RetroSimba

Ozzie Smith can learn from Willie McGee, Tom Pagnozzi

February 21, 2014 by retrosimba

Three prominent Cardinals from the Whitey Herzog era _ Willie McGee, Tom Pagnozzi and, yes, Ozzie Smith _ thrived under Tony La Russa in his first season as St. Louis manager.

Though Smith got upset with La Russa because the manager reduced his playing time in 1996, relegating him to a reserve role behind shortstop Royce Clayton, what gets overlooked is Smith produced a quality final season under La Russa’s management.

After Joe Torre was fired in 1995, La Russa was hired to manage the Cardinals in 1996.

Pagnozzi and Smith were holdovers from the 1995 Cardinals. McGee returned to the Cardinals as a free agent after spending the 1995 season with the Red Sox.

After spring training in 1996, Smith was slowed by a hamstring problem and Clayton established himself as the starting shortstop. The decision to put Smith in a secondary role created a rift between La Russa and Smith.

Unlike Smith, McGee and Pagnozzi built respectful relationships with La Russa in 1996.

Like Smith, McGee and Pagnozzi performed well under La Russa’s management that year.

McGee: Team player

_ McGee batted .307 for the 1996 Cardinals. It was his highest batting average in five years. McGee also led the 1996 Cardinals in pinch-hitting batting average (.350, 14-for-40).

In October 1996, just before the Cardinals opened the National League postseason, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, “McGee brought a lot more than heritage or aesthetics to the table. He filled in admirably for (Brian) Jordan and (Ron) Gant and proved dangerous as a part-timer coming off the bench.”

McGee said of La Russa, “Whatever he asks me to do, I do. Pinch-hit, play, whatever … I’m sure he’ll try to put the best team he can out there.”

Pagnozzi: Rises to challenge

_ Pagnozzi produced single-season career highs in home runs (13), slugging percentage (.423) and runs scored (48) for the 1996 Cardinals while elevating his skill as a pitch caller. Pagnozzi batted .270 in 1996 and especially was effective (.311, 56-for-180) with runners on base.

Describing the celebration after the Cardinals clinched the division title on Sept. 24, 1996, at Pittsburgh, Rick Hummel wrote, “One of the more poignant clubhouse scenes was a tearful Tom Pagnozzi, the Cardinals catcher, hugging manager Tony La Russa, who didn’t seem all that impressed with Pagnozzi early in the season.”

Said Pagnozzi: “We went through a lot. I just thanked him for staying with me and keeping me here. We respect each other and I think I’ve risen to his challenge. To me, this was a great feeling because I was able to go up and look him in the eye and he knows I’m a player.”

Smith: Blinded by pride

_ Smith, who was 41 during the 1996 season, hit .282 that year. He started 50 games at shortstop and otherwise was used primarily as a pinch hitter. He hit .351 (40-for-114) at home under La Russa’s management.

Wrote Gordon: “La Russa’s unsentimental handling of Smith set the tone for this season. He was here to win, not to massage egos. Those who played had to bust their tails and those who sat were supposed to stay ready.”

“The key is, this is a team sport,” La Russa said. “They’ve got to handle their emotions so that they’re contributing something positive to the club. If the guy on the bench is in the corner and not getting ready to put a piece in later on, I have a problem with that. I’m checking that all the time. My job is not making guys happy. It’s to do what’s best for the team.”

Previously: How Ron Gant, Jeff Brantley burned bridges with Cardinals

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Why Cardinals thought they had an ace in Vic Raschi

February 19, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated July 1, 2024)

Desperate for pitching, the 1954 Cardinals settled on a simple solution: Raid the Yankees, winners of five consecutive World Series titles.

The strategy backfired, but the Cardinals at least succeeded in electrifying the fan base and creating buzz throughout the major leagues.

On Feb. 23, 1954, the Cardinals made bids to pry two right-handed aces, Vic Raschi and Allie Reynolds, from the Yankees. They got Raschi but failed to land Reynolds.

The acquisition of Raschi, one of the top pitchers in the American League, was considered a bold move by the Cardinals. Though some were skeptical about why the Yankees were willing to part with Raschi, many believed the deal vaulted the Cardinals from also-rans to National League pennant contenders.

Raschi, 35, had a regular-season record of 120-50 in eight years with the Yankees. He was 5-3 with a 2.24 ERA in six World Series (1947 and 1949-53) for New York. Reynolds, 37, was 118-56 from 1947-53 with the Yankees. He was 7-2 with a 2.79 ERA in six World Series for them.

