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Archive for the ‘Hitters’ Category

Albert Pujols convinced Cardinals he was ready for majors

Posted in Games, Hitters on April 1, 2021| 4 Comments »

From the start of his big-league career with the Cardinals, Albert Pujols showed he was a special talent.

On April 2, 2001, Pujols made his debut in the majors in the Cardinals’ season opener against the Rockies at Denver.

Pujols, 21, earned a spot on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster and in their starting lineup after arriving at spring training as a non-roster player with one year of experience in the minors.

Playing multiple positions, Pujols had an awesome April and gave notice he would be a force in the big leagues.

Big leap

Playing for Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Pujols was chosen by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the June 1999 amateur draft on the recommendation of scout Dave Karaff. Pujols signed with them in August.

His first professional season was in 2000 when he played for three Cardinals farm teams. Most of his games were with Class A Peoria. A right-handed batter, Pujols totaled 41 doubles and 96 RBI for the season.

At spring training with the Cardinals in 2001, Pujols hit .349, rarely struck out and played five positions: left field, right field, third base, first base and shortstop. Yes, shortstop.

For instance, in one exhibition game, Pujols started in right field before he shifted to shortstop and turned “a nifty double play as he fielded a grounder and stepped on the bag ahead of a charging runner,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, “I watched him take ground balls in Florida at short. I talked to him about it and he said he played it in college.”

Pujols impressed Cardinals talent evaluators, including La Russa, but most thought it would be unlikely for him to make the jump from Class A to the big leagues.

La Russa was “against keeping Pujols unless he could find some steady playing time for him,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

As the start of the season neared, Pujols told the newspaper, “If I had to go to the minor leagues tomorrow, it would be fine with me.”

When Bobby Bonilla went on the disabled list, it cleared a spot on the Opening Day roster for Pujols.

“The more we saw him, the more we felt he could definitely contribute,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said.

Starting lineup

With the Rockies starting left-hander Mike Hampton on Opening Day, La Russa wanted right-handed batters in the lineup. He chose Pujols to start in left field instead of Ray Lankford.

“He’s really got a maturity about him you don’t see very often in young players,” La Russa said. “You don’t see it in older players.”

Batting sixth, Pujols was 1-for-3 against Hampton. He nearly had a hit in his first at-bat when he pulled a pitch hard on the ground, but “was robbed” by third baseman Jeff Cirillo, who fielded the ball and threw him out, the Post-Dispatch noted.

After a flyout in the fourth, Pujols singled to left in the seventh, then was caught attempting to steal second. Video

Pujols downplayed the significance of his first hit. “I’ve been doing it the whole spring training,” he told the Post-Dispatch. Boxscore

Historic homers

Four days later at Phoenix, Pujols, batting fifth and playing right field, hit his first big-league home run, a two-run shot against the Diamondbacks’ Armando Reynoso. Video

“Pujols, who had been fed a steady diet of breaking pitches, jumped on a 1-and-2 hanger and sent it into the left field seats,” the Post-Dispatch reported. Boxscore

When the Cardinals played their 2001 home opener on April 9, Pujols started at third base and batted seventh. In the first inning, he made a barehand grab of Todd Walker’s swinging bunt and threw him out at first.

In the second, Pujols got a fastball from Denny Neagle on a 1-and-2 count and drove it over the wall in left for a two-run home run, his first at St. Louis. Pujols rewarded the applauding fans with a curtain call.

Pujols was the first Cardinals rookie to hit a home run in his first home game since Wally Moon did it in 1954, according to the Post-Dispatch.

The Rockies showed their respect for the rookie in the ninth when they walked him intentionally with two on and none out. Boxscore

Fitting right in

Pujols batted .370 in April, with 34 hits and 27 RBI in 24 games. His on-base percentage for the month was .431.

“I don’t think anybody has told him this is a pretty tough league,” Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes said.

The Sporting News noted, “Pujols has an air about him, as if he belongs in the major leagues, even though he has just one year of pro experience.”

