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Steve Carlton vs. Nolan Ryan: Fateful 1971 finale of aces

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Trades on March 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

(Updated Sept. 28, 2019)

At the time, the Cardinals’ game against the Mets on Sept. 28, 1971, seemed of little importance. In retrospect, it was a significantly historic matchup because of the starting pitchers involved and what happened to them after the season.

In the next-to-last game of the 1971 season for both teams, attendance that Tuesday afternoon at Shea Stadium was 3,338. The Cardinals were assured of finishing in second place in the National League East Division; the Mets were battling the Cubs for third.

The starting pitchers were Steve Carlton for the Cardinals and Nolan Ryan for the Mets. What no one knew was this would be the last game each would play for his team.

In trades each team long would regret, the Mets sent Ryan to the Angels in December 1971 and the Cardinals dealt Carlton to the Phillies in February 1972.

Each pitcher would go on to enjoy a spectacular career that earned enshrinement into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Carlton finished with 329 wins, 4,136 strikeouts and four Cy Young awards. Ryan finished with 324 wins, 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.

Their pairing on Sept. 28, 1971, hardly was viewed as a matchup of baseball giants who should have been the cornerstones of their franchises for the next decade or more.

Instead, Carlton, 27, was seen by some as an underachiever. He had 19 losses the season before. Although he had experienced a turnaround in 1971, with 19 wins heading into the game against Ryan and the Mets, he’d lost two of his previous three decisions.

Like Carlton, Ryan, 24, clearly had talent but too often disappointed. He began the 1971 season with a big-league career record of 19-24. Entering the game against Carlton and the Cardinals, Ryan had won two of his last 13 starts and had a season record of 10-13.

Ryan’s lack of command hurt him immediately against the Cardinals. He walked the first four batters _ Lou Brock, Ted Sizemore, Matty Alou and Joe Torre, forcing in a run. When Ted Simmons followed with a single to right, scoring Sizemore and Alou, manager Gil Hodges lifted Ryan.

Ryan’s final appearance as a Met resulted in five batters faced, four walks and a hit without recording an out.

“It was the most distressing day of my life,” Ryan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I never was so embarrassed.”

Said Hodges: “It seemed he was just throwing the ball because it had to be thrown.”

The Cardinals scored twice in the second inning. Carlton ignited the offense with a leadoff single. Handed a 5-0 lead, Carlton clamped down on the Mets. He pitched a seven-hitter, striking out eight, as St. Louis won, 5-2, for its 90th victory of the season. Boxscore

Carlton (20-9) became a 20-game winner for the first time in the big leagues and the first Cardinals left-hander to achieve the feat since Ray Sadecki in 1964. The complete game was Carlton’s 18th in 36 starts that season.

“There was a lot of skepticism about me before the season,” Carlton said to The Sporting News. “A lot of people didn’t think I could bounce back after last year (and the 19 losses).”

Carlton credited an effective slider with enabling him to beat the Mets.

“The Mets are like the Giants and the Reds for me _ they all wait for my fastball,” said Carlton. “My slider was good when I was warming up, so I decided to go with it.”

Ryan (10-14) was the subject of trade speculation soon after the season ended, but in an Oct. 9, 1971, story in The Sporting News headlined, “Mets Swap Ryan? ‘No Way,’ Says Gil,” Hodges denied the Mets wanted to deal the pitcher.

“We never have given any consideration to trade Nolan Ryan,” Hodges said. “You cannot give up this easily on a guy who has as much talent as he has. You would hate to give up on him and then see him develop into what he can be with some other club.”

On Dec. 10, 1971, Mets general manager Bob Scheffing traded Ryan, outfielder Leroy Stanton, pitcher Don Rose and catcher Frank Estrada to the Angels for Jim Fregosi, a shortstop whom the Mets planned to move to third base.

After the deal was made, Hodges reiterated to The Sporting News his belief Ryan had all-star potential. “When or if or how he’s going to do it, I don’t know. But he’s got ability,” Hodges said.

Fregosi hit .232 for the Mets in 1972 and was dealt to the Rangers a year later. Ryan earned 19 wins with nine shutouts, 329 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA for the 1972 Angels.

Two months after the Mets traded Ryan, Carlton made contract demands, angering Cardinals owner Gussie Busch, who ordered general manager Bing Devine to trade Carlton.

