RetroSimba

September hot streak carried 1982 Cardinals to title

August 3, 2012 by retrosimba

An eight-game winning streak over seven days in mid-September broke open a tight division race and propelled the Cardinals to their first National League East title in 1982. From there, St. Louis swept the Braves in the league championship series and defeated the Brewers in a seven-game World Series.

On Sept. 14, the 1982 Cardinals were at a critical point in their season. In losing 2-0 the night before to Philadelphia and ex-Cardinal Steve Carlton, St. Louis had slipped out of first place, a half-game behind the Phillies. Boxscore

With two more to play at Philadelphia before heading to New York for a five-game series, including back-to-back twi-night doubleheaders, against the Mets, the Cardinals appeared to be in jeopardy of falling farther behind.

Instead, buoyed by spectacular pitching (including starts from a Mexican League retread and a 43-year-old left-hander), the Cardinals regrouped and won the next eight in a row from Sept. 14 through Sept. 20. The streak placed the Cardinals comfortably into first place, 5.5 games ahead of Philadelphia.

During the streak against the Phillies and the Mets, the Cardinals held their opponents to seven total runs in winning eight, seven on the road.

Here is how it happened:

_ Sept. 14 at Philadelphia, Cardinals 2, Phillies 0: Backed by catcher Darrell Porter’s two-run home run, John Stuper (7.1 innings) and Bruce Sutter combined on the shutout. In the eighth inning, with the bases loaded, Sutter got third baseman Mike Schmidt to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

“The eighth and ninth innings belonged to me,” Sutter said to the Associated Press. Boxscore

_ Sept. 15 at Philadelphia, Cardinals 8, Phillies 0: Joaquin Andujar, overcoming a bruised right knee, retired the first 12 batters and finished with a three-hit shutout, his fifth of the season. Right fielder George Hendrick drove in four runs, two with sacrifice flies.

“We still have a long way to go … We have to beat everybody, not just Philadelphia,” Andujar said to United Press International. Boxscore

_ Sept. 17 at New York, Game 1, Cardinals 3, Mets 2: Eric Rasmussen, who spent most of the season with Yucatan in the Mexican League, joined the Cardinals in September. Making his first big-league start since 1980, Rasmussen held the Mets to four hits and two runs in seven innings. Sutter relieved and pitched three scoreless innings for the win.

In the 10th, rookie center fielder Willie McGee doubled, driving in first baseman Keith Hernandez from second with the winning run. Boxscore

_ Sept. 17 at New York, Game 2, Cardinals 7, Mets 1: Steve Mura (5.2 innings) started and earned the win, his last as a Cardinal and his first in more than a month. Doug Bair pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

After sweeping a doubleheader started by the unlikely duo of Rasmussen and Mura, manager Whitey Herzog told the Associated Press, “My pitching has been good this year. I have no complaints.” Boxscore

_ Sept. 18 at New York, Game 1, Cardinals 2, Mets 0: Bob Forsch (7.1 innings) and Bruce Sutter combined on the shutout. David Green, getting the start in center field, hit a fourth-inning home run off ex-Cardinal Pete Falcone. Boxscore

_ Sept. 18 at New York, Game 2, Cardinals 6, Mets 2: Jim Kaat, 43, got the start, his first since June and the 625th and last of his major-league career. Kaat went three innings and limited the Mets to a run, a solo homer by catcher Bruce Bochy. Jeff Lahti pitched the last six innings for the win. Boxscore

_ Sept. 19 at New York, Cardinals 3, Mets 1: Stuper (6.1) innings and Bair combined on another gem, completing the five-game sweep.

“I never figured on taking all five,” Herzog said to the Associated Press. “Maybe three, possibly four, but never five.” Boxscore

_ Sept. 20 at St. Louis, Cardinals 4, Phillies 1: Hendrick’s two-run double during a three-run fifth knocked out ex-Cardinal John Denny. Boxscore

Seven days later, the Cardinals clinched the division championship with a 4-2 victory over the Expos at Montreal. Boxscore

The 1982 Cardinals received several outstanding individual performances in September. Among the best:

_ Andujar, 5-0 record, 0.81 ERA.

_ Bair, 2 saves, 1.65 ERA.

_ Hendrick, .341 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, 17 RBI.

_ Hernandez, .333 batting average, .438 on-base percentage, 13 RBI.

_ Sutter, 6 saves, 2.04 ERA.

Previously: Jim Kaat interview: 1982 Cardinals were most close-knit club

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Double disaster for Cards and ‘Wild Elk of the Wasatch’

August 1, 2012 by retrosimba

A record-setting hitting performance by the Braves knocked the 1936 Cardinals out of first place. Seventy-six years later, the 2012 Cardinals matched the Braves’ feat of hitting seven doubles in an inning.

On July 21, 2012, six Cardinals collected seven doubles in a 12-run seventh inning of a 12-0 victory over the Cubs at St. Louis. Allen Craig, who appeared as a pinch-hitter in the inning, hit a pair of doubles. Carlos Beltran, Jon Jay, David Freese, Skip Schumaker and Matt Holliday hit one double apiece. The seven doubles were hit against three Cubs relievers, James Russell, Manny Corpas and Rafael Dolis. Boxscore

The 1936 Braves were unlikely candidates to establish the standard of seven doubles in an inning. They would finish the season with the lowest batting average in the National League and would rank last among the eight teams in doubles.

On the morning of Aug. 25, 1936, the Cardinals and Giants were tied for first place in the NL, each with a 72-46 record. The Cardinals had a doubleheader against the Braves that Tuesday afternoon at St. Louis. The Giants were facing the Reds.

In the opener, the Cardinals started Si Johnson, who had been acquired from the Reds on Aug. 6. The Braves pounded Johnson for eight runs, seven hits and a walk in the first inning. He recorded only two outs before being lifted for Ed Heusser, the Cardinals’ top reliever in 1936.

Three Braves _ Gene Moore, Buck Jordan and Tony Cuccinello _ hit two doubles apiece in the first inning. Shortstop Rabbit Warstler accounted for the other.

With Boston ahead 11-0 after a half inning, Cardinals manager Frankie Frisch decided to stay with Heusser. Nicknamed “The Wild Elk of the Wasatch” for the mountain range in his native Utah, Heusser gave up 12 runs on 18 hits and four walks in 8.1 innings. Moore and Jordan each had five hits and five RBI in the Braves’ 20-3 victory. Boxscore

In the second game, St. Louis, behind ace Dizzy Dean, led 4-1 through five innings, but the Braves rallied and tied the score. In the ninth, Si Johnson, the Game 1 starter, relieved Dean. He yielded a RBI-single to Jordan and the Braves won, 5-4. Johnson was the losing pitcher in both games.

Coupled with the Giants’ 13th win in a row, a 6-5 victory over the Reds, St. Louis fell 1.5 games behind New York. The Giants went on to win the pennant, finishing five games ahead of the Cardinals and Cubs, who tied for second place.

Johnson and Heusser both recovered from their thumpings by the Braves.

Four days after losing both games of the doubleheader, Johnson pitched a complete-game shutout against the Phillies. Boxscore He finished 5-3 with a 4.38 ERA for the 1936 Cardinals.

Heusser was 7-3 with a 5.43 ERA in 42 appearances for the 1936 Cardinals. Eight years later, as a starter for the Reds, his 2.38 ERA led the NL.

Previously: Baseball and romance: Cardinals’ Cuban adventures

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George Kernek: Cardinals’ choice to replace Bill White

July 27, 2012 by retrosimba

(Updated Aug. 28, 2022)

George Kernek was so highly regarded by the Cardinals they chose him to replace Bill White as their starting first baseman and issued him the uniform number previously worn by third baseman Ken Boyer.

Kernek was the Opening Day first baseman for the 1966 Cardinals, but the rookie held the job for less than a month, was sent back to the minor leagues and never played in the majors again.

Awarded a key position with a storied franchise, Kernek represented one of the biggest misjudgments made by Bob Howsam during his tenure as St. Louis general manager.

After the 1965 season, Howsam shocked St. Louis fans by breaking up his all-star infield. He traded Boyer to the Mets and sent White and shortstop Dick Groat to the Phillies.

News reports speculated the Cardinals would try to acquire a veteran first baseman such as Joe Pepitone of the Yankees, Donn Clendenon of the Pirates or Gordy Coleman of the Reds. Instead, the Cardinals preferred Kernek.

A basketball and baseball standout at the University of Oklahoma, Kernek signed with the Cardinals in 1961 and was assigned to Winnipeg of the Northern League. As he worked his way through the farm system, Kernek developed a reputation as an opposite-field hitter with little power. In his first four minor-league seasons, the left-handed batter averaged about six home runs a year.

Before the 1965 season, Fred Hawn, the scout who signed Kernek, told him he needed to hit with power to reach the big leagues. Kernek began a weight-training program, focusing especially on strengthening his wrists. He also switched to a lighter bat, at one point using a Stan Musial model. With the increased strength and lighter bat, Kernek began to consistently pull the ball.

Playing for Class AAA Jacksonville in 1965, Kernek led the International League in total bases. He hit .295 with 19 home runs and 86 RBI for manager Grover Resinger.

“I owe a lot to Grover,” Kernek told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The last thing he did for me at Jacksonville was to shorten my swing and encourage me to use a lighter thin-handled bat. I got around on the ball better with only a short stroke.”

The Cardinals rewarded Kernek with a call to the big leagues in September 1965 and he impressed with a .290 batting average in 10 games.

In November 1965, White was traded, and Kernek became the leading candidate to replace him.

The Sporting News reported, “Vice president Stan Musial insists the Redbirds are not concentrating on landing a first baseman. The Man feels that there’s a good chance the first base job will be in good hands with George Kernek, Bob Tolan and veteran Tito Francona available.”

Kernek told the Associated Press, “Man, I’m in a heck of a spot. I think one of my biggest problems will be replacing Bill White in the hearts of the St. Louis fans. He’s really a great guy. When I came up at the end of last season, he gave me some good pointers.”

The Cardinals sent Kernek to their Florida instructional camp that winter and George Kissell worked with him on fielding. Kernek mostly had played outfield for Jacksonville in 1965. Kernek’s daily program with Kissell included making 25 throws to the pitcher covering first base, 25 throws to the second baseman on double-play attempts and 25 throws to home plate.

As for hitting, Cardinals coach Dick Sisler said, “I certainly like the way Kernek swings. There’s no use in fooling around with him.”

On March 4, 1966, the Associated Press reported manager Red Schoendienst had tabbed Kernek, 26, the favorite to win the first base job. Three days later, during a rundown play in a practice session, Kernek twisted a knee. He sat out a week before playing his first exhibition game on March 15.

A day later, Kernek, using a Bill White model bat, hit a three-run home run against Orlando Pena of the Tigers. “He’s a better hitter than people give him credit for being,” Cardinals coach Joe Schultz said. “He has good power.”

Troubling signs, however, emerged. Kernek completed spring training with a .224 batting average. In the season opener against the Phillies, Kernek made an error, went 0-for-2 and was lifted for pinch-hitter Mike Shannon with two on and one out in the seventh. Boxscore

Adding to expectations, Kernek was assigned White’s locker and given the uniform number 14 previously worn by Boyer.

Displaying almost no power, Kernek remained the starting first baseman through May 1. After Schoendienst benched him, the Cardinals went with a platoon of Francona and Phil Gagliano for five games.

On May 8, 1966, the Cardinals dealt pitcher Ray Sadecki to the Giants for first baseman Orlando Cepeda. “We needed somebody at first base, a big guy who could hit the ball,” Schoendienst said.

In 20 games, Kernek hit .240 with no doubles, no home runs and three RBI. He was sent to Class AAA Tulsa on the same day the Cardinals acquired Cepeda.

“It was pretty tough being sent down,” Kernek said to The Daily Oklahoman.

Kernek spent the remainder of the 1966 season and all of the 1967 season at Tulsa. Though he had solid numbers (18 home runs, 84 RBI for 1966 Tulsa and 14 home runs, 68 RBI for 1967 Tulsa), he no longer fit in the Cardinals’ plans.

After the 1967 season, Kernek was dealt to the White Sox for outfielder Jim Hicks. Kernek spent 1968 and 1969 with White Sox Class AAA clubs.

In 1970, Howsam, general manager of the Reds, brought Kernek into the Cincinnati organization. Kernek finished his professional career with Class AAA Indianapolis, managed by one of his former Cardinals instructors, Vern Rapp.

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How Braves rallied from 9 down to beat Cardinals

July 25, 2012 by retrosimba

Entering the finale of a three-game series with the Cardinals on May 15, 1977, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Braves had a 9-24 record and had lost 19 of their last 20.

When the Cardinals built a 10-1 lead through four innings, it appeared the Braves were headed for another loss, but they made an improbable comeback and won, 15-12.

As the Cardinals prepared to leave for the airport after the game, Braves owner Ted Turner, giddy with joy, boarded their bus, waved a straw skimmer and said, “Thanks for that one today. We really needed it.”

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some of the Cardinals laughed at Turner’s theatrics, but manager Vern Rapp did not.

“We’ve had a lot of team victories this year,” Rapp said. “Today it was a team loss.”

Rally time

Playing before a Jacket Day crowd of 36,693, the Braves’ largest since their home opener, the Cardinals broke a 1-1 tie with nine runs in the fourth against the trio of Phil Niekro, Frank LaCorte and Dave Campbell. The Cardinals collected seven hits and three walks in the inning and also were helped by a pair of Braves errors. Three runs scored on a double by Bake McBride and three more came in on a pair of singles by Dave Rader, who was 5-for-5 in the game.

“When it was 10-1, I was in the bullpen, crossing my legs and getting some sun,” Braves reliever Don Collins said to the Atlanta Constitution. “Then things began to happen.”

The Braves responded with three runs in the fifth (Jeff Burroughs had a two-run home run against starter John Denny) and five runs in the sixth (Gary Matthews hit a grand slam off Buddy Schultz), getting within a run, 10-9.

When McBride and Jerry Mumphrey hit solo home runs in the eighth, stretching the lead to 12-9, the Cardinals were poised to complete the series sweep, but the Braves scored three times against Al Hrabosky in the bottom of the eighth, tying the score at 12-12.

Before the eighth was completed, Rapp replaced Hrabosky with John D’Acquisto. With two outs and Pat Rockett on first, D’Acquisto unleashed a wild pitch, advancing Rockett to second, and walked Jerry Royster and Junior Moore, loading the bases for Barry Bonnell.

“I was nervous. Really, really nervous,” Bonnell said.

Lots of drama

With the count at 3-and-2, the runners took off on D’Acquisto’s next pitch. Bonnell swung at the inside delivery, broke his bat and lofted a single to center. All three runners scored, giving Atlanta a 15-12 lead.

“I just looked for the ball, dug my shoulder into it and swung the bat,” Bonnell said.

In the ninth, Braves manager Dave Bristol brought in Collins, a left-hander seeking his first major-league save, to protect the lead. With one out, Garry Templeton and McBride each singled.

Keith Hernandez, a left-handed batter, was lifted for switch-hitter Ted Simmons, batting right-handed. Simmons drilled a drive to center field. “I thought it was gone,” Bonnell said. Bonnell turned, raced to the 402-foot sign and caught the ball with his back against the fence.

