When the Los Angeles Dodgers traded oft-injured but talented Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres this past off season, they automatically turned the Pads into a legitimate postseason contender. Acquiring Justin Upton from Atlanta and Will Meyers from Tampa Bay to help Kemp patrol the spacious San Diego outfield further legitimized that franchise's postseason potential. Signing free agent workhorse James Shields to anchor their starting rotation may have been the final piece for San Diego to reach the postseason promised land - probably as a wild card, but that would be a vast improvement over where they've gone the last several years: Nowhere.
Meanwhile, LA also passed on trying to re-sign shortstop Hanley Ramirez (now the Boston Red Sox' new left fielder), then swung a deal acquiring aging shortstop Jimmy Rollins from Philadelphia. J-Rol's career has been in decline for a few years now, but he may have enough in the tank to give the Dodgers some degree of stability at the shortstop position. Meanwhile, LA also dealt speedy second baseman Dee Gordon to Miami, then acquired the underrated Howie Kendrick from the Angels to take his place at second base. The net effect of all these transactions should help the Dodgers, defensively - but it may cost them, offensively. And they may regret trading their former face of the franchise to a division rival. If nothing else, watching the Dodgers and Padres in head-to-head competition this season will be more interesting than it's been in years.
In the meantime, the reigning World Champion San Francisco Giants appear to be taking this year off - especially after their popular corpulent third baseman - Pablo Sandoval - left via free agency and landed in Boston. His replacement: Casey McGehee, whose better days are well behind him. Adding to the Giants' woes is having the hyper active Hunter Pence on the DL (broken arm) to start the season, further hindering the San Francisco offense - which will be borderline anemic in 2015.
Neither the Arizona Diamondbacks nor Colorado Rockies appear close to contending in 2015.
Here's how the Final Standings should look:
Los Angeles 93-69
San Diego 87-75
San Francisco 82-80
Arizona 70-92
Colorado 62-100
Could we see another postseason showdown between the Dodgers and Cardinals? It's quite likely. Interestingly, most of the so-called experts are picking the Dodgers to beat the Cardinals in any possible playoff series. Of course, most of them picked the Dodgers to beat the Cardinals in the 2013 NLCS and again in the 2014 NLDS. Go figure. For the record, the Cardinals are 16-9 all-time vs the Dodgers in postseason play.
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Dodgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Dodgers. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Saturday, October 18, 2014
October 18, 2013 - NLCS MVP Wacha Leads Cards to World Series
Friday, October 18, 2013 - Game 6 - NLCS vs LA Dodgers at Busch Stadium III - Attendance: 46,899 - Starting Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs Clayton Kershaw
It was one of the most highly anticipated pitching match-ups in postseason history. The best left-handed pitcher in major league baseball vs the twenty-two year old rookie phenom. In the end, the Dodgers' ace southpaw - Clayton Kershaw - would be knocked out of the game after four innings - allowing seven runs on ten hits.
Meanwhile, Michael Wacha would continue his amazing postseason dominance - allowing just two hits, one walk and nary a run in seven innings pitched - striking out five - as the Cardinals advanced to the World Series in a 9-0 cake-walk over the Dodgers.
It wasn't supposed to be this easy. But the combination of great pitching and a relentless offensive attack on an arm-weary opponent created the perfect storm: the Cardinals' fourth trip to the Fall Classic in the last ten seasons.
Not surprisingly, Michael Wacha, with his third straight postseason win and impeccable 0.43 ERA in league championship play was voted NLCS MVP for 2013. Almost overnight, this unassuming but highly talented young feller from Texas - with a blazing fastball and baffling change-up - had become a national celebrity. In an age where player's nicknames are often chopped-up-hip-hop versions of their first and last names - A-Rod, A-Gon or Mad-Bum - Michael Wacha is now whimsically referred to as "Wacha-Wacha-Wacha". Much better than Mich-Wach or Wach-Three, don't you think?
With the Dodgers already trailing three games to one in this best-of-seven showdown, manager Don Mattingly really had no choice but to gamble on using his best pitcher on short rest. For the first two innings, the strategy had at least kept his team in the game - a scoreless tie.
However, things unraveled for Kershaw and the Dodgers in the home half of the third. The inning began harmlessly enough when Wacha grounded out. However, a tenacious Matt Carpenter fouled off a half-dozen pitches before finally ripping a two-ball-two-strike pitch down the right field line for a fist-pumping double.
With that, the Cardinals were on their way to a five-hit-four-run inning which essentially sealed the deal. Carlos Beltran followed Carpenter's double with an RBI single - advancing to second on the throw home. After Matt Holliday looked at a called third strike, it appeared Kershaw might be able to keep the damage at a minimum. Not tonight. Yadier Molina scored Beltran with a base hit to right - then advanced to second on a David Freese single to center.
Next up - 2014's NLDS hero, Matt Adams - walked, to load the bases. Shane Robinson drove in Molina and Freese with another base hit to right, to give St Louis a 4-0 lead. The last batter in the inning - Michael Wacha - in his second plate appearance in the third - struck out.
After Wacha carved up the Dodgers' lineup in the fourth, a weary and ineffective Kershaw tried his luck again in the bottom half - to no avail. Molina ripped a single to right, then advanced to second on right fielder Yasiel Puig's lackadaisical error. Freese moved Molina to third with a single to left field - then Adams delivered the knock-out punch to Kershaw with an opposite-field double to left - scoring Molina, as Freese held up at third.
At that point, Kershaw was relieved of his duties, with the Dodgers in a 5-0 hole. The two runners on base were his responsibility - and both would later come in to score as well. The Redbirds pecked away for a couple more runs - stopping at nine.
After Wacha's brilliant seven-inning outing concluded, Carlos Martinez (two strikeouts) and Trevor Rosenthal (one strikeout) combined for two perfect innings to send the Cardinals to another World Series showdown with the Boston Red Sox.
Unfortunately, the postseason magic wore off for Wacha and the Cardinals in Game Six of the World Series. Arm troubles added to Wacha's misery in 2014. Although he had recovered in time to pitch some moderately effective innings at the end of the regular season, he was clearly far from where he was a year ago.
Still, manager Mike Matheny called on Wacha to pitch in a no-win ninth-inning situation against the Giants in Game Five of the NLCS. He hadn't pitched in nearly three weeks. Even then, he struggled with his command early in the game - allowing two first-inning runs to a weak Arizona Diamondbacks team. Could anyone really expect Wacha to survive one inning against a team that knew how to win? Aside from manager Mike Matheny?
Fortunately, Wacha is still quite young, and with good health, can be a dominant major league pitcher again. Fundamentally, the Cardinals are still a very good team, and should be good enough to reach the postseason again next year.
Time will tell. Obviously, one year - or 363 days - can bring about much change in the fate of any player - or team - in the game.
It was one of the most highly anticipated pitching match-ups in postseason history. The best left-handed pitcher in major league baseball vs the twenty-two year old rookie phenom. In the end, the Dodgers' ace southpaw - Clayton Kershaw - would be knocked out of the game after four innings - allowing seven runs on ten hits.
Meanwhile, Michael Wacha would continue his amazing postseason dominance - allowing just two hits, one walk and nary a run in seven innings pitched - striking out five - as the Cardinals advanced to the World Series in a 9-0 cake-walk over the Dodgers.
It wasn't supposed to be this easy. But the combination of great pitching and a relentless offensive attack on an arm-weary opponent created the perfect storm: the Cardinals' fourth trip to the Fall Classic in the last ten seasons.
Not surprisingly, Michael Wacha, with his third straight postseason win and impeccable 0.43 ERA in league championship play was voted NLCS MVP for 2013. Almost overnight, this unassuming but highly talented young feller from Texas - with a blazing fastball and baffling change-up - had become a national celebrity. In an age where player's nicknames are often chopped-up-hip-hop versions of their first and last names - A-Rod, A-Gon or Mad-Bum - Michael Wacha is now whimsically referred to as "Wacha-Wacha-Wacha". Much better than Mich-Wach or Wach-Three, don't you think?
