RetroSimba

The story of Lou Brock and his steals of home

November 28, 2012 by retrosimba

(Updated Aug. 6, 2019)

Lou Brock stole home twice in his major-league career. Both occurred on the front end of double steals.

Brock did it first with the Cubs on May 24, 1964, against the Reds at Cincinnati. He repeated the feat with the Cardinals on Aug. 6, 1970, against the Mets at St. Louis.

Mets pitcher Tom Seaver had won nine consecutive decisions entering his Aug. 6, 1970, start against the Cardinals at Busch Memorial Stadium. Brock led off the Cardinals’ first inning with a double and moved to third on an infield out. Joe Hague walked and Richie Allen struck out.

When Hague took off from first on a steal attempt, catcher Jerry Grote threw to second. Second baseman Wayne Garrett took Grote’s throw and Hague stopped. Garrett fired the ball to first baseman Art Shamsky. As Shamsky moved toward Hague, Brock broke for home. Shamsky, a left-handed thrower, turned around and made a high toss to Grote. Brock easily beat the throw and Hague went on to second base on a successful double steal.

“Once (Shamsky) makes a total commitment for the other runner (Hague), there’s no way he can make the play home,” Brock said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. ‘It’s too tough to throw accurately with something on the ball when you’re running in another direction.”

The thefts came against a battery that was good at guarding against steals. Grote threw out 39 percent of the baserunners attempting to steal against him in 1970. Seaver pitched in 37 games in 1970 and yielded only 14 stolen bases.

Brock’s steal of home gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and propelled them to a 3-0 victory.

Asked about the play, Mets manager Gil Hodges told the Associated Press, “When you can’t execute properly, that’s what costs you.” Boxscore

Less than a month before he was traded by the Cubs to the Cardinals, Brock stole home for the first time in the big leagues. In the opener of a doubleheader on May 24, 1964, at Crosley Field, Brock singled against Reds starter Jim O’Toole with one out in the first. A single by Billy Williams advanced Brock to third. Brock and Williams then executed a double steal. The thefts were two of only 10 allowed by O’Toole in 30 games for the Reds in 1964. The catcher, Hal Smith, a former Cardinal, threw out five of 12 baserunners (42 percent) attempting to steal in 1964. Boxscore

Brock is the all-time National League leader in steals and ranks second in major-league history to Rickey Henderson. Brock had 50 steals with the Cubs and 888 with the Cardinals. In 1974, when Brock swiped a career-high 118 for the Cardinals, he had 112 steals of second and six of third.

He only once attempted to steal home in 1974. On Sept. 6, 1974, after Brock drove in a run with a fifth-inning triple, Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, attempting a pickoff, threw to third baseman Wayne Garrett, catching Brock with too big a lead. Brock broke for home and Garrett’s peg to catcher Duffy Dyer was in time to nail Brock.

“I didn’t think Koosman would throw over there,” Brock said.

Three innings later, Brock singled against former teammate Harry Parker and stole second and third on successive pitches. The steals were Brock’s 100th and 101st of the season.

Said Parker: “It’s like trying to keep water from going over the dam. You know what’s coming, but you’re powerless.” Boxscore

Previously: Hot leadoff hitting helped Lou Brock earn steals record

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Five facts about Cardinals owner Sam Breadon

November 25, 2012 by retrosimba

(Updated Dec. 27, 2015)

Sam Breadon was principal owner of the Cardinals from 1920 through 1947.

Born July 26, 1876, in New York City, Breadon, nearly penniless, went to St. Louis in 1902 to join a friend in the garage business. Backed by customers impressed by his work and demeanor, Breadon started his own automobile and garage business in 1903 and soon became successful. He also became a fan of the local National League baseball club, the Cardinals.

In 1917, Breadon paid $2,000 to become an investor in the Cardinals. Three years later, he rose to principal owner and president of the franchise.

Though he was tight-fisted with finances and sometimes displayed a cold demeanor (“The fear of poverty haunted him all through his years, even after he could write a check for seven figures,” The Sporting News surmised), Breadon was, by most accounts, an effective and savvy executive.

Here are five more facts about Breadon:

1. The Cardinals won nine National League pennants and six World Series titles while Breadon was their principal owner. To put that in perspective, the National League won eight World Series titles between 1926-46. The Cardinals won six of those. (The others were the 1933 Giants and 1940 Reds.)