In his book, “The Memoirs of Bing Devine,” Devine said, “Mr. Busch had a meeting with me and Dick Meyer, his right-hand man at Anheuser-Busch. And the team brain trust, if that’s what you want to call it, decided we ought to trade Carlton because we didn’t have him signed and he wanted too much money. Basically, Mr. Busch wanted him gone. I don’t want to cop a plea here, but getting rid of Carlton was not a deal that I initiated or tried to talk anybody into. It was just the relationship between Carlton and Mr. Busch.”

The Cardinals sent Carlton to the Phillies for pitcher Rick Wise on Feb. 25, 1972. Wise was 16-16 for the 1972 Cardinals. Carlton, pitching for a last-place Phillies team, was 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA, 329 strikeouts, nine shutouts and 30 complete games.

Previously: Mets messed with Steve Carlton’s sub-2.00 ERA

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Cardinals deal for Tony Pena not as lopsided as thought

Posted in Trades, Uncategorized on March 5, 2012| 8 Comments »

In 1987, the Cardinals made a trade with the Pirates that stunned fans of both teams. Whether one believes the deal helped or hurt the Cardinals is a matter of perspective.

On April 1, 1987, the Pirates traded catcher Tony Pena, a four-time all-star, to the Cardinals for outfielder Andy Van Slyke, catcher Mike LaValliere and pitcher Mike Dunne.

The deal brought immediate results for the Cardinals. Though he had a subpar regular season, Pena helped the Cardinals win the 1987 National League East Division championship. Inspired by his first exposure to postseason baseball, Pena was a key part of St. Louis’ march to the pennant and a berth in the World Series.

After two more seasons with St. Louis, Pena became a free agent and signed with the Red Sox.

Van Slyke, LaValliere and Dunne all blossomed into top producers for the 1987 Pirates. Van Slyke and LaValliere played integral roles in helping Pittsburgh emerge from a last-place team in 1986 to win three consecutive NL East titles (1990-92).

Informed of the trade made by general managers Dal Maxvill of the Cardinals and Syd Thrift of the Pirates, Pena and Pirates manager Jim Leyland cried.

“My heart’s bleeding,” Pena said to the Associated Press. “I made my life with this ballclub.”

Said Leyland, who approved of the deal: “We’ve traded the best and most durable catcher in baseball.”

Pena, 29, was a three-time winner of the Gold Glove Award and popular with Pirates fans. In an editorial, the Pittsburgh Press wrote,

If Pirates fans could cast a mold of their prototype baseball player, it would come out looking a lot like Tony Pena. He plays baseball the way they like to see it played _ with zest, verve and abandon.

Reaction to the trade largely was negative in Pittsburgh. Wrote columnist Bruce Keidan of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Sorely in need of a starting pitcher, a first-rate shortstop and a right-handed power hitter, the Pirates conspired to give away an all-star catcher without obtaining any of the three.

Said Thrift: “How am I going to explain to my 82-year-old mother when the fans boo me?”

Adding to the despair of many Pirates fans was the reaction to the trade by the Cardinals.

“In Tony Pena, we are getting one of the premier players in the game,” Maxvill said to the Associated Press.

Added manager Whitey Herzog: “When you get a ballplayer of that caliber, you’ve done something. We are really happy. We paid a good price to get him, but it was worth it.”

The Cardinals had entered the 1986 season with Mike Heath as their starting catcher. He couldn’t hit (.205 in 65 games) and the Cardinals dealt him to the Tigers in August that season.

Herzog figured to utilize a platoon of LaValliere and Steve Lake at catcher in 1987, but the thought of having two slow-footed, light-hitting catchers concerned him. Thrift, looking to lift a team that had finished 64-98 in 1986, dangled Pena as trade bait.

“This is a move we believe will benefit the Pirates … Van Slyke has the capability and physical tools to become an outstanding, complete player,” Thrift told the Post-Gazette.

It soon became evident the trade may not have been as lopsided as initially thought.

Post-Gazette columnist John Steigerwald wrote,

Who got the better of the deal depends on which Tony Pena the Cardinals got … Chances are the Cardinals got the same two Tony Penas that have played here, the hot one and the cold one.

If you think the Pirates were robbed, it might make you feel better to know that longtime Cardinals announcer Jack Buck told me yesterday that he thinks Andy Van Slyke is the best defensive outfielder in the National League and that he is as exciting in right field as Pena is behind the plate.