Expos manager Felipe Alou, like Pujols, a native of the Dominican Republic, marveled that when the rookie stepped into the batter’s box, “He stands there like a man. They didn’t teach him fear where he grew up.”

Pujols remained consistently productive and versatile throughout the 2001 season. He made 52 starts at third base, 38 in left field, 33 in right field, 31 at first base and two as designated hitter.

Named the recipient of the National League Rookie of the Year Award, Pujols led the 2001 Cardinals in runs (112), hits (194), doubles (47), home runs (37), RBI (130), batting average (.329) and total bases (360). Video

According to the Cardinals’ media guide, Pujols was the first National League rookie to hit at least .300 with 30 home runs, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored.

Pujols also was the first player since Ken Boyer in 1961 to lead the Cardinals in batting average, home runs, RBI and runs scored in one season.

Cardinals coach Mike Easler said solid mechanics enabled Pujols to hit pitches of all speeds and locations.

In describing Pujols’ batting approach, Easler told The Sporting News, “He stays quiet, the less movement the better. He’s got a good, solid base, knees flexed, slightly in. He’s pre-loaded, meaning his hands are back. He’s got vision. The eyes are focused on the release point. He’s almost a no-strider. That quiets his head down, so he sees the ball better.”

 

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How Norm Sherry almost got to play for Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on March 26, 2021| 2 Comments »

Norm Sherry, who helped Sandy Koufax and Gary Carter fulfill their Hall of Fame potential, came close to being acquired by the Cardinals.

A catcher who earned a reputation for leadership while playing for the Dodgers and Mets, Sherry became a coach and manager.

In 1963, the Cardinals were about to complete a multi-player deal with the Mets involving Sherry but it fell through.

Oh, brother

Sherry signed with the Dodgers in 1950 when he was 18. He spent seven years in the minors and two in the Army before he got to the big leagues for two games with the Dodgers in 1959 when he was 27.

His younger brother, Larry Sherry, made his debut in the majors with the Dodgers in 1958 and became their relief ace in 1959 when they won the pennant. In the 1959 World Series against the White Sox, Larry was 2-0 with two saves and an 0.71 ERA.

In 1960, Norm stuck with the Dodgers as a backup to John Roseboro.

On May 7, Norm caught Larry for the first time in a big-league game. In the 11th inning, Larry got the win when Norm hit a walkoff home run against the Phillies’ Ruben Gomez. It was Norm’s first home run in the majors. Boxscore

“My biggest thrill,” Norm told the Los Angeles Times.

According to The Sporting News, Larry and Norm were the 10th brother battery in the big leagues since 1900. Others included two Cardinals combinations: pitcher Mike and catcher Jack O’Neill in 1902-03 and pitcher Mort and catcher Walker Cooper in 1940-45.

Big blow

A right-handed batter, Norm excelled at pulling pitches into and over the left-field screen at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He hit .302 with seven home runs at home for the 1960 Dodgers and .219 with one home run on the road.

On May 31, 1960, in a game against the Cardinals at Los Angeles, the score was tied at 3-3 when the Dodgers put runners on second and third with none out. Cardinals starter Ron Kline gave an intentional walk to Charlie Neal, loading the bases for Norm.

Norm swung at Kline’s first pitch, a high slider, and drove it over the screen for a grand slam, his first as a professional. “I felt good the minute I got hold of it,” Norm told the Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers won, 8-3, and Larry got the save. Boxscore

In six games against the 1960 Cardinals, Norm hit .348 with three home runs.

Good tip

Norm developed a reputation as a good defensive catcher who worked well with pitchers.

In the book “We Played the Game,” Dodgers pitcher Stan Williams said, “Norm Sherry and I thought alike, so I liked having him as my catcher. It helped having a catcher who would go along with you if you didn’t want to throw a pitch. All I had to do was stare at him and he’d know what I wanted to throw instead.”

At spring training in 1961, Sandy Koufax was entering his seventh season with the Dodgers. His talent was obvious, but his performances were inconsistent. His record through six seasons was 36-41, including 8-13 in 1960.

During a spring training game, Norm urged Koufax to ease up on his fastball in order to get better command of the pitch.

