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Tommy McDonald and his big game versus Cardinals

October 3, 2018 by retrosimba

In a game featuring an inordinate number of big plays, Philadelphia Eagles flanker Tommy McDonald produced one nearly every time he touched the football.

On Dec. 16, 1962, McDonald made four catches, three for touchdowns, in a game versus the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. In a NFL career filled with achievements, it was McDonald’s best performance against the Cardinals.

McDonald was one of the NFL’s most amazing players. At 5 feet 9, 175 pounds, he was a prolific pass catcher who regularly produced touchdowns.

Walking tall

McDonald was born in Roy, New Mexico, and his father was a farmer and electrician who set up a spotlight outside the barn “so his sons could play basketball after milking the cows each night,” according to The Daily Oklahoman.

A multi-sport athlete in high school, McDonald was recruited by the University of Oklahoma and was a running back for coach Bud Wilkinson on three consecutive unbeaten teams from 1954-56. McDonald scored 17 touchdowns, 16 rushing and one receiving, for the 1955 national champions. McDonald’s success at Oklahoma earned him election to the College Football Hall of Fame.

“There are worlds of people with potential physical abilities greater than McDonald’s,” Wilkinson said to Sports Illustrated. “About his only real advantages are quickness and extraordinary determination.”

The Eagles selected McDonald in the third round of the 1957 NFL draft and converted him to a receiver.

McDonald was undersized but tough. On Oct. 4, 1959, a week after he broke his jaw and had it wired shut, McDonald played against the New York Giants and scored four touchdowns _ three on receptions and the other on a punt return.

As a teen, McDonald lost the tip of his left thumb in a motorbike accident, the New York Times reported, but he was as sure-handed as any receiver in the NFL.

McDonald also benefitted from learning the proper way to go down after being tackled by much larger defensive players. “I fall like 175 pounds of spaghetti,” McDonald said.

“He has the balance of a gymnast,” Sports Illustrated observed, and as teammate Tom Brookshier said, “The little rat is strong as a bull.”

Good chemistry

Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, traded by the Rams to the Eagles in 1958, mentored McDonald “in the art of running pass patterns,” the Times reported, and McDonald became Van Brocklin’s favorite receiver.

McDonald led the NFL in touchdown receptions (nine) in 1958.

In the 1960 NFL championship game against the Packers, McDonald caught three passes from Van Brocklin for 90 yards and a touchdown in a 17-13 Eagles victory.

“If I had to pick one guy to throw the ball to with the game on the line, I’d pick McDonald,” Van Brocklin told Ray Didinger, author of “The Eagles Encyclopedia.”

Van Brocklin retired after the 1960 season and his protege, Sonny Jurgensen, took over as Eagles quarterback. Jurgensen and McDonald were friends and clicked on the field. McDonald led the NFL in receiving yards (1,144) in 1961.

Jurgensen, McDonald and Van Brocklin all would be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I wound up with two great quarterbacks _ Van Brocklin and Jurgensen,” McDonald told The Daily Oklahoman. “You couldn’t go in a chemistry lab and mix up two better arms.”

Thrill ride

The Eagles and Cardinals each entered the 1962 season finale with a 3-9-1 record. Played on a sunny St. Louis Sunday with a temperature of 40 degrees and before a crowd of 14,989, the game quickly became what the Philadelphia Daily News described as “a spectator’s dream but a coach’s nightmare.”

Among the highlights:

_ McDonald made four catches for 162 yards. Three of those grabs were for touchdowns of 56, 60 and 40 yards, the latter “a remarkable diving catch,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

_ Jurgensen threw for 419 yards and five touchdowns. He did most of that damage from a shotgun formation designed to buy time against the Cardinals’ blitzes, according to the Inquirer.

_ Timmy Brown, the Eagles’ halfback, rushed for 50 yards and caught five passes for 199 yards, including touchdown receptions of 60 and 82 yards.

_ John David Crow, the Cardinals’ running back, rushed for three touchdowns and snared a 16-yard touchdown toss from quarterback Charley Johnson.

_ Johnson threw for 386 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score.

