RetroSimba

Spring fling: How Tony Womack sparked 2004 Cardinals

March 17, 2014 by retrosimba

A minor move for a one-time heartbreaker paid off in a major way for the 2004 Cardinals.

Desperate for a second baseman late in spring training, the Cardinals acquired Tony Womack from the Red Sox for reliever Matt Duff on March 21, 2004.

The Cardinals weren’t sure Womack was even healthy enough to play.

He turned out to be the catalyst for a club that won the National League pennant.

Womack, 34, had undergone ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow in October 2003.

The Cardinals, unwilling to enter the 2004 season with either Marlon Anderson or Bo Hart as their everyday second baseman, took a chance on Womack, even though they were told he still was a month away from being able to field and throw.

After Womack reported to the Cardinals’ spring training camp in Jupiter, Fla., pulling into the players’ parking lot in a purple Lamborghini, he declared, “I’m ready to go now. I’ve been ready for a while,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The Cardinals immediately put him into minor-league games on the back fields of the training complex and, sure enough, Womack proved fit. His elbow had healed far ahead of schedule.

An impressed and grateful Cardinals management team, seeking a replacement for departed free-agent second baseman Fernando Vina, quickly made plans to get him into the starting lineup and atop the batting order in big-league games.

Forgive us our trespasses

Three years earlier, Womack was a Cardinals nemesis. Playing shortstop for the Diamondbacks, Womack delivered the game-winning hit that eliminated the Cardinals in the fifth and deciding game of the National League Division Series.

On Oct. 14, 2001, at Phoenix, Womack came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 against reliever Steve Kline with the score tied at 1-1, two outs and a runner at second. Womack’s single to left drove in pinch-runner Danny Bautista, giving the Diamondbacks a 2-1 victory and enabling them to advance on the path toward their first World Series championship. Boxscore

Reminded of that hit after he joined the Cardinals, Womack told Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break their hearts, but better their heart than mine.”

In response, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, chuckling, told Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch, “I’ve forgiven (Womack). I haven’t forgiven Kline. I’ve got to make sure Kline doesn’t throw batting practice to Womack.”

Said Kline of Womack: “I like the guy. Now he doesn’t have to get a hit off me.”

Spark plug

After Womack singled twice and stole two bases against Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez in his first Cardinals spring training game, La Russa gushed, “He looked like what I thought he’d be, a guy with a lot of energy who can be very disruptive. Impressive.”

Two weeks after he was acquired, Womack was the 2004 Cardinals’ Opening Day second baseman. Batting leadoff against the Brewers at St. Louis, Womack was 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Boxscore

He had a strong April (.351 batting average with seven steals and a .415 on-base percentage) and, except for a slump in May, was consistently productive all season.

Womack hit especially well against some of St. Louis’ Central Division foes: . 382 (26-for-68) vs. the Reds; .373 (25-for-67) vs. the Cubs; .357 (25-for-70) vs. the Pirates; and .333 (15-for-45) vs. the Brewers.

In 145 regular-season games for the 2004 Cardinals, Womack had 170 hits, scored 91 runs and had 26 stolen bases. He batted .307 and had an on-base percentage of .349. Both figures were far better than his career marks in those categories. (In 13 major-league seasons, Womack had a .273 batting average and .317 on-base percentage.) He fielded adequately, with 15 errors in 1,113 innings at second base for St. Louis.

In the 2004 World Series, Womack batted .182, 2-for-11, in the four games against the Red Sox, but fielded flawlessly. He then became a free agent and signed with the Yankees. He eventually bounced to the Reds and the Cubs. Two years after leaving the Cardinals, his playing career was finished.

In 2005, the Cardinals replaced Womack with another free agent, Mark Grudzielanek.

