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Larry Jaster and his sparkling September with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers, Records on September 11, 2015| 1 Comment »

With complete-game wins in his first three big-league starts, Larry Jaster transformed from a perceived disappointment to a promising starter for the Cardinals.

In September 1965, Jaster was called up to the Cardinals from Class AA Tulsa. The defending World Series champions were out of pennant contention and assessing how to reshape the roster for 1966.

Jaster, a left-hander, impressed the Cardinals and their opponents by showing command of his pitches, stamina, adaptability and the know-how to win.

Jaster, 21, had progressed significantly from spring training, when the Cardinals questioned his commitment to becoming a complete pitcher.

Bonus baby

In 1962, Jaster was a high school senior in Midland, Mich., with a reputation as a talented baseball pitcher and football quarterback. The Tigers were keen on signing him to a professional baseball contract. Duffy Daugherty, football coach at Michigan State, wanted Jaster for his program.

The Cardinals, on the recommendation of scout Mo Mozzali, made the best financial offer: a $50,000 signing bonus. Jaster accepted.

Jaster was underwhelming in his first three seasons in the Cardinals’ system, though he did reach the Class AAA level with Jacksonville in 1964.

At spring training in 1965, Jaster arrived 10 pounds overweight and didn’t pitch effectively enough. When the Cardinals reassigned him to the minor-league camp, Jaster was told by farm director Chief Bender to report to Class AA Tulsa rather than Class AAA Jacksonville.

Jaster objected angrily. “We really had it out,” Bender said to The Sporting News.

According to Bender, the argument included this exchange:

Jaster: “I might as well quit. Give me my release.”

Bender: “Give us back that big bonus and you can have your release.”

After conferring with his wife, Jaster reported to Tulsa. He started poorly, though, and his future with the Cardinals appeared shaky.

Career changer

Desperate to reverse his career spiral, Jaster accepted the guidance of Tulsa manager Vern Rapp and pitching coach Billy Muffett.

“I was told to concentrate on getting the off-speed pitches over the plate and I even surprised myself,” said Jaster, who developed consistent command of a curve and change-up.

When Bender visited Jaster at Tulsa in June 1965, “Larry admitted to me then that being sent to Tulsa was the best thing that ever happened to him,” the farm director said.

Jaster struck out 219 in 210 innings with Tulsa, earning 11 wins and posting a 3.09 ERA. That got him a September look from the Cardinals.

September sensation

On Sept. 17, 1965, Jaster made his big-league debut, pitching an inning of shutout relief for the Cardinals against the Dodgers at St. Louis. Boxscore

Five days later, on Sept. 22, manager Red Schoendienst started Jaster against the Astros in the Cardinals’ 1965 home finale. Jaster responded by pitching a complete-game four-hitter for his first big-league win in a 4-1 Cardinals victory. Boxscore

The Cardinals then embarked on a season-ending road trip to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.

Pennant pressure

Jaster’s next start came on Sept. 28 against the Giants at Candlestick Park. The Giants and Dodgers entered the day tied for first place in the National League at 92-64, with six games remaining.

Admitting he was nervous to be starting a game with pennant implications, Jaster struck out the first two batters he faced, Jim Davenport and Willie McCovey, and that “helped my confidence,” he told the Associated Press.

Though he wasn’t as sharp as he was in his first start _ Jaster told the Oakland Tribune he was having trouble that night with his curve and change-up _ the rookie frustrated the Giants.

Jaster yielded 10 hits and walked two, but the Giants stranded 11 and the Cardinals prevailed, 9-1, on a complete-game win from the left-hander. Jaster also contributed a two-run single off reliever Dick Estelle, scoring Julian Javier and Tim McCarver.

Praise from Mays

The Giants’ run came on a home run by Willie Mays, his 51st of the season. It was a 410-foot blast to straightaway center field. It barely eluded a leaping Curt Flood, who got a hand on the ball as it sailed over the fence.

Jaster described the pitch hit by Mays as “a high fastball that I got too far over the plate.”

In the ninth, the Giants had two runners on base with two outs and Mays at the plate. Jaster retired Mays on a pop out to third baseman Ken Boyer.

“He’s going to be a good pitcher,” Mays said of Jaster. “He throws strikes and isn’t afraid to get the ball over.”