_ Sonny Randle, a Cardinals split end, made three catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.

_ Taz Anderson, a Cardinals flanker, totaled 175 yards on eight receptions.

The Cardinals led, 31-28, at halftime and won, 45-35. Game summary and Video

“I’ve never seen a shoddier defensive show by two teams,” said Eagles head coach Nick Skorich.

Cardinals head coach Wally Lemm said, “It seemed both teams wanted to give the game away, didn’t it?”

The teams combined for 1,087 yards _ 589 for the Cardinals; 498 for the Eagles.

“The defensive indolence gave the illusion of offensive excellence,” the Philadelphia Daily News concluded.

Finding the end zone

McDonald six times made three touchdown catches in a game _ five times for the Eagles and the other for the Rams.

He played 12 years in the NFL for the Eagles (1957-63), Cowboys (1964), Rams (1965-66), Falcons (1967) and Browns (1968). His last regular-season game was for the Browns against the Cardinals on Dec. 14, 1968.

McDonald finished his NFL career with 495 catches for 8,410 yards and 84 touchdowns. When he retired, his 84 touchdown receptions were the second-most in NFL history, behind the 99 for the Packers’ Don Hutson. McDonald was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

“I think catching passes is judgment, mostly,” McDonald said. “I’ve got good vision, good peripheral vision. I think sometimes I can see things the defensive back doesn’t see.”

 

Posted in Football, Games, Opponents | 6 Comments »

How Alex Grammas got a second chance with Cardinals

September 30, 2018 by retrosimba

Seeking stability at shortstop, the Cardinals went back to the past in a bid to enhance their future.

On Oct. 3, 1958, the Cardinals reacquired shortstop Alex Grammas, first baseman George Crowe and pitcher Alex Kellner from the Reds for shortstop Eddie Kasko, outfielder Del Ennis and pitcher Bob Mabe.

The key to the deal for the Cardinals was Grammas, who had been their starting shortstop in 1954 and 1955 after being acquired from the Reds.

After using eight players at shortstop in 1958, the Cardinals were eager to have someone they knew who could do the job consistently, if not spectacularly.

Moving around

Grammas played baseball for Mississippi State and earned a degree in business. After graduating in 1949, he signed with the White Sox and played in their minor-league system until he was traded to the Reds in June 1951.

The Reds kept Grammas in the minor leagues and in 1953 they loaned him to the Kansas City Blues, a Yankees farm club. Grammas produced his best season for the Blues, batting .307 with 179 hits in 140 games as the everyday shortstop.

The Reds, who had smooth-fielding Roy McMillan as their shortstop, traded Grammas to the Cardinals on Dec. 2, 1953, for pitcher Jack Crimian and $100,000.

Grammas replaced Solly Hemus as the Cardinals’ starting shortstop in 1954. Grammas batted .264 and ranked second among National League shortstops in fielding percentage at .966. In 1955, Grammas continued his good glove work (.968 fielding percentage), but his batting average dipped to .240.

Frank Lane, who as White Sox general manager had traded Grammas to the Reds in 1951, became Cardinals general manager after the 1955 season and wanted more run production from a shortstop than Grammas was able to give.

Grammas opened the 1956 season as the starter, but on May 16 he was traded with outfielder Joe Frazier to the Reds for utility player Chuck Harmon. A month later, Lane dealt second baseman Red Schoendienst to the Giants for Alvin Dark, who became the Cardinals’ everyday shortstop.

Anatomy of a deal

Dark provided the hitting Lane sought, but all did not end well. Lane clashed with Cardinals owner Gussie Busch, departed after the 1957 season and was replaced by Bing Devine. Dark lacked fielding range as a shortstop, got traded by Devine to the Cubs in May 1958 and was replaced by Kasko, who’d been the Cardinals’ starting third baseman as a rookie in 1957.

Kasko made 64 starts at shortstop, didn’t hit well and was benched. Besides Dark and Kasko, others who played shortstop for the 1958 Cardinals were Ruben Amaro, Ken Boyer, Gene Freese, Johnny O’Brien, Dick Schofield and Lee Tate.