Previously: Tino Martinez, Mike Matheny and the Cardinals’ Easter brawl

Posted in Games, Hitters, Trades | Leave a Comment »

John Mozeliak outfoxed Billy Beane on Brett Wallace deal

March 14, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated July 14, 2019)

In dealing Brett Wallace, the Cardinals acquired one of the cornerstones of their batting order, left fielder Matt Holliday, and cleared the way for David Freese to become their third baseman.

Holliday and Freese became key players for Cardinals teams that won a World Series championship and two National League pennants.

Heavy hitter

Wallace, a left-handed batter, was chosen by the Cardinals with the 13th pick in the first round of the June 2008 amateur draft. At Arizona State University, he twice led the Pacific-10 Conference in batting average, home runs and RBI.

Though the Cardinals hoped Wallace could handle third base, scout Chuck Fick said, “His position is hitting.”

“It’s too difficult to walk away from a guy who has this kind of chance to hit … He’s a dangerous hitter,” Fick said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Said Jeff Luhnow, the Cardinals’ vice-president of player development: “He knows, as do we, his value is what he does at the plate.”

Wallace was listed at 6 feet 1 and between 230 and 245 pounds. The Cardinals’ other 2008 first-round pick, awarded for the loss of free-agent reliever Troy Percival, was pitcher Lance Lynn.

Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch wrote, “Lynn, like Wallace, has a bulky frame and the Cardinals acknowledge both players will have to watch their weight to reach the potential that got them drafted.”

After receiving an estimated bonus of $1.8 million from the Cardinals, Wallace reported to the minor leagues in July 2008. In 54 games combined for Class A Quad Cities and Class AA Springfield, Wallace had 68 hits and a .337 batting average.

Big deal

Wallace was playing third base and batting .293 (65 hits in 62 games) for Class AAA Memphis in 2009 when he was traded on July 24 to the Athletics with two other prospects, pitcher Clayton Mortensen and outfielder Shane Peterson, for Holliday.

Wallace was the “keystone of the deal,” said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, who added that his counterpart, Billy Beane of the Athletics, insisted on Wallace being involved in any trade talks.

“He’s a guy we’ve always sort of longed for,” Beane told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Cardinals were bullish on Wallace’s offense _ Mozeliak said Wallace “is not the type of hitter you’re going to replace easily” _ but didn’t see him fitting a position. With Albert Pujols at first base, the Cardinals saw third base as the best option for Wallace.

“There was debate within the Cardinals’ front office whether he could be an everyday third baseman in the majors,” the Post-Dispatch reported. “Uncertainty about that made him available in the right trade.”

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz endorsed the trade: “Wallace represents tomorrow, but you don’t worry about tomorrow when Albert Pujols is batting third in your lineup today. Make the most of it.”

Steal for St. Louis

Freese, who was at Springfield, replaced Wallace as Memphis’ third baseman. He became the Cardinals’ starter the next year and was a World Series hero in 2011.

Holliday immediately boosted the 2009 Cardinals’ production. He batted .353 (83 hits in 63 games) with 55 RBI, helping the Cardinals win the Central Division title.

Wallace never played in a big-league game for the Athletics. He was traded to the Blue Jays and was stuck in their minor-league system until he joined the Astros, where he eventually was reunited with Luhnow, who became their general manager in December 2011.

In six major-league seasons with the Astros (2010-13) and Padres (2015-16), primarily as a first baseman, Wallace batted .238 and had more strikeouts (432) than hits (305).

Previously: Fernando Salas: Cool Hand Luke of 2011 Cardinals

Posted in Hitters, Prospects, Trades | 4 Comments »

Rick Ankiel and a last, boozy hurrah as a winning starter

March 10, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Jan. 8, 2019)

The last win for Rick Ankiel as a big-league starter was an unexpected gem. Years later, he revealed he did it while drinking vodka before and during the game.

After an erratic spring training performance (19 walks, 12 strikeouts in 9.1 exhibition innings), Ankiel was paired in his first start of the 2001 season against Diamondbacks ace Randy Johnson on April 8 at Phoenix.

