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Cardinals gave John Smoltz a chance to exit on high note

Posted in Games, Pitchers on January 12, 2015| 2 Comments »

(Updated Aug. 23, 2018)

In a last hurrah to a stellar career, John Smoltz got one win for the Cardinals and it was a gem.

john_smoltzOn Jan. 6, 2015, Smoltz was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. The right-hander is the only big-league pitcher with 200 wins and 150 saves. He also earned 15 postseason wins: seven in the National League Division Series, six in the NL Championship Series and two in the World Series.

If not for the opportunity given to him by the Cardinals, Smoltz would have had a sour ending to his career.

Saved by St. Louis

Smoltz pitched for the Braves from 1988 through 2008. He made his last appearance for them on June 2, 2008, before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.

A free agent, Smoltz signed with the Red Sox in 2009, but he was a flop, posting a 2-5 record and a 8.32 ERA in eight starts.

On Aug. 7, 2009, the Red Sox designated Smoltz for assignment. Ten days later, they released him.

The Cardinals, in first place in the NL Central, were seeking pitching depth. They had tried four pitchers as the fifth starter _ Todd Wellemeyer, Brad Thompson, Mitchell Boggs and P.J. Walters _ and weren’t satisfied with any. They also wanted to bolster the bullpen.

Cardinals third baseman Mark DeRosa, who had played for seven seasons with the Braves, recommended Smoltz to general manager John Mozeliak and manager Tony La Russa, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. DeRosa and Smoltz also were represented by the same agency.

On Aug. 19, 2009, Smoltz, 42, signed with the Cardinals for $100,000. The team planned to give Smoltz two starts to determine whether he would remain in a rotation with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro and Kyle Lohse, or move to the bullpen in a setup role for closer Ryan Franklin.

“There is no downside to this move,” Carpenter said.

Mozeliak called it “a unique opportunity” and “too inviting not to take a chance on.”

Said Smoltz: “You’re going to get a nasty guy on the mound … I still believe in everything I’m doing to get myself prepared for battle … You’ve got to want it. I still want it.”

To the rescue

Two days after Smoltz signed, Lohse suffered a groin injury running the bases and was placed on the disabled list. The Cardinals saw Smoltz as the replacement for Lohse. The question was whether Smoltz could be effective.

On Aug. 23, 2009, Smoltz provided the answer. In his first Cardinals appearance, Smoltz started against the Padres at San Diego and displayed the form that had made him an eight-time all-star with the Braves.

Smoltz struck out nine, including seven in a row, in five innings and held the Padres scoreless. Using a mix of split-fingered pitches, a slider, curve and fastball, Smoltz struck out the last batter of the second inning and struck out the side in the third and fourth innings.

Departing with a 5-0 lead, Smoltz earned the win _ the 213th and last of his career in the majors _ in a 5-2 Cardinals victory. Boxscore

“I couldn’t ask for a better beginning (with St. Louis),” Smoltz said. “All the pitches that were giving me trouble, I was able to throw.”

Wrote Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell: “No one could have seen this coming. I mean no one.” Video

Postseason finale

Smoltz stayed in the Cardinals rotation, made seven total starts and finished 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA. His ERA was 3.18 before he got shelled for six runs in four innings in his final career start on Sept. 30, 2009, against the Reds at Cincinnati.

The last pitching appearance for Smoltz came in a relief stint for the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2009 NL Division Series against the Dodgers at St. Louis. Smoltz, pitching the sixth and seventh innings, struck out five in a row _ Ronnie Belliard, Russell Martin and Vicente Padilla to end the sixth and Rafael Furcal and Matt Kemp to start the seventh. Boxscore

“For me personally, this was an incredible opportunity after surgery,” Smoltz said to the Post-Dispatch. “No one thought I could come back … I got a chance and I thank the organization for giving me that chance.’

His final career numbers: 213-155 with 154 saves, 3,084 strikeouts and a 3.33 ERA. In the postseason, Smoltz was 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 41 games.

Against the Cardinals, Smoltz was 11-11 with a 4.13 ERA in 40 regular-season appearances, including 29 starts. He was 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA vs. St. Louis in the 1996 NL Championship Series.

Previously: Reaching 3,000 strikeouts was low-key event for Bob Gibson

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The story of Stu Miller and his stellar start with Cardinals

Posted in Games, Pitchers on January 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

A master at changing speeds and controlling his pitches, Stu Miller was a remarkable rookie for the 1952 Cardinals. He earned complete-game wins in each of his first three appearances for St. Louis, yielding a total of one earned run.

stu_miller2In a 16-year big-league career, primarily with the Giants and Orioles, Miller produced 105 wins and 154 saves, led the National League in ERA (2.47) in 1958 and led each league in saves (a NL-best 17 in 1961 and an American League-high 27 in 1963).

It was the Cardinals, though, who developed him and brought him to the majors.

Road to Redbirds

At 21, Miller signed with the Cardinals in 1949 after attending a tryout camp in his home state, Massachusetts.

He quickly rose through their minor-league system, posting records of 16-13 with Class D Hamilton in 1950, 13-10 with Class B Winston-Salem in 1951 and 11-5 with Class AAA Columbus in 1952.

After winning eight of his last 10 starts at Columbus for manager Johnny Keane, Miller, 24, was promoted to the Cardinals in August 1952. Cardinals manager Eddie Stanky was surprised to see his new right-hander was slight (5 feet 10, 150 pounds) and, according to St. Louis writer Bob Broeg, “looks more like a ribbon clerk than a pitcher.”

Dazzling debut

Stanky tabbed Miller to make his big-league debut in a start against the Cubs at Chicago on Aug. 12, 1952.

“Stu’s got ice water in his veins,” Cardinals pitcher Harry Brecheen said to The Sporting News. “I went over the Chicago lineup with him at dinner before his first major-league start and asked him if he’d be nervous. ‘Maybe for one pitch,’ he told me. But the way he curved that first strike past Tommy Brown, I don’t think he was tense at all.”

Miller struck out Brown and settled into a groove, baffling the Cubs with a fastball, changeup and curve.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the Cardinals ahead, 1-0, the Cubs put runners on first and third with two outs. Brecheen was warming in the bullpen.

With Bill Serena at the plate, Stanky went to the mound and stared into the eyes of Miller.

“I’m all right,” Miller told the manager.

Stanky stayed with Miller.

Serena worked the count to 3-and-2. Miller threw a fastball and Serena struck out, ending the game and securing the shutout win. Boxscore

“I warmed up in the ninth inning and worked up more of a sweat than he did pitching nine innings,” Brecheen said.

The Cubs were limited to six hits _ five singles and a Hank Sauer double _ and two walks.

“I bet he showed me eight or nine different speeds,” Cardinals catcher Del Rice said. “He was really right when he said he could get his slow stuff over nine out of every 10 pitches.”

Plenty of poise

Five days later, Aug. 17, 1952, Miller made his second start, facing the Reds at St. Louis.

Again, he took a shutout into the ninth.

With the Cardinals ahead, 2-0, the Reds put runners on first and second with two outs.

The batter, Roy McMillan, hit a grounder to shortstop Solly Hemus, who booted the ball, retrieved it and made a wild throw. Joe Adcock scored from second, Andy Seminick went from first to third and McMillan made it to second.

Miller, who would have had his second consecutive shutout if Hemus hadn’t made two errors on the play, prepared to face Bob Borkowski with two runners in scoring position and a one-run lead.

Stanky went to the mound and peered into the eyes of Miller.

“I’ll get him out,” Miller said.

Borkowski struck out looking, giving Miller his second straight complete-game win and the Cardinals a 2-1 victory. Boxscore

“He must be more than 24,” Stanky said, “because he’s too smart and too calm to be that young.”

Said Cardinals farm director Joe Mathes, who was among those who had recommended the Cardinals call up Miller: “Hitting is timing and how the hell can they time something that comes up there at a different speed each time?”

It’s Miller time

In his third start, Aug. 22, 1952, against the Giants at St. Louis, Miller pitched another gem _ striking out nine in a complete-game three-hitter _ and got the win in a 3-1 Cardinals victory. Boxscore

After his first three appearances in the big leagues, Miller was 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA in 27 innings.

In his fourth start, a 4-3 Dodgers triumph over the Cardinals on Aug. 26, 1952, Miller took the loss, even though he held Brooklyn to four hits and struck out 10 in another complete game. Two of the Dodgers’ runs were unearned. Boxscore

Miller finished 6-3 with a 2.05 ERA for the 1952 Cardinals.

Ended as started

The remainder of his Cardinals career wasn’t nearly as successful. Miller was 7-8 with a 5.56 ERA for St. Louis in 1953 and 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA in 1954. He spent the 1955 season at Class AAA Omaha, where he was 17-14.

With an 0-1 record and 4.91 ERA for the 1956 Cardinals, Miller was traded with pitchers Harvey Haddix and Ben Flowers to the Phillies for pitchers Murry Dickson and Herm Wehmeier.

In four seasons with St. Louis, Miller was 15-15 with seven saves and a 4.47 ERA.

At age 40 in 1968, Miller ended his playing career as it started _ in the Cardinals organization. Released by the Braves, Miller signed with the Cardinals’ Class AAA Tulsa team, managed by Warren Spahn, and was 1-2 with a 6.43 ERA in 13 games.

Previously: Take a look at the worst bullpen in Cardinals history

Previously: Shelby Miller leads Cardinals rookies to 36 wins

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Cardinals often had effective game plan vs. Randy Johnson

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers on December 29, 2014| 1 Comment »

(Updated Jan. 6, 2015)

The Cardinals were a tough opponent for Randy Johnson.

randy_johnsonThe 6-foot-10 left-hander had a 7-7 record and 4.17 ERA versus the Cardinals in 16 regular-season career starts. He also was 0-2 against them in two postseason starts.

Johnson, who has 303 wins, five Cy Young awards and ranks second all-time in strikeouts (4,875), was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 6, 2015.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols was a Johnson nemesis, batting .458 (11-for-24) against him in the regular season, with five home runs and 13 RBI. He also hit a home run versus Johnson in the postseason.

Here is a look at some memorable matchups between Johnson and the Cardinals:

Roughed up by Redbirds

Mike Matheny and Eli Marrero hit solo home runs on consecutive pitches off Johnson in the third inning and Edgar Renteria knocked him from the game with a three-run homer in the sixth, powering the Cardinals to a 9-4 victory over the Diamondbacks on April 8, 2001, at Phoenix.

Johnson yielded 11 hits and nine runs in 5.2 innings. He also walked two and hit two with pitches. Pujols, batting fourth for the first time in the big leagues, had a two-run double off Johnson and Fernando Vina contributed a two-run single. Rick Ankiel got the win, his last as a big-league starter. Boxscore

The nine earned runs were the most Johnson had yielded in a game since April 10, 1994, when the Blue Jays scored 10 in 2.1 innings against him.

“A game like this will stick with you a little while … I pitched real bad,” Johnson said to the Arizona Daily Star after the loss to the Cardinals.

Johnson, 38, recovered from the pounding and posted one of his best seasons. He was 21-6 with a National League-leading 2.49 ERA for the 2001 Diamondbacks. He struck out a career-best 372 and earned his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award.

Pujols delivers

In Game 2 of the NL Division Series at Phoenix on Oct. 10, 2001, Pujols hit his first postseason home run, a two-run shot off a high fastball from Johnson in the first inning, and sparked the Cardinals to a 4-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.

“I wish I could have that pitch back,” Johnson said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Said Pujols: “That was my pitch.”

Johnson also yielded a run in the third. Pitcher Woody Williams doubled, advanced to third on a bunt by Vina and scored on a sacrifice fly by Placido Polanco.

Johnson went eight innings, surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out nine. Boxscore

“He made two mistakes the whole game, to Pujols and Woody Williams,” said Diamondbacks catcher Damian Miller. “The only two bad pitches.”

Good game plan

Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen each hit a two-run home run off Johnson, leading the Cardinals to a 12-2 triumph against the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the 2002 NL Division Series on Oct. 1 at Phoenix. Matheny contributed a RBI-single and a double against Johnson.

In six innings, Johnson allowed 10 hits, six runs and two walks. Boxscore

The Cardinals benefitted from a disciplined approach, laying off sliders and waiting for fastballs, according to Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch.

“We did a great job of sticking to our game plan,” said Edmonds. “We made him pitch and tried to hit strikes instead of being overaggressive and trying to match his power.”

Said Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly: “It appeared to me that he was rushing a little bit. When he does that, his velocity drops (and) his slider is not quite as sharp as it usually is. They were a very unforgiving team to him.”

Escape act

The Cardinals hit four home runs off Johnson, but he escaped with a no-decision in an 8-6 Diamondbacks victory on Sept. 1, 2008, at Phoenix.

