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Bob Gibson: Curt Flood was my best friend in baseball

Posted in Hitters, Pitchers on May 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

On the field, pitcher Bob Gibson and center fielder Curt Flood were all-star players who exceled for a Cardinals club that won two World Series titles and three National League pennants in the 1960s. Off the field, Gibson and Flood were road roommates and confidantes.

In his book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson called Flood “my best friend in baseball.”

In 12 years (1958-69) with the Cardinals, Flood batted .293 (1,853 hits in 1,738 games) and three times led the NL in singles. He also won the Gold Glove Award seven times and was named an all-star three times.

“Curt Flood was more than my best friend on the ballclub,” Gibson said in his book. “To me, he personified what the Cardinals were all about. As a man and teammate, he was smart, funny, sensitive and, most of all, unique. As a ballplayer, he was resourceful, dedicated and very, very good.”

After being traded by the Cardinals to the Phillies in October 1969, Flood refused to report and challenged baseball’s reserve clause, opening the path to free agency for players.

“As Flood’s suit made the judicial circuit, Curt waited it out in Copenhagen, Denmark,” Gibson recalled. “I received long, philosophical letters from him every now and then. I missed him.

“At the ballpark, I missed Flood in center field, where his remarkable catches would often bring his cynical teammates to the top step of the dugout in applause. But I also missed his discussions about the latest works of (writer) James Baldwin and I missed his play on words. When, for instance, he took his place in the outfield between Stan Musial and Minnie Minoso, he referred to the alignment as Old Taylor and Ancient Age with a little Squirt for a chaser.

“I especially missed him as a roommate. By that time, Curt and I understood each other so well that we no longer had to talk to communicate.”

Regarding Flood’s self-sacrifice in challenging the reserve clause and, by so doing, shortening his playing career, Gibson said in his 1994 book, “The modern player has gotten fat from the efforts of Curt Flood and has returned him no gratitude or any other form of appreciation.

“I’ve often thought of what an appropriate and decent thing it would be if every player in the major leagues turned over 1 percent of his paycheck just one time to Curt Flood. They certainly owe him that much and more.”

Previously: George Crowe was Cardinals mentor to Curt Flood

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Cardinals rookie Fred Frankhouse sizzled in September

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Records on May 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Joining a starting rotation that featured future Hall of Famers Jesse Haines and Grover Cleveland Alexander, rookie Fred Frankhouse strung together a September winning streak that nearly lifted the Cardinals to a second consecutive National League pennant.

Frankhouse, 23, won each of his first five starts after being promoted from the minor leagues to the Cardinals in September 1927.

Stretch run

Frankhouse, 5 feet 11 and 175 pounds, was the ace of the Cardinals’ minor-league Houston affiliate in the Texas League in 1927. The right-hander with the sidearm delivery was 21-9 with a 3.24 ERA in 261 innings for Houston.

The defending World Series champion Cardinals, in a four-way race with the Pirates, Giants and Cubs for the 1927 pennant, called up Frankhouse and gave him a start in his big-league debut in the opener of a doubleheader against Chicago on Sept. 7 at St. Louis. The Cardinals started the day in third place, 2.5 games behind the Pirates, 1.5 behind the Giants and a half-game ahead of the Cubs.

Using a sweeping curve, Frankhouse held the Cubs to two runs in seven innings before being relieved by Haines. A 24-game winner in 1927, Haines, making his second and last relief appearance of the season, shut out the Cubs over the final two innings, earning the save and preserving the win for Frankhouse in a 6-2 Cardinals victory. Frankhouse also contributed two hits in three at-bats. Boxscore

Four days later, on Sept. 11, Frankhouse got his second start. He responded with a four-hit shutout, pitching the Cardinals to a 5-0 victory over the Dodgers at St. Louis. The game finished in 1:48. Left fielder Harvey Hendrick got three of the Dodgers’ hits (two singles and a double). The win lifted the Cardinals into a second-place tie with the Giants, two games behind the Pirates. Boxscore

On a roll

Cardinals manager Bob O’Farrell started Frankhouse for the third time on Sept. 15 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Giants at St. Louis. The Giants had five future Hall of Famers in the No. 2 through No. 5 spots in the batting order: Freddie Lindstrom, Edd Roush, Rogers Hornsby, Bill Terry and Travis Jackson.