“Naturally, I have a little apprehension,” Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before the game.

In his 2017 book “The Phenom,” Ankiel said, “I was scared to death.”

Ankiel had a terrific rookie season (11 wins, 194 strikeouts in 175 innings) as a starter for the 2000 Cardinals followed by a meltdown (9 wild pitches, 11 walks in four innings) in the postseason against the Braves and Mets.

He entered the 2001 season with the same anxiety issues that plagued him in the 2000 postseason.

Missile launches

Duncan had a secret plan. Rather than have Ankiel warm up in the bullpen that day, he instructed the skittish left-hander to throw in an indoor hitting tunnel at Bank One Ballpark. “I wanted him to get ready in as secluded an atmosphere as possible,” Duncan told Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch.

An hour before Ankiel had to go onto the field, he asked teammate Darryl Kile to bring him a bottle of vodka, Ankiel said in his book.

According to Ankiel, Kile brought him the vodka and said, “Do what you got to do, kid. I understand.”

While his teammates were doing warmups on the field, Ankiel said he took “a few long pulls” from the vodka bottle while in the clubhouse. He said he poured the remainder of the booze into a water bottle and carried it into the dugout.

Ankiel warmed up on sloped carpeting rather than on a mound. “He was throwing missiles to me,” said Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny. “He was throwing 100 mph fastballs and hitting the target. You could tell he was locked in, ready to go.”

The game had the potential to be a mismatch. Johnson was the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. The Diamondbacks had a potent lineup. St. Louis was without two of its top players, ailing Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds, and had utilitymen Eli Marrero at first base and Craig Paquette in left field.

Resurrected Rick

The game began ominously for Ankiel and the Cardinals.

In the first inning, Matt Williams connected for a two-run home run off a low fastball from Ankiel. In the second, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with one out. Two of those runners reached on walks.

Ankiel escaped the jam when he struck out Tony Womack and Reggie Sanders.

“I was like a nervous father,” said Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty. “I was living and dying on every pitch.”

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Mikalsz wrote, “Ankiel settled in and became the golden child again.”

When he got to the dugout, Ankiel said, he grabbed the water bottle and took “a few squirts of vodka, then a few more.”

“I laughed at the absurdity of it and, while locked in a battle for my nerves, managed to have a good time playing baseball,” Ankiel said in his book.

After the Cardinals scored four off Johnson in the third, Ankiel protected the lead by retiring the next nine batters in a row.

Pure poetry

When Ankiel walked Luis Gonzalez, the leadoff batter in the sixth, with his 100th pitch, manager Tony La Russa lifted him for Gene Stechschulte, with St. Louis ahead, 9-2. “Electric stuff,” La Russa said of Ankiel’s pitches.

The Cardinals cruised to a 9-4 victory. The line for Ankiel: 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts, 0 wild pitches. Boxscore

Wrote Miklasz: “Ankiel defeated Johnson, but mostly conquered himself, rediscovering the form that had scouts writing sonnets about him.”

It was Ankiel’s last major-league win as a starter. He made five more starts for the 2001 Cardinals and mostly reverted to his wild and ineffective form of the 2000 postseason. Ankiel finished 1-2 with a 7.50 ERA for the 2001 Cardinals.

His last pitching performances were five relief appearances, with a win, for the 2004 Cardinals before he converted to outfielder.

Posted in Games, Pitchers | 2 Comments »

Pitching or hitting, Rick Ankiel was marvel and mystery

March 7, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Jan. 9, 2019)

When Rick Ankiel confirmed on March 5, 2014, he had retired as a player at 34, it was his second retirement announcement.

Nine years earlier, in March 2005, Ankiel, 25, announced at the Cardinals’ spring training site in Jupiter, Fla., he was retiring as a pitcher and would seek to transform himself into an outfielder.