Big spenders

In 1954, the Cardinals and Yankees both trained in St. Petersburg, Fla. While there, Cardinals owner Gussie Busch saw Dan Topping, a co-owner of the Yankees, and asked whether the Yankees could spare “any kind of right-hander with a fair chance,” The Sporting News reported.

Busch had deep pockets and a desire to spend. Meanwhile, several Yankees were feuding with general manager George Weiss over contract offers for the 1954 season. The Yankees were willing to dump some of their aging, high-priced talent.

According to The Sporting News, Busch “was astonished” when he found the Yankees willing to deal. Busch offered $85,000 for Raschi and $100,000 for Reynolds, according to John Carmichael of the Chicago Tribune.

First, both pitchers needed to clear waivers through the American League in order for the transactions to be completed with the Cardinals. Raschi went unclaimed; Reynolds didn’t. When the Indians claimed him, the Yankees pulled Reynolds off the waiver list and kept him for the 1954 season.

Surprise shake-up

Raschi was at the beach when Bill Greene, a photographer for the New York World-Telegram and Sun, found him and informed him of the trade.

Greene: “You’ve been sold to the Cardinals.”

Raschi: “No, you’re kidding.”

Raschi, who was 13-6 for the 1953 Yankees, wanted a salary for the 1954 season of $40,000, the same amount he was paid in 1951 (when he won 21 for the third season in a row) and in 1952 (when he won 16). Weiss offered $34,000.

“This club is complacent … Raschi’s attitude was like so many other attitudes on this club,” Weiss said.

Almost no one saw the deal coming. Wrote The Sporting News: “Imagine the amazement of the writers when (it was) announced the New York club had sold Raschi to the Cardinals.”

Frank Lane, general manager of the White Sox, thought Raschi was in decline. “As short as the Yankees are on pitchers, don’t you think they would have kept him if he possibly could have helped them? Guys the Yankees get rid of usually are through,” Lane said.

Most, though, thought the Cardinals helped themselves. The 1953 Cardinals had finished at 83-71 _ 22 games behind the National League champion Dodgers.

_ Steve O’Neill, Phillies manager: “Before this deal, we figured we had only Brooklyn and Milwaukee to beat. But now we have the Cards as well.”

_ Leo Durocher, Giants manager: “This tightens up our race some more. I know Raschi is a great competitor.”

_ Casey Stengel, Yankees manager: “(Raschi) certainly wasn’t sold for anything he did on the field. They must have been awfully sore at him in the front office.”

_ Bob Broeg, St. Louis writer: “The acquisition of Vic Raschi was hailed from ballpark front office to tavern backroom … Raschi considerably strengthened the club’s pennant chances.”

_ The Sporting News: “If Raschi wins for the Cards, and the Bombers fail, there will be a storm over the Bronx which will rock (Yankee) Stadium to its very foundations.”

In his autobiography, “The Mick,” Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle said, “They called Raschi the Springfield Rifle. He was a battler, always pushing himself to the limit of his abilities and probably beyond, playing the bulk of his career on damaged knees.”

Ace folds

Raschi heightened expectations, saying, “I expect to have three or four more seasons of top-flight pitching … I’ll be disappointed if I don’t win 20 games.”

Cardinals manager Eddie Stanky said he’d be pleased if Raschi matched the 13 wins he had in 1953. “I’m sure he can do that, at least,” Stanky said.

Raschi won his first five decisions for the 1954 Cardinals, including a shutout of the Giants on May 19 at New York. Raschi held the Giants to five singles, two by Willie Mays, in a 3-0 Cardinals triumph. Boxscore The win gave Raschi a career mark of 125-50, a .714 winning percentage.

When Raschi shut out the Giants again, on a three-hitter on July 29 Boxscore, his record was 8-5, but an assortment of ailments, including back pain, plagued Raschi in the final two months. He lost his last four decisions and finished the 1954 season at 8-9 with a 4.73 ERA in 30 games.

Raschi ranked second on the 1954 Cardinals in starts (29), innings pitched (179) and strikeouts (73). He was 3-0 with 1.85 ERA against the Giants, who won the pennant that season, but Raschi didn’t deliver at the level he and the Cardinals expected. St. Louis led the league in batting (.281) but was seventh in pitching (4.50 ERA). The Cardinals slumped to 72-82 _ 25 games behind the Giants.

