……522……….1,547……… .337

Braves…….515……….1,571……… .328

Giants…….504……….1,494……… .337

Reds………500……….1,574……… .318

Cubs………492……….1,550……… .317

Mets………32…………79………….. .405

Colt .45s..17………….79………….. .215

Read Full Post »

Ronnie Belliard re-ignited Cardinals in 2006 playoffs

Posted in Games, Hitters on June 16, 2011| 2 Comments »

(Updated July 30, 2018)

In his two months with the Cardinals during the 2006 regular season, Ronnie Belliard didn’t compile dazzling statistics, but he did play a significant part in Cardinals postseason history.

Belliard’s performance in the 2006 National League Division Series enabled the Cardinals to eliminate the Padres and advance on a postseason path that led them to their first World Series title in 24 years.

On July 30, 2006, the Cardinals acquired Belliard, a second baseman, from the Indians for infielder Hector Luna. The Cardinals rated Belliard a more complete player than either Luna or their incumbent second baseman, Aaron Miles.

In declaring Belliard the everyday second baseman, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, “Sometimes you have to seize the moment. This is our chance to win.”

“I’ve seen him rise to the occasion in winning situations,” La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He doesn’t hide from them. He takes charge of them.”

Belliard gave the Cardinals an infield that had at each position a starter who had been a big-league all-star: Albert Pujols at first, Belliard at second, David Eckstein at short and Scott Rolen at third.

When acquired by St. Louis, Belliard was hitting .291 with eight home runs and 44 RBI for the Indians.

In 54 games with the Cardinals, Belliard batted .237 with five home runs and 23 RBI.

After losing nine of their final 13 regular-season games and barely holding off Houston to win the NL Central championship, the Cardinals stumbled into the first round of the playoffs against San Diego.

That’s when Belliard played his best as a Cardinal.

In Game 1 at San Diego, the Padres trailed by four runs in the seventh inning, but had the bases loaded with two outs and Todd Walker at the plate against reliever Tyler Johnson.

Walker hit a sharp grounder, but Belliard “dived on the outfield grass, knocked the ball down, rolled over and threw out Walker by a step,” Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News reported. “It was the play the locker room was buzzing about.” Video

If the ball had gotten past Belliard, two runs would have scored and the Padres would have had the tying runs on base with Dave Roberts (who was 3-for-3 in the game) up next.

Instead, the Cardinals went on to win, 5-1, setting the tone for the series and restoring their swagger after their wobbly finish to the regular season. Boxscore

“That saved the game for us,” Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds said. “If they get two runs in right there, we’re in trouble.”

Added Pujols: “I never thought he was going to get to the ball.”

In the clubhouse, his Cardinals teammates presented Belliard with a game ball.

“I think I got lucky on that one.” Belliard said. “… It was a pretty good play and I know we need that play for the win.”

Belliard also delivered with the bat. In the decisive Game 4 against the Padres, Belliard’s two-run, two-out single in the first tied the score and helped St. Louis regain momentum en route to a 6-2 victory. Boxscore

For the four-game series, Belliard batted .462 (6-for-13).

The Cardinals went on to eliminate the Mets in a classic seven-game League Championship Series and knocked off the Tigers in the World Series.

Belliard’s strong play didn’t last. He was hitless in 12 at-bats in the World Series.

On Oct. 31, 2006, Belliard declared for free agency, sat for five months without an offer, and finally signed with the Nationals on March 24, 2007.

Read Full Post »

How Chase Riddle got Steve Carlton for Cardinals

Posted in Hitters, Pitchers, Prospects on June 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Chase Riddle never played a game for the Cardinals, but he had a major impact on the makeup of their teams.

Riddle was the scout who signed pitcher Steve Carlton for the Cardinals and who opened the talent pipeline for the club in Latin America.

Riddle was a Cardinals minor-league manager from 1955-62 before he became a scout, with responsibilities primarily for the Caribbean region and southeastern United States.

In 1963, John Buik, an American Legion coach in North Miami, Fla., contacted Riddle, tipping him off to a gangly left-handed pitcher on the team named Steve Carlton.

“Chase Riddle was a nice guy,” Buik said in a 1996 interview with Baseball Digest magazine. “He was a good scout and a good worker.”

Riddle liked what he saw of Carlton. Other teams, especially the Pirates, also had been scouting Carlton, so Riddle felt a sense of urgency to act.

“Chase convinced me there would be a good opportunity for advancement with the Cardinals,” Carlton told The Sporting News in June 1972.

Riddle arranged for Carlton to participate in a tryout for Cardinals personnel in St. Louis in September 1963.

“I threw as hard as I could and as well as I could, but I don’t think I threw fast enough for them,” Carlton recalled in a May 1967 interview with The Sporting News. “They were looking mostly for that hummer.”

Besides Riddle, the only other observer that day impressed by Carlton was Cardinals pitching coach Howie Pollet. “I liked Steve’s sneaky fastball and I felt his curve was good enough to make him worth a $5,000 gamble,” Pollet said. “I figured he could improve a lot more with experience than the other kids.”

With Pollet’s significant support, Riddle signed Carlton for $5,000.

By April 1965, Carlton, 20, made his big-league debut with the Cardinals. He helped them to two National League pennants and a World Series title before he got into a contract dispute and was traded to the Phillies before the 1972 season.

Carlton is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with 329 wins and 4,136 strikeouts in a 24-year big-league career.

Meanwhile, Riddle used his connections in the Caribbean to sign players such as outfielder Jose Cruz for the Cardinals.

In separate articles in February 1970, The Sporting News noted, “George Silvey, (Cardinals) director of player procurement, had just returned from the Caribbean area, which he toured with Chase Riddle, the scout who has had a big hand in the Redbirds’ emphasis on signing Latin Americans in recent years.

“No fewer than 24 Latin Americans grace the rolls of the Cardinals’ organization. Scouts like Chase Riddle, Tony Martinez and (Carlos) Negron have been chiefly responsible for the recent emphasis on signing Latins.”

In 1978, Riddle left the Cardinals to become manager of the Troy University baseball team in Alabama. His Troy teams won NCAA Division II national titles in 1986 and 1987. Riddle remained Troy’s manager until 1990, compiling more than 430 wins.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »