RetroSimba

(Updated March 13, 2023)

While facing the Cardinals at St. Louis in 2008, Mark Reynolds of the Diamondbacks became the first big-league player to strike out 200 times in a season.

Six years later, Reynolds joined the Cardinals as a role player.

A free agent who played for the 2014 Brewers, Reynolds signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cardinals on Dec. 11, 2014. The Cardinals hoped he would provide right-handed power. They knew, though, he also would strike out a lot.

Starting in 2006, total strikeouts in the majors increased regularly, according to The Sporting News. Reynolds was the model for that trend.

Poor plate discipline

On Sept. 25, 2008, Reynolds struck out in the second inning against Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro. It was Reynolds’ 200th strikeout that season. He struck out again in the seventh. Boxscore

After the game, Reynolds told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “It’s obviously something I have to work on for next year. It’s not the greatest of records to have. It’s a matter of pitch recognition and being more patient and more selective. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten to 3-and-2 and swung at ball four.”

Reynolds finished the 2008 season with 204 strikeouts, breaking the big-league record of 195 set by Adam Dunn of the 2004 Reds. The record had been 189 strikeouts by Bobby Bonds of the 1970 Giants until Dunn topped the mark 34 years later.

“Records are made to be broken. Maybe somebody will come along and break my record,” Reynolds told Hummel.

Instead, Reynolds broke his own record the next season.

Whiffs pile up

In 2009, Reynolds struck out 223 times. That remains the big-league record.

“Deep down inside, I’m sure it bothers him more than he likes to portray,” said 2009 Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch.

Reynolds reached 200 strikeouts in a season three times: 204 in 2008, 223 in 2009 and 211 in 2010. He was with the Diamondbacks all three seasons.

Tyler O’Neill holds the Cardinals club record for striking out the most times in a season. O’Neill fanned 168 times in 2021, breaking the franchise mark of 167 set by Jim Edmonds in 2000.

Power potential

The reason Reynolds remained in the majors was he hit home runs. In 2009, when he established the strikeout record of 223, Reynolds produced 44 home runs and 102 RBI for the Diamondbacks. Reynolds hit 22 home runs in 378 at-bats for the 2014 Brewers.

“When that production is coming with the strikeouts,” Hinch said, “it (the record) is almost a moot point.”

Paul Molitor, who produced 3,319 hits and never struck out 100 times in a season, told The Sporting News in 2014, “Guys that are good hitters and hit for a high average should probably be striking out 10 percent of the time.”

Reynolds hit 13 home runs and struck out 121 times in 382 at-bats for the 2015 Cardinals. He became a free agent after the season and went to the Rockies.

In 13 seasons in the majors, Reynolds had 1,283 hits (298 for home runs) and 1,927 strikeouts.

“I don’t know if it’s the mentality of the players,” said Molitor, “but they’re definitely not concerned about it.”

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(Updated Nov. 24, 2017)

In 1964, Ken Boyer showed the qualities one would expect in a Hall of Fame player. The Cardinals third baseman consistently excelled with the glove and with the bat. He was a champion and a leader. He achieved feats that ranked him among the elite at his position all-time.

Boyer hasn’t been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y. The only other third basemen of the 1958-64 era who fielded and hit at the same level as Boyer were Brooks Robinson of the Orioles, Eddie Mathews of the Braves and Ron Santo of the Cubs. All three have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Special player

Though one outstanding year doesn’t qualify anyone for the Hall of Fame, Boyer’s 1964 season is important because it caps a seven-year stretch of consistently high quality and puts into context how Boyer elevated himself into a special category of third basemen.

Boyer, 33, played in all 162 Cardinals regular-season games in 1964. He led the majors in RBI with 119. Boyer also ranked in the top five in the National League in triples (10) and walks (70). He hit .295 with 185 hits, 30 doubles and 24 home runs. He scored 100 runs. His on-base percentage was .365.

Among NL third basemen in 1964, Boyer ranked second in both assists and double plays turned.

Calm and steady

His immense value to the Cardinals was proven with these statistics: Boyer hit .335 with 91 RBI in the Cardinals’ 93 wins in 1964; .238 with 28 RBI in the Cardinals’ 69 losses.

Remarkably consistent, Boyer in 1964 hit .296 against right-handed pitching; .291 versus left-handers.

Boyer was at his best against the Cardinals’ closest competitors, the Phillies and the Reds. Each finished a game behind the pennant-winning Cardinals. Boyer hit .351 with 17 RBI in 18 games against the 1964 Phillies; .309 with 13 RBI in 18 games versus the 1964 Reds.

In a profile of the Cardinals team captain in the Nov. 14, 1964, edition of The Sporting News, Ed Wilks wrote that Boyer “does everything well, but in the calm, steady, unspectacular fashion of a professional.”

Said Boyer: “The (1964) season couldn’t have been more satisfying. I think I did just about everything I had hoped to do.”