At Cardinals spring training in 1955, Raschi was limited to five innings pitched. He made one start in the regular season, got shelled by the Reds and was released the next day.

“I always admired Vic as a great competitor,” Stanky told The Sporting News, “and he proved himself a man, a real man, the way he took this unfortunate news, but we’ve got to stake our chances on younger pitchers who have shown promise.”

Posted in Games, Pitchers, Trades | 4 Comments »

Tony La Russa: If you have to fire me, hire Jim Fregosi

February 17, 2014 by retrosimba

In 35 years as a major-league manager, Tony La Russa was fired once. The White Sox replaced him with Jim Fregosi.

Fregosi managed the Cardinals’ Class AAA club at Louisville from 1983 until he replaced La Russa as White Sox manager in June 1986. Among the prospects managed by Fregosi at Louisville were Vince Coleman, Danny Cox, Ken Dayley, Ricky Horton, Tito Landrum, Greg Mathews, Jose Oquendo, Terry Pendleton, Andy Van Slyke and Todd Worrell. Seventeen of the players on the 1985 National League championship Cardinals club played for Fregosi at Louisville.

Path to the majors

An all-star shortstop for the Angels in the 1960s, Fregosi managed the Angels from 1978-81, leading them to their first division title in 1979, before he was fired and replaced by Gene Mauch. After sitting out the 1982 season while running a food brokerage business, Fregosi became Louisville manager in 1983. Lee Thomas, the Cardinals’ director of player development, had been an Angels teammate of Fregosi and was instrumental in bringing him into the St. Louis organization.

Louisville won back-to-back American Association championships (1984-85) under Fregosi, but with Whitey Herzog entrenched as Cardinals manager Fregosi’s best hope of managing again in the major leagues was with another organization. The Mariners contacted him, but Fregosi wanted an opportunity with a franchise prepared to win.

In June 1986, White Sox general manager Ken “Hawk” Harrelson fired La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan. The White Sox were 26-38 and Harrelson had been clashing with La Russa and Duncan. “The record is not indicative of the talent involved,” Harrelson told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Fregosi was Harrelson’s first choice. Harrelson had sent scouts to Louisville and their reports on Fregosi were glowing, the Sun-Times reported.

Tireless teacher

Here is what others said about Fregosi’s work in the Cardinals system:

_ Rick Bozich, columnist, Louisville Courier-Journal: “When you roll the highlights films of what Fregosi has accomplished in Louisville, the two American Association championships won’t even make the top 10. No, the lingering images will be of the consistently long hours he worked developing the young players who carried the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1985 National League pennant and the wonderfully tranquil clubhouses he presided over. There was never a reason to check Fregosi’s time card. He reported to Cardinal Stadium at 2 every afternoon. One day he’d be in the cage convincing Vince Coleman he could make millions chopping down on the ball; the next day you could find him in the bullpen tinkering with Todd Worrell’s fastball grip.”

_ Mo Mozzali, Cardinals scout: “As fantastic as Jimmy has been for baseball in Louisville, he’s done even more for the players in the Cardinals organization. I’ve never seen anybody better working with young players.”

_ Dyar Miller, Louisville pitching coach: “Jim is a great teacher. He works on the field for three or four hours before every game, on theories of hitting, turning the double play, getting ready to pitch in the bullpen, whatever.”

_ Tony La Russa to the Sun-Times after learning Fregosi had replaced him: “When Jim Fregosi was in this league (as Angels manager), I thought he did an outstanding job. He’s been ready to manage in the big leagues for several years.”

Tales from Tony

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said La Russa told him, “If you have to fire me, hire Jim (Fregosi) or Jim Leyland … Fregosi is a good manager. I like him.”

La Russa went to the Athletics and won three American League pennants and a World Series title before joining the Cardinals. La Russa won two World Series titles and three National League pennants with the Cardinals and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fregosi managed the White Sox from 1986-88 before stints as manager of the Phillies (1991-96) and Blue Jays (1999-2000). He won a National League pennant with the 1993 Phillies.

In 1996, La Russa’s first season as Cardinals manager, he was asked by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about Fregosi during a series with the Phillies. La Russa replied, “The old line had me asking, ‘What does Fregosi have that I don’t have?’ The answer was, ‘Your job.’ “

Posted in Executives, Managers, Prospects | Leave a Comment »

Why Lonnie Smith was a nemesis of Nolan Ryan

February 14, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated March 30, 2026)

In a 27-year Hall of Fame pitching career in the majors, Nolan Ryan held opponents to a .204 batting average and a .307 on-base percentage. So what Lonnie Smith did against him is amazing.