In his obituary in May 1949, The Sporting News wrote of Breadon, “His name was synonymous with baseball success.”

2. In May 1925, Breadon boldly elevated second baseman Rogers Hornsby to player-manager, replacing Branch Rickey, who returned to the front office. A year later, Hornsby led the Cardinals to their first pennant and first World Series championship. Rickey, meanwhile, began building the franchise-controlled farm system that would supply the Cardinals with top talent for decades. (By 1939, Breadon owned 16 farm teams outright and had working agreements with 12 others.)

Though he traded Hornsby to the Giants (for Frankie Frisch) after the World Series when Hornsby demanded a three-year contract rather than the one-year deal offered, Breadon’s promotion of Hornsby to manager created a culture change, with long-term implications.

“It gave us our first pennant, it made our players pennant-conscious and it enabled Rickey to move into the front office, where he had a much better opportunity to develop and exercise his talents,” Breadon said to The Sporting News.

3. Shortly after gaining control of the Cardinals, Breadon made a deal that solidified the financial foundation of the franchise. The Cardinals had been playing their home games at dilapidated Robison Field. Breadon convinced Phil Ball, owner of the St. Louis Browns of the American League, to take in the Cardinals as a tenant at Sportsman’s Park.

That enabled Breadon to demolish Robison Field and sell most of the property to the city for $200,000 (the city planned to build a high school on the site) and sell the rest of the land for $75,000 to a trolley company for a loop that would provide access to the school.

“It was the most important move I ever made on the Cardinals,” Breadon told The Sporting News. “… It gave us money to clean up our debts, and something more to work with. Without it, we never could have purchased the minor-league clubs, which were the beginning of our farm system.”

4. Breadon pinched pennies, but his generosity also quietly helped several former Cardinals.

For years, Breadon sent a monthly check to Grover Cleveland Alexander, the Cardinals’ hero of the 1926 World Series, when the pitcher was in financial trouble, The Sporting News reported.

Though ace pitcher Mort Cooper had bolted the Cardinals because of a contract dispute in 1945, prompting them to trade him, Breadon came to Cooper’s aid when Cooper was arrested and charged with passing bad checks in 1948. Breadon bailed Cooper out of jail, covered the reimbursements on the bad checks and sent Cooper monthly payments to help him get out of a financial hole, The Sporting News reported.

5. In 1939, Breadon prevented Rickey from dealing Marty Marion to the Cubs. At the time, Marion and Bobby Sturgeon were shortstops in the Cardinals’ farm system. According to The Sporting News, Rickey thought Sturgeon was the better prospect and wanted to offer Marion to the Cubs for cash.

“No,” Breadon responded, “if we sell one of them, we’ll sell Sturgeon.”

In a compromise (at this point in their working relationship, Breadon and Rickey often were clashing), the Cubs were allowed to make a choice between the two shortstops. To Breadon’s relief, Chicago chose Sturgeon. Marion, who would earn the nickname “Mr. Shortstop” because of his stellar fielding, would join the Cardinals in 1940 and help them to four pennants and three World Series titles.

“He’s the best ever,” Billy Southworth, who managed the Cardinals to three consecutive pennants (1942-44), said of Marion to The Sporting News. “He anticipates plays perfectly, can go to his right or left equally as well and has a truly great arm. Some of the things he does have to be seen to be believed.”

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The story of how Stan Musial stole home _ 4 times

November 21, 2012 by retrosimba

Stan Musial achieved many remarkable feats in his Cardinals career. One of the most unheralded was his success at stealing home. Musial did it four times within four years.

Musial had 78 stolen bases in a 22-year Cardinals career. His single-season high was nine in 1943, his second full year in the big leagues.

In the book “Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man,” author James N. Giglio said Musial “became a terror in taking the extra base or in flustering the pitcher by threatening to steal.”

Giglio described how, in a 1942 game at Pittsburgh, Musial tripled and scored the tying run when he faked a steal of home, causing the pitcher, Luke Hamlin, to balk.

That alertness and hustle paid off for Musial and the Cardinals on May 24, 1950, at the Polo Grounds in New York. In the eighth inning, with the Cardinals ahead, 1-0, Musial singled and advanced to second when Johnny Lindell reached on an error.

