RetroSimba

Umpire to Mark McGwire: No special treatment for you

August 29, 2018 by retrosimba

Deep into his tainted pursuit of a home run record, Mark McGwire refused to heed an umpire’s repeated warnings to cease arguing a call and got ejected, prompting a dangerous outburst from some of the St. Louis spectators.

On Aug. 29, 1998, fans at Busch Memorial Stadium threw baseballs, bottles and helmets onto the field when umpire Sam Holbrook tossed McGwire for arguing a called third strike in the first inning of a game between the Braves and Cardinals.

McGwire, well aware he was the reason many had paid to attend the game, could have avoided ejection and protected the umpires from fan backlash if he had acted on any of Holbrook’s three warnings to return to the dugout and stop arguing.

When McGwire continued to rage while standing at home plate, Holbrook, a rookie umpire, banished him from the game.

Crossing a line

A crowd of 47,627 packed into Busch Stadium and thousands more tuned in to a national telecast to watch McGwire, who was in a neck-and-neck race with the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa in a bid to be first to break Roger Maris’ single-season home run mark of 61.

McGwire entered the game with a season total of 54 home runs. He eventually was the first to break Maris’ mark and finished with 70 home runs in what was trumpeted as a feel-good story that brought baseball back from the ill will of the 1994 players’ strike. Years later, McGwire admitted he cheated in pursuit of the record by using banned performance-enhancing drugs to boost his performance.

In retrospect, it’s natural to wonder whether steroids fueled McGwire’s relentless ranting at Holbrook in the game against the Braves.

McGwire, batting third in the Cardinals’ order, came to the plate with two outs in the first inning, worked the count to 3-and-2 and struck out looking against Tom Glavine.

McGwire protested vehemently to Holbrook and used his bat to make a mark in the batter’s box to indicate the pitch was out of the zone. Manager Tony La Russa ran from the dugout to the plate to protect his player. Holbrook warned La Russa to back off, but La Russa ignored him and was ejected. Holbrook asked McGwire to return to the dugout, but McGwire wouldn’t leave.

“The first ejection was La Russa,” Holbrook said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “That could have ended it right there if (McGwire) had walked away.”

Holbrook said to La Russa, “Please get (McGwire) out of here. If you don’t, I’m going to have to eject him.”

La Russa tried but McGwire kept arguing.

“I warned him again,” said Holbrook, who gave McGwire a total of three warnings. “When he continued after that, that’s when I ejected him.”

Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan was yelling at Holbrook from the dugout and Holbrook ejected him, too.

“The furthest thing from my mind was to eject Mark McGwire,” Holbrook said. “I bent over backwards not to. I did everything I could to keep him in the game, but at some point I had to draw the line. I tried to walk away a couple of times and he still came back around and continued arguing.”

Said McGwire: “Did I cross the line? Yeah, I probably did. I probably deserved what I got.”

Justice for all

On the national telecast, broadcaster Josh Lewin said, “Do you throw Batman out of Gotham City? That’s what Sam Holbrook just did.”

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote, “The fact that McGwire has a chance to break a home run record is irrelevant. Umpires aren’t supposed to hold players to different standards. They can’t go out of their way to protect McGwire. There should be no special treatment.”

Umpire crew chief Harry Wendelstedt said Holbrook “worked an excellent game” and McGwire “was given ample time to argue.”

“The rules have to stay the same for everybody,” Wendelstedt said.

La Russa, who disagreed with the strike call but not the ejections, said, “I’ve seen umpires get upset, but I watched Sam and he was in control.”

Dumb and dumber

Some of the fans, though, lost control and threw objects onto the field. “It was ugly there for a while,” said Braves outfielder Ryan Klesko.

In the second inning, as the barrage continued, Wendelstedt stopped the game, players scurried into the dugouts and announcements were made over the public-address system and on the scoreboard, informing fans to stop throwing objects onto the field or else a forfeit could be declared.

“For long minutes, the threat of forfeit hung heavy over Busch,” Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Constitution wrote.

Said Wendelstedt: “A forfeit is a very last resort for an umpire … but we don’t want someone to get hurt.”

The St. Louis Police Department called in 15 to 20 extra officers to keep order, the Post-Dispatch reported, and stadium security director Joe Walsh said several fans were ejected.

