RetroSimba

Why David Eckstein was perfect fit for Cardinals

December 22, 2014 by retrosimba

In December 2004, the Angels did the Cardinals a favor, opting not to re-sign their shortstop, David Eckstein, making him a free agent.

The Cardinals, needing to replace shortstop Edgar Renteria, a free agent who signed with the Red Sox, hardly could believe their good fortune.

Eckstein filled two needs. He replaced Renteria at shortstop and he also batted leadoff. Like Renteria, Tony Womack, who batted leadoff for the 2004 Cardinals, became a free agent. Womack signed with the Yankees.

Pouncing on the opportunity to acquire a player described by general manager Walt Jocketty as “a perfect fit,” the Cardinals signed Eckstein on Dec. 23, 2004, two days after he became available.

It was a move that felt right from the moment it occurred.

Eckstein ignited the Cardinals with his hustle, heart and smarts, leading them to two postseason appearances and a 2006 World Series championship.

Shortstop roulette

Though Eckstein had sparked the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002 and had led American League shortstops in fielding percentage in 2004, the Angels sought an upgrade, citing Eckstein’s lack of arm strength as a liability.

Meanwhile, Renteria, a three-time all-star with the Cardinals, had bolted to the Red Sox, who gave him a four-year, $40 million contract.

With Renteria joining Boston, Orlando Cabrera, the shortstop who helped the Red Sox sweep the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, declared for free agency. The Angels pursued him, offering a four-year, $32 million deal. When Cabrera accepted, Eckstein became expendable.

According to the Associated Press, the Cardinals, unable to find a suitable replacement for Renteria, were considering signing shortstop Barry Larkin, 40, who had become a free agent after 19 seasons with the Reds. When Eckstein became available, the Cardinals called with a three-year, $10.2 million offer.

Eckstein, 29, accepted and it was a bargain for the Cardinals.

“They were very aggressive,” Eckstein said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “They were pretty much the first team to call … It was clear that this was a good fit. The best fit.”

John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ assistant general manager, said, “David was the player we focused on right away after Cabrera signed.”

Said Jocketty: “We felt this was the guy, the perfect fit for our club for a lot of reasons. For his personality, for the way he goes about playing the game. He’s a gamer through and through. He’s the kind of player St. Louis will embrace. I think he will become a cult hero with our fans. He’s a hustler.”

Disappointed with the decision to discard a player popular with the team based near Disneyland, San Bernardino Sun columnist Paul Oberjuerge wrote, “The Angels just shot Bambi.”

Size doesn’t matter

Eckstein, 5 feet 6, 170 pounds, had 156 hits in 142 games for the 2004 Angels. He seldom struck out (49 times in 637 plate appearances) and fielded effectively (six errors).

In the 2002 World Series against the Giants, Eckstein batted .310 with nine hits, three walks and six runs scored for the Angels.

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote, “Eckstein is the kind of old-school player who commands such great respect and appreciation in St. Louis, a traditional baseball town.”

Rex Hudler, an Angels broadcaster who had been a hustling utilityman for the Cardinals from 1990-92, told Miklasz he’d named his son, David, in honor of Eckstein.

“He’s going to be revered as the new Huckleberry Finn of St. Louis and Missouri,” Hudler said of Eckstein.

Hudler said his 8-year-old daughter cried when she learned Eckstein was leaving the Angels. “Kids are his biggest fans,” Hudler said. “The children look up to him and relate to him because he’s so small … He inspires all of those kids who have been told they aren’t good enough.”

Asked about Eckstein’s subpar arm, Hudler replied, “He’s so smart. Extremely intelligent. He studies the hitters. He positions himself perfectly. He’s always in the right place. The ball comes right to him. I’ve never seen him make a mental mistake.”

Said Eckstein: “I don’t really look like your typical pro athlete. It means I always have to prove myself … I don’t want to lose that edge.”

St. Louis sparkplug

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was delighted by the acquisition, calling Eckstein “a winning player.”

After speaking with La Russa, Eckstein told the Associated Press, “Mr. La Russa just said to play my game, be a pest at the plate and play solid defense.”

That’s exactly what Eckstein did for the Cardinals.

In three seasons (2005-07) as the St. Louis shortstop, Eckstein twice was named an all-star. He batted .297 with 465 hits in 398 career games for the Cardinals. He had a .357 on-base percentage with them. In 2005, Eckstein ranked second among National League shortstops in both assists (517) and double plays turned (123).

His crowning achievement came in 2006 when he was named winner of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Eckstein hit .364 in the five-game series versus the Tigers, with four RBI and three runs scored.

“He’s the heart and soul of this ball club,” Cardinals second baseman Aaron Miles said to Sports Illustrated.