With the Dodgers already trailing three games to one in this best-of-seven showdown, manager Don Mattingly really had no choice but to gamble on using his best pitcher on short rest. For the first two innings, the strategy had at least kept his team in the game - a scoreless tie.
However, things unraveled for Kershaw and the Dodgers in the home half of the third. The inning began harmlessly enough when Wacha grounded out. However, a tenacious Matt Carpenter fouled off a half-dozen pitches before finally ripping a two-ball-two-strike pitch down the right field line for a fist-pumping double.
With that, the Cardinals were on their way to a five-hit-four-run inning which essentially sealed the deal. Carlos Beltran followed Carpenter's double with an RBI single - advancing to second on the throw home. After Matt Holliday looked at a called third strike, it appeared Kershaw might be able to keep the damage at a minimum. Not tonight. Yadier Molina scored Beltran with a base hit to right - then advanced to second on a David Freese single to center.
Next up - 2014's NLDS hero, Matt Adams - walked, to load the bases. Shane Robinson drove in Molina and Freese with another base hit to right, to give St Louis a 4-0 lead. The last batter in the inning - Michael Wacha - in his second plate appearance in the third - struck out.
After Wacha carved up the Dodgers' lineup in the fourth, a weary and ineffective Kershaw tried his luck again in the bottom half - to no avail. Molina ripped a single to right, then advanced to second on right fielder Yasiel Puig's lackadaisical error. Freese moved Molina to third with a single to left field - then Adams delivered the knock-out punch to Kershaw with an opposite-field double to left - scoring Molina, as Freese held up at third.
At that point, Kershaw was relieved of his duties, with the Dodgers in a 5-0 hole. The two runners on base were his responsibility - and both would later come in to score as well. The Redbirds pecked away for a couple more runs - stopping at nine.
After Wacha's brilliant seven-inning outing concluded, Carlos Martinez (two strikeouts) and Trevor Rosenthal (one strikeout) combined for two perfect innings to send the Cardinals to another World Series showdown with the Boston Red Sox.
Unfortunately, the postseason magic wore off for Wacha and the Cardinals in Game Six of the World Series. Arm troubles added to Wacha's misery in 2014. Although he had recovered in time to pitch some moderately effective innings at the end of the regular season, he was clearly far from where he was a year ago.
Still, manager Mike Matheny called on Wacha to pitch in a no-win ninth-inning situation against the Giants in Game Five of the NLCS. He hadn't pitched in nearly three weeks. Even then, he struggled with his command early in the game - allowing two first-inning runs to a weak Arizona Diamondbacks team. Could anyone really expect Wacha to survive one inning against a team that knew how to win? Aside from manager Mike Matheny?
Fortunately, Wacha is still quite young, and with good health, can be a dominant major league pitcher again. Fundamentally, the Cardinals are still a very good team, and should be good enough to reach the postseason again next year.
Time will tell. Obviously, one year - or 363 days - can bring about much change in the fate of any player - or team - in the game.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
October 16, 1985 - Clark's 3-Run 9th-Inning Blast Sends Cards to World Series
Wednesday, October 16, 1985 - Game 6 - NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers - At Dodger Stadium - Attendance: 55,208 - Starting Pitchers: Joaquin Andujar vs Orel Hershiser
The Cardinals are trailing, 5-4, with two on and two out in the top of the ninth-inning. Ozzie Smith is on second - Willie McGee on third. The next scheduled hitter is Jack Clark - aka "Jack the Ripper". Andy Van Slyke - aka "Van Strike" - is on deck.
Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda has a decision to make: With first base open, should he instruct reliever Tom Niedenfuer to intentionally walk Clark to face Van Slyke? Lasorda's decision is captured by lip-readers from coast to coast watching the game on NBC: "Pitch to the son of a bitch!"
At this moment, millions of Cardinal fans watching the broadcast are leaning forward in anticipation of what is about to transpire on Niedenfuer's very first pitch - a fastball, right down the middle: Jack rips it deep into the left field bleachers. Dodgers' left fielder Pedro Guerrero - a demonstrative slugger who can't believe what he just saw - slams his glove to the ground as the ball zooms a hundred or so feet over his head.
The instant Clark makes contact with the ball, millions of Cardinal fans watching the broadcast leap
for joy - knowing that ball is long gone. No doubt some of those fans, who may have been taking an extended lunch hour to watch the game at a nearby sports bar, have caused quite a commotion by accidentally knocking over the little table where they are sitting - and with it, whatever is left of the burger, fries and coke that sits atop that tabletop. Broken glass and stoneware litter the area as Clark slowly makes his triumphant trip around the bases - no doubt oblivious to the property damage his swing inadvertently incurred.
Complete strangers, sharing an allegiance to St Louis Cardinal baseball are sharing high-fives, as an assortment of harried bus boys are busy sweeping the area of the carnage, making little attempt to hide their contempt for such reckless customer behavior. The waitress hovers over the culprit asking with feigned concern for his well-being - implying that all this extra work deserves extra compensation - and rightfully so.
As the NBC camera relentlessly fixates on the distraught Tommy Lasorda in the Dodgers' dugout - the pained expression on his face reveals what's he's now asking himself: "Why didn't we walk that son of a bitch?" Lasorda's trembling hand smooths down his white mat of hair which has suddenly gotten even whiter in just a few seconds. Even those who despise Lasorda's tiresome "Dodger Blue" mantra feel some measure of compassion - if only for a split second - for this man after making what was a blatant tactical error. Of course, Lasorda would never admit it - but anyone with any knowledge of baseball would be able to see through the facade.
The Cardinals had survived a start by their least reliable pitcher over the past several weeks - Joaquin Andujar: 6 IP - 6 H - 4 R - 2 ER - 2 BB - 3 SO - 1 HR - Although two of the runs he coughed up were "unearned", they came as a direct result of Andujar's own defensive miscue.
In typical Andujar fashion, his greatest contribution to Cardinal victory came while batting in the third inning, down 2-0 already. Leading-off the inning, Andujar doubled and eventually scored from third base on Tommy Herr's two-out single.
The Cardinals were even rougher on Dodger starter Orel Heshiser: 6.1 IP - 9 H - 4 R - 4 ER - 1 BB - 1 SO. Still, Hershiser was in line for the win, had Niedenfuer avoided calamity for the second straight game: 2.2 IP - 3 H - 3 R - 3 ER - 2 BB - 3 SO - 1 HR
Earning the win was rookie Todd Worrell, despite giving up a tie-breaking home run to Mike Marshall in the eighth-inning: 2 IP - 2 H - 1 R - 1 ER - 2 BB - 2 SO - 1 HR
The Cardinals had to put together a bit of seventh-inning magic to forge that tie to begin with. Trailing 4-1, both Darrell Porter and Tito Landrum singled off a tiring Hershiser to start the inning. Pinch hitting for Andujar - Steve Braun - moved both runners up with a ground ball to the right side. Then Willie McGee - an unsung hero in this game - singled in both runners to make it a 4-3 game.
Lasorda then brought in the guy who gave up Ozzie's "Go Crazy, Folks" home run in Game Five - Tom Niedenfuer - who was forced to face his nemesis once again - with similar results. Ozzie lined one off the base of right field wall - just missing a home run by a few feet. The ball rattled around in the corner long enough for Ozzie to cruise into third, as McGee easily scored the tying run, to make it a 4-4 game.
Niedenfuer then walked Herr intentionally to set up a potential double play with Clark due up next. However, Clark struck out - as did Van Slyke to end the threat. After Marshall's eighth-inning home run over the right field fence gave LA a 5-4 lead, Niedenfuer's heroics came to an abrupt halt with the iconic Jack Clark blast deep into the Southern California early-autumn afternoon haze.
