RetroSimba

(Updated May 16, 2020)

Halfway into May, the 1997 Cardinals had experienced much disappointment, including six consecutive losses to open the season and a mid-April stretch in which they never scored more than two runs in five straight games, but Alan Benes may have absorbed the cruelest blow of all.

Matched against Greg Maddux in a scoreless duel, Benes held the Braves hitless for 8.2 innings on May 16 in Atlanta until Michael Tucker doubled.

In the 13th, Tucker created more havoc when he scored from third on an infield dribbler by Andruw Jones off John Frascatore. Atlanta won, 1-0.

In command

Benes was 3-4 with a 3.08 ERA when he faced the defending National League champions. From the first pitch, he threw hard and with command. “All in all, it’s probably the best I’ve ever pitched,” Benes told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The right-hander struck out 11 and walked three. After retiring the first two batters in the ninth, Benes threw a strike to Tucker, a left-handed batter. Tucker crushed the next pitch, a hanging breaking ball, for a double to left-center, ruining the no-hit bid.

“When the game gets into the late innings, you look for him to make a mistake and he did,” Tucker told the Post-Dispatch.

Benes struck out Fred McGriff to end the inning and turned the game over to the St. Louis bullpen.

“We feel terrible we couldn’t get him a run,” Cardinals outfielder Willie McGee said.

In his previous two starts, Benes lost by scores of 2-1 and 2-0.

Fluke hit

After Maddux held the Cardinals scoreless for eight innings, relievers Mark Wohlers, Mike Bielecki, Paul Byrd, Alan Embree, Brad Clontz and Joe Borowski combined to shut out St. Louis for five innings.

In the bottom of the 13th, Tucker singled versus Frascatore with one out, stole second and advanced to third on a flyout. McGriff was walked intentionally, bringing up Andruw Jones.

Jones told the Atlanta Constitution he thought T.J. Mathews, the pitcher he faced in the 11th inning, not Frascatore, was on the mound.

Fooled by Frascatore’s pitch, Jones checked his swing. The ball struck his bat and rolled slowly between the mound and first base. Tucker streaked across the plate as Jones reached first. “I was looking for a fastball, but he threw me a slider and I almost broke my wrist,” Jones said.

Said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa: “This is a really cruel way to lose. I’d rather lose any way than the way we did _ on a darned check swing.” Boxscore

According to the Atlanta Constitution, it was the first time the Braves won a 1-0, 13-inning game since May 26, 1959, when they beat Harvey Haddix of the Pirates after he pitched 12 perfect innings.

Benes’ older brother, Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes, told The Sporting News his sibling is “the type of guy who can go out and throw a no-hitter every five days because he throws the ball so hard and because of his breaking pitches.”

At the end of July, with a 9-9 record and 2.89 ERA, Alan Benes went on the disabled list because of a right shoulder injury. He sat out the remainder of the season, and all of the 1998 season, and never regained his peak form.

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Just how well Chris Carpenter pitched for the 2005 Cardinals may become more fully appreciated with time.

Carpenter, who won the 2005 National League Cy Young Award with a 21-5 record and 2.83 ERA, put together a one-month stretch then that recently was touted as historically unprecedented in both its successfulness and its artistry.

Detroit’s Justin Verlander in 2011 won six straight starts, allowing four runs and 35 baserunners, with 51 strikeouts, in 49.2 innings pitched.

Since 1900, only one big-league pitcher, Chris Carpenter, has had six wins in six starts, with as many innings pitched and strikeouts as Verlander, and as few runs and baserunners allowed, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

In 2005, from June 14 to July 17, Carpenter went 6-0 in 50.2 innings pitched, with two runs and 27 baserunners allowed, and 54 strikeouts.

Carpenter had a 0.35 ERA during that six-game stretch, lowering his season ERA from 3.49 to 2.34.

“Unfairly to (Carpenter), we kind of expect him to go out and throw shutouts,” teammate Scott Rolen told MLB.com in July 2005. “It’s not that easy.”