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How Mike Gonzalez became 1st Cuban manager in majors

December 19, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Jan. 21, 2026)

Branch Rickey is well known for being the Dodgers executive who broke baseball’s color barrier by bringing Jackie Robinson to the major leagues. What is less known is Rickey was the Cardinals executive who made Mike Gonzalez the first Cuban manager in the major leagues.

Gonzalez, a Havana native, had three stints with the Cardinals as a catcher: 1915-18, 1924-25 and 1931-32. He also played for the Braves, Reds, Giants and Cubs.

During his 17-year playing career in the majors, Gonzalez developed a reputation for his baseball savvy. It was while scouting for the Giants that Gonzalez wired a report to manager John McGraw about a prospect: “Good field, no hit.” The phrase became part of baseball’s lexicon.

Shrewd strategist

In 1934, Gonzalez became a coach on the staff of Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch. Four years later, when Frisch was fired on Sept. 11, 1938, Rickey chose Gonzalez to manage the Cardinals.

Though it was a stopgap measure _ most reports indicated Rickey would hire someone from within the minor-league system to manage the 1939 Cardinals _ the move was significant.

In reporting that Gonzalez, 47, was the first Cuban to manage in the big leagues, The Sporting News described him as “a shrewd diamond strategist, a keen judge of talent and a capable instructor.”

Frisch called Gonzalez “a great guy, loyal and true and one of the smartest birds I ever knew.”

Citing his stellar reputation as a coach for the Cardinals, The Sporting News wrote of Gonzalez, “The athletes who have played under his coaching direction have learned to respect his judgment and to take his orders implicitly.”

Gonzalez also had the ability to decode signs flashed by opponents. “One year, the Cardinals won almost all their games with one of the second-division clubs, largely because Gonzalez was able to call virtually every pitch and tell exactly when the enemy was going to hit-and-run or try to steal,” The Sporting News noted.

In the book “Baseball’s Greatest Teams,” author Tom Meany noted that, in addition to his cagey baseball skills, Gonzalez was “a most remarkable poker player.”

Successful start

Gonzalez made his debut as Cardinals manager on Sept. 14, 1938, in the first game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia. Despite yielding nine runs and 13 hits, starter Max Macon pitched a complete game and got the win in a 12-9 Cardinals victory. Boxscore

The Cardinals swept the doubleheader, winning the second game, 3-2, behind Mort Cooper, who pitched a three-hitter while walking eight in his big-league debut. Boxscore

Gonzalez led the Cardinals to wins in his first five games as manager, then lost six in a row. He finished with an 8-8 record.

Ray Blades became manager of the 1939 Cardinals and kept Gonzalez as a coach.

Second stint

In June 1940, Blades was fired and Gonzalez was named to his second stint as Cardinals manager. Again, it was an interim role. The Cardinals were 1-5 under Gonzalez in 1940 before Billy Southworth took over as Cardinals manager. Gonzalez stayed as a coach.

The Cardinals won two World Series titles and three pennants under Southworth, who earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1946, Southworth left the Cardinals to become manager of the Braves. He was replaced by Eddie Dyer, who maintained Gonzalez as a coach.

The 1946 season was the 13th and final season for Gonzalez as a Cardinals coach. It ended memorably. In Game 7 of the 1946 World Series, Enos Slaughter scored the winning run on a dash from first base on a hit by Harry Walker. Slaughter credited Gonzalez, the third-base coach, for waving him to home plate as soon as he reached third. It was redemption for Gonzalez, who was criticized after Game 4 when two baserunners he waved home were thrown out at the plate.

Cuban managers

Gonzalez was the first of seven Cubans who managed in the majors, according to baseball-reference.com. The others:

_ Preston Gomez: 1969-72 Padres, 1974-75 Astros and 1980 Cubs.

_ Marty Martinez: 1986 Mariners (one game).

_ Cookie Rojas: 1988 Angels and 2001 Marlins (one game).

_ Tony Perez: 1993 Reds and 2001 Marlins.

_ Carlos Tosca: 2002-04 Blue Jays.

_ Fredi Gonzalez: 2007-10 Marlins and 2011-16 Braves.

On Oct. 25, 2021, Oliver Marmol became the first minority manager of the Cardinals since Mike Gonzalez. Marmol, born and raised in the United States, traces his lineage to the Dominican Republic.

Posted in Executives, Games, Managers | 2 Comments »

Dan Haren proved more durable than Mark Mulder

December 17, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Dec. 18, 2018)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Making a splash

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

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

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

Elite starter

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

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

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

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

Red flag

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

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

Mulder denied he was weakened or injured.

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

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

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

Swift start

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

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

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

Posted in Executives, Pitchers, Trades | 2 Comments »

How Johnny Mize almost never played for Cardinals

December 15, 2014 by retrosimba

Before Johnny Mize played a game for the Cardinals, they gave up on him and gave him away to the Reds.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, the Reds gave him back.

