RetroSimba

Chris Duncan, Carlos Beltran gave Cards 2nd spot pop

August 28, 2013 by retrosimba

(Updated Sept. 7, 2019)

In comparing playing styles and careers, Carlos Beltran and Chris Duncan had little in common. Yet both prospered for the Cardinals as power producers from the No. 2 spot in the batting order.

In 2013, Beltran, a switch-hitter in his 16th season, had 19 home runs while batting second in 83 games.

Beltran topped the 18 hit by Duncan from the No. 2 spot in 57 games for the 2006 Cardinals. Duncan, a left-handed batter, was a rookie who spent most of the first three months in the minors before sticking with St. Louis in July 2006.

Beltran had 24 home runs overall for the 2013 Cardinals. He hit 19 from the No. 2 spot, three from the No. 3 position and two from the cleanup spot in the batting order.

When batting No. 2, Beltran often benefitted from the high on-base percentage (.392) of leadoff batter Matt Carpenter. With Carpenter on base frequently, opponents often had to pitch to, rather than around, Beltran.

Protected by Pujols

In 2006, Duncan benefitted from batting directly in front of Albert Pujols. Because Pujols was having a sensational season (49 home runs, 137 RBI), opponents preferred taking their chances pitching to Duncan rather than Pujols.

“Duncan has aggressively jumped on the strikes he’s seeing when used as the No. 2 hitter in (manager Tony) La Russa’s lineup, batting before Pujols,” Bernie Miklasz, columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, wrote in July 2006.

Duncan batted .290 (62-for-214) from the No. 2 spot in 2006. Almost 30 percent of his hits from that spot were home runs. He had an on-base percentage of .368 (20 points higher than his career average) while batting second that year.

On July 24, 2006, Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch wrote, “La Russa agrees that Duncan’s recent breakout has provided a new look to the lineup’s No. 2 spot, which has bounced among 10 players since Juan Encarnacion opened the season in the role.”

Mentored by McRae

Duncan credited Cardinals hitting coach Hal McRae for instructing him on “hitting out, not hitting up” and encouraging line drives rather than high drives.

“He’s trying to work with me on staying in the (strike) zone longer and becoming a better overall hitter,” Duncan said. “If you stay through the zone more, the home runs will come.”

Duncan hit .361 from the No. 2 spot in August 2006. He was integral in the Cardinals’ successful push toward the National League Central title.

Wrote Miklasz on Aug. 21, 2006: “Where would the Cardinals be without Chris Duncan? Left field was a crater until he filled it. The No. 2 hole in the lineup was a weak spot until he stepped in.”

Duncan finished the 2006 season with 22 home runs overall. In addition to the 18 from the No. 2 spot, Duncan hit two from the seventh position and one each from the third and ninth spots.

The next year, Duncan hit 21 homers, nine from the No. 2 position. He spent five years in the majors before his career was cut short by injuries.

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Needing a strike for a save, Ken Dayley got hook instead

August 26, 2013 by retrosimba

Whitey Herzog managed the Cardinals with a bold, creative style, which partly explains why he largely was successful. What elevated Herzog to Hall of Fame quality is he got his players to buy into that style.

A striking example of that occurred on Aug. 28, 1988, in a Sunday afternoon game between the Cardinals and Reds at Cincinnati.

Ken Dayley was one strike away from completing a three-inning save when Herzog abruptly pulled the reliever before he was finished pitching to the batter, Chris Sabo.

Dayley didn’t complain nor did anyone else with the Cardinals, which is testament to the trust and respect Herzog had with his players at that time.

Bob Forsch, in his last appearance as a Cardinal, started that game and pitched six innings. With the Cardinals ahead, 5-3, Forsch was relieved by Dayley after yielding a leadoff single to Sabo in the seventh.

Dayley held the Reds scoreless in the seventh and eighth.

In the ninth, Dayley retired the first two batters before Barry Larkin singled. Up next was Sabo.

A right-handed batter, Sabo, a rookie, presented a challenging matchup for the left-handed Dayley. The previous night, Sabo had four hits against the Cardinals, including three singles off left-handed pitching.