Getting his second postseason save was Ken Dayley, who retired the shell-shocked Dodgers in order in the bottom of the ninth: 1 IP - 0 H - 0 R - 0 BB - 2 SO
Heading into the World Series, the Cardinals were huge favorites to win their second world championship in four seasons - but for a variety of reasons, that didn't come to pass. Their opponents - the Kansas City Royals - won the last three games - to not only capture their only championship in franchise history. They also started quite a postseason winning streak, in the process. With eight straight postseason victories in 2014, their overall streak has now reached eleven in a row - an unsustainable streak that will in all likelihood end with a World Series defeat.
The odds-on favorite to oppose the Cinderella Royals are now the San Francisco Giants, who lead the Cardinals three games to one in the NLCS. The Cardinals have never recovered from such a deficit to win any best-of-seven postseason series. In fact three out of the four times they trailed by such a margin, they lost Game Five (1943 World Series, 2000 NLCS & 2002 NLCS). The one time they staved-off elimination in Game Five happened in the 2005 NLCS - when Albert Pujols hit his iconic three-run home run in Houston to extend the series for a Game Six showdown in St Louis.
No fairy tale ending there - as the Cardinals were bounced out of the postseason by those wild card Astros in the last game ever played at Busch Stadium II.
But wouldn't it be fitting, if the Cardinals could turn the tables on the Giants - who overcame a three games to one deficit to the wild card Cardinals two years ago - en route to a World Series sweep of the Detroit Tigers? Besides, the Cardinals have a 29-year-old score to settle with that Royals team.
If they can somehow salvage Game Five in San Francisco...anything's possible.
The Cardinals are trailing, 5-4, with two on and two out in the top of the ninth-inning. Ozzie Smith is on second - Willie McGee on third. The next scheduled hitter is Jack Clark - aka "Jack the Ripper". Andy Van Slyke - aka "Van Strike" - is on deck.
Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda has a decision to make: With first base open, should he instruct reliever Tom Niedenfuer to intentionally walk Clark to face Van Slyke? Lasorda's decision is captured by lip-readers from coast to coast watching the game on NBC: "Pitch to the son of a bitch!"
At this moment, millions of Cardinal fans watching the broadcast are leaning forward in anticipation of what is about to transpire on Niedenfuer's very first pitch - a fastball, right down the middle: Jack rips it deep into the left field bleachers. Dodgers' left fielder Pedro Guerrero - a demonstrative slugger who can't believe what he just saw - slams his glove to the ground as the ball zooms a hundred or so feet over his head.
The instant Clark makes contact with the ball, millions of Cardinal fans watching the broadcast leap
for joy - knowing that ball is long gone. No doubt some of those fans, who may have been taking an extended lunch hour to watch the game at a nearby sports bar, have caused quite a commotion by accidentally knocking over the little table where they are sitting - and with it, whatever is left of the burger, fries and coke that sits atop that tabletop. Broken glass and stoneware litter the area as Clark slowly makes his triumphant trip around the bases - no doubt oblivious to the property damage his swing inadvertently incurred.
Complete strangers, sharing an allegiance to St Louis Cardinal baseball are sharing high-fives, as an assortment of harried bus boys are busy sweeping the area of the carnage, making little attempt to hide their contempt for such reckless customer behavior. The waitress hovers over the culprit asking with feigned concern for his well-being - implying that all this extra work deserves extra compensation - and rightfully so.
As the NBC camera relentlessly fixates on the distraught Tommy Lasorda in the Dodgers' dugout - the pained expression on his face reveals what's he's now asking himself: "Why didn't we walk that son of a bitch?" Lasorda's trembling hand smooths down his white mat of hair which has suddenly gotten even whiter in just a few seconds. Even those who despise Lasorda's tiresome "Dodger Blue" mantra feel some measure of compassion - if only for a split second - for this man after making what was a blatant tactical error. Of course, Lasorda would never admit it - but anyone with any knowledge of baseball would be able to see through the facade.
The Cardinals had survived a start by their least reliable pitcher over the past several weeks - Joaquin Andujar: 6 IP - 6 H - 4 R - 2 ER - 2 BB - 3 SO - 1 HR - Although two of the runs he coughed up were "unearned", they came as a direct result of Andujar's own defensive miscue.
In typical Andujar fashion, his greatest contribution to Cardinal victory came while batting in the third inning, down 2-0 already. Leading-off the inning, Andujar doubled and eventually scored from third base on Tommy Herr's two-out single.
The Cardinals were even rougher on Dodger starter Orel Heshiser: 6.1 IP - 9 H - 4 R - 4 ER - 1 BB - 1 SO. Still, Hershiser was in line for the win, had Niedenfuer avoided calamity for the second straight game: 2.2 IP - 3 H - 3 R - 3 ER - 2 BB - 3 SO - 1 HR
Earning the win was rookie Todd Worrell, despite giving up a tie-breaking home run to Mike Marshall in the eighth-inning: 2 IP - 2 H - 1 R - 1 ER - 2 BB - 2 SO - 1 HR
The Cardinals had to put together a bit of seventh-inning magic to forge that tie to begin with. Trailing 4-1, both Darrell Porter and Tito Landrum singled off a tiring Hershiser to start the inning. Pinch hitting for Andujar - Steve Braun - moved both runners up with a ground ball to the right side. Then Willie McGee - an unsung hero in this game - singled in both runners to make it a 4-3 game.
Lasorda then brought in the guy who gave up Ozzie's "Go Crazy, Folks" home run in Game Five - Tom Niedenfuer - who was forced to face his nemesis once again - with similar results. Ozzie lined one off the base of right field wall - just missing a home run by a few feet. The ball rattled around in the corner long enough for Ozzie to cruise into third, as McGee easily scored the tying run, to make it a 4-4 game.
Niedenfuer then walked Herr intentionally to set up a potential double play with Clark due up next. However, Clark struck out - as did Van Slyke to end the threat. After Marshall's eighth-inning home run over the right field fence gave LA a 5-4 lead, Niedenfuer's heroics came to an abrupt halt with the iconic Jack Clark blast deep into the Southern California early-autumn afternoon haze.
Getting his second postseason save was Ken Dayley, who retired the shell-shocked Dodgers in order in the bottom of the ninth: 1 IP - 0 H - 0 R - 0 BB - 2 SO
Heading into the World Series, the Cardinals were huge favorites to win their second world championship in four seasons - but for a variety of reasons, that didn't come to pass. Their opponents - the Kansas City Royals - won the last three games - to not only capture their only championship in franchise history. They also started quite a postseason winning streak, in the process. With eight straight postseason victories in 2014, their overall streak has now reached eleven in a row - an unsustainable streak that will in all likelihood end with a World Series defeat.
The odds-on favorite to oppose the Cinderella Royals are now the San Francisco Giants, who lead the Cardinals three games to one in the NLCS. The Cardinals have never recovered from such a deficit to win any best-of-seven postseason series. In fact three out of the four times they trailed by such a margin, they lost Game Five (1943 World Series, 2000 NLCS & 2002 NLCS). The one time they staved-off elimination in Game Five happened in the 2005 NLCS - when Albert Pujols hit his iconic three-run home run in Houston to extend the series for a Game Six showdown in St Louis.
No fairy tale ending there - as the Cardinals were bounced out of the postseason by those wild card Astros in the last game ever played at Busch Stadium II.
But wouldn't it be fitting, if the Cardinals could turn the tables on the Giants - who overcame a three games to one deficit to the wild card Cardinals two years ago - en route to a World Series sweep of the Detroit Tigers? Besides, the Cardinals have a 29-year-old score to settle with that Royals team.
If they can somehow salvage Game Five in San Francisco...anything's possible.