Said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa of Carpenter then: “I would say location is (the key). He’s really getting the ball down quite a bit with movement. ”

Here is a look at Carpenter’s dominant 2005 stretch:

June 14, at Toronto, Cardinals 7, Blue Jays 0: Carpenter pitched a one-hitter and struck out 10 against his former club. The lone hit was a sixth-inning double by shortstop Russ Adams. Boxscore

June 20, at Cincinnati, Cardinals 6, Reds 1: Carpenter shut out the Reds for eight innings. After Felipe Lopez led off the Reds’ ninth with a home run and Rich Aurilia walked, Ray King relieved Carpenter and finished the game. Boxscore

June 25, at St. Louis, Cardinals 8, Pirates 0: In a game that took just 2:09, Carpenter pitched a four-hitter and struck out 11. Boxscore

July 1, at St. Louis, Cardinals 6, Rockies 0: Carpenter held Colorado scoreless for 7.2 innings. With a runner on base and two outs in the eighth, La Russa lifted Carpenter and brought in King, a left-hander, to face left-handed batter Todd Helton. King struck out Helton. Boxscore

July 6, at Phoenix, Cardinals 2, Diamondbacks 1: After Carpenter limited Arizona to three hits (including an Alex Cintron solo homer) in eight innings, St. Louis broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth on David Eckstein’s RBI-suicide squeeze bunt. Jason Isringhausen preserved the win for Carpenter with a scoreless ninth. Boxscore

July 17, at St. Louis, Cardinals 3, Astros 0: In his first start after the all-star break, Carpenter outdueled Roger Clemens, pitching a three-hitter and striking out nine. Boxscore

After the win over Houston, La Russa, speaking to Matthew Leach of MLB.com, said of Carpenter, “When he threw the ball inside today, he was right on the black with movement. He got ground balls to the left side. He’s pitching to a very wide plate because he goes to the other side. His breaking ball is down with good break. He’s locating very, very well with good stuff.”

Said Carpenter: “It’s all about execution and location.”

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Perhaps no performance better symbolizes the disappointing tenure of Juan Agosto with the Cardinals than the 1992 game in which he gave up the winning run by hitting a batter with the bases loaded.

Agosto’s name resurfaced June 22 as the Mets beat the Athletics, 3-2, in the 13th inning when Brad Ziegler hit Justin Turner with a pitch, forcing in the winning run. It was the first time a major-league team had won on a game-ending hit-by-pitch in the 13th inning or later since the Mets beat Agosto and the Cardinals 19 years ago, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Agosto, a left-handed reliever, signed a three-year, $4.6 million free-agent contract with the Cardinals in December 1990. The money was guaranteed: a $500,000 signing bonus, with base contracts of $1 million in 1991, $1.5 million in 1992 and $1.6 million in 1993.

At the time, that deal was considered quite lucrative for a left-handed reliever who wasn’t a stopper. The Cardinals and their fans expected Agosto to be an effective setup specialist for closer Lee Smith.

Agosto had built a reputation for durability while pitching for the White Sox, Twins and Astros. In 1988, he was 10-2 with four saves and a 2.26 ERA in 75 games for Houston.

“Juan solidifies our bullpen considerably,” Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill told The Sporting News in announcing the signing. “He is a workhorse who wants to pitch every day.”

Though he did pitch often, Agosto often didn’t pitch well.

Lacking command, Agosto drew the ire of many Cardinals fans, starting with his first season in 1991. Though he appeared in 72 games and had a 5-3 record with two saves, Agosto had more hits allowed (92) than innings pitched (86) and had a 4.81 ERA. He hit a team-high eight batters and recorded more walks (39) than strikeouts (34). Batters hit .291 against him.

When Agosto started poorly in 1992, booing increased from Cardinals fans.

On April 23, 1992, at New York’s Shea Stadium, the Cardinals and Mets battled into the 13th inning of a scoreless duel.

The Mets had been held to four hits entering the 13th. Then, Agosto yielded singles to Dave Magadan and Junior Noboa, and issued a walk to Charlie O’Brien.

That brought up Daryl Boston, a left-handed batter. Claire Smith, writing for the New York Times, described what happened next:

When the ball hit him in the stomach, unbuttoning his jersey and settling between uniform and undershirt, 3 hours 57 minutes of baseball finally, and officially, came to an end.

“It just slipped out of my hand,” Agosto said of the pitch that struck Boston and gave the Mets a 1-0 victory.

Cardinals manager Joe Torre summarized it best when he told reporters: “If you’re a baseball fan, this is a great game. If you’re a Cardinals fan, your stomach hurts like mine does.” Boxscore

Agosto continued to struggle. His record was 2-4 with a 6.25 ERA when the Cardinals released him June 13, 1992. When he received the news, Agosto approached Torre and apologized for his performance.

“I told him there was nothing to apologize for,” Torre told reporters. “He took the ball every time. He never made an excuse. He wanted to stay here.”

Agosto’s overall record as a Cardinal: 7-7, 5.20 ERA, 131 hits allowed in 117.2 innings.

In reporting Agosto’s departure from St. Louis, The Sporting News wrote:

The Cardinals ate their biggest contract ever when they released reliever Juan Agosto … The Cardinals owe Agosto, who had a 6.25 ERA, about $2.7 million.

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