Pujols hit a two-run home run and Yadier Molina, Joe Mather and Felipe Lopez each hit solo shots against Johnson. He gave up six hits and five runs in 3.2 innings. Eight of the 11 outs Johnson recorded were on strikeouts. Boxscore

Last win

In his last career appearance against the Cardinals, Johnson gave up two home runs to Pujols but earned the win _ the last of his big-league career _ in a 6-3 Giants victory on June 30, 2009, at St. Louis.

Johnson gave up four hits, four walks and three runs in 5.1 innings. Pujols hit a solo home run in the fourth and a two-run shot in the sixth. Ryan Ludwick accounted for the other two hits off Johnson: a double and a triple. Boxscore

The first home run by Pujols carried an estimated 445 feet. “I didn’t make the pitch I wanted to make,” Johnson said to the San Jose Mercury News. “I think it will probably be landing sometime shortly.”

Johnson has the most career strikeouts of any left-hander. Only right-hander Nolan Ryan (5,714) has more. Johnson and Steve Carlton (4,136) are the only left-handers with more than 3,000 strikeouts.

Johnson ranks fifth all-time among left-handers in wins, trailing Warren Spahn (363), Carlton (329), Eddie Plank (326) and Tom Glavine (305).

Previously: Rick Ankiel and his last hurrah as a pitcher

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Dan Haren proved more durable than Mark Mulder

Posted in Executives, Pitchers, Trades on December 17, 2014| 2 Comments »

(Updated Dec. 18, 2018)

Seeking a starter to replace Woody Williams in the rotation, the Cardinals used a prospect, Dan Haren, to help land an ace, Mark Mulder.

mark_mulderOn Dec. 18, 2004, the Cardinals acquired Mulder from the Athletics for Haren, reliever Kiko Calero and first baseman Daric Barton.

The Cardinals were praised for adding Mulder to a rotation of Chris Carpenter, Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan and Matt Morris.

Haren, though, turned out to be more durable than Mulder.

Mulder had one strong season for the Cardinals, suffered shoulder ailments and pitched his final game for them in 2008 at age 31.

Haren was 6-10 in two seasons (2003-2004) for St. Louis, but developed into one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors. Haren had 11 seasons in a row of double-digit wins and made 30 starts or more in each of those years.

Haren, whose last season was 2015, posted a career record of 153-131. He was 147-121 after leaving St. Louis. The right-hander pitched for eight teams: Cardinals, Athletics, Diamondbacks, Angels, Nationals, Dodgers, Marlins and Cubs.

After compiling an 81-42 record in five years with the Athletics, Mulder was 16-8 in 32 starts for the 2005 Cardinals. The left-hander went a combined 6-10 for the Cardinals from 2006 to 2008.

Making a splash

After they were swept by the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series, the Cardinals had four prominent players depart as free agents _ Woody Williams (11-8 in 2004), shortstop Edgar Renteria, catcher Mike Matheny and second baseman Tony Womack.

Eager to make a splashy move to show the Cardinals would fight to repeat as National League champions, general manager Walt Jocketty spoke with his Athletics counterpart, Billy Beane, about Mulder and starting pitcher Tim Hudson.

On Dec. 16, 2004, the Athletics dealt Hudson to the Braves for pitchers Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer and outfielder Charles Thomas. Two days later, the Cardinals got Mulder.

Elite starter

“This is something we’ve been working on for two or three weeks,” Jocketty said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We’ve been going back and forth between Hudson and Mulder and we felt like, in our case, we had control of Mulder for an extra year (on his contract) … Both are quality, top of the rotation starters.”

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz described Mulder as “an elite starting pitcher” and “a legitimate front-of-rotation starter.”

From 2001-2004, only Curt Schilling had more wins (74) than Mulder (72).

“He’s an intelligent guy, a great athlete, a great fit,” Jocketty said of Mulder.

Red flag

Miklasz and his colleague, reporter Derrick Goold, did note, however, Mulder had faltered in the second half of the 2004 season after starting the All-Star Game for the American League. Mulder was winless in his last seven 2004 starts, posting an 0-4 record and 7.27 ERA. Overall, Mulder was 17-8 in 2004 but with a 4.43 ERA.

Wrote Miklasz: “Is he wearing down after averaging 212 innings over the past four seasons?”

Mulder denied he was weakened or injured.

“We took our time and thoroughly researched this … As far as we’re concerned, he’s fine,” Jocketty said. “There are no physical problems at all. We made sure.”

Said Mulder: “I wasn’t hurt at all … There was nothing wrong with me.”