A right-handed batter, Smith has the best career batting average and best career on-base percentage of any hitter with at least 30 plate appearances against Ryan.

Smith hit . 500 (12-for-24) with five walks versus Ryan. He also twice was hit by Ryan pitches. Smith’s on-base percentage against Ryan is .613.

Cardinals catalyst

In four seasons (1982-85) with the Cardinals, Smith hit .556 (10-for-18) against Ryan, who was with the Astros then. (Ryan spent more seasons with the Astros, nine, than he did with the Mets, Angels and Rangers.)

Smith had eight singles, a double, a home run, four walks and twice was hit by pitches in seven games with the Cardinals against Ryan. Smith is part of the reason Ryan posted a losing career record (10-13) versus the Cardinals.

The first and last games Smith played as a Cardinal versus Ryan may have been the most significant.

In his first regular-season game with the Cardinals, April 6, 1982, at Houston, Smith was hit by a Ryan pitch to lead off the game. He triggered a five-run inning against the Astros’ ace. Smith also had two singles before Ryan was lifted after three innings. The Cardinals opened with a 14-3 victory, foreshadowing a season that would yield their first World Series title in 15 years. Boxscore

“This is what you call getting your butt pounded,” Ryan told the Houston Post. “I guess that’s the worst game I ever pitched for the Astros.”

Houston manager Bill Virdon said to the Houston Chronicle, “Nolan didn’t have control of his curveball. He didn’t have command of his fastball either.”

Smith stunner

Two years later, Aug. 31, 1984, in his final appearance as a Cardinal against Ryan, Smith, batting fifth instead of his customary leadoff spot, hit a grand slam in the first inning, launching the Cardinals to a 7-5 victory over the Astros at St. Louis. Boxscore

“I got behind on the count to Lonnie Smith and had to throw a strike,” Ryan told the Houston Chronicle, “and I just threw him a fastball down the middle.”

The grand slam was Smith’s first home run in two months (since June 28 off Mark Thurmond of the Padres) and his first with a runner on base in two years (since Aug. 14, 1982, off John Candelaria of the Pirates).

It also was the second of three grand slams Smith would hit in his major-league career. (Smith’s first grand slam was against Rick Rhoden of the 1982 Pirates and his last was off Roger Mason of the 1992 Pirates.)

Ryan hadn’t given up a grand slam in seven years (to Pat Kelly of the 1977 Orioles) until Smith delivered his stunning shot.

“You’ve got to give them credit,” Astros manager Bob Lillis said to the Associated Press. “They hit with men on base and that’s what it takes.”

Previously: Steve Carlton vs. Nolan Ryan: fateful 1971 finale of aces

Previously: How Lonnie Smith came clean with the Cardinals

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Frenchy Bordagaray: Talent with bat, fiddle for Cardinals

February 12, 2014 by retrosimba

Frenchy Bordagaray was a deluxe pinch-hitter for the Cardinals.

Bordagaray, 5 feet 7, 175 pounds, led the major leagues in pinch-hitting batting average in 1938.

Using a short right-handed swing, Bordagaray, 28, hit a club-record .467 (21-for-45) as a Cardinals pinch-hitter in 1938.

Proud to be Basque

Stanley George Bordagaray was born Jan. 3, 1910, in the California town of Coalinga, near Fresno. His mother nicknamed him Frenchy, according to the New York Times. (Bordagaray told an interviewer, “I had five brothers and we were all called Frenchy. But I’m not a Frenchman. I’m a Basque. Nobody ever got that right.”) His father, a sheepherder who immigrated to the United States from the Basque region between Spain and France at 15, wanted Stanley to become a violinist, but the youth preferred sports.

An outfielder and third baseman, Frenchy Bordagaray made his big-league debut in 1934 with the White Sox and was traded to the Dodgers at the end of the year. After the 1935 season, Bordagaray got a bit part in the John Ford film “The Prisoner of Shark Island.” When Frenchy showed up at Dodgers spring training camp in 1936 still sporting the moustache and goatee he had grown for the movie role, manager Casey Stengel ordered him to shave, saying, “If anyone is going to be a clown on this club, it’s going to be me.”

After the 1936 season, the Dodgers dealt Bordagaray, pitcher Dutch Leonard and infielder Jimmy Jordan to the Cardinals for outfielder Tom Winsett.