Monday, October 13, 2014
3 Thrilling Cardinal Postseason Games: OCTOBER 14
Two years ago today, on Sunday, October 14, 2012, the Cardinals - fresh off their stunning upset of the Nationals in Game 5 of the NLDS - stormed into AT&T Park for Game 1 of the NLCS - and came away with a nice 6-4 win over Madison Bumgarner and the Giants. MadBum gave up all six runs in just 3.2 innings pitched - featuring a pair of two-run home runs by David Freese and Carlos Beltran. Just for the record, no runs scored on balks.
Three years ago today, on Friday, October 14, 2011, the Cardinals won a pivotal Game 5 of the NLCS over the Brewers at Busch Stadium, by a score of 6-2. Octavio Dotel, in relief of Jaime Garcia, entered the game with two on and two out in the fifth-inning to strike out the despicable Ryan Braun - before he was certifiably proven to be despicable. But that got him the win, as Jaime needed one more out to receive credit. With so much at stake, TLR wasn't about to let this one get away. St Louis now had a 3 games to two advantage over the Brewers.
Eight years ago today, on Saturday, October 14, 2006, the Cardinals blanked the Mets at Busch, 5-0, in Game 3 of the NLCS. Jeff Suppan got the win, with some help from the bullpen - and he even belted a solo home run for style points. St Louis now had a two games to one advantage over the Mets.
Those were wonderful postseason games to win, of course. And two out of the three victories facilitated a trip to the World Series - which concluded with world championships in both seasons. That first one against the Giants wasn't quite enough to help the Cardinals reach the Fall Classic, but maybe they'll pull off some miracles this time around in San Fran. Crazier things have happened already in this postseason.
In terms of getting the adrenalin riled up, these three really do the trick - and they helped the Cardinals reach the World Series, to boot:
3 - Thursday, October 14, 2004 - Game 2 - NLCS vs Houston Astros - At Busch Stadium
Ten years ago today, the Cardinals had to fight tooth and nail to come away with a 6-4 win over a very tough Houston Astros wild card team. All six runs scored by the Redbirds came via the long ball - as St Louis took a two games to none advantage in this best-of-seven showdown - and it's a good thing they won both of those games. Otherwise, the Astros would have knocked the Redbirds out of the postseason for two straight years.
Down 3-0 in the fifth-inning, the Cardinals take a 4-3 lead on a pair of two-run home runs - one by Larry Walker and one by Scott Rolen. Undaunted, Houston came back to tie the game, 4-4.
Equally undaunted, the Cardinals took the lead for good in the eighth-inning. Back-to-back home runs by Albert Pujols and another by Scott Rolen (on an 0-2 pitch) made it a 6-4 lead - and that's where it stayed.
Julian Taverez pitched an inning of scoreless relief for the nerve-racking win.
2 - Wednesday, October 14, 1987 - Game 7 - NLCS vs San Francisco Giants - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals secured their third trip to the World Series in six seasons - with a Danny Cox complete-game eight-hit shutout of the Giants. The final score: 6-0.
What made Cardinal fans jump out of their seats was the completely unexpected second-inning three-run home run by switch-hitting Jose Oquendo - turning a slim 1-0 lead into a nice 4-0 cushion - all but ensuring victory for the Redbirds.
Jose's memorable blast off Giants starter Atlee Hammaker came as a right-handed batter, on a 3-2 pitch. For fans watching the blast on television - the image of that perfect swing connecting with that nice meatball - will be long-remembered.
But for the sheer joy of an unexpected source of power - nothing can compare to:
1 - Monday, October 14, 1985 - Game 5 - NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers - At Busch Stadium
The game and the series were tied, 2-2 - when switch-hitting Ozzie Smith stepped up to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth-inning. Batting left-handed against Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer - Ozzie had a home run cut on the first pitch, but fouled it back. The thought of Ozzie hitting a home run from that side of the plate was preposterous - but there he was hacking away - despite never going yard as a left-handed batter in his career.
Before all that ninth-inning drama unfolded, the game began with the Cardinals staking Bob Forsch to a quick 2-0 first-inning lead. Dodgers starter Fernando Valenzuela walked the first two batters - Willie McGee and Ozzie Smith - then Tommy Herr cashed in with a two-run double.
However, even though Herr would move up to third on a passed ball, with nobody out - the Cardinals failed to bring him in. Otherwise, this game would have ended in somewhat boring fashion, with a 3-2 win - after the Dodgers were retired in the top of the ninth. Theoretically, anyway.
In reality, the Dodgers scored their two runs in the fourth-inning, on a two-run home run off the bat of Bill Madlock.
Still deadlocked heading into the ninth-inning, Jeff Lahti retired LA in order - good enough for the win - although at the time, nobody knew it. Nobody knew when this game was actually going to end. Extra-innings seemed very likely - especially after McGee was retired for the first out to begin the bottom of the ninth.
When Ozzie connected on a Niedenfuer belt-high fastball, Jack Buck's incredulous call will forever be a part of Cardinal lore:
"Smith corks one down the line in right...It may go!...Go crazy, folks! Go crazy! The Cardinals have won the game, 3-2!...on a home run - by The Wizard! Go crazy!"
Three years ago today, on Friday, October 14, 2011, the Cardinals won a pivotal Game 5 of the NLCS over the Brewers at Busch Stadium, by a score of 6-2. Octavio Dotel, in relief of Jaime Garcia, entered the game with two on and two out in the fifth-inning to strike out the despicable Ryan Braun - before he was certifiably proven to be despicable. But that got him the win, as Jaime needed one more out to receive credit. With so much at stake, TLR wasn't about to let this one get away. St Louis now had a 3 games to two advantage over the Brewers.
Eight years ago today, on Saturday, October 14, 2006, the Cardinals blanked the Mets at Busch, 5-0, in Game 3 of the NLCS. Jeff Suppan got the win, with some help from the bullpen - and he even belted a solo home run for style points. St Louis now had a two games to one advantage over the Mets.
Those were wonderful postseason games to win, of course. And two out of the three victories facilitated a trip to the World Series - which concluded with world championships in both seasons. That first one against the Giants wasn't quite enough to help the Cardinals reach the Fall Classic, but maybe they'll pull off some miracles this time around in San Fran. Crazier things have happened already in this postseason.
In terms of getting the adrenalin riled up, these three really do the trick - and they helped the Cardinals reach the World Series, to boot:
3 - Thursday, October 14, 2004 - Game 2 - NLCS vs Houston Astros - At Busch Stadium
Ten years ago today, the Cardinals had to fight tooth and nail to come away with a 6-4 win over a very tough Houston Astros wild card team. All six runs scored by the Redbirds came via the long ball - as St Louis took a two games to none advantage in this best-of-seven showdown - and it's a good thing they won both of those games. Otherwise, the Astros would have knocked the Redbirds out of the postseason for two straight years.
Down 3-0 in the fifth-inning, the Cardinals take a 4-3 lead on a pair of two-run home runs - one by Larry Walker and one by Scott Rolen. Undaunted, Houston came back to tie the game, 4-4.
Equally undaunted, the Cardinals took the lead for good in the eighth-inning. Back-to-back home runs by Albert Pujols and another by Scott Rolen (on an 0-2 pitch) made it a 6-4 lead - and that's where it stayed.
Julian Taverez pitched an inning of scoreless relief for the nerve-racking win.
2 - Wednesday, October 14, 1987 - Game 7 - NLCS vs San Francisco Giants - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals secured their third trip to the World Series in six seasons - with a Danny Cox complete-game eight-hit shutout of the Giants. The final score: 6-0.
What made Cardinal fans jump out of their seats was the completely unexpected second-inning three-run home run by switch-hitting Jose Oquendo - turning a slim 1-0 lead into a nice 4-0 cushion - all but ensuring victory for the Redbirds.
Jose's memorable blast off Giants starter Atlee Hammaker came as a right-handed batter, on a 3-2 pitch. For fans watching the blast on television - the image of that perfect swing connecting with that nice meatball - will be long-remembered.