“If Simmons’ ball had gone out, I’d of felt like bombing the place with 37,000 people in it,” said Bristol.

Collins got the next batter, Mumphrey, to hit into a forceout, ending the game. Boxscore

“You’re going to have those games once in a while,” Hrabosky said. “You’re a fool and an idiot if you worry more than two seconds about them.”

A wire service story in The Milwaukee Sentinel reported: “Later, more than a dozen players sat around the clubhouse and watched the six-run eighth again on owner Ted Turner’s television replay equipment.”

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Phillies called on Rambo to end Cardinals’ 12-run inning

July 23, 2012 by retrosimba

When the Cardinals established the franchise record for most runs scored in an inning, they did it at a critical stage of the National League pennant race.

The 12 runs the 1926 Cardinals scored in the third inning during the opener of a doubleheader at Philadelphia helped them catch the Reds and move toward clinching their first league championship.

On July 21, 2012, the Cardinals scored 12 runs in the bottom of the seventh against the Cubs and won, 12-0. Boxscore That was the first time St. Louis had scored a dozen runs in an inning since the 1926 Cardinals did it against the Phillies on Sept. 16, 1926.

Managed by second baseman Rogers Hornsby, the 1926 Cardinals trailed the first-place Reds by a half-game in the NL standings on the morning of Sept. 16. The doubleheader against the Phillies presented an opportunity for St. Louis to gain ground. Philadelphia was in last place and its pitching was the worst in the league (the 1926 Phillies would finish with a 5.03 team ERA).

In Game 1 of the doubleheader at Baker Bowl, the Phillies led 2-1 after two innings.

The Cardinals then battered five Phillies pitchers for 12 runs on nine hits and two errors in the third. Jack Knight and relievers Mike Kelly, Ed Baecht and Ray Pierce each yielded runs in the inning before Pete Rambo, making his big-league debut, got the third out.

(Unlike the fictional action-film character portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, Rambo, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound right-hander, didn’t become famous or infamous. He pitched 3.2 innings against the Cardinals that day, yielding eight runs on six hits and four walks. It turned out to be the lone appearance of his major-league career.)

The Cardinals won, 23-3, collecting 22 hits (no home runs) and eight walks. Left fielder Chick Hafey was 3-for-6 with five RBI. First baseman Jim Bottomley drove in four runs. Center fielder Taylor Douthit scored five times. Boxscore

St. Louis also won the second game, 10-2. Wrote the Associated Press:

The first game was poorly played and the second was little better … There was an attendance of about 8,000 and many in the crowd jeered as the Philly pitchers were sent from the mound one after another in the first contest.

Though the Reds beat the Giants, 3-0, that day, the Cardinals’ doubleheader sweep enabled them to move into a first-place tie with Cincinnati. Each team had an 85-60 record, with nine games remaining.

When St. Louis beat Philadelphia the next day and the Reds lost to the Giants, the Cardinals took sole possession of first place. The Reds lost five in a row. On Sept. 24, the Cardinals clinched the pennant with a 6-4 victory over the Giants and finished two games ahead of the Reds.

Previously: Top 10 offensive seasons by a Cardinal in last 100 years

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How Cardinals placed a team called Marlins in W.Va.

July 20, 2012 by retrosimba

The city of Charleston, W.Va., is situated where two rivers, the Kanawha and Elk, meet, but it still is more than 300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

So, as one might imagine, the tale of how the Cardinals fielded a Class AAA team called the Charleston Marlins makes for quite a fish story _ as well as a pretty good baseball yarn.

After the 1960 season, the Cardinals’ Class AAA Rochester, N.Y., team in the International League changed its affiliation to the Orioles. The Miami Marlins had been the Orioles’ Class AAA International League club in 1960.