With Enos Slaughter at the plate, pitcher Monty Kennedy unleashed a wild pitch. The ball “dropped right in front of the plate but the daring Musial made it to third,” United Press reported, while Lindell held at first.

Slaughter popped out and Marty Marion came to the plate. When Kennedy made a pickoff throw to first, Musial broke from third and streaked home with a steal, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0.

An Associated Press photo of the play shows Giants catcher Wes Westrum straddling the plate, his arms extended as he awaits the throw from first baseman Tookie Gilbert, while Musial slides toward the dish.

“It’s that old Cardinal Gashouse spirit,” St. Louis manager Eddie Dyer said. “You can laugh all you want to, boys, but it still wins ballgames.” Boxscore

Musial stole home again on Sept. 18, 1951, at St. Louis. Musial was on third and Slaughter on first with two outs in the sixth when they executed a double steal, with Musial racing home with the final run of a 7-1 Cardinals victory over the Dodgers. Boxscore

In 1953, Musial had a season total of three stolen bases _ two were steals of home and both came against the Phillies.

On July 24, 1953, at Philadelphia, Bob Miller issued a walk to Musial, who advanced to second on an error and to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, Musial took off for the plate. An Associated Press photo shows catcher Stan Lopata tagging Musial on his right knee while Musial’s left foot is across the plate. Phillies manager Steve O’Neill protested, but the photo is evidence umpire Bill Jackowski made the correct call.

The sixth-inning steal of home tied the score 1-1, but the Phillies scored in the ninth and won, 2-1. Boxscore

Two months later, Sept. 13, 1953, at St. Louis, Musial stole home again versus the Phillies. In the first inning, Musial was on third and Ray Jablonski on first when the pair executed a double steal, igniting the offense in a 17-3 Cardinals triumph. Boxscore

Previously: No one hit more triples and as many home runs as Stan Musial

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Bobby Shantz: First Cardinals pitcher to win Gold Glove

November 19, 2012 by retrosimba

(Updated April 17, 2022)

Four Cardinals pitchers have won a Gold Glove Award for fielding. Bobby Shantz, the first pitcher to earn a Gold Glove in each league, won two while with the Cardinals. Shantz was the first Cardinals pitcher to earn the award.

Shantz, who stood 5 feet 6 and weighed less than 140 pounds, was Jim Kaat’s favorite boyhood player. After Kaat reached the majors, he won the Gold Glove Award 16 times while with the Twins, White Sox and Phillies.

In his book “Still Pitching,” Kaat said as a boy he imitated the pitching motion of Shantz.

“If there was a game on the radio and Shantz was pitching, I would listen intently as the announcers described his delivery _ finishing square to the plate on the balls of his feet and taking a small hop toward home after delivering so as to be in perfect position to field a ball hit back to the mound,” Kaat recalled. “The next day, I would be outside … trying to finish in the same position as Bobby Shantz. Shantz was probably the greatest fielding pitcher of all time, quick as a cat and always on balance when he finished his delivery.”

The Gold Glove Award first was given in 1957. One Gold Glove was awarded at each of the nine positions in the major leagues that year. Shantz, then with the Yankees, won his first of eight in a row in 1957. The next year, a Gold Glove was given at each position in each league. Shantz earned four in the American League (with the Yankees) and one with the National League Pirates.

The Cardinals coveted Shantz for a long time and nearly traded Bob Gibson to the Senators for him in December 1960.

In 1962, Shantz, 36, began the season with the National League expansion Houston Colt .45s. On May 6, Houston traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Carl Warwick and pitcher John Anderson.

Shantz bolstered the Cardinals’ bullpen and lived up to his reputation as a fielder. Reporting on a May 21, 1962, game in which Shantz earned his first St. Louis save, The Sporting News wrote, “After Bobby Shantz made a brilliant stab of a hot liner and flipped perfectly to third for a rally-stopping double play, manager Johnny Keane called the little guy the best-fielding pitcher in the league.”

“With Bob Gibson, I feel we have the two best-fielding pitchers in the league,” Keane said.