Asked to explain why Mulder was ineffective in the second half of 2004, Jocketty replied, “He put a lot of pressure on himself … He tried to do too much.”

Swift start

Any concerns about Mulder were erased early in the 2005 season. He won seven of his first nine decisions for the Cardinals. After stumbling in June (2-3, 7.18 ERA), Mulder recovered and was a combined 7-3 over the last three months of the season. He was especially effective against left-handed batters, limiting them to a .191 average in 2005.

Haren, meanwhile, had 14 wins for the 2005 Athletics, posting a 3.73 ERA in 34 starts. Calero contributed four wins and a save in 58 relief appearances.

In 2006, Mulder won five of his first six decisions for St. Louis before the shoulder woes began. Mulder made two starts after June 20 and finished the 2006 season at 6-7 with a 7.14 ERA. He was 0-3 with a 12.27 ERA for the 2007 Cardinals; 0-0 with a 10.80 for the 2008 Cardinals.

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Why Cardinals were right to trade George Hendrick

Posted in Hitters, Pitchers, Trades on December 12, 2014| 2 Comments »

(Updated Jan. 8, 2025)

In losing their closer and top run producer within a six-day stretch in December 1984, the Cardinals appeared to be a franchise in danger of decline.

george_hendrick2Instead, they became champions.

With Bruce Sutter (45 saves, 1.54 ERA) and George Hendrick (28 doubles and 69 RBI), the 1984 Cardinals achieved 84 wins and finished 12.5 games behind the champion Cubs in the National League East.

Without Sutter and Hendrick, the 1985 Cardinals achieved 101 wins and clinched the National League pennant.

On Dec. 7, 1984, Sutter, a free agent, signed with the Braves. Five days later, on Dec. 12, 1984, the Cardinals dealt Hendrick and minor-league third baseman Steve Barnard to the Pirates for pitcher John Tudor and utility player Brian Harper.

Distraught by the trade of a player who had led the Cardinals in RBI for five consecutive years and in home runs for four seasons in a row, second baseman Tommy Herr told the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, “It’s hard to understand. I think we’ve taken some serious steps backward. … I don’t know why they would trade George, especially to a team in our division. I don’t see how our lineup can withstand the loss of a guy like George.”

Strengthen rotation

Sutter’s departure had created an urgency for the Cardinals to find a pitcher to join Joaquin Andujar as starters who could go deep into games. Without Sutter, the Cardinals are “going to have to have our starters go like hell and get us to the eighth inning,” manager Whitey Herzog told The Sporting News.

Hendrick, 35, was deemed expendable because the Cardinals believed they had candidates to replace him.

Cardinals general manager Joe McDonald told United Press International, “We are sorry to give up George Hendrick and wish him well, but young outfielders like Andy Van Slyke and, a little further into the future, Vince Coleman are deserving of their chances and I’m sure they’ll respond in a way St. Louis fans like.”

In his book “You’re Missin’ a Great Game,” Herzog said Hendrick “became one of the most respected players on my team. When I traded him to the Pirates, it was only out of baseball necessity.”

Herzog told Cardinals Magazine he considered Hendrick “a Gold Glove in right field … Never made mental mistakes, played good team baseball and really grew up to be a heck of a man.”

Cardinals outfielder Willie McGee recalled how he and Hendrick would drive home from the ballpark together during the 1984 season. “George helped me a great deal,” McGee recalled to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It was like he thought more about another person than himself. I’d leave the park and I’d be down, but by the time we got home, I’d be laughing and looking forward to the next day.”

Tudor, 30, had a 12-11 record for the 1984 Pirates. McDonald noted, though, that the left-hander had yielded fewer hits (200) than innings pitched (217) and had 117 strikeouts compared with 56 walks. “What I like about him is his ratio of bases on balls to strikeouts,” said McDonald.

Positive Pirates

The Pirates, who had finished in last place in the six-team National League East in 1984, were confident Hendrick would produce runs and excite the fan base. “It was a deal that general manager Pete Peterson needed to convince Pittsburgh fans that there is a desire to improve the club,” The Sporting News reported.

Said Peterson: “Hendrick can hit 20 home runs and drive in 80 runs … I rate him as one of the best clutch hitters in the game.”

Eight days later, on Dec. 20, 1984, the Pirates acquired another run-producing outfielder, Steve Kemp, from the Yankees.

The deals, however, were busts for the Pirates and a boon for the Cardinals.