Said McCarver: “Larry wasn’t hitting the spots like he will, but that good, sneaky fastball was right where he wanted it.” Boxscore

The loss dropped the Giants a game behind the Dodgers, who beat the Reds, 2-1, in 12 innings that day. The Dodgers went on to clinch the pennant, finishing two games ahead of the Giants.

Good command

In his final start, on Oct. 2, in the Cardinals’ penultimate game of 1965, Jaster pitched a complete-game seven-hitter versus the Astros in a 6-3 St. Louis triumph. Houston led, 3-0, after three, but Jaster shut out the Astros over the final six innings. Boxscore

“I used to be a thrower,” said Jaster. “Now I can get the ball where I want it.”

Said Schoendienst: “He’s not overpowering, but he has a pretty good fastball and curve. Most important, he throws strikes. Any time you throw strikes, you have a chance.”

Jaster finished 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA for the 1965 Cardinals.

With the 1966 Cardinals, Jaster had his best season, posting an 11-5 record and 3.26 ERA, including five shutouts against the NL champion Dodgers.

In four years with the Cardinals, Jaster was 32-25 with a 3.17 ERA. He departed the Cardinals when chosen by the Expos in the expansion draft after the 1968 season.

Previously: Hot starts by Kyle Lohse remind Cards of Larry Jaster

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The story of Randy Flores and his most significant win

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on September 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Dec. 7, 2024)

Randy Flores was the winning pitcher in a Cardinals pennant clincher.

On Oct. 19, 2006, Flores pitched a flawless eighth inning, setting the stage for Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright to lift the Cardinals to a 3-1 win in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series versus the Mets at New York.

Nine years later, Flores, who earned an undergraduate degree in finance and a master’s degree in administration from the University of Southern California, played another prominent role for the Cardinals when he was chosen by general manager John Mozeliak to be scouting director, starting the job on Sept. 1, 2015.

Trusted by Tony

The winner-take-all game to determine the 2006 National League championship was as intense as a New York subway ride at rush hour. In the eighth inning, with the score tied at 1-1 and most of the 56,357 spectators howling for the Mets to take the lead, Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan walked leadoff batter Carlos Beltran.

Next up was Carlos Delgado, a left-handed slugger who’d been walked three times in the game by Suppan.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa replaced Suppan with Flores, a left-hander.

Delgado had hit three home runs against the Cardinals in the series.

Flores struck him out on a slider in the dirt.

Rough vs. righties

Another power hitter, David Wright, was up next. A right-handed batter, Wright had driven in the Mets’ run in the first with one of their two hits in the game against Suppan.

The matchup with Flores favored Wright. Right-handed batters hit .329 versus Flores during the season.

La Russa could have brought in a right-hander to face Wright, but he didn’t because Shawn Green, a left-handed batter, was on deck. Rookie Tyler Johnson was the lone remaining left-hander in the bullpen.

Preferring to stick with his veteran, La Russa gambled and let Flores face Wright.

Flores struck him out on a slider.

Complete the job

Beltran, who had 18 stolen bases during the season and one during the series, hadn’t budged off first base.

Like Delgado and Wright, Green had the proven ability to drive in Beltran with an extra-base hit. Acquired by the Mets from the Diamondbacks in August, Green had produced 31 doubles and 15 home runs during the season.

Flores got Green to ground out to first baseman Albert Pujols, ending the inning and emboldening the Cardinals with his shutdown performance.

In the ninth, Yadier Molina slammed a two-run home run off reliever Aaron Heilman _ “I was running, but I couldn’t feel my feet,” Molina told Sports Illustrated of his trek around the bases _ that gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead and positioned Flores for the win.

Facing Adam Wainwright in the bottom of the ninth, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs before the rookie struck out Beltran on three pitches, the final one a jaw-dropping curve. Boxscore and Video at about 30-second mark

(Recalling that curve to Beltran, Wainwright said in an interview with the 2016 Cardinals Yearbook, “Before making that pitch, I said to myself that I was going to throw a backdoor breaking ball strike that painted the outside corner … When (the umpire) called it strike three, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh! It worked.’ Exactly what I wanted to happen had happened, and it was sheer elation and surprise.”)