In addition, about 2,000 spectators departed in the second inning because McGwire no longer was in the game, according to the Atlanta Constitution.

After a 10-minute delay, fans quieted, the game resumed and the Braves went on to win, 4-3. Boxscore

“A national TV audience had to be watching and wondering whether St. Louis really is the best baseball town in America,” the Post-Dispatch opined.

Miklasz described the fan actions as “disgraceful” and added, “If you can’t control yourself, please stay away from Busch Stadium in the future because the rest of us don’t want to be injured as a result of your temporary insanity, your acts of cowardice.”

McGwire said of the fans who threw objects, “That’s wrong … We don’t need that in baseball.”

Miklasz wondered, “Is McGwire Mania officially out of control? … Have we created a monster? Or are we now the monster?”

Posted in Games, Hitters | 8 Comments »

How Jackie Robinson hit on all cylinders vs. Cardinals

August 27, 2018 by retrosimba

Jackie Robinson hit for the cycle one time in his major-league career and he did it in inverse order against four different Cardinals pitchers.

On Aug. 29, 1948, Robinson produced a home run, triple, double and single for the Dodgers in the first game of a doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. Robinson also scored three runs, drove in two and had a stolen base, propelling the Dodgers to a 12-7 victory.

In the second game, Robinson had two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a run scored, helping the Dodgers sweep with a 6-4 triumph in 10 innings and lifting them into first place in the National League.

Making a move

The Dodgers won the 1947 National League pennant under manager Burt Shotton, who filled in while Leo Durocher was suspended for association with gamblers. Durocher returned in 1948 and the Dodgers started poorly, losing 19 of their first 31 games. On July 2, they were in last place at 27-35.

On July 16, 1948, Shotton came back to the Dodgers after Durocher departed to manage the Giants. The Dodgers surged and were back in contention entering the doubleheader against the Cardinals.

The first game of the doubleheader matched Dodgers rookie Paul Minner against Cardinals ace Harry Brecheen and attracted 33,826, the biggest crowd of the season at Sportsman’s Park.

Billy Cox opened the game for the Dodgers with a single and Robinson followed with his home run, a line drive over the wall in left. Pee Wee Reese reached on shortstop Marty Marion’s error and Bruce Edwards connected on a two-run home run, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead and driving Brecheen out of the game without recording an out.

Until then, Brecheen had yielded three home runs all season.

Extra incentive

Robinson, “spurred by constant boos from the crowd,” according to the New York Daily News, led off the third inning with a triple against Ted Wilks.

In the fourth, Robinson doubled to left against Al Brazle, swiped third and scored on Reese’s line out to center.

Robinson lined out to center in the sixth against Red Munger before he completed the cycle with a single in the eighth off Gerry Staley.

Robinson’s last at-bat of the game in the ninth resulted in a fly out against Jim Hearn.

Described by Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as “the nimble Negro star,” Robinson was 4-for-6 in the game.

“He was simply poison to the Cardinals hurlers in the opener,” the Associated Press reported. Boxscore

Pennant push

In the second game, Robinson’s two hits brought his batting average to .300 for the season and the Dodgers’ sweep of St. Louis pulled them into a virtual first-place tie with the Braves. The Dodgers had a 66-51 record and .564 winning percentage and the Braves were 69-54 and .561.

Robinson, in his second Dodgers season after breaking the major league’s segregation practices the year before, finished the 1948 season with a batting mark of .296. He hit .329 in 19 games against the Cardinals in 1948.

After winning 39 of 55 games in their surge from last place to first, the Dodgers eventually faded and finished in third place at 84-70. The Braves won the pennant with a 91-62 record and the Cardinals placed second at 85-69.

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents | 2 Comments »

Why Mets told Vince Coleman to get out, stay out

August 24, 2018 by retrosimba

A reckless, senseless act by Vince Coleman blew up in his face, putting him at risk for a jail sentence and casting him into baseball limbo.

On Aug. 26, 1993, the Mets cut their connection to Coleman, telling him to stay home, after prosecutors charged him with a felony for throwing an explosive device similar to a grenade into a parking lot and injuring three people, including two children.

Though a month remained in the 1993 season and Coleman had another year left on his contract, Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon said Coleman “will not play here again as a Met” regardless of the legal outcome of the case. His stint with them was marred by injuries and controversies until he reached rock bottom with the felony charge.