Cardinals closer Todd Worrell, a right-hander, was warming in the bullpen, but Herzog stayed with Dayley because Kal Daniels, a left-handed batter, was due up after Sabo. Herzog wasn’t figuring on Sabo hitting a home run. Dayley was unscored on in his last seven games.

Dayley got the count to 2-and-2 on Sabo. On the next pitch, Sabo drilled a line drive down the left-field line.

Worrell, who was in the left-field bullpen, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “When it passed me, it was about three feet fair.”

Wrote the Associated Press: “Sabo’s liner flirted with the left-field foul screen … but the ball hooked at the last second.”

“It wasn’t foul by much, maybe two feet,” Cardinals left fielder Tom Lawless said.

Said Worrell: “You could slide a newspaper between the ball and the foul pole.”

Herzog immediately went to the mound and lifted Dayley for Worrell. The closer threw one pitch, a slider, which Sabo swung and missed by a foot, sealing the Cardinals’ 5-3 victory. Boxscore

“I’ll bet that was the easiest save he ever had,” Herzog said.

Said Dayley: “Whitey had seen enough. I don’t mind setting the table for him, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to feed him.”

Previously: Whiteyball: Willie McGee at shortstop; Ricky Horton in right

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Before Kolten Wong, Joe DeSa gave Cards Hawaiian punch

August 21, 2013 by retrosimba

Kolten Wong is a native Hawaiian who bats left-handed and rates as a prized player for the Cardinals.

In 1977, the same description fit for Joe DeSa.

Wong, a second baseman and the 2011 first-round Cardinals draft choice, made his major-league debut with St. Louis on Aug. 16, 2013. He became the first native Hawaiian to play for the Cardinals since DeSa debuted with them in 1980.

DeSa, 17, was selected by St. Louis in the third round of the 1977 draft. A left-handed batter, he had been a high school standout in Honolulu.

DeSa, 5 feet 11, 170 pounds, entered the Cardinals’ minor-league system with a reputation as a line-drive hitter and smooth-fielding first baseman.

That reputation proved accurate.

In 1979, with the Cardinals’ Class AA Arkansas club, DeSa hit .317 with 32 doubles, 13 home runs and 86 RBI. He had 147 hits in 130 games.

In a 1979 interview with Larry Harnly of The State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill., Cardinals manager Ken Boyer said of DeSa, “He’s about as good a looking hitter as you will see.”

No room at first

Though DeSa was performing to expectations, his path to the majors was blocked by Keith Hernandez, the Cardinals’ regular first baseman and 1979 National League batting champion.

DeSa was promoted to the Cardinals’ Class AAA Springfield (Ill.) team in 1980. The Cardinals’ 1980 media guide described DeSa as “a line-drive hitter with some power.”

He hit .293 with 25 doubles in 123 games for Springfield and was rated the best defensive first baseman in the league.

In September 1980, the Cardinals, far out of contention, called up DeSa.

After going hitless in his first five big-league at-bats, DeSa got hits in the last three games he played for St. Louis. His first was a pinch-hit single against the Expos’ Bill Gullickson on Sept. 30, 1980. Boxscore

In seven games for the 1980 Cardinals, DeSa batted .273 (3-for-11).

Those would be the only games he’d play for St. Louis.

Tony time

DeSa, converting from first base to the outfield, played the next three seasons for Cardinals Class AAA clubs. Then he became a minor-league free agent and signed with the White Sox.

In 1985, DeSa returned to the big leagues, appearing in 28 games for the White Sox, managed by Tony La Russa, and batting .182 (8-for-44) with two home runs.

DeSa spent the 1986 season with Buffalo, the Class AAA club of the White Sox, and was named the Bisons’ most valuable player. He hit 17 home runs and had 83 RBI.

After the season, DeSa became a minor-league free agent again, signed with the Royals and went to Puerto Rico to play winter league ball.

On Dec. 20, 1986, DeSa, 27, was killed in a car accident in Puerto Rico. He left behind a wife, Margarita, and a year-old son, Joe.