In interviews immediately after the trade was made, Van Slyke and LaValliere provided insights into how they expected to contribute to the Pirates.

“I felt that this (1987) was my year to blossom,” Van Slyke told the Post-Gazette. “This was my year to do the things everybody anticipated me doing in St. Louis. But I can do it here. Sure I can.”

Said LaValliere: “I pride myself an awful lot on my defense … That’s probably my strongest point _ working with my pitchers … With the Cardinals, I knew who I had to kick in the butt and who I had to burp. I’ll have a crash course here.”

Pirates players bought into the trade. Said outfielder Mike Diaz: “The team isn’t made up of one player … We got two starters (Van Slyke and LaValliere) for the price of one.”

In retrospect, the Pirates got three starters for the price of one.

Dunne, 24, earned a spot in the rotation of the 1987 Pirates, posting a 13-6 record and 3.03 ERA in 23 games.

LaValliere, 27, earned a Gold Glove Award in 1987, finishing second in the NL in fielding among catchers, with a .992 percentage. He went on to a seven-year career with Pittsburgh.

Van Slyke, 27, opened the 1987 season in right field for Pittsburgh, with Barry Bonds in center and Bobby Bonilla in left. (During the season, Van Slyke was shifted to center, with Bonds moved to left and Bonilla to right). Van Slyke had the stellar season he expected in ’87, batting .293 with a .359 on-base percentage, 36 doubles, 11 triples, 21 home runs and 82 RBI.

In eight years with Pittsburgh, Van Slyke hit .283 with an on-base percentage of .353. He won a Gold Glove Award in five consecutive seasons (1988-92).

The Cardinals had made the deal, in part, because they believed rookie Jim Lindeman was ready to become an everyday right fielder, but he wasn’t as talented as Van Slyke. (A year later, to plug the gap in right field, the Cardinals traded their productive second baseman, Tom Herr, to the Twins for outfielder Tom Brunansky).

Pena batted .214 with 5 home runs and 44 RBI for St. Louis in 1987. He hit much better in the postseason (.381 in the NL Championship Series against the Giants, and .409 in the World Series against the Twins).

Pena was better in 1988 (.263, 10 homers, 51 RBI) and in 1989 (.259, 4 homers, 37 RBI, with an all-star berth) for St. Louis. He also ranked first in fielding among NL catchers in both seasons (.994 in ’88 and .997 in ’89).

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Buddy Bell almost joined Ozzie Smith in Cardinals’ infield

Posted in Hitters, Trades on February 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

(Updated: Oct. 21, 2018)

Even in the immediate afterglow of their first World Series title in 15 years, the Cardinals and manager Whitey Herzog were willing to trade significant and popular starters in order to secure another all-star for the left side of the infield.

Less than two months after winning the 1982 World Series championship, the Cardinals came close to acquiring third baseman Buddy Bell from the Rangers.

Bell would have paired with Ozzie Smith to give the Cardinals a premier third base/shortstop combination.

To acquire Bell, Herzog was willing to trade right fielder George Hendrick, third baseman Ken Oberkfell and possibly pitcher Bob Forsch.

When trade negotiations collapsed in December 1982, Herzog expressed great disappointment.

In the Dec. 20, 1982, edition of The Sporting News, St. Louis writer Rick Hummel reported the Cardinals made “a strong pitch” for Bell, “but withdrew their offer after several days of negotiating.”

Texas writer Jim Reeves confirmed the Rangers “seriously considered” trading Bell and “were close with St. Louis and Baltimore.”

Hummel reported the Cardinals offered Hendrick, Oberkfell and pitcher Steve Mura for Bell. The Cardinals also were in serious negotiations with free-agent pitcher Floyd Bannister. Hummel reported the Cardinals would have substituted Forsch for Mura if they signed Bannister.

(Bannister spurned a $4.5 million, five-year offer from the Cardinals and signed a similar contract with the White Sox. A major reason he chose the White Sox was because Dave Duncan, Bannister’s pitching coach with the Mariners, had joined the White Sox to become pitching coach for manager Tony La Russa).

In offering Hendrick, Oberkfell and Mura or Forsch for Bell, the Cardinals were offering a lot to the Rangers:

_ Hendrick led the 1982 Cardinals in home runs (19), RBI (104) and slugging percentage (.450). He hit .321 in the 1982 World Series and drove in the go-ahead run in Game 7.