Terrific Tudor

Tudor was both the winner and the workhorse McDonald and Herzog had hoped he would be for the 1985 Cardinals. After losing seven of his first eight decisions, Tudor won 20 of his last 21. He and Andujar each had 21 wins for the 1985 Cardinals. In 36 starts, Tudor pitched 275 innings and recorded 10 shutouts. His ERA was 1.93.

In his book, Herzog said Tudor “never threw a ball over 85 mph in his life” and credited a “now-you-see-it changeup” for Tudor’s turnaround.

“John Tudor was the most amazing pitcher I ever saw,” Herzog said.

Van Slyke, 24, adequately replaced Hendrick in right field. Van Slyke had 25 doubles and his 13 home runs ranked second on the club.

Coleman, 23, was promoted from the minors in mid-April and became the everyday left fielder, igniting the offense with 170 hits and 110 steals.

First baseman Jack Clark, acquired from the Giants two months after Hendrick was traded, delivered 22 home runs and 87 RBI.

Herzog deftly handled a closer committee of Jeff Lahti, Ken Dayley, Bill Campbell and Neil Allen until rookie Todd Worrell became the stopper in September.

Danny Cox (18 wins) joined Andujar and Tudor in creating a formidable rotation that also included Kurt Kepshire (10 wins) and Bob Forsch (nine wins).

Meanwhile, the Pirates regressed. They were 57-104, finishing 43.5 games behind the 1985 Cardinals. Hendrick hit .230 with two home runs and 25 RBI in 69 games. Kemp hit .250 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 92 games.

 

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Trade to Cardinals revived career of Tracy Stallard

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers, Trades on December 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »

(Updated Nov. 16, 2024)

Tracy Stallard had a reputation for being a victim. The Cardinals gave him a chance to be a victor. The right-handed pitcher took advantage of the opportunity.

tracy_stallardOn Dec. 8, 1964, in one of Bob Howsam’s first deals as Cardinals general manager, St. Louis traded outfielder Johnny Lewis and pitcher Gordon Richardson to the Mets for Stallard and shortstop Elio Chacon.

The trade energized Stallard, who went from the last-place club in the National League to the newly crowned World Series champions. Stallard rewarded the Cardinals by producing the best season of his big-league career in 1965.

Until then, Stallard largely had been associated with setbacks. Most notable:

_ Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season record when he hit his 61st home run in the 1961 season finale against Stallard at Yankee Stadium. It accounted for the lone run in a 1-0 Yankees triumph over the Red Sox. Maris accomplished one of the most memorable baseball feats. Stallard became the answer to a trivia question. Boxscore

“The pitch was a fastball and over the plate,” Maris said to the New York Times. “I appreciate the fact that he was man enough to pitch to me to try and get me out.”

Stallard told the newspaper, “I’d rather he hit the homer off me than I walk him.”

Years later, asked whether he grooved the 2-and-0 pitch to Maris to give him a shot at the record, Stallard replied to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, “God, no … I don’t know how anybody could help anybody hit a home run … The fastball was probably all I had.”

_ Stallard had a 6-17 record for the 1963 Mets. He followed that with a 10-20 mark for the 1964 Mets and led the major leagues in losses that season. He was the starting and losing pitcher when the Phillies’ Jim Bunning achieved a perfect game against the Mets in 1964. Boxscore

“Tracy Stallard is a good pitcher,” New York Daily News columnist Dick Young wrote. “You have to be good to lose 20 games for the Mets. (Manager) Casey Stengel wouldn’t tolerate you that long if you aren’t good.”

Change of scenery

Stallard was born and raised in Coeburn, Va., a coal-mining town in the southwestern corner of the state. His father was a coal miner. “I hate the mines,” Stallard said to George Vecsey of Newsday. “Never wanted to go down there.”

Baseball gave Stallard a career path. He grew to 6-foot-5, became a standout high school pitcher and was signed at 18 by the Red Sox in 1956.

Stallard was 2-7 as a rookie for the Red Sox in 1961. On the day he gave up the home run to Maris, the Boston Patriots were playing the New York Titans in a pro football game at the Polo Grounds. According to Jerry Nason of the Globe, in the club car on the train back to Boston, a young man announced to his fellow passengers that drinks were on him. One of the Patriots players asked, “What’s this all about?” Stallard replied, “Today I became famous. Roger Maris hit his 61st homer off me.”