At the time, the idea seemed to be preposterous _ almost as preposterous as if someone would have suggested in 2000 that the rookie phenom of the Cardinals suddenly would lose his ability to throw strikes during the postseason, igniting his downfall as a pitcher.

After all, the last players to make their big-league debuts as pitchers before earning significant play in the majors as position players were Bobby Darwin (1962-77) and Willie Smith (1963-71), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Ankiel persevered, hit 32 home runs in the minor leagues in 2007, got promoted to the Cardinals in August that year and belted a three-run homer in his first game back in the big leagues as a position player. Boxscore

Feel-good story

In his first 23 games after being promoted to the 2007 Cardinals, Ankiel hit .358 with nine home runs and 29 RBI.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called Ankiel “the sport’s feel-good story of 2007.”

Within 24 hours, following an all-too-familiar-pattern, Ankiel went from being marvel to mystery.

On Thursday afternoon, Sept. 6, 2007, Ankiel capped his comeback with a remarkable performance against the Pirates at St. Louis. Batting second in the order, Ankiel was 3-for-4 with two home runs, a career-high seven RBI, four runs scored and a walk in a 16-4 Cardinals victory.

“Even his foul balls down the left-field line are deep,” Pirates pitcher Matt Morris, Ankiel’s friend and former Cardinals teammate, said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “There’s nothing lazy about his swing.”

Ankiel grounded into a double play in the first inning, though the Post-Gazette reported Ankiel hit the ball so hard he “would have had another hit but for a spectacular stop by second baseman Freddy Sanchez.”

In the second, Ankiel launched a three-run home run off Bryan Bullington, making his first big-league start. After drawing a walk and scoring in the fourth, Ankiel smoked a two-run homer off John Grabow in the fifth. He received curtain calls from the appreciative fans after both home runs.

Ankiel added a two-run double in the sixth against Dave Davidson, making his big-league debut. With St. Louis ahead 16-3, manager Tony La Russa removed Ankiel. Boxscore

In the seven-game homestand, Ankiel batted .440 with five home runs and 19 RBI.

“He’s been relentless every at-bat,” La Russa said.

Said Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan: “He’s been putting up Nintendo numbers.”

Right or wrong

Imagine the emotional swing the following morning, Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, when the New York Daily News reported Ankiel in 2004 had received eight shipments of human growth hormone from an Orlando-based pharmacy through a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., clinic.

Ankiel was attempting to recover from an arm injury in 2004. Major League Baseball didn’t ban the use of human growth hormone by players until 2005. Said Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty: “There was no violation of Major League Baseball rules. There was no violation of any laws.”

The report, though, led some to question whether performance-enhancing drugs were aiding Ankiel in his storybook success with the 2007 Cardinals. “I’m a little surprised at the unfairness of some people who are rushing to conclusions before getting all the information,” La Russa said. “I don’t think he did anything wrong.”

In his 2017 book “The Phenom, Ankiel admitted he used human growth hormone from January 2004 to December 2004 to help him recover from elbow surgery.

“I took human growth hormone because it was, by Major League Baseball standards, legal,” Ankiel said in his book. “I told no one. In 2005, when Major League Baseball banned human growth hormone, I stopped using.

“I felt I’d done nothing illegal … The fact that I was not in trouble legally or, ultimately, with the league seemed lost on everyone.”

In his first at-bat after news of the human growth hormone shipments, Ankiel singled. He went hitless in his next 19 at-bats. He hit just two home runs in his final 24 games of 2007, then returned in 2008 to hit 25.

Posted in Games, Hitters, Pitchers | 2 Comments »

Battle of wills: Bob Gibson, Gene Mauch play hardball

March 5, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated May 4, 2020)

In 17 years with the Cardinals, Bob Gibson hit 102 batters with pitches. In 1,489 plate appearances, Gibson was hit by a pitch just eight times.