Rewarding year

Among the feats Boyer achieved in 1964:

_ He was named recipient of the NL Most Valuable Player Award on Nov. 24. Boyer became only the second NL third baseman and just the fourth in the big leagues to win a MVP Award. The others were Bob Elliott of the 1947 Braves in the NL and Al Rosen of the 1953 Indians and Brooks Robinson of the 1964 Orioles in the American League.

Top five in balloting for 1964 NL MVP were Boyer, Johnny Callison of the Phillies, Bill White of the Cardinals, Frank Robinson of the Reds and Joe Torre of the Braves. Boyer received 14 of 20 first-place votes. “That’s a lot when there are only 20 votes altogether and you have all that strong competition,” Boyer said. “Fourteen must be my lucky number. That’s my uniform number.”

_ The Sporting News named Boyer its Major League Player of the Year. He became the third Cardinals player to earn the honor, joining Marty Marion (1944) and Stan Musial (1946 and 1951).

_ For exemplifying the qualities of Lou Gehrig on and off the field, Boyer was presented the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award by the late Yankees first baseman’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Columbia University. He joined Musial (1957) as the second Cardinals player to receive the honor.

Run producer supreme

_ He became the first third baseman to lead the NL in RBI since Heinie Zimmerman (102) of the 1917 Giants. Boyer also was the first Cardinals player to lead the major leagues in RBI since Enos Slaughter (130) in 1946 and the first Cardinals player to lead the NL in RBI since Musial (109) in 1956.

_ Named to the all-star team for the seventh and last time, Boyer started at third base in the 1964 Midsummer Classic at Shea Stadium in New York and went 2-for-4, with a home run off Athletics reliever John Wyatt, in a 7-4 NL victory. Boxscore

_ Despite a hamstring injury, Boyer played in all seven games of the 1964 World Series against the Yankees. He hit a grand slam off Al Downing for all the Cardinals’ runs in a 4-3 Game 4 triumph Boxscore and produced three hits, including a solo home run against Steve Hamilton, in the Cardinals’ championship-clinching 7-5 victory in Game 7. Boxscore

_ The 1964 season was the last of seven in a row in which Boyer hit 23 or more home runs and produced 90 or more RBI.

Previously: If Ron Santo goes into Hall, Ken Boyer should, too

Previously: Ken and Clete Boyer: 1st brothers to each hit 25 HRs

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(Updated April 3, 2022)

In 1939, a Cardinal was National League batting champion, but it wasn’t the player who nearly hit .400.

Cardinals first baseman Johnny Mize won the 1939 league batting title with a .349 mark in 153 games. At that time, a player needed to appear in 100 games in a season to qualify for the National League batting crown.

Mize’s teammate, catcher Don Padgett, hit .399 in 92 games for the 1939 Cardinals. Padgett produced 93 hits in 233 at-bats. No National League player with at least 200 at-bats in a season has had a higher batting average since then, according to baseball-reference.com.

If not for bad timing, Padgett, 27, would have hit .400 that season.

Untimely time out

On Oct. 1, the last day of the 1939 season, the Cardinals played the Cubs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Padgett, a left-handed batter, was sent by manager Ray Blades to pinch-hit for pitcher Max Lanier against the Cubs starter, right-hander Claude Passeau.

Padgett lined a single to center, according to author John Snyder in the book “Cardinals Journal,” but the hit didn’t count. First-base umpire Bick Campbell had called time out just before Passeau delivered the pitch because a ball had rolled from the bullpen onto the field.

The hit in his final at-bat of the season would have given Padgett a .402 batting average.

Instead, Padgett returned to the batter’s box and drew a walk, settling for the .399 mark. Boxscore

Ripping righties

Two years later, Ted Williams of the Red Sox became the last big-league player to hit .400 in a season with at least 200 at-bats. Williams hit .406 in 1941.

Padgett was used almost exclusively against right-handed pitchers in 1939. He hit .399  (89-for-223) versus right-handers and .400 against left-handers (4-for-10). He was especially productive at home, hitting .455 (46-for-101) for the 1939 Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

Primarily a backup to starting catcher Mickey Owen, Padgett enjoyed a torrid June (.441 batting average) and July (.484). His batting average was .400 on Sept. 27. Then he went 1-for-3 against the Reds on Sept. 28, dropping his batting mark to .399 and setting up that final at-bat versus the Cubs three days later.

Defense was not his specialty. Regarding Padgett’s catching skills, Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described him as “a shoemaker in shin guards.”

In five years with the Cardinals, Padgett hit .292 in 525 games. His career mark in eight big-league seasons with the Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers and Braves was .288.

Previously: The strange case of Hugh Casey versus 1940 Cardinals

Previously: Baseball and romance: Cardinals’ Cuban adventures

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(Updated Jan. 25, 2024)

On the night he broke the record for stolen bases in a season, Lou Brock triggered a wide range of emotions. Cool Papa Bell was delighted. Maury Wills was melancholy. Bob Boone was bitter.