Boys in the band

Bordagaray hit .293 as a utility player for the 1937 Cardinals, but he became best known as a member of teammate Pepper Martin’s Mudcats band. The one-time violinist played washboard and fiddle.

Showing no signs of what was to come in 1938, Bordagaray was abysmal as a pinch-hitter in 1937, getting one hit in 16 at-bats for an .063 average.

In 1938, he had three doubles, nine RBI and scored 13 runs in his 21-for-45 performance as a pinch-hitter. Overall, he hit .282 for the 1938 Cardinals.

The Cardinals traded Bordagaray to the Reds for outfielder Dusty Cooke in December 1938. Bordagaray played for the Yankees and returned to the Dodgers before ending his 11-year big-league playing career in 1945.

Bordagaray appeared in the 1939 World Series for the Reds and in the 1941 World Series for the Yankees, but never had a World Series at-bat. His two appearances in the 1939 World Series were as a pinch-runner for Ernie Lombardi. His lone appearance in the 1941 World Series was as a pinch-runner for Bill Dickey.

In two seasons with the Cardinals, Bordagaray batted .289 (132-for-456).

His big-league career batting average as a pinch-hitter was .318 (62-for-195).

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Bronson Arroyo: Colorful character in Cards-Reds rivalry

February 10, 2014 by retrosimba

(Updated May 12, 2018)

Since 2000, when he broke into the big leagues with the Pirates, until 2017, when he finished his pitching career with the Reds, Bronson Arroyo was a frequent foe of the Cardinals.

Arroyo, who flipped breaking pitches like Frisbees in an ocean breeze, has a regular-season career record of 8-18 with a 4.94 ERA in 42 appearances against the Cardinals. Most of those appearances occurred while he pitched for the Reds.

A look at some of Arroyo’s best and worst performances against the Cardinals:

Good for Arroyo

_ May 1, 2006: Arroyo pitched a complete-game four-hitter in a 6-1 Reds victory at Cincinnati. Juan Encarnacion’s home run prevented a shutout.

“He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he’s smart,” Cardinals outfielder John Rodriguez said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He knows where his pitches are going.”

Said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa: “He got a lot of outs in a lot of different parts of the (strike) zone. That’s good pitching.” Boxscore

_ June 12, 2008: Arroyo pitched six shutout innings and hit a home run against Joel Pineiro in a 6-2 Reds victory at Cincinnati. Arroyo departed after experiencing cramps in his right forearm.

“He didn’t leave pitches over the middle,” Cardinals outfielder Skip Schumaker said. “He was effective pitching to the small part of the plate.” Boxscore

_ May 16, 2010: Arroyo tossed a complete-game seven-hitter and knocked in two runs in a 7-2 Reds victory at Cincinnati. Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus described Arroyo’s assortment of pitches as “doo-doo” and “slop.”

Said Arroyo: “I could care less what adjective you put next to my pitch selection. The name of the game is to put a zero on the board as many times as I can.” Boxscore

Good for Cardinals

_ Aug. 10, 2006: Arroyo braided his hair into cornrows in an effort to change his luck, but the Cardinals weren’t impressed. Arroyo yielded home runs to Jim Edmonds, Chris Duncan and Scott Spiezio in the Cardinals’ 6-1 victory at Cincinnati.

“I’m at the end of my rope with superstitions,” Arroyo told the Dayton Daily News. “Either I’m going to bring a live chicken in here, or just go out and pitch.” Boxscore

_ June 6, 2007: In the seventh inning, with the Reds ahead, 4-3, Ryan Ludwick tied the score with a pinch-hit home run off Arroyo. With two outs, Albert Pujols followed with a two-run home run, lifting the Cardinals to a 6-4 triumph at St. Louis.

“All the runs they scored were on mistakes,” Arroyo said. “With Pujols, I tried to freeze him with a heater in, but it wandered over the middle of the plate.” Boxscore

_ Sept. 26, 2008: Arroyo gave up a career-high 13 hits in seven innings but escaped with a no-decision in the Cardinals’ 7-6 victory at St. Louis. Arroyo reached 200 innings pitched for the fourth consecutive season. Boxscore

_ July 5, 2009: The Cardinals pounded Arroyo for 11 hits and eight runs in five innings and won, 10-1, at Cincinnati. Said Reds manager Dusty Baker: “Bronson got kicked around pretty good. He was a sacrificial lamb because my bullpen was in bad shape.” Boxscore

Previously: Cardinals, Reds stage star-studded brawl in 1967

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | 3 Comments »

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