As the 1958 season neared its end, Devine, under orders from Busch, reluctantly fired manager Fred Hutchinson and replaced him with Busch’s personal choice, Hemus. While attending the 1958 World Series between the Braves and Yankees, Devine and Hemus went searching for a shortstop.

During Game 1 at Milwaukee, Devine and Hemus sat in the stands near their Reds counterparts, general manager Gabe Paul and manager Mayo Smith. According to Si Burick of the Dayton Daily News, Devine said to Paul, “I’ll take Alex Grammas.” Paul demanded Ennis in return.

“Cincinnati did not want to give up Grammas, one of the top utility infielders of the game, though a weak hitter,” Burick reported.

At Game 2, the trade interest between Devine and Paul got serious and, in an attempt at being discreet, they passed notes to one another from their box seats. One of Devine’s notes to Paul read, “It’s Grammas or nobody.”

Devine and Paul agreed to meet again when the World Series shifted to New York and they made the deal around noon on Oct. 3.

Encore performance

“Whether Grammas will be an improvement over Kasko is a question,” Bob Broeg wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Neither can hit for average or distance. Grammas is considered by the Cardinals’ management to be steadier afield.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer declared, “Grammas, as everybody knows, is an excellent glove man, but an all-American out at the plate.”

Grammas was glad to be rejoining the Cardinals and told the Associated Press, “I like Solly Hemus. He helped me a lot with the Cards before, as much as a fellow ever did in baseball. If I was going to be traded, I couldn’t think of a place to go that I’d like better than St. Louis.”

Of the other two players acquired by the Cardinals from the Reds, Crowe was projected to be a pinch-hitter and backup first baseman and Kellner was expected to help as a left-handed reliever.

After the 1958 World Series was completed, the Cardinals went on a goodwill tour of Japan. Grammas was part of the entourage; Crowe and Kellner weren’t. The exhibition games against Japanese teams gave the Cardinals a chance to evaluate Grammas and he impressed.

Grammas, 33, opened the 1959 season as the Cardinals’ starting shortstop and he kept the job throughout the year, making 123 starts, batting .269 overall and ranking third in fielding percentage (.964) among National Leaguers at the position.

Crowe, 38, hit .301 in 103 at-bats for the 1959 Cardinals. He also played for them in 1960 and 1961, became a mentor to players such as Curt Flood, Bob Gibson and Tim McCarver, and stayed with the Cardinals as an instructor and scout after his playing days. Kellner, 34, was 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 12 appearances for the 1959 Cardinals before an elbow ailment ended his major-league pitching career.

After the 1959 season, the Cardinals obtained power-hitting shortstop Daryl Spencer from the Giants. Grammas opened the 1960 season as the Cardinals’ starting second baseman and held that job until the end of May, when he was replaced by rookie Julian Javier.

Grammas was a Cardinals utility player for the remainder of 1960, all of 1961 and part of 1962 before he was traded with outfielder Don Landrum to the Cubs for infielder Daryl Roberston and outfielder Bobby Gene Smith on June 5, 1962.

Posted in Hitters, Pitchers, Trades | 2 Comments »

Why Steve Carlton didn’t get start in 1968 World Series

September 27, 2018 by retrosimba

In 1968, Steve Carlton was a National League all-star and ranked second among the Cardinals in shutouts and strikeouts, but manager Red Schoendienst didn’t start him during the World Series against the Tigers.

Schoendienst gave starts in Games 1, 4 and 7 to Bob Gibson and started Nelson Briles in Games 2 and 5 and Ray Washburn in Games 3 and 6.

Carlton, who pitched well in a start for the Cardinals against the Red Sox in the 1967 World Series, was used as a reliever in the 1968 World Series, even though he’d made only one relief appearance during the season.

Decades later, it’s hard to imagine how a team could have future Hall of Famers Gibson and Carlton in the rotation and not utilize both as starters in a seven-game World Series. The Tigers won four of those games, earning the championship, and naturally one wonders whether the outcome would have been different if Carlton had gotten a start.