Follow the money

An outfielder with exceptional speed, Coleman debuted in the major leagues with the Cardinals in 1985, established a big-league single-season rookie record with 110 stolen bases, scored 107 runs and sparked St. Louis to a National League pennant. Coleman was the unanimous choice for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Coleman led the league in stolen bases in each of his six seasons with St. Louis, swiping more than 100 three times.

After the 1990 season, when Coleman, 29, became a free agent, the Cardinals offered him a four-year, $10.5 million contract. Coleman rejected it for the Mets’ offer of four years at $11.95 million.

While with the Mets, Coleman had trouble on and off the field. Plagued by damaged hamstrings, he was limited to 72 games and 37 stolen bases in 1991 and 71 games and 24 stolen bases in 1992.

Coleman feuded with manager Jeff Torborg and coach Mike Cubbage and he was suspended for two games after shoving Torborg. In 1992, Coleman was one of three Mets players investigated in a rape allegation until authorities in Port St. Lucie, Fla., determined there wasn’t enough evidence to file charges.

Under attack

On July 24, 1993, Coleman and teammate Bobby Bonilla got into a Jeep driven by Dodgers outfielder Eric Davis after a game at Dodger Stadium. As a prank, Coleman tossed a M-100, described by authorities as a military device having 200 to 300 grains of gunpowder and used to simulate grenades, into the parking lot where a group of people were gathered to seek autographs from players.

The M-100, which packed the equivalent power of a quarter-stick of dynamite, exploded and injured a 2-year-old girl, who suffered second-degree burns to a cheek and damage to an eye and finger; an 11-year-old boy, who had cuts on his shin; and a 33-year-old woman, who complained of vertigo and ringing in her ear, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Salvador Hernandez, who witnessed the incident, told the Los Angeles Times he saw Coleman toss the M-100 and “he definitely meant to throw it at the fans.”

Another witness, Veronica Mayhew, told the New York Daily News the M-100 “started fizzing and everybody thought it was a smoke bomb, but then it just blew up really big and sparks flew everywhere.”

Five days later, Coleman called his actions “inappropriate,” but complained about being portrayed as insensitive and uncaring.

Clear message

Coleman, batting .279 with 38 stolen bases, played his last game for the Mets on July 31, 1993, against the Cardinals at St. Louis. After that, manager Dallas Green, who’d replaced Torborg in May, removed Coleman from the lineup until authorities determined whether to file charges.

On Aug. 3, 1993, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office charged Coleman with one count of unlawful possession of an explosive device. A spokesman said prosecutors opted for a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor because of the strength of the explosive and the injuries. Coleman faced a maximum sentence of three years in jail.

In a prepared statement, Coleman said, “I take full responsibility for a very foolish act for which I am suffering greatly. It was never my intent to hurt anyone.”

At Coleman’s request, the Mets placed him on an unpaid leave of absence.

Meanwhile, public pressure was applied on the Mets to do more to punish Coleman.

_ Steve Serby, New York Daily News: “There really is no point in keeping Vince Coleman around anymore … Coleman is nothing but trouble.”

_ Michael Ventre, Los Angeles Daily News: “Baseball produces a higher percentage of immature knuckleheads than any other sport. Sitting on the throne today as the king of all of them is Coleman … Here’s hoping somebody lowers the boom on Vince.”

_ Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting how pitcher Nolan Ryan pummeled Robin Ventura after Ventura charged the mound: “It’s a shame Vince Coleman didn’t charge Ryan … Maybe we ought to have Nolan Ryan clean this game up, administer his brand of frontier justice, and restore baseball’s vanishing morality.”

Three weeks into his leave of absence, the Mets told Coleman he never would be welcomed back to the team.

“I think it would be in Vince Coleman’s best interests and the New York Mets’ best interests that he never wear a New York Mets uniform again,” Wilpon said.

Said Green: “You’ve got to have guys who care about their responsibilities as a professional and care about the organization and care about winning. There were times that wasn’t Vinny’s first goal.”

Plea bargain

Coleman hired Robert Shapiro to be his defense attorney. Shapiro, one of the lawyers who represented O.J. Simpson in his double-murder trial, sought to have the charge against Colman reduced to a misdemeanor.