But for the sheer joy of an unexpected source of power - nothing can compare to:
1 - Monday, October 14, 1985 - Game 5 - NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers - At Busch Stadium
The game and the series were tied, 2-2 - when switch-hitting Ozzie Smith stepped up to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth-inning. Batting left-handed against Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer - Ozzie had a home run cut on the first pitch, but fouled it back. The thought of Ozzie hitting a home run from that side of the plate was preposterous - but there he was hacking away - despite never going yard as a left-handed batter in his career.
Before all that ninth-inning drama unfolded, the game began with the Cardinals staking Bob Forsch to a quick 2-0 first-inning lead. Dodgers starter Fernando Valenzuela walked the first two batters - Willie McGee and Ozzie Smith - then Tommy Herr cashed in with a two-run double.
However, even though Herr would move up to third on a passed ball, with nobody out - the Cardinals failed to bring him in. Otherwise, this game would have ended in somewhat boring fashion, with a 3-2 win - after the Dodgers were retired in the top of the ninth. Theoretically, anyway.
In reality, the Dodgers scored their two runs in the fourth-inning, on a two-run home run off the bat of Bill Madlock.
Still deadlocked heading into the ninth-inning, Jeff Lahti retired LA in order - good enough for the win - although at the time, nobody knew it. Nobody knew when this game was actually going to end. Extra-innings seemed very likely - especially after McGee was retired for the first out to begin the bottom of the ninth.
When Ozzie connected on a Niedenfuer belt-high fastball, Jack Buck's incredulous call will forever be a part of Cardinal lore:
"Smith corks one down the line in right...It may go!...Go crazy, folks! Go crazy! The Cardinals have won the game, 3-2!...on a home run - by The Wizard! Go crazy!"
Top 6 Cardinal Postseason Games: OCTOBER 13
6 - Saturday, October 13, 2001 - Game 4 - NLDS vs Arizona Diamondbacks - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals evened the NLDS at two games apiece, with a 4-1 win over the D-Backs. Bud Smith pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits - and the St Louis bullpen kept Arizona scoreless over the final four innings to preserve the win for the rookie.
Fernando Vina had three hits - including a home run - scored two runs and drove in two runs to pace the Cards attack. Jim Edmonds also homered in what would prove to be the Cardinals' last home game in 2001.
5 - Tuesday, October 13, 1987 - Game 6 - NLCS vs San Francisco Giants - At Busch Stadium
A misplayed second-inning line drive off the bat of Tony Pena by Giants right fielder Candy Maldonado turned an easy out into a lead-off triple - then Jose Oquendo got the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly - the only run scored in the game - to give the Cardinals a do-or-die 1-0 win over the Giants.
John Tudor blanked the Giants for 7.1 innings - then Todd Worrell and Ken Dayley preserved the win, to even the series at three games apiece.
4 - Sunday, October 13, 1985 - Game 4 - NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals scored nine runs in the second-inning to blow the game wide open - en route to a 12-2 drubbing of LA - to even the series at two games apiece. Every player in the St Louis lineup either scored or drove in at least one run. Tito Landrum - playing in place of the injured Vince Coleman - had 3 RBI. Coleman - the fastest player in major league baseball - had been injured earlier in the day by a runaway tarp machine traveling at 1 mph - and would be lost for the remainder of the postseason.
John Tudor breezed through seven innings - allowing one run on three hits, while striking out five - to get the win.
3 - Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - Game 1 - NLCS vs Houston Astros - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals managed to overcome four home runs by the visiting Astros, thanks to huge offensive nights from Albert Pujols (two hits - including a home run - two runs scored, two RBI), Jim Edmonds (two hits and three RBI) and Larry Walker (three hits - including a double and triple - three runs scored and one RBI). Final score: St Louis 10 - Houston 7
Woody Williams pitched six innings for the win - allowing four runs on four hits - including two of the four home runs off Cardinal pitching. Connecting for the Astros: Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, Lance Berkman and Eric Lamb
2 - Wednesday, October 13, 1982 - Game 2 - World Series vs Milwaukee Brewers - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals evened the series at one game apiece with a crucial 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Brewers. Darrell Porter's two-run opposite field game-tying double off Brewers starter Don Sutton was the biggest hit - perhaps of the entire series. The winning run scored when rookie reliever Pete Ladd walked Steve Braun with the bases loaded in the eighth-inning to put the Redbirds on top for the first time in the game.
Bruce Sutter got his first career World Series win with 2.1 innings of scoreless two-hit relief.
1 - Friday, October 13, 2006 - Game 2 - NLCS vs New York Mets - At Shea Stadium
In a game the Cardinals absolutely had to win - pinch hitter So Taguchi's lead-off ninth-inning home run broke a 6-6 tie - then the Cardinals tacked on two more runs to hand the Mets a shocking 9-6 defeat at home - to even the series at one game apiece.
Pacing the well-rounded St Louis attack: Jim Edmonds' two-run home run - Scott Spezio added a double, a triple, two runs scored and three RBI - Yadier Molina had three hits with two RBI - and Albert Pujols had a pair of doubles and scored three runs.
Josh Kinney recorded his first and only career postseason win with an inning of scoreless relief. His total career workload in postseason play would amount to 6.1 IP - allowing just three hits - with a career ERA of 0.00.
After this wild game concluded with a rare postseason Cardinals' road win, you wouldn't blame anyone rooting for the Mets to suddenly have an aversion to any future Friday the 13th's.
But it was a most fortuitous day for Cardinal Nation, as this unlikely World Series championship team was just starting to click on all cylinders.
The Cardinals evened the NLDS at two games apiece, with a 4-1 win over the D-Backs. Bud Smith pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits - and the St Louis bullpen kept Arizona scoreless over the final four innings to preserve the win for the rookie.
Fernando Vina had three hits - including a home run - scored two runs and drove in two runs to pace the Cards attack. Jim Edmonds also homered in what would prove to be the Cardinals' last home game in 2001.
5 - Tuesday, October 13, 1987 - Game 6 - NLCS vs San Francisco Giants - At Busch Stadium
A misplayed second-inning line drive off the bat of Tony Pena by Giants right fielder Candy Maldonado turned an easy out into a lead-off triple - then Jose Oquendo got the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly - the only run scored in the game - to give the Cardinals a do-or-die 1-0 win over the Giants.
John Tudor blanked the Giants for 7.1 innings - then Todd Worrell and Ken Dayley preserved the win, to even the series at three games apiece.
4 - Sunday, October 13, 1985 - Game 4 - NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals scored nine runs in the second-inning to blow the game wide open - en route to a 12-2 drubbing of LA - to even the series at two games apiece. Every player in the St Louis lineup either scored or drove in at least one run. Tito Landrum - playing in place of the injured Vince Coleman - had 3 RBI. Coleman - the fastest player in major league baseball - had been injured earlier in the day by a runaway tarp machine traveling at 1 mph - and would be lost for the remainder of the postseason.
John Tudor breezed through seven innings - allowing one run on three hits, while striking out five - to get the win.
3 - Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - Game 1 - NLCS vs Houston Astros - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals managed to overcome four home runs by the visiting Astros, thanks to huge offensive nights from Albert Pujols (two hits - including a home run - two runs scored, two RBI), Jim Edmonds (two hits and three RBI) and Larry Walker (three hits - including a double and triple - three runs scored and one RBI). Final score: St Louis 10 - Houston 7
Woody Williams pitched six innings for the win - allowing four runs on four hits - including two of the four home runs off Cardinal pitching. Connecting for the Astros: Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, Lance Berkman and Eric Lamb
2 - Wednesday, October 13, 1982 - Game 2 - World Series vs Milwaukee Brewers - At Busch Stadium
The Cardinals evened the series at one game apiece with a crucial 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Brewers. Darrell Porter's two-run opposite field game-tying double off Brewers starter Don Sutton was the biggest hit - perhaps of the entire series. The winning run scored when rookie reliever Pete Ladd walked Steve Braun with the bases loaded in the eighth-inning to put the Redbirds on top for the first time in the game.