Frankhouse yielded five runs, but got the win and his second consecutive complete game in an 8-5 Cardinals victory. The game was called after the top of the eighth because of darkness. Frankhouse retired another future Hall of Famer, Mel Ott, with a runner on base to end the game. The Cardinals, who had lost the opener, closed the day still tied with the Giants for second place, but 4.5 behind the Pirates. Boxscore

The Pirates, featuring a lineup with Pie Traynor and brothers Paul and Lloyd Waner, were distancing themselves from the Cardinals and Giants, winning 11 in a row from Sept. 9 through Sept. 17.

On Sept. 19, Frankhouse made his fourth start and pitched his third consecutive complete game, a 12-5 Cardinals victory over the Phillies at St. Louis. Backed by five RBI from his catcher, Frank Snyder, Frankhouse improved his record to 4-0, even though he yielded nine hits and walked five. The Cardinals trailed the Pirates by four with 10 to play. Boxscore

Five days later, on Sept. 24, the Giants beat the Pirates. The Cardinals, behind a fourth consecutive complete game by Frankhouse, defeated the Braves, 4-3, at St. Louis. With Frankhouse improving to 5-0, the Cardinals were within two of the Pirates. Boxscore

NL staple

St. Louis won five of its last six _ the lone loss was by Frankhouse, a 3-2 setback at Cincinnati against the Reds _ and finished the season in second place at 92-61, 1.5 behind the champion Pirates (94-60). The Giants (92-62) finished third, a half-game behind the Cardinals, and the Cubs ended up fourth at 85-68.

In six starts for the 1927 Cardinals, Frankhouse was 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. The Sporting News called him a “sensational flash.” He pitched a total of 311 innings that season, including 50 for the Cardinals.

Frankhouse was 3-2 in 21 games for the NL champion 1928 Cardinals and 7-2 in 30 games for the 1929 Cardinals. After a rough start to the 1930 season (2-3 with a 7.32 ERA in eight games), Frankhouse and pitcher Bill Sherdel were shipped to the Braves for pitcher Burleigh Grimes on June 16. In four years with the Cardinals, Frankhouse was 17-8 with a 4.05 ERA.

The trade was significant for the Cardinals. Grimes helped them win consecutive pennants and a World Series title. Grimes was 13-6 for St. Louis in 1930 and 17-9 in 1931. He also earned two wins against the Athletics in the 1931 World Series, including the decisive Game 7.

Frankhouse pitched seven years with the Braves (63-61) and three years with the Dodgers (26-28). In 13 big-league seasons, his overall record was 106-97 with a 3.92 ERA.

He died on Aug. 17, 1989, at 85.

Previously: Cardinals home opener links Michael Wacha, Jerry Reuss

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The story of how the Cardinals acquired Lee Smith

Posted in Executives, Hitters, Pitchers, Trades on April 27, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 1, 2025)

Unwilling to bend on principle, Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill reluctantly traded a slugger he wanted to keep. In a stroke of good fortune, he got in exchange a closer who would rank among the franchise’s all-time best.

On May 4, 1990, the Cardinals acquired Lee Smith from the Red Sox for outfielder Tom Brunansky.

It was one of Maxvill’s best trades during his tenure (1985-94) as Cardinals general manager. On Dec. 9, 2018, Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The deal came about after Brunansky demanded a no-trade clause in exchange for waiving free agency and staying with St. Louis. “I haven’t been looking to trade him,” Maxvill told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We wanted to keep Brunansky.”

Seeking security

The Cardinals had acquired Brunansky from the Twins for second baseman Tommy Herr on April 22, 1988, six months after Minnesota had prevailed in a seven-game World Series with St. Louis.

Early in the 1990 season, the Cardinals approached Brunansky about a three-year contract. Eligible to become a free agent after the 1990 season, Brunansky wanted a no-trade provision in any new contract. “We don’t have those in St. Louis,” Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog said.

Brunansky explained “my wife and I wanted to settle down and buy a house here,” but couldn’t commit to that without the no-trade clause, the Post-Dispatch reported. “For me to stay here, I would need some kind of security,” Brunansky said. “I wasn’t going to sign here for three years, buy a house and everything and keep hearing trade rumors … It was a big issue for me and, of course, it was a big issue for the ballclub.”

Motivated to act

The Red Sox were eager to deal because they needed a right fielder to replace Dwight Evans, who was restricted to designated hitter duties because of back problems. The Cardinals needed an established closer to replace Todd Worrell, who was recuperating from elbow surgery.

