RetroSimba

With one swing, Tim McCarver lifted the Cardinals to a victory and propelled Fred Gladding toward a long, productive coaching career.

On June 2, 1973, at St. Louis, McCarver hit a pinch-hit grand slam against Gladding in the eighth inning for a 6-2 win over the Astros.

It would be the last major-league appearance for Gladding. He was sent to the minors soon after and served that summer as a player-coach at Class AAA Denver. That experience launched him the following season into a 22-year career as a coach in the Tigers, Astros and Indians organizations, including three seasons as Detroit’s pitching coach.

Fading veterans

In June 1973, McCarver, 31, and Gladding, 36, were relegated to support roles after ranking among the best at their positions. McCarver was the starting catcher on Cardinals clubs that won three National League pennants and two World Series championships in the 1960s. He twice was an all-star with St. Louis (1966-67).

After he was traded to the Phillies in October 1969, McCarver was reacquired by the Cardinals from the Expos in November 1972 and given roles as backup to Ted Simmons at catcher and Joe Torre at first base.

Gladding had been a stellar reliever. He was 6-4 with 12 saves and a 1.99 ERA in 42 games for the 1967 Tigers. In November 1967, the right-hander was dealt to the Astros, completing a trade for third baseman Eddie Mathews.

In 1969, Gladding had a NL-leading 29 saves for Houston. He followed that with 18 saves for the 1970 Astros.

McCarver magic

On June 2, 1973, a Saturday night in St. Louis, the Astros led, 2-1, when the Cardinals batted in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Jim York. With two outs, Simmons doubled, scoring Dwain Anderson from first, tying the score at 2-2.

The next batter, Jose Cruz, was walked intentionally, putting runners at first and second and setting up a potential forceout. Luis Melendez followed with an infield single, loading the bases.

With Ken Reitz due to bat next, Astros manager Leo Durocher lifted York and replaced him with Gladding. Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst countered by calling on McCarver to bat for Reitz.

Gladding had a 4.11 ERA. McCarver, a left-handed batter, had no home runs.

McCarver swung at the first pitch from Gladding and hit it over the right-field wall for his fifth grand slam of his career.

“I said when we got him back last winter we could use his bat _ and I meant it,” Schoendienst told the Associated Press. “Tim is a tough out. I don’t care who is pitching.”

Rick Wise, the Cardinals’ starter, retired the Astros in the ninth, securing the win. Boxscore

New chapter

Deemed ineffective, Gladding was sent to the minor leagues for the first time since 1964. He went 0-2 with a 4.74 ERA and one save in 20 appearances for the Astros’ Class AAA Denver farm team. The Astros released him in October 1973.

Then, his full-time coaching career began.

The Tigers named Gladding the pitching coach for their 1974 Evansville farm club. Among the pitchers Gladding worked with were future major-leaguers Vern Ruhle and Steve Grilli.

In 1975, Gladding was again at Evansville when he got the chance to mentor a phenom, Mark Fidrych.

Fidrych had started the 1975 season with Class A Lakeland and skyrocketed through the Tigers system, going to Class AA Montgomery and then Class AAA Evansville. With Gladding as his pitching coach, Fidrych, 20, was 4-1 with a 1.58 ERA in six starts for Evansville.

Back in the bigs

In 1976, Gladding returned to the major leagues as pitching coach for Tigers manager Ralph Houk. Fidrych earned a spot in the Tigers’ starting rotation. The combination produced sensational results.

Nicknamed “The Bird,” Fidrych was 19-9 for the 1976 Tigers. He led the American League in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24), started the All-Star Game and was named winner of the Rookie of the Year Award.

In the book “The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych,” Gladding said of his star pupil, “He was very easy to coach. He would listen to you and do what you suggested.”

Gladding remained Tigers pitching coach in 1977 and 1978, mentoring, among others, Jack Morris, who developed into Detroit’s ace. After the 1978 season, Houk retired and his successor, Les Moss, replaced Gladding with former Cardinals pitcher Johnny Grodzicki.