After a sensational first half of the 1968 season, Carlton struggled in September and Schoendienst wasn’t comfortable starting him in October, but Briles also slumped late in the season and the Cardinals lost both of his World Series starts.

Ups and downs

Carlton, 23, won seven of his first eight decisions for the 1968 Cardinals, got selected to the all-star team and pitched a scoreless inning for the National League in its 1-0 victory over the American League Boxscore

Carlton and Larry Jaster were the left-handers in a Cardinals rotation with Gibson, Briles and Washburn. The starting pitching in 1968 propelled the Cardinals on a path to a second consecutive league championship.

At times, Carlton was dominant, pitching a three-hitter against the Phillies on May 24 and a one-hitter versus the Cubs on June 19.

After pitching a two-hitter against the Phillies on Aug. 1, Carlton had a season record of 11-5 with a 2.73 ERA, but then he began to lose command of the strike zone and lost four decisions in a row.

“It’s not that Steve is walking too many,” Schoendienst said to The Sporting News. “He’s been getting behind (in the count) on too many batters.”

Decision time

After the Cardinals clinched the pennant in Carlton’s win over the Astros on Sept. 15, Schoendienst and pitching coach Billy Muffett used the last two weeks of the season to determine the starters for the World Series. Gibson, who had won 15 in a row and would finish with a 1.12 ERA, was a given. So, too, was Briles, who would finish with 19 wins. The candidates for the No. 3 World Series starter were Carlton and Washburn.

On Sept. 18, 1968, Washburn significantly helped his case by pitching a no-hitter against the Giants. Two days later, on Sept. 20, Carlton started against the Dodgers, was unable to locate either his fastball or his curve, gave up four runs and seven hits and was lifted after 1.2 innings.

“Steve Carlton apparently removed all doubt as to whether Ray Washburn would start the third game of the World Series,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch declared. “Even before Carlton failed, manager Red Schoendienst said, ‘It looks like it will be Washburn in the third game.’ ” Boxscore

Though Washurn was 2-3 in September, his ERA for the month in six starts was 2.08 and he finished the season at 14-8 with a 2.26 ERA.

Carlton was 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA in five September starts, allowing 39 hits in 28.1 innings, and finished the season at 13-11, five shutouts, 162 strikeouts and a 2.99 ERA. As a starter, Carlton was 13-10 with a 2.98 ERA. In his last start of the season, Carlton pitched five scoreless innings before Schoendienst decided to give his relievers some work.

Though Briles finished the season 19-11 with a 2.81 ERA, he was 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA in five September starts, allowing 44 hits in 34.2 innings. Briles yielded 13 earned runs over his last 14.2 innings.

Pitching problems

A year earlier, Briles and Carlton each got a start in the 1967 World Series and each pitched well. Briles started Game 3, yielded seven hits and two runs in nine innings and got the win. Carlton started Game 5, yielded three hits and one run in six innings and took the loss in a 3-1 Red Sox victory. Boxscore

In 1968, after Gibson started Game 1, struck out 17 and shut out the Tigers, Briles started Game 2 and gave up four runs in five innings.

Carlton, making his first relief appearance since June 9, relieved Briles in the sixth with Willie Horton on first, none out and the Tigers ahead, 3-0. Jim Northrup hit the first pitch from Carlton for a single, moving Horton to second. After Bill Freehan popped out, Don Wert walked, loading the bases. Carlton struck out Mickey Lolich for the second out, but Dick McAuliffe followed with a two-run single, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead. They won, 8-1. Boxscore

“If Schoendienst was thinking about giving Steve Carlton a shot at a starting assignment, he probably was discouraged by the left-hander’s showing in relief of Briles,” the Post-Dispatch offered.

Washburn won Game 3 and Gibson won Game 4, putting the Cardinals a victory away from clinching the championship. Schoendienst started Briles instead of Carlton in Game 5. When Briles was relieved by Joe Hoerner with one out and one on in the seventh, the Cardinals led, 3-2, but Hoerner allowed all four batters he faced to reach base and the Tigers rallied for a 5-3 triumph. Boxscore

In Game 6, Washburn started and gave up five runs in two innings. Jaster relieved and yielded three runs without recording an out. The Tigers went on to a 13-1 victory. Carlton pitched three innings and allowed one run, a home run by fellow future Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Boxscore

“If Cardinals fans did any second-guessing of manager Red Schoendienst, it involved his choice of relievers _ Larry Jaster instead of Steve Carlton in the Tigers’ third inning,” The Sporting News reported.