In the book “Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy,” Norm told author Jane Leavy, “What I actually said was, ‘Take something off the ball and let them hit it. Nobody’s going to swing the way you’re throwing now.’ He wound up like, ‘Here, hit it,’ and struck out the side.

“I said, ‘Sandy, I got to tell you something, you just now threw harder trying not to than you did when you were trying to.’ “

Koufax threw seven hitless innings.

“It took me six years to get it through my thick skull, but I’m not taking such a big windup,” Koufax told The Sporting News in April 1961. “I’m throwing easier and I have more confidence now.”

Koufax won 18 in 1961 and embarked on a stretch of dominant seasons that led to election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Costly collision

For Norm Sherry, the 1961 season took a painful turn on April 20 in a game against the Cardinals. In the third inning, Sherry was bowled over by the baserunner, pitcher Curt Simmons, as he awaited a throw from the outfield. Simmons’ knee struck Sherry on the left side and “he went down in a heap,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sherry spent a week in a hospital for treatment of kidney lacerations and internal bleeding. Boxscore

When he returned to the lineup a month later, Sherry hit a home run versus Warren Spahn. Boxscore

Trade talk

The Dodgers shipped Sherry to the Mets after the 1962 season.

In June 1963, the Cardinals, in contention, were looking to acquire a starting pitcher and targeted the Mets’ Roger Craig.

According to Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals and Mets “were believed near a 5-for-3 deal.” The Mets offered Craig, Sherry and reliever Ken MacKenzie for catcher Gene Oliver, outfielder Duke Carmel, and pitchers Bob Sadowski, Harry Fanok and Ron Taylor. Because of his defensive skills, Sherry appealed to the Cardinals as a backup for 21-year-old catcher Tim McCarver.

The Cardinals didn’t want to part with Taylor, but the Mets were insistent. “I felt the Mets would ask too much for me,” Craig told broadcaster Harry Caray, “and I’m afraid they did.”

When the two sides couldn’t agree, the Cardinals changed plans, dealing Oliver and Sadowski to the Braves for Lew Burdette on June 15, 1963. After the season, the Cardinals got Craig for outfielder George Altman and pitcher Bill Wakefield.

Craig and Taylor helped the 1964 Cardinals become World Series champions.

Sherry hit .136 overall, including .056 versus the Cardinals, in 1963, his last season as a big-league player.

Teaching skills

Sherry went on to manage for 12 years in the farms systems of the Dodgers, Angels and Giants.

In the big leagues, he managed the Angels for parts of the 1976 and 1977 seasons, and coached for 16 years with the Angels, Expos, Padres and Giants.

Expos manager Dick Williams hired Sherry to tutor catcher Gary Carter, beginning in 1978 at spring training. “He will spend a lot of time getting Carter’s catching mechanics going in the right direction,” Williams told the Montreal Gazette. 

Carter accepted Sherry’s suggestions and said, “Norm is showing me how to turn my glove instead of backhanding a ball, and how to get in front of the ball better. He’s also working with me on how to be quicker and more accurate with my throws.”

The improvements helped Carter become a Hall of Fame catcher.

“Carter’s big success is mainly because of Norm Sherry,” Williams told the Gazette in August 1979. “That’s why he’s so far advanced this quickly. Sherry has done an outstanding job with him.”

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Larry Jackson, Duke Snider and a fractured season

Posted in Games, Hitters, Managers, Opponents, Pitchers, Uncategorized on March 23, 2021| 6 Comments »

Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson and Dodgers outfielder Duke Snider found out the hard way that bats and balls, like sticks and stones, may break bones.

On March 27, 1961, Jackson suffered a fractured jaw when Snider’s bat splintered and struck Jackson in the face during a spring training game.

Three weeks later, on April 17, 1961, Snider suffered a fractured right elbow when the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson hit him with a pitch during an at-bat in the regular season.

Gibson’s plunking of Snider had more to do with the home run Snider hit in his previous at-bat against Gibson than it did with the accident involving Jackson.

Jackson and Snider recovered from their injuries, and each went on to have a productive season.