Said Flores to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about earning the win: “The best moment possible, winning Game 7 of the NLCS _ unless you’re talking about Game 7 of the World Series.”

The win was the personal highlight of an outstanding 2006 postseason for Flores. Overall, he pitched 5.2 scoreless innings against the Padres, Mets and Tigers.

Signed by the Cardinals as a free agent in November 2003 after spending the season in the Rockies minor-league system, Flores played five years (2004-08) with St. Louis and was 9-2 with a 4.35 ERA and three saves in 237 appearances.

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Whitey Herzog outwitted Cardinals on Jim Bibby deal

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Trades on September 2, 2015| 2 Comments »

The 1970s was a decade when the Cardinals dealt a significant number of quality starting pitchers, most notably Steve Carlton, Jerry Reuss, Mike Torrez and Jim Bibby.

A 6-foot-5, 235-pound right-hander, Bibby possessed a fastball Whitey Herzog compared with Nolan Ryan’s.

Bibby, traded by the Cardinals to the Rangers on June 6, 1973, pitched a no-hitter for Texas against the Athletics on July 30, 1973. Boxscore

Herzog, manager of the 1973 Rangers, knew Bibby could be special. Bibby pitched in the Mets’ minor-league system when Herzog was their farm director. It was Herzog who encouraged the Rangers to acquire Bibby from St. Louis.

Career challenges

Bibby, 20, signed with the Mets as an amateur free agent in July 1965. The Mets assigned him to their rookie league club at Marion, Va. One of his teammates was another hard-throwing prospect, 18-year-old Nolan Ryan.

After the season, Bibby was drafted into the Army and his baseball career was put on hold. He spent 1966 and 1967 in the military, including a hitch in Vietnam.

When Bibby resumed his baseball career in 1968, Herzog was in his second year overseeing the Mets’ farm system as their director of player development. Over the next two years, Bibby progressed through that system. The Royals tried to trade for him in December 1969, but the Mets declined.

Bibby’s career hit a roadblock when he needed back surgery in 1970. The procedure required removing bone from his hip and attaching it to his spine to strengthen vertebrae. Bibby sat out the 1970 season, the third year in the last five he couldn’t play baseball.

“There were times during that recuperation period when I wondered if it was worth it,” Bibby told The Sporting News. “I thought maybe it just wasn’t meant for me to play baseball, that maybe I should quit and get into something else.”

Bibby persevered and returned in 1971. Herzog assigned him to Class AAA Tidewater and when Bibby’s record reached 14-2 at the end of July he awaited a promotion to the big leagues. “I wonder what more the Mets want me to do or show,” Bibby said. “I feel I’ve proved myself down here.”

Bibby finished 15-6 with a 4.04 ERA in 27 games for Tidewater. He struck out 150 in 176 innings but issued 109 walks.

Terrific at Tulsa

On Oct. 18, 1971, the Mets traded Bibby, pitchers Rich Folkers and Charlie Hudson and outfielder Art Shamsky to the Cardinals for pitchers Chuck Taylor and Harry Parker, outfielder Jim Beauchamp and infielder Chip Coulter.

The Sporting News reported it “came as no surprise” the Mets gave up on Bibby and added, “The big guy throws hard, but that’s about all.”

Bibby, 27, went to spring training in 1972 as a candidate for the No. 5 spot in the Cardinals’ rotation. The role instead went to Al Santorini and Bibby was sent to Class AAA Tulsa.

With his path to the big leagues stalled again, Bibby was becoming best known as the older brother of Henry Bibby, a starting guard for three national championship basketball teams under UCLA coach John Wooden.

At Tulsa, Jim Bibby started well, pitching a four-hit shutout on Opening Day.

In July, Bibby struck out 16 in each of two consecutive starts.

In 27 starts for Tulsa, Bibby was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA, striking out 208 in 195 innings. He pitched 13 complete games and showed improved control, walking 76.

Winning debut

Bibby was promoted to the Cardinals in September 1972. He made his big-league debut on Labor Day, Sept. 4, getting the start and the win in the second game of a doubleheader against the Expos at St. Louis. Bibby gave up three runs in the first, including a two-run triple to former Cardinal Tim McCarver, followed by five consecutive scoreless innings before yielding another run in the sixth.