The Tigers beat Gibson in Game 7 and won a World Series title for the first time since 1945.

Posted in Games, Pitchers | 11 Comments »

How Tim McCarver did well versus Billy O’Dell

September 25, 2018 by retrosimba

Billy O’Dell was a left-handed pitcher who had success in the National League but the Cardinals’ Tim McCarver caused him trouble, hitting two grand slams against him.

O’Dell is best known as a starter for the 1962 National League champion Giants. He was 19-14 for them and led the staff in starts (39), complete games (20), innings pitched (280.2) and strikeouts (195).

Three years later, in February 1965, the Giants dealt O’Dell to the Braves, who converted him into a closer.

Fit to be tied

On Aug. 16, 1965, the Braves led the Cardinals, 8-4, in the eighth inning at St. Louis. Braves reliever Phil Niekro yielded consecutive singles to Bill White, Phil Gagliano and Ted Savage, loading the bases with no outs. Manager Bobby Bragan brought in O’Dell to face McCarver, a left-handed batter.

O’Dell entered the game with a 1.80 ERA and a string of 28 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, but McCarver hit O’Dell’s first pitch into the right-field pavilion for a grand slam, tying the score at 8-8.

“That’s about the only real hit I’ve ever got off O’Dell,” McCarver said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In the ninth, Eddie Mathews poked a two-run single to center against Hal Woodeshick and the Braves won, 10-8. “Woodeshick jammed me good with that pitch,” said Mathews. O’Dell retired the Cardinals in the bottom half of the ninth and got the win. Boxscore

Against all odds

Two years later, on June 14, 1967, O’Dell was with the Pirates and he got the start against the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson at Pittsburgh.

In the first inning, the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs, bringing up McCarver. O’Dell’s first pitch to him was a strike. The second was an inside fastball and McCarver lifted a high fly to right. Roberto Clemente moved toward the foul line, looking to make a catch, but the ball carried and dropped over the screen, just inside the foul pole, for a grand slam.

“Giving Bob Gibson a 4-0 lead before he even throws a ball is like matching Green Bay with Slippery Rock” in football, The Pittsburgh Press reported.

The Cardinals won, 7-4, and O’Dell took the loss. Boxscore

McCarver hit six grand slams in his major-league career. Four came against right-handers Larry Bearnarth of the Mets, Gary Wagner of the Phillies, Fred Gladding of the Astros and Rick Baldwin of the Mets and two were hit against O’Dell, who usually was effective versus left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .222 batting average in a 13-season career in the major leagues.

O’Dell yielded four grand slams as a big-leaguer _ the two to McCarver and the others to right-handed batters Ray Boone of the Tigers and Gene Oliver of the Braves.

Win some, lose some

O’Dell had a 10-8 record and 4.04 ERA in 42 career appearances versus the Cardinals. He pitched two shutouts against them. The first was May 28, 1960, in an 8-0 victory at St. Louis. O’Dell was backed by Willie Mays, who hit a pair of two-run home runs. Boxscore

O’Dell’s second shutout of the Cardinals was May 10, 1962, a 6-0 victory at St. Louis. Gibson started for the Cardinals and gave up a three-run home run to Willie McCovey. The win gave O’Dell a 5-0 record. Boxscore

A month later, on June 10, 1962, Curt Flood of the Cardinals got his first walkoff home run in the big leagues and it came against O’Dell in the opener of a doubleheader at St. Louis.

O’Dell started for the Giants and took a 5-4 lead into the ninth. After Bobby Gene Smith led off with a single, Dal Maxvill made his first big-league appearance, batting for pitcher Bobby Shantz, and popped out. Flood followed with a two-run home run, lifting the Cardinals to a 6-5 triumph. Boxscore

“It was like David against the Giants as Curt Flood, all 155 pounds of him, sent a slingshot home run into the left-field bleachers,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

Said Flood: “I had decided to swing at the first pitch that looked like a strike. O’Dell didn’t seem as sharp as he had been. He had us swinging at a lot of bad balls.”