Painful outing

Jackson was pitching in his last scheduled inning when Snider came to bat in the exhibition game between the Cardinals and Dodgers at Vero Beach, Fla.

Snider had hit a two-run home run in the first and a two-run double in the third against Jackson. In the sixth, with baserunner Tommy Davis on second, Snider was looking to drive in another run.

Jackson threw a pitch near Snider’s fists. Snider connected, shattering the bat and sending pieces of it flying. The ball hit Jackson on the hip and fell to the ground. As Jackson turned to retrieve it, the heavy end of the bat, whirling rapidly through the air, struck him in the lower left jaw.

“Bleeding from cuts inside his mouth, Jackson fell in a heap in front of the mound, but did not lose consciousness,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

In his book “The Duke of Flatbush,” Snider said, “I felt awful about it, but that’s one of the occupational hazards of pitching.”

Jackson was taken by ambulance to a Vero Beach hospital and given emergency treatment. X-rays showed he had two fractures in the jaw.

Jackson was permitted to return on a chartered flight to St. Petersburg, Fla., where the Cardinals trained. His jaw was wired that night by a surgeon at a St. Petersburg hospital.

Released from the hospital on March 31, Jackson pitched batting practice a few days later. The Cardinals targeted the end of April for his return in a game.

Purpose pitch

After the Cardinals opened the season with wins in three of their first five games, they started Gibson against the Dodgers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In the third, Gibson threw a pitch on the outside corner to Snider, a left-handed batter. In the book “From Ghetto to Glory,” Gibson said, “I pitched away to Snider because he was a good pull hitter.”

Snider poked the ball over the screen in left for a two-run home run and a 3-1 Dodgers lead.

The next time Snider came up, in the fifth, “I was still going to pitch him outside,” Gibson said.

Gibson changed his mind when he noticed Snider lean in. “So I threw the next pitch tight to brush him back away from the plate,” Gibson said.

Snider barely saw the fastball. “It came right at me,” Snider said. “It was headed for my ribs and I brought up my right arm instinctively to protect my body. The pitch hit my elbow and the ball dropped straight to the ground. It was no glancing blow. It hit me flush.”

Snider advanced to first and was thrown out attempting to steal second.

When he tried to bat again in the seventh, Snider “felt a sharp pain in that right elbow, like someone jabbing a needle in there” and was lifted for a pinch-hitter.

An examination revealed the elbow was fractured.

“I saw Duke after the game,” Gibson said. “I didn’t apologize to him. He knew I was sorry. He knew I wasn’t throwing at him. I was trying to move him away from the plate, trying to get him to think and not take things for granted up there.”

In the book “We Would have Played For Nothing,” Snider told former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent, “I know that Bob Gibson has told people he never threw at a player on purpose. Bob Gibson is a nice guy, but he stretches the truth a little bit once in a while.” Boxscore

We meet again

Jackson’s absence from the starting rotation the first few weeks of the 1961 season was a significant setback for the Cardinals. The year before, he won 18 and led the National League in innings pitched (282).

A right-hander, Jackson made his first appearance of the 1961 season on April 26, a month after his injury, in a start against the Braves.

He lost his first three decisions, prompting The Sporting News to note, “After subsisting on liquids and soft foods for a month, Jackson showed he needed a few steaks to beef up his pitching.”

Meanwhile, after sitting out a month, Snider returned on May 19 as a pinch-hitter and was back in the Dodgers’ starting lineup on May 22.

Two days later, the Dodgers opened a series at St. Louis. Jackson started Game 1 and faced Snider for the first time since the spring training accident. Snider walked three times, but didn’t get a hit, and Jackson got his first win of the season. Boxscore

The next night, Gibson started and faced Snider for the first time since he suffered the fractured elbow. Snider got a single in four at-bats. Sandy Koufax pitched a three-hitter and Tommy Davis hit a home run in a 1-0 Dodgers triumph. Boxscore

Keep going

On June 26, Jackson lost to the Braves, sinking his record for the season to 3-8. Manager Solly Hemus dropped him from the starting rotation.