_ Oberkfell batted .289 for the 1982 Cardinals and ranked third among National League third basemen in assists.

_ Forsch had 15 wins in 1982, his sixth consecutive season of double-digit victories for the Cardinals. Mura posted 12 wins in 1982.

Herzog, who perhaps valued defense above all other skills, saw an opportunity to give the Cardinals a pair of Gold Glove winners on the same side of the infield.

Bell, 31, was in his prime. At that time, he had won four Gold Glove awards (Ozzie Smith had just won his third) and Bell had been a four-time American League all-star. Bell also batted .296 with an on-base percentage of .376 in 1982.

Bell had caught the attention of Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, who told columnist Peter Gammons that winter, “It’s only recently that I’ve come to appreciate him. I never realized how much range he has or the plays he makes.”

Herzog seemed stunned Rangers general manager Joe Klein rejected his offer for Bell.

“It’s amazing that a team can lose 100 games (Texas lost 98 in 1982) and won’t make a deal,” Herzog told The Sporting News. “I feel sorry for people in baseball who have a million-dollar investment and don’t know what to do.”

In its Dec. 6, 1982, edition, Klein had told The Sporting News, “I won’t say I wouldn’t trade Bell, but I’d have to receive an offer that would knock my socks off.”

Texas reportedly had rejected offers from the Yankees (who refused to part with pitcher Dave Righetti), Reds (who may have offered a package that included pitcher Bruce Berenyi and infielder Ron Oester) and White Sox (who offered pitcher Britt Burns after they had signed Bannister).

Three years later, July 19, 1985, the Rangers traded Bell to the Reds for outfielder Duane Walker and pitcher Jeff Russell. By then, Terry Pendleton had replaced Oberkfell at third base and the Cardinals were headed to their second pennant-winning season under Herzog.

Buddy Bell never did play for the Cardinals, but his son did. David Bell was a Cardinals infielder from 1995-98 and in 2014 he became their assistant hitting coach. On Nov. 3, 2014, the Cardinals promoted David from assistant hitting coach to bench coach. After the 2017 season, he left the Cardinals for a front office position, vice president of player development, with the Giants. On Oct. 21, 2018, David Bell was chosen to be manager of the Reds.

Previously: How the Cardinals’ trade for Ozzie Smith almost collapsed

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How the Cardinals’ deal for Ozzie Smith almost fell apart

Posted in Trades on February 12, 2012| 5 Comments »

(Updated Sept. 12, 2025)

Ozzie Smith agreed to be traded to the Cardinals in what one writer called “one of the most bizarre transactions in recent baseball history.”

The deal propelled the Cardinals to three National League pennants and a World Series title and launched Smith toward a Hall of Fame career.

The trade, however, almost never happened.

On Dec. 10, 1981, at the baseball winter meetings in Hollywood, Fla., the Cardinals announced a trade of outfielder Sixto Lezcano to the Padres for pitcher Steve Mura.

Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals’ general manager and manager, acknowledged the deal also involved players to be named, but contract issues prevented him from revealing the identity of those players. Published reports made it clear the players were shortstop Garry Templeton and pitcher Luis DeLeon of the Cardinals and shortstop Ozzie Smith and pitcher Al Olmsted of the Padres.

The snag was Smith, 27, had a no-trade clause in his Padres contract. He wouldn’t agree to a trade to St. Louis unless the Cardinals either allowed him to keep the no-trade clause or compensated him for dropping it.

Tough talk

Herzog went to San Diego to meet with Smith and his agent, Ed Gottlieb. In January 1982, in a story headlined, “Ozzie’s Pay Demand May Cancel Trade,” The Sporting News reported the trade of Templeton for Smith “apparently is about to fall through.”

Herzog was quoted as saying Smith wanted more than twice the $300,000 salary he was paid in 1981.

“Ozzie would like to play for me, but it looks as if we’ll have to cancel the trade,” Herzog said. “Ozzie is a great fielder and baserunner. I’d like to have him, but if he doesn’t want to come to St. Louis, I don’t want him. No .220 hitter is worth what he’s asking.”

On Jan. 26, 1982, Smith said there would be no trade unless the Cardinals paid him $750,000 that year. The Sporting News reported the Cardinals offered a base salary of between $425,000 and $450,000, with incentives that could take the total package to $500,000.