The Cardinals won, 8-7. Bibby’s line: 6.1 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts. Boxscore

In six starts for the 1972 Cardinals, Bibby was 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA.

Command issues

At spring training in 1973, Bibby competed with Alan Foster, Mike Nagy and Santorini for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

In the exhibition opener, a 4-0 Cardinals triumph over the Mets, Bibby displayed a “powder-river fastball,” The Sporting News reported.

Bibby and Nagy became the finalists for the last pitching spot on the Opening Day roster. Both had run out of minor-league options. The Cardinals chose Bibby, trading Nagy to the Rangers “because Bibby throws harder than Nagy,” The Sporting News reported.

Used sparingly, Bibby struggled with his command, walking 17 in 16 innings. In six appearances, including three starts, Bibby was 0-2 with a 9.56 ERA for the 1973 Cardinals.

Whitey’s wisdom

On June 6, 1973, the Cardinals dealt Bibby to the Rangers for Nagy and catcher John Wockenfuss. In two seasons with St. Louis, Bibby was a combined 1-5 with a 5.11 ERA.

Explaining the deal, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine said of Bibby, “There’s his age (28) and Whitey Herzog knows about him. Whitey said Bibby has a better arm than half his pitchers.”

Said Herzog: “What interested us about Bibby was the fastball. I’d say only Nolan Ryan throws consistently harder in this league. Since this is a breaking-ball league, we felt that if Bibby could get the ball over the plate, he might be successful.”

Herzog instructed Bibby to reduce his assortment of pitches, saying, “With your speed and your slider, you don’t need a curveball … Smoke. That’s your strength. Smoke! Use it.”

Following Herzog’s advice and getting the work he craved, Bibby pitched effectively. Red Sox slugger Carl Yastrzemski said of Bibby, “He’s faster than Vida Blue.”

Bibby at his best

On July 30, 1973, Bibby pitched his masterpiece, a no-hitter in a 6-0 Rangers victory at Oakland. Bibby struck out 13 and walked six.

In the ninth, Bibby issued a leadoff walk to Sal Bando, who swiped second. The next batter, Reggie Jackson, worked the count full. Bibby unleashed a fastball Jackson said he never saw for strike three.

“That last one was the best pitch I ever saw,” said Jackson. “Well, really, I didn’t see it. I heard it.”

Bibby retired Deron Johnson on a groundout and got Gene Tenace to pop out, completing the first Rangers no-hitter.

The next year, Bibby earned 19 wins for the 1974 Rangers.

In 12 years with the Cardinals, Rangers, Indians and Pirates, Bibby had a record of 111-101 with a 3.76 ERA. He made two starts for the Pirates in the 1979 World Series, including Game 7, and posted a 2.61 ERA. In 1980, he had 19 wins for the Pirates and was named an all-star.

In 1984, Bibby, 39, was in his second stint with the Rangers. They released him on June 1 and, eight days later, the Cardinals, managed by Herzog, gave him another chance.

The Cardinals assigned Bibby to Class AAA Louisville, which was managed by his former Rangers and Pirates teammate, Jim Fregosi.

Bibby made two relief appearances for Louisville and didn’t allow a run in five innings, though he walked six and gave up five hits. On July 1, the Cardinals released him. Nearly 20 years after he signed with the Mets, Bibby’s pitching career was done.

Previously: Cardinals, Texas deals: Jim Bibby to Fernando Tatis

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Bob Gibson and his final days with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on August 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

In a span of three days, Bob Gibson experienced the emotional swing of being honored for his Cardinals achievements before ending his career on a downturn.

The Cardinals designated Sept. 1, 1975, as Bob Gibson Day. Gibson, 39, was feted in an hour-long ceremony before the Cubs played the Cardinals in front of 48,435 spectators on a Labor Day afternoon at St. Louis.

Two days later, Sept. 3, Gibson yielded a grand slam and took the loss in his final Cardinals appearance.

Nervous ace

Before reporting to spring training, Gibson had said 1975 would be his last year as a player. He began the season in the starting rotation but was shifted to the bullpen during the summer.