Flood batted .309 (21-for-68) versus O’Dell in his career. McCarver hit .333 (8-for-24) against him.

O’Dell never pitched in the minor leagues. He was a standout at Clemson University, joined the Orioles after signing with them on June 8, 1954, and was mentored by pitching coach Harry Brecheen, the former Cardinals left-hander. After entering military service in 1955, O’Dell rejoined the Orioles in September 1956.

O’Dell had a career record of 105-100 with a 3.29 ERA for the Orioles, Giants, Braves and Pirates.

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers | 2 Comments »

Preacher Roe: Cardinals prospect became a nemesis

September 22, 2018 by retrosimba

(Updated Feb. 21, 2021)

The 1943 Cardinals figured they had plenty of quality left-handed pitching. What they needed most was cash.

In September 1943, the Cardinals traded a top left-handed pitching prospect, Preacher Roe, to the Pirates for pitcher Johnny Podgajny, outfielder Johnny Wyrostek and “a big bundle of cash,” The Sporting News reported.

The Cardinals received “in the neighborhood of $25,000,” according to the Pittsburgh Press. They needed the money to offset financial losses in their minor-league system, The Sporting News reported.

Roe was well-regarded, but the Cardinals were stocked with left-handed pitchers such as Al Brazle, Harry Brecheen, Max Lanier and Ernie White and had another, Howie Pollet, in military service.

Several clubs made bids for Roe, but the Pirates won out because they offered the Cardinals the best combination of cash and players.

Name game

Elwin Roe was born in Ash Flat, Ark., and his father, Charles Roe, was a physician who played and coached semipro baseball.

When Elwin was 3 years old, he told an uncle he thought he should have a new name.

“What do you think it should be?” the uncle asked.

“Preacher,” replied the boy, who admired a local minister and his wife who took Roe for rides in their horse-driven buggy.

From then on, he was known as Preacher Roe, United Press reported.

Roe showed skill as a ballplayer and his father initially steered him toward being an outfielder. “I wanted to pitch,” Roe said, “but Dad wouldn’t let me until I was 16. I think that saved my arm and gave me the strength to throw my fast one.”

Roe eventually enrolled at Harding College in Searcy, Ark., and became a pitcher, posting a 24-4 career record there. In 1938, he struck out 27 in a 13-inning game for Harding. “It shows he has grasped the general idea of the fundamentals of pitching,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch proclaimed.

Speedy trial

Roe attracted the attention of the Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox, Indians and Cardinals, according to the St. Louis Star-Times.

Columnist Red Smith described him as “an angular, drawling splinter of gristle.” In his book “The Era,” Roger Kahn called Roe “a left-handed stringbean, all bones and angles and Adam’s apple.”

On July 25, 1938, Cardinals scout Frank Rickey, brother of club executive Branch Rickey, convinced Roe to sign with the Cardinals for $5,000. “It’s understood he rejected offers from the Yankees and Tigers,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

Roe, 22, was placed on the big-league roster, joined the Cardinals in New York and spent the next few weeks watching and learning.

On Aug. 19, 1938, Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch gave Roe the start in an exhibition game against the semipro Belleville Stags at Athletic Park in Belleville, Ill. Roe pitched a three-hitter, striking out 11 and issuing no walks, in a 4-1 Cardinals victory.

Three days later, on Aug. 22, 1938, Roe made his major-league debut, pitching 2.2 innings of relief and yielding four runs to the Reds at St. Louis. Boxscore

That was Roe’s lone major-league appearance for the Cardinals.

Pirates prize

After the 1938 season, the Cardinals sent Roe to the minor leagues and he spent the next five years (1939-43) pitching for their farm clubs without getting another chance to return to the big leagues.

In 1943, Roe, 27, had his best minor-league season, posting a 15-7 record and 2.37 ERA for the Columbus (Ohio) Redbirds.