Two weeks later, Hemus was fired and Johnny Keane replaced him. Jackson returned to the rotation and won 11 of his next 12 decisions.

“There’s no pitcher in the league right now who’s better than Larry Jackson,” Keane said to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

Jackson finished the season at 14-11 with three shutouts and 211 innings pitched. He made six starts against the Dodgers and was 1-3. Snider hit .294 versus Jackson in 1961 and .219 for his career.

Snider finished the season with 16 home runs and a .296 batting mark. Against Gibson, Snider hit .300 in 1961 and .212 for his career.

 

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How Stan Javier got his start in Cardinals’ system

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Prospects, Trades on March 17, 2021| 6 Comments »

Stan Javier seemed destined to become a Cardinals player, but although he had the name, pedigree and skills, it didn’t happen.

On March 26, 1981, Javier signed with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent.

Stan was the son of Julian Javier, a second baseman who helped the Cardinals to three National League pennants and two World Series championships in the 1960s.

Julian named his son in honor of Stan Musial, who was Julian’s Cardinals teammate from 1960-63.

An outfielder and first baseman who batted from both sides, Stan Javier went on to play 17 seasons in the majors for eight teams, but not the Cardinals.

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch aptly noted, “Stan Javier would have been an ideal Cardinals player, a switch-hitter who can run and play more than one position.”

A good name

Stan Javier was born on Jan. 9, 1964, and raised in the Dominican Republic. He was one of five children of Julian and Ynez Javier. Stan’s older brother, Julian Jr., became a doctor.

Asked why he named a son Stan, Julian Sr. told the Post-Dispatch, “I wanted my son to be like Stan Musial. Stan Musial is a gentleman.”

Musial was playing in his last season in 1963 when Julian Sr. told him that Ynez was pregnant and the child would be a boy. “He said, ‘Why don’t you name him after me?’ ” Julian Sr. told the Post-Dispatch. “I said, ‘Yeah, why not?’ Stan’s a good name for him.”

In 1990, Stan Javier said of Stan Musial, “I don’t know him that well, but I knew who he was and knew all about him when I was growing up in the Dominican.”

When Stan Javier was a toddler, he spent some summers visiting his father in St. Louis and went with him to Busch Memorial Stadium. In 1988, Stan Javier told the Post-Dispatch, “I remember the stadium, the clubhouse, the players _ Lou Brock and Bob Gibson.”

Making an impression

Stan Javier developed into a talented youth baseball player in the Dominican Republic. In 1981, soon after Stan turned 17, he and his father showed up at Cardinals spring training camp in Florida. Julian Sr. wanted the Cardinals to take a look at his son and offer him a contract.

Impressed, the Cardinals signed Stan and told him to report in June to their farm team in Johnson City, Tenn., following his graduation from high school in the Dominican Republic.

Stan hit .250 in 53 games for Johnson City in 1981. At home after the season, he worked with his father to improve his game. “He pitched batting practice to me a lot and worked on my stance,” Stan said to The Sporting News.

When Stan reported to Johnson City in 1982, he hit “with authority,” said director of player development Lee Thomas.

Wearing No. 6, the same as Musial had, and playing on a Johnson City team with Vince Coleman and Terry Pendleton, Stan hit .276 in 57 games. “Stan definitely is a major-league prospect,” Johnson City manager Rich Hacker told The Sporting News.

All business 

On Jan. 24, 1983, the Cardinals and Yankees traded minor leaguers. The Cardinals sent Javier and infielder Bobby Meacham to the Yankees for outfielder Bob Helson and pitchers Steve Fincher and Marty Mason.

The Post-Dispatch reported the deal was to appease Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who held hard feelings toward the Cardinals for sending him an injured player, Bob Sykes, in exchange for Willie McGee 15 months earlier.

In 1988, looking back on the deal, Stan Javier told the Post-Dispatch, “That trade was the hardest thing for me … I really was just starting to learn how to play.”

The Yankees brought Stan to the majors in April 1984. Eight months later, he was part of a package sent by the Yankees to the Athletics for Rickey Henderson.