The Gibson Day event was an opportunity to salute the Cardinals’ all-time best pitcher. Gibson was the ace on 1960s Cardinals clubs that won three National League pennants and two World Series titles. He is the franchise’s career leader in wins (251), shutouts (56), strikeouts (3,117), complete games (255), innings pitched (3,884.1) and games started (482).

In a ceremony at home plate, the Cardinals declared Gibson’s uniform No. 45 would join the No. 6 of Stan Musial and the No. 17 of Dizzy Dean as the only numbers retired by the franchise. Club owner Gussie Busch presented Gibson with a $32,250 luxury motor home.

Gibson told onlookers, including former teammates Musial and Bill White, “I’m more nervous than I was before a World Series game.”

Then it was Gibson’s turn to address the crowd.

In the book “Gibson’s Last Stand,” author Doug Feldmann wrote, “At first, Gibson was too moved to speak when he approached the microphone down on the field. Several times he stepped toward it again, but had to pause with every attempt, as each standing ovation was louder than the one a moment earlier.”

When he was ready, Gibson told the crowd, “One thing that I’ve always been proud of is the fact that I’ve never intentionally cheated anyone out of what they paid their money to come and see. Most of all, I’m proud of the fact that whatever I did, I did it my way.”

Reflecting on his future as a retired player, Gibson said, “It’s going to be a new life, a strange life for me. I just hope I can be half as successful as I have been in baseball.”

To cap the festivities, Busch got behind the wheel of the motor home and drove Gibson, his mother and his two daughters around the perimeter of the field as the stadium organist played “Auld Lang Syne.” Said Busch to Gibson: “I bet you never had a chauffeur like this before.”

Inspired, the Cardinals went out and beat the Cubs, 6-3, behind Lou Brock (three hits, three steals, two runs) and the pitching of Bob Forsch and Al Hrabosky. The victory moved the second-place Cardinals to within three games of the Pirates in the NL East Division. Boxscore

Tough to take

On Sept. 3, in the finale of the series, the Cubs led, 6-1, before the Cardinals rallied for five runs in the sixth, tying the score at 6-6.

Sensing an opportunity to give his fading star another shot at glory, Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst called on Gibson to relieve starter Ron Reed and hold the Cubs in the seventh.

The move backfired.

The Cubs loaded the bases on a Champ Summers infield single and walks to Jose Cardenal and Andre Thornton. With two outs, Gibson uncorked a wild pitch and Gene Hiser, running for Summers, raced home from third, giving the Cubs a 7-6 lead. Gibson issued an intentional walk to Jerry Morales, reloading the bases.

Pete LaCock, a pinch-hitter, batted next. LaCock, who had lost the starting first base job to Thornton, was best-known as the son of game-show host Peter Marshall of “Hollywood Squares.”

With the count 3-and-2, LaCock stunned Gibson by drilling a fastball over the right-field wall for a home run _ the lone grand slam of his big-league career.

Dejected, Gibson retired the next batter, Don Kessinger, on a groundout and walked off the mound for the final time. Boxscore

“I had reached my absolute limit in humiliation,” Gibson said in his book “Stranger to the Game.” “I said to myself, ‘That’s it. I’m out of here.’ ”

Gibson remained idle while the Cardinals fell out of contention.

On Sept. 15, two weeks after his special day, Gibson said goodbye to his teammates and headed home with 10 games remaining in the season, knowing he’d never pitch again.

Previously: Bob Gibson and his final Opening Day with Cardinals

Previously: How Ron Reed replaced Bob Gibson in Cards rotation

Previously: How Bob Gibson achieved career win No. 250

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Why Jack Spring, Paul Toth are part of Cardinals lore

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Trades on August 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

For pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth, being part of one of the Cardinals’ best trades did little for their careers other than making them answers to a trivia question.

Who were the players the Cardinals acquired with outfielder Lou Brock from the Cubs on June 15, 1964, for pitchers Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz and outfielder Doug Clemens?

Spring and Toth.

Because of the impact of the deal on Brock and the Cardinals, few recall St. Louis got anyone else in the trade.

Brock sparked the Cardinals to the 1964 National League pennant and World Series championship and built a Hall of Fame career in St. Louis.

For Spring, the Cardinals became a brief stop during a year in which he played for three big-league teams before finishing the season in the minors.

For Toth, the trade was a reunion, returning him to the organization he started with but doing nothing to get him back to the major leagues.