Three of those times, Gibson was hit by Phillies pitchers playing for manager Gene Mauch. Two of those incidents involved Dennis Bennett. The last one led to Gibson being ejected and Bennett calling the Cardinals ace a “chicken” and a “coward.”

Mauch and Gibson were intense competitors. In a June 1962 game, Gibson was hit by a pitch from Bennett, a Phillies rookie. Three months later, the Phillies’ Art Mahaffey plunked Gibson with a pitch. Mauch, in his third season as Phillies manager, was trying to instill toughness in a team that lost 107 of 154 games in 1961. Gibson, in his second full season in the Cardinals’ rotation in 1962, was establishing himself as a consistent winner.

By 1964, both the Cardinals and Phillies were contenders. On May 4, 1964, the Phillies went into St. Louis tied with the Giants for first place in the National League. The Cardinals were 2.5 games behind.

Bennett was matched against Gibson in the series opener. In the second inning, Curt Flood led off with a home run. “After Flood hit the homer, I made up my mind somebody was going down,” Bennett told the Philadelphia Daily News.

Bennett delivered a knockdown pitch to the next batter, Julian Javier.

“They were digging in on me and I had to protect myself,” Bennett said to The Sporting News. “… I missed Javier by just a couple of inches or they might have had to carry him out.”

Dispensing medicine

First up for the Phillies in the third was Bennett. Gibson’s first pitch to him was high and tight. Bennett didn’t move but glared at Gibson, according to United Press International. Gibson’s second delivery, another high fastball, backed Bennett away from the plate. Bennett moved toward the mound before he was intercepted by plate umpire Doug Harvey, who issued a warning to Gibson.

Bennett told the Philadelphia Daily News, “When Gibson threw those pitches five feet over my head, I yelled out at him, ‘If you can’t come any closer than that, come in and get me.’ If he was going to put me down, he should have put me down.”

“Sure, I dusted him off,” Gibson told the Associated Press, “but he threw right at Javier’s head. Bennett doesn’t have that bad control. I just wanted to let Bennett know I had to protect our batters.”

Gibson also told United Press International that Mauch “is always telling his pitchers to throw at the hitters. They deserve to get some of their own medicine once in a while.”

In the bottom half of the third, Ken Boyer hit a two-run triple off Bennett. Jack Baldschun relieved and yielded a RBI-single to Flood, increasing the Cardinals’ lead to 5-1.

An inning later, Gibson batted with one out and the bases empty. Baldschun’s first pitch nearly clipped Gibson’s ankle.

In his book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said Mauch “knew that I was at the boiling point. He had been agitating me all night from the bench, trying his best to get me angrier and angrier.”

Flipping out

Aiming higher, Baldschun hit Gibson in the thigh with the next pitch. Gibson flipped the bat underhanded toward the pitcher. Baldschun caught it with his glove hand. Harvey immediately ejected Gibson.

Said Harvey: “He had a lethal weapon out there. I’m happy to say Gibson did not throw the bat violently, but he did throw it to the mound.”

“I wasn’t trying to hit him with the bat, but I was mad, hurt and just plain disgusted with the whole business,” Gibson said. “I tossed the bat just the way hitters do when they’re disgusted after striking out.”

In his book, Gibson said, “Without thinking, I flung my bat in Baldschun’s direction … Naturally, I was ejected, which is exactly what Mauch was counting on.”

Said Mauch to the Philadelphia Daily News: “He lost his composure.”

Bennett told United Press International, “Gibson’s nothing but a chicken … If he wants to fight, he ought to put up his fists instead of throwing the bat … That’s a coward’s way out if I ever saw one.”

Said Baldschun of his pitch to Gibson: “I figure he had one brush coming.”

Mauch told The Sporting News, “I’ve been popping off all over the country about how great a competitor Gibson is, but he didn’t show me much this time.”

The Cardinals responded quickly and effectively.