“The Preacher has speed, a fine curveball that he can operate on more than one speed and he flanks these orthodox offerings with a dandy screwball,” The Sporting News reported.

On Sept. 15, 1943, the Pirates obtained Roe from the Cardinals. Frisch, fired by the Cardinals in September 1938, was the Pirates’ manager and recommended they acquire Roe.

The Pirates got “one of the gems of the year,” the Pittsburgh Press reported. “Scouts believe he can’t miss in the majors this time.”

“In getting one of the real prize packages of the minors, Preacher Roe, the Pirates strengthened their pitching staff for next season,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette declared.

Big chance

Roe reported to spring training in 1944 at Muncie, Ind., where the Pirates were based because of wartime travel restrictions, and fulfilled expectations. Frisch gave the rookie the Opening Day start against the Cardinals in St. Louis on April 18, 1944.

“Frisch knows nothing would give the Preacher more pleasure than to show the Cardinals they made a mistake by letting him get away,” the Pittsburgh Press reported.

Roe limited the two-time defending National League champions to one hit in the first five innings. He also got the Pirates’ first hit, a single in the third. According to the Post-Dispatch, Roe “happened to meet a pitch with a feeble swing very much on the push side and the ball looped to center field.”

The Cardinals scored in the sixth and eighth innings and won, 2-0, behind Max Lanier’s two-hitter. Roe pitched a complete game, yielding seven hits, walking three and striking out two.

Roe’s father attended the game and Frisch told the physician, “Your boy certainly did a fine job this afternoon, but the breaks did not go his way.” Boxscore

Down, not out

Roe was 13-11 with a 3.11 ERA for the Pirates, who finished second to the champion Cardinals in 1944. He followed that with a 14-13 mark in 1945.

In February 1946, Roe was coaching a team in a high school basketball game in Arkansas when he was slugged by a referee during an argument. Roe’s head hit the floor and he fractured his skull. When he was able to pitch again, he no longer could throw a fastball with consistent effectiveness.

After posting records of 3-8 in 1946 and 4-15 in 1947, the Pirates soured on Roe. Again, the Rickeys played a pivotal role in Roe’s career. Branch Rickey, who’d left the Cardinals to join the Dodgers, acquired Roe after the 1947 season.

Determined to revive his career with the Dodgers, Roe began throwing a spitball and the illegal pitch worked wonders for him. He’d use ruses while on the mound to make batters think he was wetting the ball even when he wasn’t.

“I had a wet one and three fake wet ones,” Roe said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “You don’t have to throw it … Just make them think you’re going to throw it.”

Roe threw the best spitball of any pitcher he’d seen, the Cardinals’ Stan Musial told the Post-Dispatch.

“I’d never let the Preacher get two strikes on me because that’s when he liked to throw the spitter,” Musial said. “So I’d swing at the first good pitch and I did all right against him.”

Roe achieved a 28-20 career mark against the Cardinals, even though he couldn’t fool Musial, who hit .387 with 12 home runs against him. Asked about his strategy for pitching to Musial, Roe said, “I throw him four wide ones, then try to pick him off first base.”

Among Roe’s best seasons with the Dodgers: 1951 (22-3), 1952 (11-2) and 1953 (11-3). He earned World Series wins for the Dodgers against the Yankees in 1949 and 1952.

Roe finished his 12-year major-league career with a 127-84 record and 3.43 ERA.

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers, Trades | 2 Comments »

How Cardinals, Lou Brock made peace in rough 1978

September 19, 2018 by retrosimba

As Lou Brock neared the finish to his worst season with the Cardinals, he and the club could have decided to part ways. Instead, they agreed to stay together, with the Cardinals acknowledging Brock still had the skills to play regularly and Brock acknowledging he would do whatever the team needed.

On Sept. 21, 1978, Brock signed a contract to return to the Cardinals in 1979, ending speculation he would become a free agent.

Brock, 39, was unproductive for most of the 1978 season and rarely played in September, sparking suggestions the Cardinals no longer wanted him.