During six seasons as the Cardinals’ first baseman, Mize won a National League batting title (.349 in 1939), a RBI crown (137 in 1940) and twice led the league in home runs (28 in 1939 and 43 in 1940).

In three consecutive years (1938-40) with the Cardinals, Mize led the NL in slugging percentage and total bases. Nicknamed “The Big Cat,” Mize was a four-time all-star with St. Louis. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The story of how Mize transformed into one of the Cardinals’ all-time sluggers is filled with a dizzying array of twists and turns.

Rich Reds

In 1934, Mize, 21, was with the Cardinals’ minor-league Rochester (N.Y.) affiliate. His season was cut short because of a groin injury. In 90 games, Mize hit .339 with 17 home runs.

Larry MacPhail, the Reds’ brash general manager, needed sluggers for a team that ranked last in the major leagues in runs scored (590) in 1934. MacPhail saw Mize as a cornerstone for that rebuilding project.

Jim Bottomley was the Reds’ first baseman. Bottomley, who would be elected to the Hall of Fame, had been a standout for the Cardinals, helping them win two World Series titles (1926 and 1931) and four pennants. The Cardinals traded him to the Reds in December 1932.

Though he hit .284 with 31 doubles for the 1934 Reds, Bottomley, 34, had peaked as a run producer.

Powel Crosley, the Cincinnati radio manufacturer and broadcasting titan, had purchased the Reds in 1934 and was willing to spend money to revive a franchise that had finished in last place in the NL that year. In December 1934, MacPhail approached the Cardinals and offered $55,000 for Mize.

It was an astonishing sum at a time when the nation still was staggered by the economic hardships of the Great Depression. MacPhail’s offer topped the $50,000 the Yankees had paid the San Francisco Seals a month earlier for their highly touted prospect, outfielder Joe DiMaggio.

The Cardinals, who had won the 1934 World Series championship, were quite willing to accept such a large sum for a hobbled player who never had appeared in the big leagues.

On Dec. 13, 1934, the Cardinals sent Mize to the Reds.

String attached

“Whatever happens to the Reds (in 1935), it cannot be said (they) have not put plenty of cash and industry into their efforts,” The Sporting News reported. “The substantial sum of $55,000 was turned over to the Cards for (Mize) … There is ample reason for believing that Mize will prove well worth the expenditure. He is a strapping youngster … who puts a great deal of power into his swing.”

The deal came with one important condition. Wrote The Sporting News: “As for the injury, so confident are the Cardinals that it will not prove a hardship that they have guaranteed the first sacker will be sound for 1935, which means that if the injury still handicaps the player, the Reds need not keep him but instead may return him and get back the money paid for his services.”

As spring training started in February 1935, Mize told reporters he was “entirely recovered” from the groin injury. The Sporting News speculated Bottomley would be traded to the Cubs or Giants.

After watching Mize perform, though, it became evident something was wrong with him. It later was determined spurs had developed on his pelvic bone, restricting his movement and causing pain.

Return to sender

On April 15, 1935, the Reds voided the deal, returning Mize to the Cardinals the day before the start of the season.

Assigned to Rochester, Mize played in 65 games and hit .317 with 12 home runs until the pain became too intense to continue. With his career in jeopardy, Mize agreed to surgery after the season.

In December 1935, The Sporting News reported, “Mize recently underwent an operation to correct a condition that interfered with the free action of his legs … The surgery (Mize) submitted to was for the removal of a growth on the pelvic arch and it has been pronounced a success.”

The report was accurate. Mize opened the 1936 season with the Cardinals and soon after took over from Rip Collins as the first baseman. The rookie hit .329 with a team-leading 19 home runs and 93 RBI for the 1936 Cardinals.

In six seasons with St. Louis (1936-41), Mize batted .336 with 1,048 hits in 854 games. His .600 slugging percentage with the Cardinals ranks third all-time in franchise history and first among left-handed batters. The only players with higher career slugging percentages as Cardinals are Mark McGwire (.683) and Albert Pujols (.617).

On Dec. 11, 1941, seven years after they sent him to the Reds, the Cardinals traded Mize to the Giants for catcher Ken O’Dea, first baseman Johnny McCarthy, pitcher Bill Lohrman and $50,000.

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Why Cardinals were right to trade George Hendrick

December 12, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Jan. 8, 2025)

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

Instead, they became champions.

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

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

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

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

Strengthen rotation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Positive Pirates

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

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

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

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

Terrific Tudor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted in Hitters, Pitchers, Trades | 2 Comments »

Trade to Cardinals revived career of Tracy Stallard

December 9, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Nov. 16, 2024)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Change of scenery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seeking a starter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cardinals contributor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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