Be yourself

Stan became a role player for the Athletics under manager Tony La Russa.

In 1988, Julian Sr. told the Post-Dispatch, “My son has been playing good ball and he’ll be a good player, but not like Stan Musial.”

“I wish I could hit like Stan Musial and catch the ball like Julian Javier,” Stan Javier said to reporter Dave Luecking. “That would be nice. I admire those players, but there’s no way I can be those two. You have to be your own person. If you try to be like someone else, you’re in trouble. I hit like Stan Javier and catch like Stan Javier.”

Stan got to play in two World Series (1988 and 1989) with the Athletics. According to the Post-Dispatch, Julian and Stan Javier were the third father and son to get World Series hits. The others were Jim and Mike Hegan, and Bob and Terry Kennedy.

Happy homecoming

In May 1990, the Athletics traded Stan to the Dodgers for Willie Randolph. When the Dodgers went to St. Louis that month for a series against the Cardinals, Stan got to play at Busch Memorial Stadium for the first time as a major leaguer. He hadn’t been to the ballpark since he was a child.

On May 26, he entered the game as a substitute and hit a three-run triple against Scott Terry. Boxscore

The next night, Stan, starting in center field and batting second, was 4-for-6 against the Cardinals. He scored three runs and drove in one. Boxscore

For the series, Stan was 5-for-8 with four RBI.

“It felt gratifying to have a good game here,” Stan told the Post-Dispatch.

Swing and miss

After La Russa left the Athletics to manage the Cardinals, he and general manager Walt Jocketty tried to acquire Stan.

The Cardinals had “considerable interest” in making a trade with the Giants for Stan in November 1998, the Post-Dispatch reported, but the Astros got him instead.

When Stan became a free agent after the 1999 season, the Post-Dispatch predicted the Cardinals would “go hard after Stan.”

“I think he can play a lot and protect us in the outfield,” Jocketty said.

Instead, Stan signed with the Mariners and finished his playing days with them. Video

Stan produced 1,358 career hits. He batted .270 against left-handers and .269 versus right-handers.

His career numbers against the Cardinals included a .366 on-base percentage and .271 batting average.

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Lightning struck again for Bobby Thomson vs. Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents on March 8, 2021| 7 Comments »

Eight months after his “shot heard around the world” won the pennant for the Giants, Bobby Thomson shocked the Cardinals with another walkoff home run.

On June 16, 1952, Thomson hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, erasing a 7-4 Cardinals lead and lifting the Giants to an 8-7 victory at the Polo Grounds in New York.

It was Thomson’s first walkoff home run since his three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth on Oct. 3, 1951, at the Polo Grounds. That home run, against the Dodgers’ Ralph Branca, carried the Giants from a 4-2 deficit to a 5-4 triumph in the decisive game of a playoff series to determine the National League champion. Boxscore and video

Though the walkoff grand slam versus the Cardinals didn’t clinch a championship, it had a magic of its own.

Hit and miss

The Monday afternoon game between the Cardinals and Giants was poorly played. Giants pitchers gave up 16 hits, four walks and hit two batters. The Giants also made three errors. The Cardinals could have had more than a three-run lead entering the ninth, but they hit into five double plays and stranded 10.

Rookie right-hander Eddie Yuhas, working his fifth inning in relief of starter Harry Brecheen, was the Cardinals’ pitcher in the bottom of the ninth. He walked the leadoff batter, Hank Thompson.

George Wilson followed with a line drive. Second baseman Red Schoendienst grabbed it backhanded “with a graceful leap to his right,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Schoendienst whirled and fired to first baseman Dick Sisler in an attempt to nail Hank Thompson, who had ventured far off the bag, but the throw was high and wild. Hank Thompson advanced to second on the error.

The next batter, Davey Williams, grounded sharply to right. Schoendienst broke the wrong way and the ball skipped into the outfield for a single, advancing Hank Thompson to third.

