RetroSimba

The Cardinals’ ninth-inning meltdown at Colorado July 6 was unprecedented in my 47 years of following the team. The Cardinals blew a 9-3 lead, yielding 9 runs in a 12-9 loss.

The last time St. Louis surrendered 9 runs in the ninth was Aug. 6, 1959. On that day, the Pirates scored 10 in the ninth at St. Louis. But it wasn’t as devastating as the loss to Colorado because the Pirates entered the ninth with an 8-2 lead. The 10-run inning gave Pittsburgh an 18-2 victory.

Smokey Burgess and Bill Virdon each belted home runs in that inning and Rocky Nelson had a pair of doubles.

Here’s the most interesting fact about that 1959 collapse: The two Cardinals relievers who yielded the 10 runs in the ninth never appeared in another big-league game.

Jack Urban, a right-hander acquired by the Cardinals from the Athletics in June that year, entered the game in the ninth for St. Louis and gave up 5 runs, 4 hits and a walk in 0.1 innings.

He was lifted for another right-hander, Hal Jeffcoat, who had been acquired by St. Louis from the Reds for pitcher/author Jim Brosnan in June. Jeffcoat, a six-year veteran with 39 big-league wins, was rocked for 5 runs, 6 hits and a walk in 0.2 innings. Boxscore

Neither Urban nor Jeffcoat pitched in the major leagues again.

(Updated April 18, 2020)

Which pitcher had the most impressive big-league debut for the Cardinals?

The answer may be Jim Cosman.

Cosman, a right-hander, pitched a two-hit shutout in his first major-league game, a 2-0 Cardinals win over the Cubs on Oct. 2, 1966, in St. Louis.

Cosman’s line: 9 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts and 1 batter hit by pitch.

The Cubs’ only hits were singles by Ron Santo in the second inning and by Glenn Beckert in the ninth. Beckert’s hit knocked the glove off Cosman’s hand, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Among those held hitless were Billy Williams (0-for-3 and a walk) and Ernie Banks (0-for-3).

The game, the season finale for both clubs, was played in 1 hour, 46 minutes. Boxscore

Cosman, who was 10-2 for minor-league Tulsa in 1966 before being called up to the Cardinals in September, was a surprise choice of manager Red Schoendienst to start against the Cubs.

“I was running in the outfield when I first found out I was supposed to pitch, about 45 minutes before game time,” Cosman told the Post-Dispatch.

A hard thrower, “Cosman’s primary needs are improved control and better breaking stuff,” The Sporting News noted.

Cosman appeared in just 11 more big-league games _ 10 in 1967 for the Cardinals and one in 1970 for the Cubs. He was 1-0 with a 3.16 ERA for the 1967 Cardinals, but had more walks (24) than strikeouts (11) and also hit five batters with pitches in 31.1 innings.

In an effort to help him with his command, Cardinals pitching coach Billy Muffett had Cosman try pitching without a windup. “Cosman had to do something about his wildness,” Muffett said. “The no-windup enabled him to keep his eye on the target.”

(Updated Jan. 7, 2019)

Rick Ankiel was a highly regarded pitching prospect and his major-league debut with the Cardinals was much anticipated.

Ankiel, 20, made his debut on Aug. 23, 1999, at Montreal against the Expos. His official line: five innings, five hits, three runs, two walks and six strikeouts.

It should have been good enough to win, but it wasn’t.

After facing one batter in the sixth inning, Ankiel was lifted with a 4-2 lead. Reliever Heathcliff Slocumb allowed the inherited runner to score, and Slocumb and Rich Croushore combined to yield eight more runs. The Expos won, 11-7.  Boxscore

Ankiel allowed one home run, a solo shot by Vladimir Guerrero.

Impressed by Ankiel, Expos manager Felipe Alou told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “He’s for real … God willing that he stays healthy, I think he’s going to be some kind of pitcher.”

Ankiel went on to make nine appearances for the 1999 Cardinals and was 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 33 innings.

In his book “The Phenom,” Ankiel said of his 1999 stint in the big leagues, “None of it felt like it was too much. I didn’t feel too young or too raw. I certainly wasn’t nervous. Not ever.”