Brock was relieved.

“I’m glad to get it behind me,” Brock said to the Associated Press.

On Sept. 10, 1974, in an 8-2 Phillies victory over the Cardinals at St. Louis, Brock got his 104th and 105th stolen bases of the season, surpassing the mark of 104 established by Maury Wills of the 1962 Dodgers. The steals were the 739th and 740th of Brock’s career and made him the all-time National League leader, surpassing Max Carey, who swiped 738 for the Pirates and Dodgers from 1910-29.

In achieving the single-season record, Brock stole second base 100 times and third base five times.

Sorry, Maury

Brock, 35, got his 105 steals in 134 games. Wills got his 104 steals in 165 games. (The Dodgers and Giants had a three-game playoff after ending the 162-game schedule in a tie for first place.)

“I never thought anyone would approach the record this soon, probably not in my lifetime,” Wills said. “I just feel that was my record. I was very proud of it … I don’t think anyone looks forward to seeing his own record broken.”

Asked by The Sporting News to compare his skills with Brock’s, Wills replied, “I had more finesse and got a better lead, but I guess Brock has more speed.”

In his book “On the Run,” Wills said, “I wasn’t at the game when Brock stole his 105th base. I was at an NBC studio, waiting to comment on it. When it happened, they asked me how I felt about it. ‘I don’t like it at all,’ I said honestly. ‘I wasn’t pulling for him.’ ”

Hometown hero

The game against the Phillies on Sept. 10 was the Cardinals’ last at home before embarking on a trip to New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Brock was motivated to break the record at St. Louis.

“The only pressure was that which I’d put on myself by saying I wanted to do this at home,” Brock said.

In the first inning, before 27,285 at Busch Stadium, Brock led off with a single against Dick Ruthven. On the second pitch to the next batter, Ron Hunt, Brock broke for second and beat Boone’s throw, which bounced into center field. Brock was credited with a steal of second and advanced to third on the error.

Brock led off the seventh with a single. On Ruthven’s second pitch to Hunt, Brock took off and beat a wide throw from Boone to shortstop Larry Bowa for the record-breaking 105th steal. Video at 2-minute mark

“On 105, I felt my legs swaying just before I reached the base,” Brock said. “I didn’t even have enough energy to pop up with my slide. I guess I was pretty well spent.”

Salute to Lou

As Cardinals fans chanted “Lou, Lou, Lou,” the game was halted and Brock was honored in an on-field ceremony. Second-base umpire John McSherry shook hands with Brock. Bowa did, too.

Bell, a Negro League speedster who had been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, presented Brock with the second-base bag. “We decided to give him his 105th base because if we didn’t he was going to steal it anyway,” Bell said.

Addressing the crowd, Brock thanked Ted Sizemore _ “My partner in crime.” _ who had batted behind him for most of the season and patiently took pitches in order to provide Brock with the chances to attempt steals.

Brock also thanked teammates Bake McBride and Reggie Smith “for helping me clock the pitcher’s delivery” and trainer Gene Gieselmann because he “pumps my legs up every day.”

Said Brock of the record: “The key to it all was getting on base enough and staying healthy.”

Sour grapes

Two innings later, with the Cardinals trailing by six, Brock led off the ninth and reached first on Bowa’s error. He tried to swipe second, but was caught by Boone.

Boone criticized Brock for running into an out with the Cardinals so far behind.

“I thought it was brutal,” Boone said. “When anybody tries to steal with his club six runs behind, he better darn sure make it. I lost a lot of respect for the man when he tried that … You just can’t get thrown out in that situation.

“My dad played with a guy named Jungle Jim Rivera and he was paid by the number of bases he stole. Maybe Brock’s got something like that in his contract, too. I don’t know why he did it. It wasn’t good baseball.”

Said Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt: “What the hell’s he stealing for in the ninth inning?”

Replied Brock: “Sometimes you can make things happen by the unexpected.”

Green means go

Several Phillies defended Brock.

“Everybody knows he’s going to run and he still does and makes it most of the time,” Bowa said.

Said Phillies second baseman Dave Cash: “When a man steals 104 or 105 bases, you don’t put the red light on.”

Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton, Brock’s former Cardinals teammate, said, “These people came to see him run.” Boxscore

Brock finished the 1974 season with 118 steals. It was the only time in 19 seasons in the majors he swiped more than 74.

In 1979, Brock told writer Roger Angell, “That record meant the most, because it was the only one where I challenged. All the other records I just caught up with, because of time. They were milestones.”

Brock’s record of 118 steals in a season didn’t last long. In 1982, Rickey Henderson swiped 130 for the Athletics. Henderson is the big-league career leader in steals at 1,406. Brock is second at 938.

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