Bruce Sutter got his first career World Series win with 2.1 innings of scoreless two-hit relief.
1 - Friday, October 13, 2006 - Game 2 - NLCS vs New York Mets - At Shea Stadium
In a game the Cardinals absolutely had to win - pinch hitter So Taguchi's lead-off ninth-inning home run broke a 6-6 tie - then the Cardinals tacked on two more runs to hand the Mets a shocking 9-6 defeat at home - to even the series at one game apiece.
Pacing the well-rounded St Louis attack: Jim Edmonds' two-run home run - Scott Spezio added a double, a triple, two runs scored and three RBI - Yadier Molina had three hits with two RBI - and Albert Pujols had a pair of doubles and scored three runs.
Josh Kinney recorded his first and only career postseason win with an inning of scoreless relief. His total career workload in postseason play would amount to 6.1 IP - allowing just three hits - with a career ERA of 0.00.
After this wild game concluded with a rare postseason Cardinals' road win, you wouldn't blame anyone rooting for the Mets to suddenly have an aversion to any future Friday the 13th's.
But it was a most fortuitous day for Cardinal Nation, as this unlikely World Series championship team was just starting to click on all cylinders.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
OCTOBER 5 - THE CARDS' FAVORITE DAY FOR NLDS SUCCESS
Since playing in their first National League Division Series in 1996, the Cardinals have never lost a postseason game played on October 5. They're 7-0 on that date. That includes the first-ever National League Wild Card Game (2012) when the Cardinals handed the Atlanta Braves a controversial 6-3 loss at Turner Field (The Infield Fly Rule Game).
Prior to that, St Louis has played six different NLDS games on October 5 - winning all six times. They went on to win the best-of-five showdowns all six times, as well. Here's a look back on their October 5 NLDS success:
1996 (Game 3) - After winning the first two games at home, the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium - with a come-from-behind 7-5 win. Highlight: Brian Jordan's two-run ninth-inning home run off Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman to break 5-5 tie.
2000 (Game 2) - The Cardinals won their second straight game at Busch Stadium over the Atlanta Braves, with a 10-4 drubbing. Braves starter Tom Glavine gave up seven of those runs in just 2.1 innings pitched. Highlight: Will Clark's three-run first-inning home run to get the Redbirds off to a flying start.
2002 (Game 3) - After winning the first two games in Arizona, the Cardinals completed the three-game series sweep of the defending World Series champion Diamondbacks with a 6-3 win at Busch Stadium - thus avenging the disappointing five-game loss to the D-Backs the prior year. Highlight: Miguel Cairo - playing for the injured Scott Rolen - goes 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored & 2 RBI.
2004 (Game 1) - The Cardinals clobber the LA Dodgers at Busch Stadium by a score of 8-3. Highlight: St Louis belts five home runs - two by Larry Walker - and one each from Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Mike Matheny.
2006 (Game 2) - The Cardinals shock the San Diego Padres at PetCo Park for the second straight game, as Jeff Weaver (5 IP) and four relievers blank the Padres by a score of 2-0. Rookie Adam Wainwright gets the final four outs of the game to record his first career postseason save. Highlight: Pujols and Edmonds each drive in one run.
2011 (Game 4) - Down two games to one, the Cardinals send the series back to Philadelphia with a come-from-behind 5-3 Rally Squirrel win over the Phillies. Edwin Jackson survives a two-run first-inning - then blanks the Phillies for the next five innings to get the win. Phillies starter Roy Oswalt never quite recovered from the mad dash our furry little friend made early in this game - but the Cardinals rallied around it. Highlight: David Freese drives in four of the five St Louis runs with a home run and a double.
Even though the Cardinals had an off day on their favorite day to play postseason baseball, they should be okay. After all, they've never lost any NLDS after winning the first game. Of course, they'd never scored eight runs in one division series inning, either.
Even though the Cardinals had an off day on their favorite day to play postseason baseball, they should be okay. After all, they've never lost any NLDS after winning the first game. Of course, they'd never scored eight runs in one division series inning, either.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
October 1, 2012 - Magic Number Down to One For Wild Cards
Monday, October 1, 2012 - At Busch Stadium III (Jaime Garcia - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 38,480
The Cardinals got a quality start out of Jaime Garcia - not to mention a quality at bat - as the Redbirds beat the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 4-2, to remain two games ahead of the Dodgers for that second wild card spot. With just two games remaining on the schedule for both teams, the magic number to clinch their second straight postseason berth was down to a single game - one more St Louis win or one more LA loss would do the trick - and as it turned out, they got one of each.
This particular game was technically, a come-from-behind victory - although they weren't behind for long. Cincinnati scored a third-inning run on a one-out single from Drew Stubbs, a sacrifice bunt from pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and a single off the bat of Brandon Phillips - who was greeted with the usual chorus of boos from the non-appreciative Cards fans in the ballpark tonight.
Jaime Garcia personally got that run back, leading-off the bottom of the third for St Louis - with a well placed fly ball down the right field line that barely drifted into the seats for a game-tying home run. Inspired, the Redbirds kept pecking away at Arroyo. With one out, Carlos Beltran - arguably the best free agent signing in major league baseball in the wake of the Pujols defection - started the rally with a base on balls. After Matt Holliday singled to center, Allen Craig scored Beltran with a double down the left field line - then Yadier Molina scored Holliday with a sacrifice fly deep to center field.
In the St Louis sixth, Molina singled off reliever Alfredo Simon with one out - then scored on Daniel Descalso's two-out triple, to pad the lead to 4-1.
The Reds struck back in the seventh. With one out, former Cardinal fan-favorite Scott Rolen, launched a double deep to center field, then advanced to third on a rare passed ball by Molina. Ryan Hanigan brought Rolen in with a sacrifice fly to left field - to reduce the Cardinal lead to 4-2.
But that's as close as it got. After Drew Stubs singled with two out in the seventh, manager Mike Matheny brought in Edward Mujica to face Chris Heisey - and he got his man on a popup to second.
Mitchell Boggs pitched a perfect eighth, setting up Jason Motte for his National League-leading 41st save of the season. After retiring Jay Bruce on a ground ball to second, Motte finished 'em off in style - striking out Rolen and Hanigan to put this one in the win column for the Redbirds.
The 2012 Cardinals were about to prove the skeptics - who doubted they had what it took to reach the postseason without the services of the departed Pujols - wrong. Not only would the underdog Cardinals reach the postseason - they would go deep into the postseason. Alas, they would fall a game short of playing in their second consecutive World Series - but more postseason magic would unfold in the next year with another trip to the Fall Classic.
Alas, they lost to the Boston Red Sox last year - but while Boston was busy finishing in last place in the American League East in 2014, the Cardinals were winning an improbable NL Central title - and hoping to take care of unfinished business from last year's postseason run.
The Cardinals got a quality start out of Jaime Garcia - not to mention a quality at bat - as the Redbirds beat the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 4-2, to remain two games ahead of the Dodgers for that second wild card spot. With just two games remaining on the schedule for both teams, the magic number to clinch their second straight postseason berth was down to a single game - one more St Louis win or one more LA loss would do the trick - and as it turned out, they got one of each.
This particular game was technically, a come-from-behind victory - although they weren't behind for long. Cincinnati scored a third-inning run on a one-out single from Drew Stubbs, a sacrifice bunt from pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and a single off the bat of Brandon Phillips - who was greeted with the usual chorus of boos from the non-appreciative Cards fans in the ballpark tonight.