Mix and match

With Whitey Lockman, a left-handed batter, coming up next, Cardinals manager Eddie Stanky wanted a left-hander to pitch. Stanky lifted Yuhas and brought in Bill Werle. Lockman walked, loading the bases and bringing Bobby Thomson to the plate.

A right-handed batter, Thomson was hitless in his last 17 at-bats. Stanky, who eight months earlier was the Giants’ second baseman when Thomson hit his walkoff home run against the Dodgers, wanted a right-hander to face his former teammate.

Stanky brought in rookie Willard Schmidt, who earned a save against the Giants the day before.

“Thomson and everybody in the park knew Schmidt, with three on base, was not going to go cute,” The Sporting News noted. “He was coming in with the fastball to get the first strike if possible.”

Sure enough, Schmidt’s first pitch was a fastball. Thomson leaned into it “like a man who knew his business,” United Press International reported.

Far and fair

Thomson pulled the pitch down the left field line, “a vicious, high drive,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

The ball curled around the foul pole and “cleared the left field roof, not more than four feet from the foul line,” the New York Daily News noted.

Augie Donatelli, umpiring at third, carefully followed the ball’s track and signaled the ball stayed fair. Cardinals catcher Del Rice argued otherwise, to no avail.

As Thomson circled the bases and approached the plate following the three runners ahead of him, “it looked like Pennant Day all over again,” the Daily News observed. “The entire team was there to greet him, shake his hand and pound his back.”

Schmidt “stood on the mound as though paralyzed,” the Daily News noted. Boxscore

Fantastic feat

Fans and media marveled at Thomson’s knack for delivering dramatic endings.

_ “Yes, children, there is a miracle man,” International News Service wrote as its lead to the game story.

_ “This is an act which cannot be improved.” declared The Sporting News.

_ “Had the game been in a World Series or in a crucial pennant stretch drive, the finish would have been immortalized just as was that golden victory that clinched a pennant for the Giants over Brooklyn last October,” United Press International concluded. “As it was, folks who saw it won’t forget it for a long time.”

In his book “The Giants Win The Pennant,” Thomson said, “I can remember leaving the clubhouse early. I was walking across center field and some diehard fans who were still in the stands gave me a great ovation. I’m sure a lot of them were remembering my homer the year before. It was as if I was continuing the heroics.”

 

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Steve Braun had sharp stroke, good eye with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters on March 2, 2021| 10 Comments »

A disciple of a master instructor, Steve Braun used plate discipline and situational hitting skill to become a valuable role player for the Cardinals.

On March 3, 1981, the Cardinals signed Braun, a free agent, to a minor-league pact. A left-handed batter, Braun, 32, hoped to earn a spot with the Cardinals as a backup outfielder and pinch-hitter.

Whitey Herzog, who had the dual role of Cardinals manager and general manager, was an important ally. Herzog managed Braun with the Royals in 1978 and 1979.

It was with the 1978 Royals that Braun became influenced by hitting coach Charlie Lau. Applying Lau’s theories, Braun developed into a pinch-hitter who got on base at an impressively high rate.

Frame of mind

Braun got to the big leagues with the Twins in 1971. A left fielder and third baseman, he hit .280 or better in five of his six seasons (1971-76) with the Twins.

In 1975, teammate Rod Carew introduced Braun to Harvey Maisel, a hypnotist, or, as Braun preferred to call him, a mind trainer. Braun credited Maisel with helping him in his approach to hitting.

“The idea is to get yourself relaxed, to think relaxing thoughts so that you give yourself positive suggestions,” Braun told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Braun hit .302 that year, the only time he reached the .300 mark in the majors.

Disenchanted with Twins management, Braun asked to be made available in the November 1976 American League expansion draft. He was selected by the Mariners and batted third in the order as their Opening Day left fielder when they debuted in 1977. Boxscore

Braun said he was surprised when the Mariners traded him to the Royals on June 1, 1978.

In the zone

Charlie Lau, who drew praise from the likes of George Brett and Lou Piniella for his hitting instruction, went to work on Braun, who was batting .230 when the Royals acquired him. With Lau’s help, Braun learned strike zone discipline and how to adapt his approach to what was needed in each at-bat.