On the first pitch Baldschun threw after Gibson was ejected, Carl Warwick homered, scoring Jerry Buchek, who ran for Gibson, and extending the St. Louis lead to 7-1.

Last laugh

The Cardinals cruised to a 9-2 victory. Roger Craig got the win, pitching five innings in relief of Gibson. The ejection was costly to Gibson _ and not for the $100 he was fined. He finished the regular season with 19 wins. If he hadn’t flipped the bat, he would have remained in the game and qualified for the win with another inning pitched. Adding that win would have given him his first 20-win season. Boxscore

“Six pitchers reached for their gloves in the dugout when Gibson was thrown out with that lead,” Cardinals pitcher Curt Simmons said.

Cardinals manager Johnny Keane was upset with Mauch. “Why throw at anybody?” Keane said to the Philadelphia Daily News. “He wouldn’t want to be up there with Gibson throwing at him. Gibson could kill somebody. They’d be sorry to see a man lying dead at home plate.”

Gibson and the Cardinals got their revenge against Mauch and the Phillies. In first place on Sept. 20, 1964, and leading the Cardinals and Reds by 6.5 games with 12 to play, the Phillies went into a 10-game losing streak. St. Louis clinched the pennant by beating the Mets on the last day of the season, with Gibson getting the win in relief. Gibson went on to win Games 5 and 7 of the 1964 World Series against the Yankees and was named winner of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Mauch managed for 26 seasons in the big leagues, never winning a pennant.

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | 4 Comments »

What you should know about Frank Robinson, Cardinals

February 28, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated Jan. 5, 2021)

During spring training in 2014, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told a Baltimore prospect to write a report on the career of Frank Robinson after the minor-league player admitted he was clueless about the Hall of Fame slugger who became baseball’s first black manager.

That got me thinking: How many fans know about Robinson’s achievements versus the Cardinals?

In tribute to Frank Robinson, here’s my written report on the feats you should know he achieved while playing against the Cardinals:

Turning anger into runs

Robinson produced 586 home runs, 1,812 RBI and 2,943 hits in a 21-year major-league playing career from 1956-76. He spent 11 seasons _ 10 with the Reds; one with the Dodgers _ in the National League. In 203 games against the Cardinals, Robinson had 220 hits, including 46 home runs and 41 doubles, and drove in 127 runs. His career batting average versus St. Louis was .290.

Against the Cardinals, Robinson made his major-league debut, had his greatest single-game home run performance, delivered several game-winning shots and won a couple of dramatic duels with Bob Gibson.

In the book “Sixty Feet, Six Inches,” Gibson said, “Frank Robinson might have been the best I ever saw at turning his anger into runs. He challenged you physically as soon as he stepped into the batter’s box, with half his body hanging over the plate.

“His fearlessness played a tremendous part in making him the hitter he was. He practically dared you to clip him or knock him down and, when you did, he’d use it as intensity. He seemed to gain strength from it. If you couldn’t drive him off the plate _ and you couldn’t _ then you couldn’t take away his outside corner.

“As a rule, I’m reluctant to express admiration for hitters, but I make an exception for Frank Robinson.”

In the book “Pure Baseball,” first baseman Keith Hernandez said Robinson would wear out a pitching staff if they threw at him. According to Hernandez, Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst “called a meeting and told his pitchers he’d fine them $100 for hitting Frank Robinson. Leave him alone. We want to win these games.”

Vinegar Bend Mizell

In his first big-league game, April 17, 1956, at Cincinnati, Robinson, batting seventh and playing left field, was 2-for-3 with a walk versus Cardinals starter Vinegar Bend Mizell. In his first at-bat in his debut game, Robinson doubled. “Second pitch,” Robinson said to the Washington Post, “line drive off the center field fence. Missed being a home run by a couple of feet.” Boxscore

Three years later, Robinson hit three home runs in a major-league game for the only time. It happened against the Cardinals on Aug. 22, 1959, at Cincinnati. All three homers were hit with two outs.