Shantz and Cardinals first baseman Bill White each won a Gold Glove in 1962. In those years, big-league players voted for the Gold Glove winners. Players could vote for anyone in their league except teammates. Shantz received 89 votes. Harvey Haddix of the Pirates was second at 70 and Gibson was third with 23. Shantz made one error in 22 chances for St. Louis that year and, including his errorless stint with Houston, had an overall .972 fielding percentage in 1962. Shantz also had a 5-3 record, four saves and a 2.18 ERA for St. Louis.

In 1963, Shantz was one of four Cardinals who earned Gold Glove honors. Joining White, third baseman Ken Boyer and outfielder Curt Flood, Shantz received votes from 113 players. Gibson placed second with 23 again. Shantz commited one error in 32 chances for the 1963 Cardinals. His record was 6-4 with 11 saves and a 2.61 ERA in 55 games.

Shantz became a largely forgotten part of one of the most famous trades in baseball history in 1964. Fielding flawlessly and sporting a 1-3 record with a 3.12 ERA in 16 games, Shantz was packaged with starter Ernie Broglio and outfielder Doug Clemens in the deal that brought outfielder Lou Brock and pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the Cardinals from the Cubs on June 15, 1964.

Two months later, the Cubs sent Shantz to the Phillies, who were in first place. With a significant boost from Brock, the Cardinals overtook the Phillies in September, won the pennant and beat the Yankees in the World Series.

Shantz won the last of his Gold Glove awards in 1964. He got 111 votes from the players. Gibson again was second, with 30. Shantz had one error in 35 fielding chances with the Cardinals, Cubs and Phillies that year.

The next year, Gibson won the first of his nine consecutive Gold Glove awards (1964-73) with the Cardinals. Since then, Cardinals pitchers to earn a Gold Glove are Joaquin Andujar (1984) and Adam Wainwright (2009 and 2013).

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Selfless teamwork by Kyle McClellan paid off for Cards

November 16, 2012 by retrosimba

Kyle McClellan should be remembered as one of the key contributors in the Cardinals’ remarkable run to the World Series title in 2011.

Though he lacked the star power and big-game swagger of colleagues such as Chris Carpenter and Jason Motte, McClellan gave the 2011 Cardinals a significant early-season boost to their starting rotation and also contributed wins in relief down the stretch as St. Louis successfully made a frantic push to overtake the Braves for the National League wild-card spot.

The wear McClellan put on his right arm that year as he converted from reliever to starter in the spring and back to reliever in late July may have shortened his Cardinals career. Plagued by a damaged right shoulder, McClellan, 28, was sidelined for most of the 2012 season and was released by the Cardinals Nov. 13, 2012.

When starter Adam Wainwright suffered a season-ending arm injury at the start of spring training in 2011, McClellan moved into the rotation to replace him, even though McClellan had been used exclusively as a reliever since his rookie season of 2008.

Joining a rotation of Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook, McClellan’s selfless teamwork paid big early-season dividends for the Cardinals.

On April 11, 2011, McClellan earned his first win as a starter, limiting the Diamondbacks to a run in six innings and collecting his first two RBI in an 8-2 Cardinals triumph. “He did it all,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Boxscore

McClellan won his first five decisions of 2011. On May 8, after he held the Brewers to a run and four hits in eight innings in a 3-1 Cardinals victory on Mother’s Day, McClellan had a 5-0 record and 3.30 ERA and St. Louis was in first place in the National League Central. McClellan’s mother and his wife, who was pregnant, attended the game. Afterward, Wainwright told St. Louis reporter Derrick Goold that McClellan’s record “is not surprising any of us.” Boxscore

Soon thereafter, McClellan fell into a funk. After earning a win on May 19, McClellan went more than two months before recording another. On July 25, in the last of his 17 starts for the 2011 Cardinals, McClellan held the Astros to a run in seven innings and got the win in the Cardinals’ 10-5 victory. “There’s been games where I’ve let the big inning kill me,” McClellan said to the Post-Dispatch. “Today, I felt like I was able to keep control of the game.” Boxscore

Two days later, the Cardinals acquired starting pitcher Edwin Jackson from the Blue Jays. McClellan quickly agreed to move to the bullpen to open a spot for Jackson in the rotation. La Russa told St. Louis reporter Rick Hummel that McClellan “showed a lot of character” in accepting the move. “He could have been bitter,” La Russa said.