“I learned more about hitting in that one season with Lau than I had in all my years of baseball before that,” Braun told the Post-Dispatch.

“He’s the one who really got me thinking about what I should be doing as a hitter.”

Braun became a premier pinch-hitter. He had an on-base percentage of .429 as a pinch-hitter for the 1978 Royals, who were division champions under Herzog.

“I came to the ballpark every night expecting and knowing I’ll get the hit when we need it,” Braun told The Sporting News. “I’ve never had confidence like that. I just know I can get on base and do something to help this club. I’ve changed my hitting style. I’m going with the pitch instead of pulling everything.”

Lau departed the Royals for the Yankees in 1979, but Braun’s success continued under Herzog. Braun had an on-base percentage of .394 as a pinch-hitter for the 1979 Royals.

After the season, Herzog was fired and replaced by Jim Frey. Braun was released in June 1980 and signed with the Blue Jays. As a pinch-hitter for the Blue Jays, he had an on-base percentage of .429 and delivered three game-winning hits.

Right attitude

Granted free agency, Braun contacted Herzog. The Cardinals had no room on their 40-man winter roster, but Herzog offered Braun a chance to compete for a job at spring training. Herzog told the Post-Dispatch he viewed Braun as “a little insurance” in case a roster player got injured or slumped.

Herzog, in his first spring training with the Cardinals, was looking for players who knew how to reach base and advance runners. Braun, who did that better than most, earned a spot on the Opening Day roster as a pinch-hitter.

He made his Cardinals debut in the season opener and delivered a pinch-hit double against the Phillies’ Dick Ruthven. Boxscore

“My goal is to help in at least 10 victories by getting on base leading off an inning, or by moving a runner along, or by driving in a run or more,” Braun said. “Herzog likes to have me lead off an inning because I also get a lot of walks.”

Getting it done

In his five seasons with St. Louis, Braun had 60 pinch-hits, according to the Cardinals’ media guide. The only player with more career pinch-hits as a Cardinal is Gerald Perry (70).

Braun produced these on-base percentages as a Cardinals pinch-hitter: .412 in 1981, .383 in 1982, .433 in 1983, .389 in 1984 and .382 in 1985.

In the 1982 World Series, Braun had two important plate appearances.

In Game 2, with the score tied at 4-4, Braun batted as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded in the eighth inning and drew a four-pitch walk, driving in the winning run. Boxscore and video at 2:52 mark.

In Game 7, Braun’s RBI-single in the eighth inning extended the Cardinals’ lead over the Brewers to 6-3 and gave Bruce Sutter a comfortable cushion to close out the decisive ninth. Boxscore and video at 2;20 mark.

“He’s got a good knowledge of the strike zone,” Herzog told The Sporting News. “I know he’s going to put the ball in play or go to a 3-and-2 count when he’s leading off an inning.”

Regarding his approach to situational hitting, Braun told the Post-Dispatch, “You have to recognize the situation you’re in. What can I do? What do I have to do? Sometimes you need a baserunner. Sometimes you need a pulled ball. Sometimes you need an extra-base hit and sometimes you need a home run.”

One noteworthy home run Braun hit for the Cardinals came in a game on July 21, 1985. His two-run homer in the 10th inning against Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer gave the Cardinals a 4-2 victory and foreshadowed more heartache for the pitcher. Boxscore

Three months later, in the National League Championship Series, Ozzie Smith hit a game-winning home run for the Cardinals against Niedenfuer in Game 5 and Jack Clark followed with a pennant-clinching home run against him in Game 6.

Pupil turned teacher

Despite his success, Braun was a non-roster player at three consecutive Cardinals spring trainings (1981-83) and made the team each time. He finally was rewarded with roster spots at spring trainings in 1984 and 1985.

Braun finished his playing career with 115 pinch-hits in the majors, according to retrosheet.org.

He was a Cardinals minor-league hitting instructor from 1986-89 and the hitting coach for the big-league club in 1990. After Herzog quit as manager in 1990, Braun became a minor-league hitting instructor with the Red Sox and Yankees.

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