Aloha, Jack

Spring, a left-hander, debuted in the major leagues with the 1955 Phillies. He also pitched for the 1957 Red Sox and 1958 Senators before joining the expansion Angels in 1961. In four years with the Angels, Spring was 11-2 with eight saves.

In 1964, Spring began the season with the Angels before being sent to the Cubs on May 15 in a cash transaction.

He made his Cardinals debut on the same day he was traded from the Cubs. In an inning of relief against the Colt .45s at Houston, Spring yielded four runs, one earned, on three hits and walk. In the eighth, Brock made his Cardinals debut, pinch-hitting for Spring. Boxscore

“When the trade was made, I was home in Chicago,” Spring told the Society for American Baseball Research. “My wife called out to me that they’re talking about it on the TV. Brock and I flew to Houston, where the game had already started. I went to the bullpen. They told me to warm up and go into the game. The catcher was Tim McCarver. I got to the mound, and he said, ‘Hi, Jack. I’m Tim. What do you throw?’ ”

Five days later, on June 20, Spring made his second and last Cardinals appearance. In two innings of relief against the Giants at St. Louis, Spring gave up five runs on five hits, including a three-run double by Hal Lanier and a two-run home run by Orlando Cepeda. All the runs were unearned. Boxscore.

Spring had yielded nine runs in three innings for St. Louis but had an ERA of 3.00 because only one of those runs was earned.

The Cardinals assigned Spring, 31, to their Class AAA club at Jacksonville, but he refused to report. If he was going to accept a demotion to the minors, Spring, a resident of Spokane, Wash., preferred to play in the Pacific Coast League.

On July 9, the Cardinals accommodated Spring, sending him to the Angels in a cash transaction. The Angels assigned him to their Pacific Coast League team in Hawaii. Bob Lemon, the Hall of Fame pitcher, was Hawaii’s manager. Spring thrived there, posting a 3-3 record and 2.11 ERA in 30 games.

Spring got his final big-league chance with the 1965 Indians, pitching in 14 games. He spent the remainder of his playing career in the Pacific Coast League, finishing with his hometown club, Spokane, in 1969.

Cardinals prospect

Unlike Spring, Toth was sent directly to the minor leagues after his trade to the Cardinals and never returned to the big leagues.

Toth, a right-hander, was signed by the Cardinals in 1955. He pitched in their system until 1958 before spending two years in military service.

When he resumed his playing career in 1961, the Cardinals sent Toth to Class AA Tulsa. He had his best season, posting an 18-7 record and 2.37 ERA.

That performance caught the attention of Cardinals manager Johnny Keane. At the 1962 spring training camp, Toth got to pitch in Cardinals exhibition games and did well. He held the Mets to a hit in three innings in the second spring exhibition and was cited by The Sporting News as the camp’s “sleeper” prospect.

Toth was one of 10 pitchers on the Cardinals’ 1962 Opening Day roster. He appeared in six games and was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. His highlight was a complete-game win in a start against the Colt .45s on Aug. 5 at St. Louis. Boxscore

“Paul showed a good assortment and plenty of poise,” said Cardinals pitching coach Howie Pollet.

Wrote The Sporting News: “Toth’s chief assets are a good slider and a reputation as a tough battler.”

Less than a month later, though, on Sept. 1, the Cardinals traded Toth to the Cubs for pitcher Harvey Branch.

Toth was 3-1 with a 4.24 ERA for the 1962 Cubs. He earned his first win for them on Sept. 18 against the Cardinals in a 4-3 victory at Wrigley Field. Toth pitched 8.2 innings, yielding a solo home run in the second to his former road roommate, catcher Carl Sawatski, and a two-run homer in the ninth to Stan Musial. Boxscore

“He figures in my plans for next year,” Cubs manager Charlie Metro said. “He’s the kind of guy you like to have on your club. A real bear-down guy. He knows how to pitch. He moves all of his pitches around and showed a real good change-up.”

Toth was 8-12 in three seasons with the Cubs. He was with their Salt Lake City farm club when he was traded back to the Cardinals in the Brock deal.

The Cardinals assigned Toth, 29, to Jacksonville. He was 4-6 with a 3.25 ERA. After the 1964 season, Toth was sent to the Yankees, managed by Keane, in a cash transaction.