According to the Globe, Stallard enjoyed the good life and was known as a “real swingin’ kid” and a “member of the Red Sox jet set.” That “zest for living,” as the Globe described it, apparently hampered his pitching and he was sent back to the minors in 1962. After the season, Stallard was traded to the Mets.

According to Newsday’s Joe Donnelly, at spring training in 1964, Casey Stengel chose Stallard to manage one of the teams in an intrasquad game “because Tracy has the largest hat size (7 5/8) of any Met. Casey thinks a large head houses a large brain.”

Stallard was intelligent enough to change his pitching style in 1964, working smarter and harder to make better pitches.

“This year, he’s always thinking,” Mets catcher Jesse Gonder told Newsday in 1964. “He knows what he wants to do. He’d pitch to spots on every hitter. He wouldn’t throw the ball over the middle. He’d work on the corners. He’d always have an idea. Last year (in 1963), he was a thrower. This year, he’s a pitcher.”

Seeking a starter

Though Stallard was 1-3 against the 1964 Cardinals, he yielded just 20 hits (and no home runs) to them in 22 innings and had a 3.27 ERA.

Uncertain whether Ray Washburn would recover from a shoulder injury, Howsam sought a starter to join a rotation of Bob Gibson, Ray Sadecki and Curt Simmons.

The Mets were seeking an outfielder. Lewis, a rookie, began the 1964 season as one of the Cardinals’ regulars. He started 28 games in right field, but batted .234 with two home runs and seven RBI. In June, slowed by an ankle injury, the Cardinals sent Lewis to Class AAA Jacksonville.

Mike Shannon became the Cardinals’ right fielder and Lou Brock, acquired by the Cardinals in June 1964 from the Cubs, became the left fielder.

Bing Devine, the Cardinals general manager who engineered the deal for Brock before being fired in August 1964, had joined the Mets as an assistant to team president George Weiss. Devine recommended Lewis, 25, to the Mets. Weiss and his vice president, Johnny Murphy, negotiated with Howsam on the trade. “Devine stayed out of the picture,” The Sporting News reported.

Devine told the New York Daily News, “I’d say the only difference between Lewis and Shannon is confidence. Lewis has all the assets of Shannon, but Shannon was always confident beyond his record. Lewis never had the confidence that others felt in him.”

Stallard, who shared a midtown Manhattan apartment with Yankees infielder Phil Linz, had become “quite the young man about (town),” according to the Daily News. “He could run a charm school,” Casey Stengel told Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Yet, when asked his reaction to joining the Cardinals, Stallard told the newspaper, “It’s wonderful. Imagine going from a 10th-place club to a World Series winner.”

Stallard said to Newsday, “This is like going into daylight from darkness.”

Cardinals contributor

In a story headlined “Tracy Ticketed For Starter Job On Cards Staff,” St. Louis manager Red Schoendienst told The Sporting News, “Stallard is a tough competitor and he ought to do a lot better for us because our club can score some runs for him. His best pitches are a slider and a fastball.”

Said Howsam: “We wanted a fourth starter and we think we’ve got him.”

A week later, though, Howsam acquired another starting pitcher, Bob Purkey, from the Reds for outfielder Charlie James and pitcher Roger Craig.

Stallard, 27, began the 1965 season in the Cardinals’ bullpen. He lost his first start April 24 to the Reds, then won his next three decisions as a starter, beating the Pirates twice and the Dodgers. After a win over the Phillies July 18, Stallard was 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA.

His best game for the 1965 Cardinals came on Sept. 1, a day after his 28th birthday, when Stallard pitched a three-hit shutout in a 9-0 victory over the Cubs at Chicago. Stallard struck out eight and yielded only a double by Don Kessinger and singles by Joe Amalfitano and Ernie Banks. Boxscore

Stallard finished second on the 1965 Cardinals in wins (11) and third in innings pitched (194.1). His 3.38 ERA was better than the team average of 3.77. His 11-8 record represented his lone winning season in the majors.

In 1966, Stallard was 1-5 for the Cardinals, who demoted him to the minor leagues. He never returned to the majors, and thus missed a chance to be a teammate of Maris, who was acquired by the Cardinals in December 1966.

Asked about Maris, Stallard told Pat Calabria of Newsday in 1986, “I talked to him a few times after the home run. I’d see him at spring training, or someplace, and we’d talk, but we never talked about the home run … He didn’t bring it up, not once, and neither did I.”

Stallard’s big-league career totals: 30-57 record, 3.91 ERA.

 

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