Explained McClellan: “I felt like the time I was in the rotation, I did a good job. I don’t feel that I pitched my way out of a job.”

On Sept. 16, McClellan earned a big win in relief, pitching a scoreless 10th inning in the Cardinals’ 4-2 victory in 11 over the Phillies. McClellan retired Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley in order, helping the Cardinals get within 3.5 games of the Braves in the wild-card chase. Boxscore

Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch wrote that the victory transformed the Cardinals’ postseason chances “from improbable to, dare it be said, believable.”

St. Louis did catch the Braves, swept through the National League postseason series and won the World Series championship in seven games.

The Cardinals couldn’t have qualified for the postseason without the contributions of McClellan. The right-hander was 12-7 overall _ 6-6 as a starter and 6-1 in relief _ in 43 apperances.

Previously: 2011: a year of titles, turnarounds, turmoil for Cardinals

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Why Walt Weiss rejected bid to be Cardinals shortstop

November 12, 2012 by retrosimba

The Cardinals wanted free agent Walt Weiss to be their shortstop for the 1996 season, but Weiss declined St. Louis’ offer because he was concerned how fans would react to him replacing Ozzie Smith.

St. Louis instead acquired shortstop Royce Clayton from the Giants. Weiss re-signed with the Rockies.

As Weiss anticipated, the transition of Smith from St. Louis starter to part-time player was marred by controversy. Smith felt he deserved to remain the everyday shortstop and he clashed with Tony La Russa when the manager chose Clayton as the starter in 1996. Meanwhile, Weiss quietly extended a four-year stretch as the Rockies’ regular shortstop.

Weiss started his major-league career in 1987 with the Athletics and played six seasons in Oakland for La Russa. During that time, Weiss won the American League Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Athletics win three pennants and a World Series title.

Traded by Oakland to the Marlins after the 1992 season, Weiss spent a year in Florida and then two with the Rockies. In November 1995, he declared for free agency.

When the Rockies offered him a two-year contract at $2 million per year, the Cardinals were prepared to counter with a two-year deal plus an option year at $2 million per year, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals were seeking a shortstop because of their concern about whether Smith, who hit .199 in 1995 and who was about to turn 41, could handle the everyday shortstop role in 1996.

On Nov. 20, 1995, St. Louis reporter Rick Hummel wrote: “Free-agent shortstop Walt Weiss apparently has whittled his list to two teams _ Colorado, for whom he played the last two seasons, and the Cardinals.”

A day later, the Rockies announced Weiss had accepted a $4.1 million two-year contract with a player option for 1998 to remain with Colorado.

“Going to St. Louis, I wouldn’t have had the fan support I have (in Denver), especially coming in behind Ozzie,” Weiss said to the Rocky Mountain News.

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote that Weiss rejected the Cardinals “in part because he didn’t want to be the co-star in an Ozzie soap opera.”

Miklasz, writing with foresight, added, “La Russa should have the freedom to choose the lineup. If the Cardinals are serious about winning, then any Ozzie-related PR repercussions should be irrelevant … It’s too bad that this mutually beneficial relationship seems destined to end in so much rancor and bitterness.”

A .258 career hitter in 14 major-league seasons, Weiss was a terror against the Cardinals. The switch-hitter batted .333 (79-for-237) in 76 regular-season games against St. Louis. He had more hits versus the Cardinals than he did against any other team in his big-league career. Weiss batted .357 (41-for-115) in 35 regular-season games at Busch Memorial Stadium.

Perhaps Weiss’ most memorable game against the Cardinals came in Game 1 of the 2000 National League Division Series, when St. Louis starter Rick Ankiel experienced his infamous meltdown.

Playing for the Braves in his final big-league game, Weiss started at shortstop in Game 1. In the third inning, Weiss delivered the two-run single that knocked Ankiel from the game after the left-hander had thrown five wild pitches and walked four that inning. It would be Weiss’ last hit of his big-league career. Boxscore

“Walt Weiss had a superb day afield and at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and making a great catch on Andres Galarraga’s errant throw to second base in the third.” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “With runners on first and second, Galarraga made a fine stop on Fernando Vina’s smash, but threw wildly to second. Weiss, fully extended, reached far and low to his right to catch the ball, then searched with his right foot before touching the bag for the force.”

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