On Oct. 22, 1993, Coleman entered a plea of innocent to the felony charge in municipal court in Los Angeles. Two weeks later, on Nov. 5, after Shapiro and prosecutors negotiated an agreement, Coleman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of an explosive device.

A one-year jail term was suspended. Coleman was given three years of probation and assigned 200 hours of community service. He also agreed to make restitution to the three people he injured.

Deputy district attorney Bill Hodgman said he consulted with the victims and their families to determine whether to accept the plea agreement and all agreed he should, the Associated Press reported.

“I’m relieved, very relieved,” Coleman said. “I’m sorry it happened. I’ve suffered dearly.”

On Jan. 5, 1994, the Mets traded Coleman to the Royals for outfielder Kevin McReynolds.

Coleman played four more big-league seasons with four teams, Royals, Mariners, Reds and Tigers, before making an unsuccessful comeback bid with the Cardinals in 1998.

Posted in Hitters, Opponents | 8 Comments »

Harry Walker to Vince DiMaggio: Can you top this?

August 22, 2018 by retrosimba

(Updated Nov. 26, 2024)

Harry Walker and Vince DiMaggio, members of prominent baseball families, displayed dazzling speed and skills in making plays against one another in a game between the Cardinals and Pirates.

On Aug. 31, 1943, at Pittsburgh, Walker drove a ball past DiMaggio in center field and circled the bases for a two-run inside-the-park home run, lifting the Cardinals to a 4-2 victory.

Walker might have had another inside-the-park home run earlier in the game, but DiMaggio made a sensational catch to deprive him.

All in the family

Harry Walker made his major-league debut with the Cardinals in 1940. After spending parts of three seasons (1940-42) with the Cardinals, he was their starting center fielder in 1943.

Harry was the fourth member of his family to play in the big leagues. His father, Ewart Walker, was a pitcher with the Senators from 1909-12 and his uncle, Ernie Walker, was an outfielder with the Browns from 1913-15. Harry’s brother, Dixie Walker, was the best-known, playing 18 seasons (1931 and 1933-49) in the majors as a hard-hitting outfielder with the Yankees, White Sox, Tigers, Dodgers and Pirates. Dixie’s given name was Fred and he was eight years older than Harry.

Vince DiMaggio was the oldest of three brothers who became outfielders in the big leagues. Vince made his major-league debut with the Braves in 1937. Joe DiMaggio, two years younger than Vince, got to the big leagues first, with the Yankees in 1936, and played 13 seasons in a Hall of Fame career. Dom DiMaggio, five years younger than Vince, played for the Red Sox for 11 years after debuting with them in 1940.

In the book “My Greatest Day in Baseball,” Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean said a nightclub owner, Johnny Perkins, bet him he wouldn’t strike out Vince DiMaggio the first time he came up in a game at Boston.

“I did, and when I went back to the bench I made motions to (Perkins) I’d double the bet the next time,” Dean said. “I struck (DiMaggio) out again, and I put everything back on a third bet, and I fanned him three straight times.

“Then Perkins wanted to make it all or nothing, so I took him, and when DiMaggio came up again he lifted a pop foul back of the plate. I thought (Bruce) Ogrodowski was going to catch it, and I ran and hollered, ‘Let it go, let it go.’ He couldn’t get the ball anyway, as it turned out, because it hit the screen, but I’d have bumped him sure as hell if he’d got under it. I wanted to win that bet. I struck DiMaggio out on the next pitch. Four straight times!” Boxscore

Vince was dealt by the Braves to the Yankees on Feb. 4, 1939, and was assigned to their minor-league club at Kansas City. Vince never did join Joe on the Yankees. On Aug. 5, 1939, Vince was acquired by the Reds and, nine months later, in May 1940, the Reds traded him to the Pirates. Vince became the Pirates’ starting center fielder, succeeding Lloyd Waner. In 1941, Vince produced 21 home runs and 100 RBI.

On the run

In the 1943 game at Pittsburgh, the Cardinals had runners on second and third, one out, when Harry Walker faced Pirates starter Bob Klinger in the third inning at Forbes Field. Walker, a left-handed batter, lined a pitch to right-center and Vince DiMaggio gave chase.