Smith and his wife also wanted to visit St. Louis before making a decision. They arrived on a winter day.

“The chill index is 17 below,” Herzog recalled to Cardinals Magazine. “I’m sitting in the office and get a call: ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith are here.’ So I went to the receptionist’s desk to get them and, holy moly, they were wearing long-length fur, I mean all the way down to their ankles. They had Daniel Boone hats on. I said there’s no way he’s going to come to St. Louis from San Diego where it’s 72.”

Working it out

Finally, on Feb. 11, 1982 _ two months after a Cardinals-Padres deal first was announced _ Smith agreed to the trade. His salary would be determined in arbitration before the season began and his Cardinals contract would not contain a no-trade clause, said Lou Susman, attorney for club owner Gussie Busch.

In his lead paragraph for The Sporting News, St. Louis reporter Rick Hummel wrote, “After 62 days, it was over. Ozzie Smith had become a St. Louis Cardinal in one of the most bizarre transactions in recent baseball history.”

Smith told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I’m coming into this with a positive attitude. The Cardinals want my services. We won’t have any problems.”

In four seasons with the Padres, Smith twice won the Gold Glove Award, but he batted .231 with one home run and his on-base percentage was a paltry .295.

Herzog said he believed Smith’s offense would improve by playing home games on the AstroTurf in St. Louis rather than on natural grass in San Diego, but only if Smith focused on hitting balls on the ground.

When Smith came to Cardinals spring training camp at St. Petersburg, Fla., Herzog assigned coaches Chuck Hiller and Dave Ricketts to help him develop “a downward type of swing,” Hummel reported.

“Guys like Ozzie have to keep the ball out of the air,” Herzog said. “If he could hit .240 or .250, we’d be very happy because we know he’s the best defensive shortstop in the league and maybe baseball.”

Herzog later told Cardinals Magazine, “Ozzie was learning an awful lot about hitting. He worked on a daily basis with Chuck Hiller, trying to keep the ball out of the air. He went along with the program.”

To help Smith focus on hitting the ball on the ground, Herzog made a bet with him. “Every time I hit a fly ball, I had to give him a dollar,” Smith said to Cardinals Magazine. “Every time I hit a ground ball _ which enabled me to use my speed to get on base _ he gave me a dollar. It didn’t take long for him to realize that I got it. He decided, ‘OK, it’s time to call this bet off.’ ”

Just before the Cardinals opened the 1982 season at Houston, arbitrator Tom Roberts ruled for the Cardinals, awarding Smith a $450,000 salary rather than the $750,000 he requested.

Play like a champion

In the opener at the Astrodome, Smith went 2-for-5 with two RBI, including a single and RBI against Nolan Ryan, in the Cardinals’ 14-3 victory. Boxscore

It was a successful start to a magical season for the Cardinals, who went on to win their first World Series title in 15 years. Smith was a key contributor, winning a third Gold Glove Award and batting .248 with 24 doubles, 25 stolen bases and a .339 on-base percentage.

Teammate Keith Hernandez, in the book “Pure Baseball,” said Smith was “the best No. 8 hitter you ever saw in 1982 and 1983. Two outs, Ozzie needed to get on base to bring up the pitcher. He could do it … The No. 8 man in the National League will see some hittable pitches if he’s patient. Ozzie came through in this situation with regularity.”

In his book “White Rat: A Life In Baseball,” Herzog said, “Watching him every day, I’ve found out just how good he is. Of all the shortstops I’ve seen, and I’ve seen some good ones _ guys like Marty Marion, Mark Belanger and Luis Aparicio _ Ozzie is the best. I’ve never seen anyone do the things on a baseball field that he can do.”

Marion, shortstop on four Cardinals pennant winners in the 1940s, told Cardinals Yearbook in 1993, “I always admired Ozzie because he’s the first defensive player in my memory to make a lot of money. In our days, people didn’t appreciate a good fielder. You had to be a hitter to make money.”

Marion was manager of the White Sox when Aparicio joined the club in 1956. “Up until Ozzie, Luis was as good as anybody,” Marion said to Cardinals Yearbook. “The one thing that stands out about Ozzie is I never saw a shortstop dive for a ball and throw the man out until Ozzie came along.”