White Sox players collected more than $3,000 for his funeral expenses, The Sporting News reported. The Bisons established a memorial fund and raised nearly $7,000. The Class AAA club also established the annual Joe DeSa Most Inspirational Player Award. It still is presented to a Buffalo player near the end of each season.

On Aug. 16, 1987, the White Sox presented DeSa’s wife and son with a check for $120,000 in a ceremony honoring DeSa before a Pacific Coast League game between Portland and Hawaii in Honolulu.

Previously: Warren Spahn and his Cardinals connection

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Slider was key to 15 wins in row for Bob Gibson in 1968

August 19, 2013 by retrosimba

(Updated Nov. 25, 2024)

Using a combination of fastballs and sliders with control and confidence, Bob Gibson capped the most successful stretch of starts ever experienced by a Cardinals pitcher.

On Aug. 19, 1968, Gibson got his 15th consecutive win, pitching a two-hitter in the Cardinals’ 2-0 victory over the Phillies at Philadelphia.

During the 15-game winning streak, from June 2 through Aug. 19, Gibson made 16 starts, with one no-decision. Ten of the 15 wins were shutouts. His ERA in that 16-start stretch was 0.68 in 146 innings, with 124 strikeouts. He pitched nine innings or more 16 games in a row.

“I haven’t seen anybody that good during the time I’ve been in the majors,” Cardinals outfielder Roger Maris said to The Sporting News.

Looking back on Gibson’s 1968 season, Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver told Cardinals Yearbook in 2018, “It got to a point where I could sense the helplessness when hitters came to bat … There were many times when I could feel a hitter’s legs buckle as one of Bob’s vicious sliders whizzed across the plate.”

Slip sliding away

Using only fastballs and sliders against the Phillies for his 15th win in a row, Gibson struck out 11, including Dick Allen four times and Bill White three times.

“He had great control of his slider,” McCarver said to the Associated Press. “The last strike on Rich Allen in the ninth broke a foot.”

Gibson credited the development of his slider with making him a dominant pitcher.

“My slider was nasty,” Gibson said in a conversation for the book “Sixty Feet, Six Inches.” “They could look for it and couldn’t hit it.

“Actually, I had two sliders … My main slider was my hardest one, and it would just break abruptly and mostly downward. And I had one where I’d twist my wrist a little more and give it a bigger break. That one didn’t have the speed or suddenness of the first one … but if I got it where I was supposed to get it, a right-handed batter wasn’t going to do anything with it.”

In his bid for the 15th consecutive win, Gibson held the Phillies hitless for five innings. In the sixth, with one out, pitcher John Boozer singled to center.

The Phillies’ only other hit came in the eighth when Johnny Callison, batting for Boozer, singled to right with two outs. Boxscore

Confidence equals control

The 15th consecutive win gave Gibson a season record of 18-5 with a 0.99 ERA in 234.2 innings. The shutout, his 10th, tied the Cardinals’ single-season record established by Mort Cooper in 1944.

“Of all the reasons behind his brilliance, I start with his command,” McCarver told Cardinals Yearbook. “Gibson threw hard and featured the best slider I’ve ever caught by a right-hander. His pitches exploded with movement a few feet from the plate. What made them even more effective was his ability to throw them where he wanted. He could consistently hit a target no wider than two baseballs.”

In discussing his slider with Cardinals Yearbook writer Stan McNeal, Gibson said, “I had pinpoint control in 1968 … If I wanted to throw it outside, I’d start it in the middle of the plate and I knew it was going to be outside … That was an unbelievable feeling. It really was. Hitters were at a disadvantage because I knew where the ball was going and I could throw it there in any count. Most pitchers would get to a 3-and-2 count and throw a fastball because they could control it, but I’d throw a slider because I could control it as well as the fastball. Sometimes it would break out of the strike zone, but they’d swing anyway.”

Gibson’s consecutive win streak ended in his next start, Aug. 24, at home against the Pirates. The Cardinals led, 4-0, after six. Willie Stargell hit a three-run home run off Gibson in the seventh. The Pirates scored a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth to win, 6-4, overcoming a 15-strikeout performance by Gibson. Three of the Pirates’ six runs were unearned. Boxscore

Gibson finished the 1968 season with a 22-9 record, and 1.12 ERA, pitching 13 shutouts and 28 complete games. In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, he struck out 17 Tigers batters.