“DiMaggio was racing backward at full speed when he glanced back, leaped” and speared the ball on the dead run, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The Pittsburgh Press said, “If Vince hadn’t made that final stretch, Walker would have had an inside-the-park homer.”

According to the Post-Dispatch, “DiMaggio made as fine a catch as you’ll ever see on a ballfield.”

Marty Marion tagged and scored from third on the play, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, and Walker was credited with a RBI.

Finding the gap

In the ninth, with the score tied at 2-2, the Cardinals had pitcher Red Munger on second base with two outs and Walker at the plate against Klinger. Walker hit a drive to left-center and DiMaggio again took off in pursuit.

“Vince made a desperate lunge for the ball,” the Post-Dispatch reported, but it landed just beyond his reach and skidded to the wall.

Munger scored easily from second with the go-ahead run and Walker circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run and a 4-2 Cardinals lead. Munger retired the Pirates in order in the bottom half of the inning, sealing the victory for St. Louis. Boxscore

The home run was the second of Walker’s big-league career. A line-drive hitter who sprayed the ball to all fields rather than an upper-cut swinger, Walker hit 10 home runs, including two inside the park, in 11 major-league seasons.

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents | 5 Comments »

How a scratch single cost Curt Davis a no-hitter

August 20, 2018 by retrosimba

The career paths of pitcher Curt Davis and outfielder Ernie Koy intersected in two prominent ways for the Cardinals.

The first occurred on Aug. 24, 1938, when Davis pitched a one-hitter for the Cardinals against the Dodgers. Koy produced the only hit, a bunt single.

Two years later, on June 12, 1940, Davis and Koy were part of a blockbuster trade between the Cardinals and Dodgers. The Cardinals sent Davis and slugger Joe Medwick to the Dodgers for Koy, third baseman Bert Haas, pitchers Carl Doyle and Sam Nahem, and $125,000.

It was the second time Davis was part of a major Cardinals trade. On April 16, 1938, the Cardinals dealt pitcher Dizzy Dean to the Cubs for Davis, pitcher Clyde Shoun, outfielder Tuck Stainback and $185,000.

Though Davis wasn’t the caliber of future Hall of Famers Medwick and Dean, he was a successful starting pitcher who achieved 11 double-digit win seasons after getting a late start to his major-league career.

Late bloomer

Davis was born in Greenfield, Mo., and moved with his family to a farm near Salem, Ore., when he was 3. As a young adult, Davis held a variety of jobs, including picking apples, lumberjacking and driving a truck at a logger camp, according to a biography by the Society for American Baseball Research.

A right-handed pitcher, Davis played semipro baseball and signed his first minor-league contract when he was 24. He made his major-league debut with the 1934 Phillies at age 30 and had an impressive rookie season, with 19 wins and a 2.95 ERA for a seventh-place club.

Davis had 16 wins for the 1935 Phillies, was traded to Cubs for slugger Chuck Klein in May 1936, and won 11 for the Cubs in 1936 and 10 in 1937. When the Cubs had a chance to get the sore-armed Dean on the eve of the 1938 season, they jumped at the chance. Cardinals fans were disappointed to see Dean depart and took out their frustrations on Davis, whom they viewed as an inadequate replacement for the colorful ace.

Tough to handle

Davis, 34, took a 9-6 record and 4.48 ERA into his start against the Dodgers at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. He’d started two days earlier, Aug. 22, 1938, against the Reds and yielded five runs and eight hits in 3.2 innings.

The Cardinals and Dodgers both had losing records and the Wednesday game on a sweltering afternoon drew a paid crowd of 1,403. Another 1,183 boys and girls were admitted for free, putting the total attendance at 2,586.

With one out in the second inning, Koy, a rookie, pushed a drag bunt between the first-base line and the pitcher’s mound. As Koy, a former running back for the University of Texas football team, barreled toward the bag, first baseman Johnny Mize fielded the slow roller and tossed the ball to Davis, who was covering first.

“I hesitated an instant on my way over to first to let Mize get the ball out of his glove,” Davis said to the St. Louis Star-Times. “For a split second, I was afraid the throw would go behind me.”

The throw was on target, but Davis fumbled the ball as Koy streaked across the base and was called safe by umpire George Magerkurth.

Davis disagreed with the call, telling the Star-Times, “I thought I had Koy beat … Just as I caught the ball, I felt a thud behind me and naturally I thought it was an out.”