Jaime Garcia personally got that run back, leading-off the bottom of the third for St Louis - with a well placed fly ball down the right field line that barely drifted into the seats for a game-tying home run. Inspired, the Redbirds kept pecking away at Arroyo. With one out, Carlos Beltran - arguably the best free agent signing in major league baseball in the wake of the Pujols defection - started the rally with a base on balls. After Matt Holliday singled to center, Allen Craig scored Beltran with a double down the left field line - then Yadier Molina scored Holliday with a sacrifice fly deep to center field.
In the St Louis sixth, Molina singled off reliever Alfredo Simon with one out - then scored on Daniel Descalso's two-out triple, to pad the lead to 4-1.
The Reds struck back in the seventh. With one out, former Cardinal fan-favorite Scott Rolen, launched a double deep to center field, then advanced to third on a rare passed ball by Molina. Ryan Hanigan brought Rolen in with a sacrifice fly to left field - to reduce the Cardinal lead to 4-2.
But that's as close as it got. After Drew Stubs singled with two out in the seventh, manager Mike Matheny brought in Edward Mujica to face Chris Heisey - and he got his man on a popup to second.
Mitchell Boggs pitched a perfect eighth, setting up Jason Motte for his National League-leading 41st save of the season. After retiring Jay Bruce on a ground ball to second, Motte finished 'em off in style - striking out Rolen and Hanigan to put this one in the win column for the Redbirds.
The 2012 Cardinals were about to prove the skeptics - who doubted they had what it took to reach the postseason without the services of the departed Pujols - wrong. Not only would the underdog Cardinals reach the postseason - they would go deep into the postseason. Alas, they would fall a game short of playing in their second consecutive World Series - but more postseason magic would unfold in the next year with another trip to the Fall Classic.
Alas, they lost to the Boston Red Sox last year - but while Boston was busy finishing in last place in the American League East in 2014, the Cardinals were winning an improbable NL Central title - and hoping to take care of unfinished business from last year's postseason run.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
This Day in St Louis Cardinals History: August 28, 1969 - 1970 - 1971 - Three for Thursday!
Thursday, August 28, 1969 - At Busch Stadium II (Steve Carlton - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Houston Astros (Don Wilson - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 13,754
The Astros scored an unearned first-inning run off Cardinals' starter Steve Carlton (8 IP - 6 H - 1 R - 0 ER - 3 BB - 10 SO) - and that was it.
Joe Hoerner pitched an inning of perfect relief - striking out two in the ninth.
Joe Hoerner pitched an inning of perfect relief - striking out two in the ninth.
Meanwhile, Astros starter Don Wilson held the Cardinals scoreless until the ninth-inning - when Dave Ricketts scored Vada Pinson from third with a sacrifice fly.
After reliever Mudcat Grant (7-10) retired the Astros in order in the tenth-inning - Redbird utility infielder Steve Huntz led off the bottom of the tenth with a walk-off home run - handing Wilson (16-9) the tough-luck loss.
Friday, August 28, 1970 - At Dodger Stadium (Jerry Reuss - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: LA Dodgers (Don Sutton - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 19,964
Joe Torre broke a scoreless tie with a ninth-inning lead-off home run off Dodgers' starter Don Sutton (13-10).
Cardinals' starter Jerry Reuss (5-5) pitched a complete game two-hit shutout - striking out five - walking one.
Saturday, August 28, 1971 - At Busch Stadium II (Bob Gibson - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Cincinnati Reds (Gary Nolan - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 40,823
Exactly two weeks after no-hitting the Pirates, Bob Gibson (13-11) was almost as dominant in this start against the Reds - a complete game three-hit shutout - striking out thirteen - walking one.
The Cardinals scored a pair of third-inning runs off Reds' starter Gary Nolan (11-13) - RBI singles by Ted Sizemore and Joe Torre gave Gibson more than enough run support tonight - although they added two more runs in the fifth - on another Sizemore RBI single along with an unearned run on a botched play by the catcher - future Hall of Famer - Johnny Bench.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
August 24, 2012 - Cards' 6-Run 6th Caps Come-From-Behind Win Over Reds
Friday, August 24, 2012 - At Great American Ballpark (Lance Lynn - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Cincinnati Reds (Mat Latos - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 36,162
The Cardinals entered the sixth-inning at Great American Ballpark trailing Mat Latos and the Reds by three runs - by the time they were finished, the Cardinals had turned the tables - turning that three-run deficit into a three-run advantage, en route to an 8-5 win. Joe Kelly, who entered the game in relief of Lance Lynn - inheriting two runners on base in the bottom of the third - worked three innings of mostly dominant relief to notch the win (4-5). Kelly allowed one run on five hits and one walk - with six strikeouts - all swinging.
As a matter of fact, all six pitchers used by manager Mike Matheny - Lynn, Kelly, Salas, Mujica, Boggs and Motte - all had at least one strikeout in the game. The final total of fourteen strikeouts featured thirteen that were of the "swing and miss" variety.
Starter Lance Lynn didn't last long in this one - however, he avoided total disaster in the first-inning - when with one run already in, and runners on first and third and nobody out - he induced Ryan Ludwick to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. A second run scored - but that was it - at least for now.
David Freese returned the favor in the second-inning - with runners on first and third and nobody out - he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Allen Craig, who singled to open the inning, scored the run for St Louis.
The Reds came right back with another run in their half of the second - when Ryan Hanigan's sacrifice fly scored Todd Frazier from third, to make it a 3-1 Cincinnati lead.
After the Cardinals failed to score on Latos in the third, the Reds put the first two runners on base in their half of the third. Singles by Brandon Phillips and Ludwick prompted Matheny to bring Kelly in from the bullpen to restore order. After yielding an RBI single by Frazier and an infield hit by Scott Rolen - Kelly found himself in a bases loaded-one out jam - but he struck out Hanigan and Latos to avoid further damage.
The Cardinals - trailing 4-1 entering the fourth-inning - got a two-out single by Yadier Molina to keep the inning alive. Then with Freese batting, Latos uncorked a wild pitch to move Yadi up to second - and this time Freese drove him in with a base hit to center.
Kelly struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth - giving him a string of five straight strikeouts - but he ran into more trouble in the fifth-inning. With one run already in and runners on second and third with just one out - Kelly issued an intentional walk to Hanigan - then stuck out Latos again for the second out. Then, lead-off hitter Zack Cozart nearly hit one out of the park to deep center field - but Jon Jay hauled it in at the base of the wall to retire the side.
Trailing 5-2 entering the sixth-inning - the Redbirds began teeing off on a suddenly ineffective Latos. Singles by Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday preceded Allen Craig's game-tying three-run home run to straight-away center field. Next up - Molina - made it back-to-back jack with an opposite field shot to right - which just got over right fielder Jay Bruce's outstretched glove. The Redbirds tacked on two more runs. After Latos walked Freese - the fifth straight batter to reach base - manager Dusty Baker finally pulled his starter - bringing in Alfredo Simon to face Skip Schumaker - who promptly singled to left, as Freese stopped at second. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third - still nobody out.
Rafael Furcal scored Freese from third with a single to center, as Skip skipped to third on the hit. Pinch hitter Matt Carpenter (for Joe Kelly) brought in the sixth and final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to center. It was also the first out recorded in the inning - but all good things must end sometime.
The Cardinals now had the lead - 8-5 - and that's how it ended.
Fernando Salas - in relief of Kelly - struck out the three batters he faced in the sixth.
Edward Mujica struck out the first two batters in the seventh in his perfect inning of relief.
Mitchell Boggs was perfect in the eighth - with one strikeout. He got Stubbs on a called third strike - a rarity in this game.
Jason Motte made it interesting in the ninth - allowing a pair of hits - but striking out Scott Rolen to earn his 30th save of the season.
Even with this win over first-place Cincinnati, the Cardinals (69-56) were still six games behind in the NL Central race. The race for the second wild card spot was definitely up for grabs, however. The Redbirds were a game and a half behind the Atlanta Braves for the number one spot - but they held a game and a half advantage over the Dodgers for that second slot.