In a 2018 interview with Joe Schuster of Cardinals Yearbook, Willie Horton recalled how he became the 17th strikeout victim: “On the last pitch, he had me set up for a slider, so I was looking for a ball off the edge of the plate, maybe even six inches outside. I set up for a pitch out there, so if it broke I would have hit it, but it just stayed in on me and I couldn’t do anything with it. I learned later he had a backdoor slider. I can’t think of another right-handed pitcher who would try to throw a backdoor slider, because you can make so many mistakes with it. He had one _ and that shows how great he was.”

On Oct. 28, 1968, Gibson was named unanimous winner of the National League Cy Young Award. Two weeks later, on Nov. 13, he was named recipient of the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

In the book “Late Innings,” Gibson told author Roger Angell, “I was never that good again … I’d like to think I’d really perfected my pitching to that point.”

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Why Whitey Herzog saw Pedro Guerrero like Lana Turner

August 16, 2013 by retrosimba

In the summer of 1988, some looked at Pedro Guerrero and saw a first baseman who was a defensive liability, a star diminished by injuries and a perceived lack of desire.

Whitey Herzog looked at Guerrero and saw Lana Turner.

On Aug. 16, 1988, the Cardinals, desperate to bolster a pop-gun attack, traded pitcher John Tudor to the Dodgers for Guerrero.

Because Guerrero had tendinitis in both knees and had spent most of June and July on the disabled list while recovering from a pinched nerve in his neck, some questioned whether the Cardinals had acquired damaged goods.

Responding to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about those concerns, Herzog, the Cardinals’ manager, said of Guerrero, “His lower body isn’t the best in the world. His upper body looks like Charlie Atlas and his lower body probably looks like Lana Turner.”

Fortunately for the Cardinals, Guerrero could hit better than Turner, the long-legged actress of the 1940s and ’50s who played sultry roles in films such as “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Peyton Place.”

At the time of the trade, critics, such as columnist Scott Ostler of the Los Angeles Times, saw Guerrero as a one-dimensional player.

Wrote Ostler: “When Guerrero isn’t hitting home runs and doubles _ which he hasn’t been doing much of lately _ he hurts you more ways than he helps you. Defense, for instance … The most you can say is that Guerrero sometimes makes the routine plays.”

The next Jack Clark

The Cardinals, though, needed a run-producer and they saw Guerrero as one of their best options. “He’s one of the few hitters in baseball who fits our need,” Herzog said. “He’s an impact player, like Jack Clark.”

St. Louis had tried to replace Clark _ who, as a free agent, departed the Cardinals for the Yankees after the 1987 season _ with Bob Horner, but that didn’t work. With the Cardinals out of contention by August 1988, management devised a plan for how to boost the team’s offense.

They decided to pursue during the impending off-season a pair of players who appeared headed toward free agency: Guerrero and Tim Raines of the Expos.

Guerrero was eligible to become a free agent after the 1988 season and the Dodgers expressed little interest in keeping him. Meanwhile, it widely was anticipated an arbitrator would declare Raines a free agent after ruling that team owners had colluded to limit offers to him when he first became eligible for free agency in November 1986.

Two factors caused the Cardinals to change those plans. First, word leaked that Raines was preparing to accept a three-year contract extension from the Expos. Also, there was speculation the Dodgers might trade Guerrero to the Phillies if they could get left-handed pitcher Don Carman in return.

Dodgers want Tudor

Concerned they might miss out on both Guerrero and Raines, the Cardinals pursued trade talks with the Dodgers. Seeking a left-handed starter to replace the injured Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodgers wanted Tudor, who was the National League leader in ERA at 2.29.

Cardinals general manager Dal Maxvill asked Herzog who he would want in return.

Said Herzog: “There’s only one guy I’d consider trading (Tudor) for.”

Guerrero.

The Cardinals agreed to a deal under one condition: Guerrero would have to accept a contract extension and relinquish his right to become a free agent that winter. Guerrero agreed and got an extension for three seasons at $6.2 million, including a $400,000 bonus, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“Basically, it’s a premier pitcher for a premier hitter,” Herzog said to the Associated Press.