According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “Davis never did get his hands on the throw,” and both the New York Daily News and The Sporting News reported Davis mishandled the ball.

Magerkurth said Koy beat Mize’s throw to the bag and would have been safe even if Davis caught the ball cleanly, so the official scorer ruled the play a hit and not an error.

High quality

Medwick led off the bottom half of the second with a home run against Luke Hamlin, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. It was all the support Davis needed.

The Dodgers’ only other baserunner, Cookie Lavagetto, drew a walk with one out in the fifth and was picked off first by Davis.

The Cardinals got a two-run double from Stu Martin in the fifth, a RBI-single by Davis in the seventh and a final run driven in by Lynn Myers in the eighth, winning, 5-0, in a game played in 1:40.

Davis’ line: nine innings, one hit, one walk, four strikeouts and 28 batters faced. Boxscore

Two months earlier, on June 15, 1938, the Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers and walked eight. Davis’ gem on one day’s rest “was a far better pitching performance than the no-hit game,” the Daily Eagle declared.

That’s a winner

Davis finished with a 12-8 record and 3.63 ERA for the 1938 Cardinals. In 1939, he was 22-16 for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals got off to a dismal start in 1940 and by June the club was looking to deal veteran players for cash. Davis was 0-4 with a 5.17 ERA and Medwick was sulking and losing fan support when the Dodgers offered to take them.

Davis pitched the last seven seasons (1940-46) of his career with the Dodgers and was 66-54 for them. In 1941, when the Dodgers won the National League pennant, Davis was 13-7 with a 2.97 ERA.

In 13 seasons in the major leagues, Davis had a 158-131 record.

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | 3 Comments »

How Vince Coleman got his chance with Cardinals

August 17, 2018 by retrosimba

(Updated June 12, 2024)

Vince Coleman was so fast he made it to the major leagues much sooner than the Cardinals expected.

When the 1985 season began, Coleman was with Louisville and both he and the Cardinals agreed he needed to spend more months in the minors before he was ready for the big leagues.

The plan changed in April when the Cardinals called up Coleman to fill in for a pair of injured outfielders, Willie McGee and Tito Landrum. Coleman was supposed to stay a couple of days, but his speed created headaches for opponents and opportunities for the Cardinals. When McGee and Landrum got healthy, Coleman remained as the Cardinals’ leadoff batter and left fielder.

Multiple talents

Coleman was raised in Jacksonville by his mother, Willie Pearl Coleman, a single parent who worked as a dietitian at a hospital. After graduating high school, he enrolled at Florida A&M, earned spots on the football and baseball teams, and was granted an athletic scholarship.

Coleman was a punter and placekicker for the football team, following the lead of his cousin, Greg Coleman, who was a punter for 10 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings.

One of Vince Coleman’s baseball teammates at Florida A&M was Lary Aaron, son of home run king Hank Aaron. In his sophomore year, Coleman broke his wrist and sat out the baseball season. As a junior in 1981, Coleman batted .383 with 65 stolen bases in 66 games. He hit .407 as a senior and had 42 steals in 28 games.

The NFL’s Washington Redskins invited Coleman to a minicamp in May 1982 and urged him to become a wide receiver, but Coleman was hesitant to try. The next week, Coleman was selected by the Cardinals in the 10th round of baseball’s amateur draft and he signed with them.

Coleman was a fan of the Angels because they had his favorite player, Rod Carew, “but I was glad the Cardinals drafted me because I knew (manager) Whitey Herzog likes to have a running team,” Coleman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Fast track

The Cardinals assigned Coleman to their rookie league club at Johnson City in 1982 and he had 43 stolen bases in 58 games.

Coleman went to Macon in 1983 and established a professional single-season record with 145 stolen bases. Coleman accomplished the feat in 113 games after sitting out most of June because of a broken right hand. “I think I’m the fastest man in baseball,” Coleman said.

The 1983 season also was when Coleman, a natural right-hander, became a switch-hitter. He hit .350 right-handed and .357 left-handed for Macon.

The Cardinals brought Coleman to St. Louis on Sept. 3, 1983, to be honored in a pre-game ceremony for his stolen base record. After that, he reported to the Springfield, Ill., farm club to help in the Midwest League playoffs.