Herzog said to the Post-Dispatch, “We felt if we waited any longer, (Smith) wouldn’t be there.”

Smith became available when the Red Sox signed another closer, Jeff Reardon.

The Cardinals also had talked with the White Sox about closer Bobby Thigpen, according to the Post-Dispatch. The Red Sox, though, were motivated to act.

“They called us. It’s as simple as that,” Red Sox manager Joe Morgan said to the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram and Gazette. “Nobody would give us the kind of pitcher we wanted, so we went with the right-handed power.”

According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox turned down a two-for-one swap with the Braves involving pitcher Tommy Greene and third baseman Jim Presley for Smith. “We offered them a heck of a deal.” Braves general manager Bobby Cox said to The Sporting News.

Reunited with Roarke

Brunansky hit 43 home runs in three years with the Cardinals, but only 11 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. “He’ll hit homers in Fenway (Park),” said Red Sox catcher Tony Pena, a former Cardinal.

Smith posted a 2-1 record with four saves, a 1.88 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14.1 innings for the 1990 Red Sox. In joining the Cardinals, he was reunited with coach Mike Roarke, who had been his coach as a rookie with the 1980 Cubs.

Smith welcomed the chance to be the Cardinals’ closer. With Reardon the primary closer in Boston, Smith said he “sort of felt like the odd man out” there.

“I’m going to get an opportunity to pitch in the situation that I’m used to,” Smith said to Boston reporters. “I’m really pleased.”

Smith earned his first save for the Cardinals on May 11, 1990, pitching a flawless ninth inning in relief of Bryn Smith in St. Louis’ 5-2 victory over the Braves. Boxscore Smith posted 27 saves and a 2.10 ERA for the 1990 Cardinals.

Brunansky played four years with the Red Sox and hit 56 home runs.

Smith played four years with the Cardinals and earned 160 saves. Only Jason Isringhausen (217) has more saves as a Cardinal.

Smith was the first Cardinal to record 40 saves in consecutive seasons. He twice had back-to-back 40-save seasons: 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. He had 47 saves in 1991, 43 in 1992 and 43 again in 1993.

In 1993, less than two hours before the Sept. 1 trade deadline, the Cardinals dealt Smith to the Yankees for pitcher Rich Batchelor, clearing the way to test Mike Perez as the closer the rest of the season. The trade “took me off the hook” from having to inform Smith he was being removed from the closer role, said Joe Torre, who’d replaced Herzog as Cardinals manager.

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How Dizzy Dean got the best of his matchup with Babe Ruth

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers on April 24, 2015| 2 Comments »

(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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Mark Mulder, Roger Clemens and the great duel at Busch

Posted in Games, Hitters, Managers, Opponents, Pitchers on April 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Updated April 23, 2020)

In the last classic pitchers duel at Busch Memorial Stadium, Mark Mulder gave the best performance of his Cardinals career, tossing 10 shutout innings and beating Roger Clemens and the Astros.

On April 23, 2005, in the Cardinals’ final season at the ballpark that had been their home since 1966, Mulder pitched a masterpiece in a 1-0 victory.

Mulder, a left-hander, threw an efficient 101 pitches and faced 33 batters, three more than the minimum for 10 innings. Each of the Astros’ five hits was a single.

Clemens, 42, winner of seven Cy Young awards, was as good as expected, holding the Cardinals scoreless on four hits in seven innings before being relieved by Chad Qualls.

Mulder, 27, making his fourth Cardinals start after coming to St. Louis from the Athletics in a December 2004 trade, was up to the challenge of being matched against Clemens.

In a ballpark that had been the site of gems by Cardinals pitchers such as Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Bob Forsch, Joaquin Andujar and John Tudor, Mulder’s performance ranked among the best. It was the last 1-0 game played at Busch Memorial Stadium.

“Somewhere, Bob Gibson was smiling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote. “This was Gibby’s kind of hardball.”

Throwing strikes

Mulder became:

_ The first Cardinals starter to pitch an extra-inning shutout win since John Tudor did so on Sept. 11, 1985, in a 1-0 St. Louis victory over the Mets.

_ The first Cardinals starter to go 10 innings since Jose DeLeon went 11 against the Reds in a 2-0 Cincinnati victory on Aug. 30, 1989.