Guerrero, 32, batted .298, with a .374 on-base percentage, in 59 games for the 1988 Dodgers.

Maxvill called Guerrero “an everyday player with outstanding run-producing potential.”

Said Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch: “If he comes over and wants to play, he can help.”

Guerrero told the Associated Press, “I never thought I’d be a Cardinal. But now I’m here and I’m very happy … I always wanted a chance to play for Whitey.”

Tudor, 34, was going from an also-ran to a contender. He was a key starter for the Cardinals’ pennant-winning teams in 1985 and 1987. “I’ve enjoyed my time here,” Tudor said. “The people have been great to me and, as far as I’m concerned, there are no better fans in the world.”

Tudor was 4-3 with a 2.41 ERA in nine starts for the 1988 Dodgers, who won the World Series championship that year. Injured most of 1989, Tudor became a free agent after that season and returned to the Cardinals in 1990.

Guerrero hit .268 with five home runs and 30 RBI in 44 games for the 1988 Cardinals. He was outstanding in 1989, hitting .311 with 42 doubles and 117 RBI for St. Louis. His on-base percentage that season was .391.

As a Cardinal from 1988 to 1992, Guererro produced 505 hits in 500 games, posting a .282 batting average and .348 on-base percentage, with 44 home runs.

Previously: Redbirds ripoff: How Bob Horner replaced Jack Clark

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Johnny Logan was tough out for Cardinals

August 14, 2013 by retrosimba

Playing in lineups with the likes of Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, shortstop Johnny Logan was a batter the Cardinals learned to respect.

In 1957, when Logan was the starting shortstop for the World Series champion Braves, he reached base in seven consecutive plate appearances against the Cardinals over two games at St. Louis.

During a 13-year major-league career (1951-63), Logan batted .282 against the Cardinals and had 209 hits in 209 games versus them. He hit especially well at St. Louis, posting a .309 batting average there in 102 games while playing for the Braves and Pirates.

On May 10, 1957, Logan, batting sixth, went 4-for-4 with a walk and five RBI in the Braves’ 10-5 victory over the Cardinals. In his first two at-bats, Logan produced a two-run double and a RBI-single against starter Sam Jones.

In the fifth, Logan drew a walk from Lloyd Merritt. Logan followed that with a solo home run off Hoyt Wilhelm in the seventh and finished with a RBI-single off Jim Davis in the ninth. Boxscore

The next day, May 11, Logan, in his first two at-bats, had a RBI-double and a single off starter Lindy McDaniel. Logan had reached base in each of his first seven plate appearances of the series.

In the sixth, Willard Schmidt got Logan on a fly out. Logan doubled off Schmidt in the eighth _ his eighth time on base in nine plate appearances since the series began. Boxscore

A month later, the Braves acquired second baseman Red Schoendienst from the Giants. The former Cardinal paired with Logan to form an effective keystone combination.

“The first thing I did when we got Red was give (general manager) John Quinn a big kiss,” Logan told The Milwaukee Journal. “We had the best pitching in the league and a lot of power, but we (had) needed a second baseman.”

Logan remained the Braves’ starting shortstop through 1960 until he was replaced by Roy McMillan. In June 1961, the Braves traded Logan to the Pirates for outfielder Gino Cimoli.

Logan primarily was a utility player and pinch-hitter for Pittsburgh. One of his last big hits came against the Cardinals.

On July 16, 1962, Logan started at third base for the Pirates at Pittsburgh. In the sixth inning, with the Cardinals ahead, 2-1, the Pirates loaded the bases with two outs against starter Ray Sadecki.

Logan, homerless as a Pirate, stepped to the plate and delivered a grand slam, the last home run of his big-league career, leading Pittsburgh to a 5-2 victory. It also was Logan’s first extra-base hit of the season. Boxscore

“I’ve been saving this for a long time to show how much I appreciate the Pirates staying with me,” Logan said to The Sporting News. “I’m 35, all right, but I’m not over the hill yet.”

Previously: Hank Aaron and the home run that wasn’t vs. Cardinals

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