In the book “Few and Chosen,” broadcaster and former catcher Tim McCarver said, “A lot of infielders dive for a ball with no chance whatsoever of making the play. Ozzie dived and not only came up with the ball, but also got to his feet so quickly from a prone position that he usually got his man. His range was unbelievable. His speed and quickness were electric.”

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Injuries plagued Cardinals career of Minnie Minoso

Posted in Hitters, Trades on November 30, 2011| 3 Comments »

(Updated Nov. 17, 2023)

Outfielder Minnie Minoso spent most of his 17-year big-league career with the White Sox and Indians. When Minoso was acquired by the Cardinals after the 1961 season, it was believed he could be the key component in making St. Louis a pennant contender in 1962. Instead, Minoso, injury plagued, was a flop.

The Cardinals traded Joe Cunningham, a first baseman and outfielder, to the White Sox for Minoso on Nov. 27, 1961 _ two days before Minoso’s birthday. Reports varied regarding Minoso’s age. The Associated Press reported Minoso would turn 39 on Nov. 29, 1961, but added “some insist he is at least 42.”

St. Louis had finished 80-74 in 1961, 13 games behind the National League champion Reds. Minoso hit .280 with 28 doubles, 14 home runs and 82 RBI for the 1961 White Sox. The Cardinals saw him as their left fielder, joining an outfield of Curt Flood in center and Stan Musial in right.

Joe Reichler, reporting the trade for the Associated Press, wrote, “Johnny Keane, manager of the Cardinals, was almost as pleased by the acquisition of Minoso as he was when his daughter presented him with his second grandchild last week … Minoso, despite his age, is still one of the fastest men in baseball and swings one of the biggest bats.”

In The Sporting News, Oscar Kahan wrote, “The Cuban Comet, aged as he may be, supplies so many plus factors to the picture that the Redbirds’ outlook has brightened considerably.”

Minoso was a “little bit shocked” by the trade, according to United Press International. The wire service reported Minoso had purchased a $40,000 house in Chicago in 1961 and moved his family there from Cuba. He had been working as a goodwill ambassador for the White Sox during the off-season, selling tickets and promoting the club.

“I don’t know whether I’ll go to the Cardinals,” Minoso said. “I consider myself a free agent. I have a few jobs in mind. I have a lot of friends in Chicago and there are other things I can do in Chicago.”

Minoso eventually relented and opened the 1962 season as the Cardinals’ left fielder. He started two games before pulling a rib muscle in batting practice. It was nearly two weeks before he recovered.

Batting primarily sixth in the order, Minoso struggled, but Keane stuck with him. On May 11, a Friday night in St. Louis, Minoso was in left field when the Cardinals faced the Dodgers. In the sixth inning, with the score 2-2 and the bases loaded, Duke Snider launched a line drive to deep left-center. Minoso chased after it, skidded on the warning track and crashed headfirst into the concrete wall. The ball bounced away for a three-run triple. Boxscore

The collision with the wall left Minoso unconscious. His right eye was completely closed and his head and face were swollen and bleeding, the Associated Press reported. Minoso was carried off on a stretcher and rushed to a hospital. Doctors determined Minoso had a fractured skull and a fractured right wrist. The skull fracture, according to the Associated Press, was three to four inches long above the right ear.

Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood told the Los Angeles Times, “By the time I got to him his right eye already was closing and he was bleeding. He was out cold and didn’t move a muscle. His breathing was labored and I was afraid he’d swallowed his tongue.”

According to The Sporting News, Minoso knew he was quite close to the wall, “but I don’t remember after that.”

Minoso was sidelined for two months before he returned on July 20 and struck out while batting for pitcher Bob Duliba. Boxscore

On Aug. 18, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Mets in New York, Minoso hit his only Cardinals home run, a solo shot off Ray Daviault in a 10-0 St. Louis victory. Boxscore

The next day, batting in the sixth inning, Minoso was hit on the left arm by a pitch from the Mets’ Craig Anderson and was lifted for a runner. Boxscore

Two days later, Aug. 21 at Milwaukee, Minoso appeared as a defensive replacement in left field in the eighth inning against the Braves, but his left arm became swollen. Doctors discovered Minoso had suffered a broken forearm when hit by the Anderson pitch. His season was finished.

In 39 games for St. Louis, Minoso hit .196 with one home run and 10 RBI.