Gladding spent the remainder of his coaching career in the minor-league systems of the Astros and Indians.

In an interview with MLB.com, Steve Kline, the former Cardinals reliever, cited Gladding as a positive influence while Kline was in the Indians organization.

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(Updated May 5, 2020)

In a showdown of two master showmen, Dizzy Dean upstaged Babe Ruth.

Ruth, 40, entered his final big-league season with the 1935 Braves. The fading home run king had gone to the National League after 21 years (1914-34) in the American League with the Red Sox and Yankees.

Dean, 25, was the colorful Cardinals ace and reigning NL strikeout king who had earned 30 wins the year before and pitched St. Louis to the 1934 World Series championship.

They faced one another for the first time in a regular-season game on May 5, 1935, at Boston before a crowd of at least 30,000, including three sons of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Seeking a strikeout

In the book “Diz,” Dean biographer Robert Gregory wrote, “He had been looking forward to his first league showdown with Babe Ruth and telling everybody he’d have no choice in the matter. He would have to strike him out.”

Ruth and Dean greeted each other cordially before the game and took part in a newspaper-sponsored promotion with local youth players.

Then, it was show time.

“Babe was watching me pretty closely while I was warming up before the game,” Dean said in the book “Ol’ Diz” by Vince Staten. “He had that old eagle eye of his on every move I made.”

In his first at-bat, Ruth walked.

When Ruth came to the plate for the second time, Dean upped the ante. “I figured that if I didn’t steal the show he would,” Dean said.

Play deep

As Ruth took his practice cuts, Dean smiled at him and turned toward his outfielders.

“He motioned them to play farther back,” wrote Gregory. “They retreated a few steps, but Diz shook his head, no, no, that’s not deep enough, and kept waving his glove until they were almost at the walls.”

Then, Dean went to work on Ruth. He got the count to 1-and-2. On his fourth delivery, Dean unleashed his best fastball. Ruth took a mighty swing and missed. Dean had his strikeout of the Bambino.

“Babe almost broke his back going for that steaming third fastball,” according to the Associated Press.

Dean “whiffed the great man with marvelous eclat,” wrote the Boston Globe.

In his third at-bat, Ruth got “a fast one through the middle, waist high,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. “Ruth took a tremendous swing at the ball, but he missed.”

Ruth and Dean looked at one another and laughed.

“I never saw a man take such a cut in my whole life,” Dean told the Post-Dispatch. “Lordy me, if he had hit that ball it would have gone to New York or Pensacola. I had to laugh at him swinging like that and he was laughing because he hadn’t expected to get a fast one like that, right through the heart of the plate.”

When the at-bat resumed, Ruth grounded out to shortstop Leo Durocher, who was playing back on the grass on the first base side of second.

Basking on the stage set for him, Dean slugged a home run that sailed over Ruth’s head before clearing the left-field wall. He earned the shutout in a 7-0 Cardinals victory. Boxscore

“Dizzy Dean stole the Babe’s thunder and color,” the Boston Globe declared.

Encore performance

Two weeks later, on May 19 at St. Louis, Ruth and Dean had a rematch. Again, Dean prevailed. Ruth was 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Dean pitched another complete game and drove in two runs, leading St. Louis to a 7-3 victory. Boxscore

In five games against the Cardinals in 1935, Ruth batted .071 (1-for-14) with a single, three walks and five strikeouts. With his overall average at .181 in 28 games that season, Ruth retired at the end of May.

In his prime, Ruth faced the Cardinals in two World Series. He hit .300 (6-for-20) with four home runs and 11 walks in the seven-game 1926 World Series. In the 1928 World Series, Ruth hit .625 (10-for-16) with three home runs and three doubles in four games.

Previously: Stan Musial: ‘Babe Ruth was the greatest who ever played’

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