The Marlins decided to leave Miami and move to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Cardinals reached an agreement to make the Puerto Rico Marlins their Class AAA International League affiliate in 1961.

Bill MacDonald, owner of the Marlins, said the team had lost $150,000 in 1960. It had no radio or TV deal in Miami and home attendance had totaled just 109,890 for the season. MacDonald told The Sporting News he expected to draw about 200,000 in Puerto Rico in 1961. He also said he had received a TV/radio rights fee of $127,000 in San Juan.

“We couldn’t even get a nickel for radio rights in Miami,” MacDonald told The Sporting News.

On Monday, April 17, 1961, the Puerto Rico Marlins made their regular-season debut before 6,627 at Sixto Escobar Park in San Juan.

It was a success in every way for manager Joe Schultz and his Cardinals prospects. With a lineup that included catcher Tim McCarver, first baseman Fred Whitfield, center fielder Jim Beauchamp and shortstop Julio Gotay (a native Puerto Rican), San Juan defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2. San Juan starter Bob Grim, a former 20-game winner with the Yankees, pitched seven shutout innings against a Toronto lineup that included future big-league managers Sparky Anderson at second base and Chuck Tanner in right field.

The Sporting News reported, “Puerto Rican fans have given a hearty endorsement to International League ball.”

“We have a well-balanced team,” MacDonald said. “The Cardinals have sent us some fine boys. I’m confident the fans in Puerto Rico will support this team.”

But the excitement and enthusiasm faded fast.

April 17 also was the night a group of Cuban exiles, supported by the United States, invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to spark a rebellion against Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The invasion failed and more than 1,000 Cuban rebels were captured by Castro’s forces.

The impact of those events gripped nearby Puerto Rico. Minor-league baseball suddenly became an afterthought. Attendance for the Marlins’ second home game against Toronto dropped to 1,897. The three-game series that followed against Buffalo was hampered by tropical rain and drew even worse. After five games, the Marlins’ net paid total attendance was fewer than 12,000.

Meanwhile, owners of the other International League franchises became increasingly concerned about the travel costs to Puerto Rico. In an eight-team league that included Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Va.; Jersey City, N.J.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Rochester, Buffalo and Toronto, San Juan was by far the most distant location.

On May 3, International League president Tommy Richardson said the Marlins must relocate from Puerto Rico. MacDonald was resistant, but the pressure applied from the other franchises became too great. On May 17, one month after the glorious debut in San Juan, MacDonald announced the franchise immediately would transfer to Charleston, W.Va.

Charleston city officials offered the Marlins the use of Watt Powell Park for a rental fee of $1 per year. A radio station offered to pay broadcast rights fees of $7,500.

On May 19, the Charleston Marlins debuted before a home crowd of 3,608. They saw the Jersey City Jerseys, led by second baseman Cookie Rojas, beat the Marlins, 5-4, in 10 innings.

The Marlins drew a total of 8,243 for the three-game series with Jersey City. Ray Washburn won the finale with a four-hitter for the Marlins. MacDonald said he was “overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and cooperation of the Charleston people.”

“Everybody pitched in to make our hasty transfer a rather easy thing,” MacDonald said to The Sporting News. “If we can average 2,500 fans per game in Charleston, I will consider the operation a huge success.”

The Marlins and their new home adapted well. The Marlins finished in second place with a regular-season record of 88-66. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to Buffalo. Charleston drew 81,175 in 39 home playing dates after moving from San Juan.

MacDonald showed his thanks by thumbing his nose at the West Virginia city.

On Oct. 8, 1961, MacDonald said he was shifting the franchise to Atlanta for the 1962 season. Atlanta had been a Dodgers affiliate in the Class AA Southern Association in 1961 and welcomed the upgrade.

The move meant the end for the name “Marlins” for the franchise. The Cardinals’ team in the International League in 1962 would be known as the Atlanta Crackers.

Previously: Clyde King mentored young Cardinals of 1960s

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