_ The first Cardinals starter to go 10 innings and win since Greg Mathews did so against the Mets in a 3-1 St. Louis victory on Aug. 16, 1986.

_ The first major-league starter to pitch a 10-inning shutout win since Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays did so against the Tigers in a 1-0 Toronto victory on Sept. 6, 2003.

“Any time it’s a 0-0 game or 1-0 game or 1-1, I love that,” Mulder told reporter Joe Strauss. “It makes me focus … I’m throwing strike one. I’m getting ahead. It’s enabling me to do a lot more things as far as working both sides of the plate.”

Said Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan: “He’s really changed his delivery, which has allowed him to repeat pitches better.”

Dodging trouble

In the fourth inning, Mulder escaped serious injury. Mike Lamb’s bat shattered when he hit a ground ball to second. The barrel of the bat struck Mulder on the ankle and he doubled over in pain. “It hit me right in a spot where it made my whole foot go numb,” Mulder said to MLB.com.

Feeling quickly returned to the ankle, though, and Mulder was able to continue.

Before sending Mulder to pitch the 10th, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa consulted with the pitcher. “He said he was OK to go,” La Russa said.

After setting down the Astros in the top half of the extra inning, Mulder was scheduled to lead off the bottom of the 10th. Reggie Sanders batted for him and produced an infield single. “It was a swinging bunt that feels just as good as a ringing line drive,” Sanders told the Associated Press.

Walker walkoff

The Cardinals capitalized on Sanders’ hit.

On a hit-and-run, David Eckstein grounded out, advancing Sanders to second.

With Larry Walker up next, Astros manager Phil Garner replaced Chad Qualls with Brad Lidge. Walker lined a hit into the right-center gap, scoring Sanders with the lone run. Boxscore and Video

“It was a fastball, down and away, and he reached for it,” Lidge said. “I’m not upset about the pitch at all.”

Said Walker: “To put the ball in play off (Lidge) is tough to do … He’s got phenomenal stuff.”

The victory gave La Russa 2,125 career wins as a major-league manager, moving him into a tie for fifth place with Joe McCarthy. “You win with great organizations and great players,” La Russa said. “I’ve been lucky enough to have had both.”

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How Cardinals, Reds kept their heads above water

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on April 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Updated April 22, 2020)

With water filling the dugouts and lapping at the feet of spectators in the box seats, the Cardinals and Reds raced to complete a game at Cincinnati before flooding made conditions unplayable.

Completing nine innings in 1:56, the Reds beat the Cardinals, 6-1, on April 22, 1940, at Crosley Field.

The night before, the Ohio River reached the 55-foot stage. Reds officials knew Crosley Field, located near Mill Creek, started flooding when the river got to 57 feet, or five feet above normal flood stage, International News Service reported.

It was expected the river stage would reach 57 feet in late afternoon or early evening on April 22. The Reds moved up the starting time of their game with the Cardinals that afternoon by an hour, from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m.

At game time, however, water stood a foot deep in both dugouts _ even deeper in nearby parking lots _ and a crowd of 5,197 “had to puddle-jump their way into the park,” the Associated Press reported.

Patrons seated in field-level box seats behind third base “pulled their feet higher and higher” as the game progressed and water continued to rise.

“Shortly before game time, there was no water in the front row of the lower tier boxes,” the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, “but before the game was half over the fans in those seats were straddling quite a little pond. Most of them refused to move, although there were plenty of seats right in back of them.”

The players sat on benches in foul territory because the water in the dugouts eventually reached three feet deep, according to the book “Cardinals Journal.”

The game matched starting pitchers Bucky Walters, a 27-game winner in 1939 when he earned the National League Most Valuable Player Award, for the Reds against Bill McGee.

According to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, “the Cardinals were at low tide” in their performance on the field.

Cincinnati, the defending National League champion, broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fifth against McGee. The Reds added three more in the seventh off Clyde Shoun.

Walters drove in three runs and pitched eight scoreless innings before the Cardinals struck for a run in the ninth. By then, water was seeping onto the field. Boxscore

“Water backing up from sewers was ready to flow over the wall or the dugouts as the game ended,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The Cardinals were supposed to play the Reds again on April 23 and April 24, but both games were postponed. By then, the Ohio River had reached 58 feet and water covered the Crosley Field outfield. Another foot would put home plate under water.

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