With less than two weeks left in the 1978 season, Brock and manager Ken Boyer met and reached an understanding on what each expected from the other, clearing the way for Brock to come back.

Unproductive reunion

Brock had a splendid start to the 1978 season, batting .320 in April even though he was among the players who had a strained relationship with manager Vern Rapp.

On April 25, 1978, Rapp was fired and replaced by Boyer. Brock and Boyer were quite familiar with one another. They’d been Cardinals teammates as players in 1964 and 1965 and were together again in 1971 and 1972 when Boyer was a Cardinals coach.

When Boyer became manager, he kept Brock in the lineup as the leadoff man and left fielder, but Brock went into a prolonged slump, batting .189 in May and .130 in June. Brock was hitless for two weeks in the middle of June.

Boyer benched Brock in late June and experimented with moving catcher Ted Simmons to left field before giving backup outfielder Jerry Mumphrey a try.

Sending messages

After Brock was held out of the starting lineup for the 16th time in the Cardinals’ last 19 games, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported “there is a ticklish alliance between player and manager.”

In an article appearing in the July 6, 1978, Post-Dispatch, Boyer said Brock was trying to pull too many pitches instead of attempting to hit to the opposite field. “He’s had his chances … If Brock gets his stroke back, he’s going to get his hits,” Boyer said. “It’s a matter of concentration.”

Boyer also said Brock “may somehow be too relaxed.”

“Mentally, you can’t afford to relax,” Boyer said.

Told of Boyer’s theories, Brock replied, “Do you realize how many theories I’ve heard this season?”

Regarding his relationship with Brock, Boyer said, “I’d like to think we’re all friends. He knows he’s not hitting the ball.”

When asked about his future as a player, Brock said, “I’m going to play next year.”

Plea to play

A week later, in an interview with Bob Broeg of the Post-Dispatch, Orioles scout Jim Russo said, “Lou Brock, I fear, is a star passed by the parade.”

On July 21, Brock’s batting average for the season dropped to .198.

Brock went without a RBI from June 5 through July 25. He broke the skid on July 26 when he drove in the winning run with a single in a 2-1 Cardinals triumph over the Giants. “I’ve been hitting the ball well all year, but I was hitting in tough luck,” Brock said. “I’ve felt that my problem as a hitter has been due more to lack of playing time than anything else. When you don’t play for a long time, your timing is bound to be off.” Boxscore

Brock’s playing time increased in August and he responded with a .301 batting mark for the month, but in September he was back on the bench. With the Cardinals out of contention, Boyer returned Simmons to left field and put Terry Kennedy at catcher to see what the rookie could do. Brock was limited to four starts from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1.

Brock’s benching fueled talk he might become a free agent after the season and sign with another club. Brock was nearing 3,000 career hits but was unlikely to get the 100 or so he needed if he didn’t receive substantial playing time in 1979.

On same page

On Sept. 18, 1978, the Cardinals revealed Brock had agreed during spring training to a contract extension for 1979. “The contract has been there waiting for Lou to sign,” general manager Bing Devine said.

Initially, Brock was waiting for his agent, Richie Bry, and the Cardinals to alter some contract language before he signed, but when his playing time started to decrease, Brock held off making a commitment for 1979.

Brock “wants to think about it a little longer,” Devine said.

Bry added, “Lou has not given me any indication he would play for another club. I’m sure he wants to finish his career in St. Louis.”

On Sept. 20, Boyer and Brock met and agreed on a plan for 1979. The next day, Brock signed the contract extension to return to the Cardinals in 1979 for an estimated $250,000, the Post-Dispatch reported.

“Sure, he’s capable of being a regular,” Boyer said. “He’s strong both physically and mentally. Lou Brock probably could go out and play 130 games.”

Brock told Boyer, “I’m not signing to get 3,000 hits. I’m signing to be part of the total picture. I want to play. I want to pinch-hit. I want to pinch-run.”

Brock finished his 1978 season with a .221 batting average, no triples, no home runs, 12 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

He came back strong in 1979, got his 3,000th hit on Aug. 13 and finished the season with a batting mark of .304 in 120 games.

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