The first of the three came against Mizell. It was a three-run shot in the fifth inning that broke a 1-1 tie. It was one of eight homers Robinson hit against Mizell in his career. Robinson followed that with a two-run homer off Dean Stone in the sixth and a solo blast against Bob Duliba in the eighth. Boxscore

Larry Jackson

Robinson hit 10 home runs in his career against Larry Jackson. Seven occurred while Jackson was with the Cardinals. The most damaging was struck on Sept. 2, 1957, at Cincinnati.

In the second game of a doubleheader with the Cardinals, the Reds batted in the 10th inning with the score 1-1. Jackson, the starter, walked the leadoff batter, Bob Thurman, and Robinson followed with a walkoff, two-run home run, lifting the Reds to a 3-1 victory. Boxscore

Two-homer games

On April 30, 1958, at Cincinnati, Robinson hit a fifth-inning solo home run off Lindy McDaniel, giving the Reds a 4-2 lead. After the Cardinals rallied with two runs in the ninth to tie the score at 4-4, Robinson led off the 10th against Morrie Martin, who had held the Reds scoreless for three innings, and hit a walkoff home run, giving the Reds a 5-4 victory. Boxscore

Robinson also had a pair of other two-homer games against the Cardinals:

_ He hit a solo home run in the second inning off Ernie Broglio and the winning shot in the 11th, also off Broglio, in a 4-3 Reds victory on Sept. 10, 1962, at St. Louis. Boxscore

_ He hit a pair of home runs off Tracy Stallard in a 6-3 Reds victory on April 24, 1965, at Cincinnati. Boxscore

Bob Gibson

In showdowns between Hall of Famers Gibson and Robinson, the Cardinals pitcher usually had the upper hand, but Robinson also enjoyed spectacular successes against Gibson.

Robinson hit .229 (19-for-83) versus Gibson and struck out 12 times. He also hit four home runs.

In his book ‘Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said, “I brought the ball in close to Frank Robinson … although I believe most pitchers tried him outside. The way he crowded the plate, they figured he was waiting to pounce on the inside pitch, but it seemed to me that he beat a hell of a lot of guys who pitched him away.”

In an interview with former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent for the book, “We Would Have Played For Nothing,” Robinson said, “Bob threw what we called a heavy ball. He had a hard slider. He was just mean enough, you know, he was up under your chin and that type of thing. So he was tougher to hit against than Sandy Koufax, but Koufax was tougher to get hits off of.”

Here is a look at the four home runs Robinson hit off Gibson:

_ Gibson blew leads in the ninth and 10th innings of a game at Cincinnati on Sept. 7, 1962.

The Cardinals led, 4-3, entering the bottom of the ninth before the Reds scored a run off Gibson to tie.

In the 10th, St. Louis regained the lead, 5-4, giving Gibson another chance to seal the win, but Robinson hit a solo home run against him in the bottom of the 10th.

The Reds won, 6-5, on a RBI-double by Vada Pinson off Curt Simmons in the 11th. Boxscore

_ Gibson was matched against fellow power pitcher Jim Maloney on May 4, 1963, at Cincinnati.

In the third inning of a scoreless game, Pete Rose walked, Pinson singled and Robinson followed with a three-run home run off Gibson. Maloney shut out the Cardinals on four hits and the Reds won, 6-0. Boxscore

_ In the opener of a doubleheader on Sept. 19, 1964, at Cincinnati, Gibson took a 5-4 lead into the ninth. With two outs and pinch-runner Tommy Harper on third, Gibson walked Pinson, bringing Robinson to the plate.

Robinson crushed a three-run, walkoff home run, lifting the Reds to a 7-5 triumph. Boxscore

_ In the first game of a doubleheader at Cincinnati on June 22, 1965, Robinson hit a solo home run off Gibson in the sixth inning, helping the Reds to a 5-4 victory. Boxscore

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