In the book “We Played, the Game,” Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver recalled that Minoso “got so furious at himself after going 0-for-4 that he walked under a cold shower with all his clothes on, including his bat and his spikes. That was a sight.”

Minoso went to spring training with the Cardinals in 1963, hoping to earn a spot as a reserve, but on April 2, a week before the season opener, his contract was sold to the Senators for what The Sporting News reported as “in excess of the $20,000 waiver price.”

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Ken Boyer: Matty Alou handled bat as well as Musial

Posted in Hitters, Trades on November 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

Matty Alou, one of baseball’s best hitters in the 1960s and 1970s, had one of the most productive seasons of his 15-year big-league career with the Cardinals.

Alou is best remembered for his years with his first major-league team, the Giants, and his time with the Pirates, with whom he won a National League batting crown, hitting .342 in 1966.

Often overlooked is Alou’s splendid 1971 season with the Cardinals. Alou had career highs of 74 RBI and seven home runs with the 1971 Cardinals and hit .315 in 149 games.

A left-handed batter, Alou was adept at hitting the ball to all fields.

“Matty and Stan Musial handle the bat better than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Cardinals hitting coach Ken Boyer told The Sporting News in August 1971. “Like Stan, Matty has a great level swing, and, like Stan, he can handle just about any kind of pitch.

“Alou uses bats of at least 10 different weights,” Boyer said. “He studies the pitchers and the defense as well as anybody because he’s always looking for some way to beat you.”

The Cardinals acquired Alou and pitcher George Brunet from the Pirates for pitcher Nelson Briles and outfielder Vic Davalillo on Jan. 29, 1971.

In announcing the deal, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine said he and manager Red Schoendienst agreed Alou, 33, would bat leadoff and play center field. Left fielder Lou Brock would move from the leadoff spot to bat No. 3 in the order and second baseman Ted Sizemore, acquired from the Dodgers, would bat between Alou and Brock.

“Guys like Alou and Sizemore make things happen,” Devine said. “They ought to help make the Cardinals a much more exciting team.”

Alou said his goal was to hit .335 for the 1971 Cardinals. “I like to hit in St. Louis. It’s a good park for hitters. The ball comes off the AstroTurf good and the ground in front of the plate is hard.”

The Cardinals batted Alou, Sizemore and Brock in the top three spots of the order for the first 14 games of the 1971 season and went 8-6 before Schoendienst returned Brock to the leadoff spot and moved Alou to the No. 2 position.

Alou was a free swinger and Brock’s ability to steal bases was compromised when Alou would foul off or hit, rather than take, pitches. It was when Schoendienst moved Sizemore to No. 2 in the batting order and Alou to No. 3 that the Cardinals’ offense clicked. Asked to explain why he had so many more RBI with the Cardinals than he had with the Pirates, Alou said, “It makes a lot of difference hitting behind Lou Brock instead of (Pirates catcher) Jerry May and the pitcher.”

Alou hit .332 in 78 games from the No. 2 spot and .294 in 46 games from the No. 3 position.

Though he began the 1971 season as St. Louis’ center fielder, Alou moved to right field after Jose Cardenal was traded to the Brewers, and took over first base for Joe Hague when the Cardinals inserted Luis Melendez as the right fielder.

Alou hit .313 in 73 games as the center fielder, .364 in 20 games as the right fielder and .305 in 58 games as the first baseman.

In 1972, Alou played first base and right field for the Cardinals and hit .314 in 108 games, but the Cardinals wanted to move Joe Torre from third base to first base. Out of contention for a postseason spot, the Cardinals traded Alou to the Athletics on Aug. 27, 1972, for outfielder Bill Voss and a minor leaguer.

Speaking to reporters about how he enjoyed his time with the Cardinals, Alou called Schoendienst the “best man I ever played for. He kept everybody loose.”

Alou was reacquired by the Cardinals for the stretch run on Sept. 6, 1973, in a cash deal with the Yankees. He hit .273 in 11 games. After the season, the Cardinals sold his contract to the Padres.

Alou’s career statistics as a Cardinal: .314 batting average, 322 hits in 268 games, 30 stolen bases.

Matty Alou and his brothers Felipe and Jesus all were big-league outfielders. Asked in October 1971 who was the best ballplayer of the three, Felipe told The Sporting News, “I have the most ability. Matty is the best hitter. He has more guts and confidence than Jesus (Alou) and I put together. But Jesus is the most professional of all three.”

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