Toth never pitched for the Yankees, finishing his playing career in the minor leagues in 1967.

Previously: Lou Brock hit the ground running in 1st start with Cardinals

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5 surprising facts about Curt Flood

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on August 15, 2015| 5 Comments »

(Updated Feb. 6, 2025)

Five facts that may surprise you about Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood:

No. 1: Cardinals foe

Flood made his major-league debut against the Cardinals.

On Sept. 9, 1956, at St. Louis, Flood, 18, was a pinch-runner for Smoky Burgess, the stocky Reds catcher who hit a double in the eighth inning off Cardinals starter Murry Dickson.

Flood was stranded when Bob Thurman popped out to third, ending the inning. Boxscore

As a September call-up, Flood played in five games for the 1956 Reds and three for the 1957 Reds. The Cardinals were the foe in three of those eight games.

Flood and outfielder Joe Taylor were traded by the Reds to the Cardinals for pitchers Willard Schmidt, Ted Wieand and Marty Kutyna on Dec. 5, 1957.

It was the first trade made by Cardinals general manager Bing Devine and it was one of his best. Devine credited Cardinals manager Fred Hutchinson with encouraging him to make the deal.

In his book “October 1964,” author David Halberstam wrote, “Devine was uneasy because it was his first deal and because he had not only never seen (Flood) but he had no sense of him either. But (Hutchinson) seemed confident of Flood’s ability and Devine had a good deal of faith in Hutchinson’s ability to judge talent.”

No. 2: Cardinals infielder

Flood, who won seven consecutive Gold Glove awards as a Cardinals center fielder from 1963-69, played two games at third base and one at second for St. Louis.

In all three instances, Flood shifted from the outfield to the infield late in games. The breakdown:

_ On July 6, 1958, Flood started in center field against the Giants at San Francisco. In the ninth, Ken Boyer moved from third base to shortstop and Flood replaced Boyer at third. Flood didn’t field any chances in the inning. Boxscore

_ On May 10, 1959, at St. Louis against the Cubs, Flood moved from center field to second base in the 10th, replacing Don Blasingame, who had been lifted for a pinch-runner the previous inning. Flood played two innings at second base and didn’t field any chances. Boxscore

_ On June 21, 1960, Flood started in center field versus the Pirates at Pittsburgh. In the eighth, Boyer was ejected and Flood replaced him at third base. Flood had one ball hit to him at third _ by Burgess, then with the Pirates _ and fielded it cleanly. Boxscore

No. 3: Tough and durable

At 5 feet 9 and 165 pounds, Flood was an iron man. He played in 150 or more games in a season seven times.

Flood ranks eighth all-time in games played (1,738) as a Cardinal. Just ahead of him is Red Schoendienst (1,795).

No. 4: Hit man

Flood ranks 10th all-time in most hits (1,853) by a Cardinal, just two behind Ken Boyer (1,855).

No. 5: Hitting the best

Flood often was at his best when facing the best.

Here are his career batting marks against some Hall of Fame pitchers:

_ .394 (13-for-33) vs. Don Sutton.

_ .326 (29-for-89) with a home run vs. Warren Spahn.

_ .319 (44-for-138) with two home runs vs. Don Drysdale.

_ .296 (32-for-108) with two home runs vs. Sandy Koufax.

_ .286 (34-for-119) with four home runs vs. Juan Marichal.

_ .286 (14-for-49) with two home runs vs. Ferguson Jenkins.

On May 3, 1968, at San Francisco, before a crowd that included his mother and other relatives, Flood hit two home runs in a game against Marichal. Flood hit a solo home run in the first and a two-run shot in the fifth “Curt hit a good pitch (fastball) the first time, but I hung a slider on the second home run,” Marichal told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Boxscore

Postscript

Flood was an integral member of a Cardinals franchise that won two World Series championships and three National League pennants in the 1960s.

In 12 seasons with the Cardinals, Flood was a three-time all-star who hit .293 with 1,853 hits in 1,738 games, including two consecutive seasons (1963-64) with 200 or more hits.

When the Cardinals traded him to the Phillies after the 1969 season, Flood refused to report and challenged baseball’s reserve clause, paving the way for free agency.

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