From there, Coleman reported to the Cardinals’ Florida Instructional League to focus on hitting curves and sliders.

Coleman skipped the Class AA level and opened the 1984 season with Class AAA Louisville. “I’d be delighted if Vince could hit .250 or .260 after jumping all the way to Triple A,” Louisville manager Jim Fregosi told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “It’s a natural thing for him to struggle.”

Coleman batted .257 with 101 stolen bases in 152 games for Louisville, but the Cardinals didn’t bring him to the big leagues when rosters expanded in September. “I’m a little down about not going up,” Coleman said.

Learning curve

Coleman reported to the Cardinals’ major-league spring training camp at St. Petersburg, Fla., for the first time in 1985. Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith tried to arrange a $5,000 match race between Coleman and McGee to find out who was fastest. When third baseman Terry Pendleton learned of the plan, he asked to be included in the race, even though he lacked speed. “If they both slip, I could win,” Pendleton told the Post-Dispatch.

McGee wanted no part of the race and Herzog told Coleman, “You should never race. Somebody would have to lose. This way, nobody will ever know. It will be a mystery.”

Herzog called Coleman “the best prospect in baseball,” but Coleman flailed at breaking balls out of the strike zone, batted .138 (4-for-29) in spring training games and was re-assigned to Louisville.

“When I started out, I figured it would take four or five years to get to the major leagues,” Coleman said. “If I don’t make it (this year), I won’t be disappointed.”

Said Herzog: “He’s as good a worker as I’ve ever had in one of my camps. You might see him up here before the year is over.”

The Cardinals opened the 1985 season with an outfield of Lonnie Smith in left, McGee in center and Andy Van Slyke in right, with Landrum the backup.

Coleman batted .143 (3-for-21) in five games with Louisville, but, when Landrum went on the disabled list because of a pulled abdominal muscle and McGee was shelved for a few days because of a strained thigh muscle, the Cardinals called up Coleman on April 17.

Best of class

In his debut game, on April 18, 1985, against the Expos at St. Louis, Coleman had a single, walk and two stolen bases. Boxscore

The next night, April 19, Coleman had four hits, including a RBI-triple in the eighth against John Candelaria, in a 5-4 Cardinals victory over the Pirates. Boxscore

“He’s a cocky little son of a gun, isn’t he?” Herzog said. “It’s amazing what a spark like that can do for a ballclub.”

Coleman credited Cardinals coaches Johnny Lewis and Dave Ricketts for his success. “They were the ones who were with me when I became a switch-hitter three years ago,” Coleman said. “They basically know me as a hitter. They know what I should do and what not to do.”

When McGee returned to the lineup, Coleman remained and Lonnie Smith was traded to the Royals in May. “I would venture to say there’s never been a better defensive outfield than Van Slyke, McGee and Vince,” Herzog said. “For speed, arms and defense, you can’t get much better than that.”

Coleman went on to shatter the major-league rookie stolen base record of 72 established by Juan Samuel of the 1984 Phillies. Coleman’s 110 steals in 1985 are surpassed only by Rickey Henderson of the Athletics (130 in 1982) and Lou Brock of the Cardinals (118 in 1974). Video

Coleman, who scored 107 runs, was the first unanimous choice for the National League Rookie of the Year Award since Orlando Cepeda of the 1958 Giants and the fourth Cardinals player to win the award, joining outfielders Wally Moon (1954), Bill Virdon (1955) and Bake McBride (1974).

Coleman led the National League in stolen bases in each of his six seasons with St. Louis (1985-90) and three times swiped more than 100 bases _ 110 in 1985, 107 in 1986 and 109 in 1987.

Herzog “gave me the green light to run whenever I got on base,” Coleman told Cardinals Magazine. “My first few years I usually ran on the first pitch, but then someone … came up with the slide step for pitchers. That threw my timing off, and I didn’t go.

“Whitey said, ‘I want you to run. I don’t care if you get thrown out. They can’t intimidate you. You intimidate them.’

“I had been shortening my lead so I wouldn’t get picked off. Everyone could see that I wasn’t going to go. Whitey said, ‘If they know you’re not running, they start throwing Willie (McGee) the curveball. They won’t throw him fastballs anymore.’ So I started running again.”

Posted in Games, Hitters, Prospects | 5 Comments »

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