Despite a fairly lackluster 19-18 finish, the Cardinals still held onto that second wild card berth, as LA could only muster an even .500 (18-18) stretch run.
The Cardinals entered the sixth-inning at Great American Ballpark trailing Mat Latos and the Reds by three runs - by the time they were finished, the Cardinals had turned the tables - turning that three-run deficit into a three-run advantage, en route to an 8-5 win. Joe Kelly, who entered the game in relief of Lance Lynn - inheriting two runners on base in the bottom of the third - worked three innings of mostly dominant relief to notch the win (4-5). Kelly allowed one run on five hits and one walk - with six strikeouts - all swinging.
As a matter of fact, all six pitchers used by manager Mike Matheny - Lynn, Kelly, Salas, Mujica, Boggs and Motte - all had at least one strikeout in the game. The final total of fourteen strikeouts featured thirteen that were of the "swing and miss" variety.
Starter Lance Lynn didn't last long in this one - however, he avoided total disaster in the first-inning - when with one run already in, and runners on first and third and nobody out - he induced Ryan Ludwick to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. A second run scored - but that was it - at least for now.
David Freese returned the favor in the second-inning - with runners on first and third and nobody out - he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Allen Craig, who singled to open the inning, scored the run for St Louis.
The Reds came right back with another run in their half of the second - when Ryan Hanigan's sacrifice fly scored Todd Frazier from third, to make it a 3-1 Cincinnati lead.
After the Cardinals failed to score on Latos in the third, the Reds put the first two runners on base in their half of the third. Singles by Brandon Phillips and Ludwick prompted Matheny to bring Kelly in from the bullpen to restore order. After yielding an RBI single by Frazier and an infield hit by Scott Rolen - Kelly found himself in a bases loaded-one out jam - but he struck out Hanigan and Latos to avoid further damage.
The Cardinals - trailing 4-1 entering the fourth-inning - got a two-out single by Yadier Molina to keep the inning alive. Then with Freese batting, Latos uncorked a wild pitch to move Yadi up to second - and this time Freese drove him in with a base hit to center.
Kelly struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth - giving him a string of five straight strikeouts - but he ran into more trouble in the fifth-inning. With one run already in and runners on second and third with just one out - Kelly issued an intentional walk to Hanigan - then stuck out Latos again for the second out. Then, lead-off hitter Zack Cozart nearly hit one out of the park to deep center field - but Jon Jay hauled it in at the base of the wall to retire the side.
Trailing 5-2 entering the sixth-inning - the Redbirds began teeing off on a suddenly ineffective Latos. Singles by Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday preceded Allen Craig's game-tying three-run home run to straight-away center field. Next up - Molina - made it back-to-back jack with an opposite field shot to right - which just got over right fielder Jay Bruce's outstretched glove. The Redbirds tacked on two more runs. After Latos walked Freese - the fifth straight batter to reach base - manager Dusty Baker finally pulled his starter - bringing in Alfredo Simon to face Skip Schumaker - who promptly singled to left, as Freese stopped at second. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third - still nobody out.
Rafael Furcal scored Freese from third with a single to center, as Skip skipped to third on the hit. Pinch hitter Matt Carpenter (for Joe Kelly) brought in the sixth and final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to center. It was also the first out recorded in the inning - but all good things must end sometime.
The Cardinals now had the lead - 8-5 - and that's how it ended.
Fernando Salas - in relief of Kelly - struck out the three batters he faced in the sixth.
Edward Mujica struck out the first two batters in the seventh in his perfect inning of relief.
Mitchell Boggs was perfect in the eighth - with one strikeout. He got Stubbs on a called third strike - a rarity in this game.
Jason Motte made it interesting in the ninth - allowing a pair of hits - but striking out Scott Rolen to earn his 30th save of the season.
Even with this win over first-place Cincinnati, the Cardinals (69-56) were still six games behind in the NL Central race. The race for the second wild card spot was definitely up for grabs, however. The Redbirds were a game and a half behind the Atlanta Braves for the number one spot - but they held a game and a half advantage over the Dodgers for that second slot.
Despite a fairly lackluster 19-18 finish, the Cardinals still held onto that second wild card berth, as LA could only muster an even .500 (18-18) stretch run.
Friday, August 8, 2014
August 9, 1974 - Simmons' Grand Slam Sparks 5-3 Win Over Dodgers
Friday, August 9, 1974 - At Busch Stadium II (Alan Foster - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Los Angeles Dodgers (Geof Zahn - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 29,899
Ted Simmons' two-out sixth-inning grand slam home run off Dodgers' starter Geof Zahn provided the margin of victory - as first-place St Louis (60-54) held on to win by a score of 5-3 - and move a game and a half ahead of second-place Philadelphia - and 3.5 games ahead of Pittsburgh in the tight NL East race.
All four runs the Redbirds tallied in the sixth were unearned, thanks to a dropped fly ball by left fielder Von Joshua - which should have been the first out of the inning. Instead, it opened the floodgates - allowing Simmons the chance to capitalize with his two-out grand salami.
The Dodgers scored first off Cardinals starter Alan Foster - scoring a run in the third-inning when the butter-fingered Joshua tripled with two out - scoring Steve Yeager from third - who led-off with a base on balls, then moved up one base at a time, one out at a time.
The score was still 1-0 in favor of LA when the fateful sixth-inning began for St Louis - with the pitcher - Foster - lifting a fly ball to left field in the general direction of Joshua. Somehow this routine play turned into a very costly two-base error, as the ball clanged off Von's glove, allowing the hustling Redbird hurler to slide safely into second. In the process, Foster demonstrated to all those youngsters in the crowd a Cardinal Rule of Base Running: Always run hard because you never know when something like this might happen.
Next up - Lou Brock - grounded one off the pitcher's glove for an infield single; however, Foster wisely stayed at second, since he would have more than likely been out trying for third. The next batter - Ted Sizemore - grounded one slowly back to the pitcher, but this time Zahn was able to field the ball cleanly - forcing Foster at third (realizing he couldn't turn two). Next up - rookie sensation Bake McBride - grounded one to Steve Garvey at first base, whose only play was a toss to the pitcher covering the bag to retire the speedy McBride - as both runners moved up a notch - to second and third.
After retiring McBride, the inning should have been over - but the Cardinals were given an extra out - compliments of the now red-faced LA left fielder. After Joe Torre walked to load the bases, the next hitter was our hero - Ted Simmons. The switch-hitting Simba was hitting from the right side with the southpaw on the mound - and he got a pitch to his liking - hitting it way over a dejected Joshua's head, and way over the left field wall for that matter - to give the Cardinals a sudden 4-1 lead.
When Foster returned to the mound to face the Dodgers in the seventh-inning, he had apparently run out of gas. Maybe the sprint to second base had something to do with it. Or maybe he started thinking about having a three-run lead, causing him to alter his approach. Who knows? What we do know is that he walked the first batter - Yeager - then gave up a single to pinch hitter Gail (really?) Hopkins - who lined one to right field, which Luis Melendez had trouble fielding - allowing Gail to reach second, as Yeager held up at third.
After Davey Lopes singled to score Yeager, Miss Hopkins stopped at third - and the Dodgers were back in business - down 4-2 now.
By this time, manager Red Schoendienst brought in the Mad Hungarian - Al Hrabosky - to restore order. Although another (unearned) run scored after a couple of infield ground outs, Hrabosky didn't allow a hit - finishing off the inning with a flourish - striking out Senator Garvey with some serious gas.
The Cardinals manufactured an insurance run off reliever Mike Marshall - the over-hyped relief ace who was on his way to winning the NL Cy Young Award. Leading-off the eighth-inning, Brock reached on a base on balls - advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt - advanced to third on an infield ground out - and then advanced to home on a wild pitch. One run, without the benefit of a hit. The hardest hit ball was a little grounder that went maybe 50 feet. The wild pitch probably covered more ground than that.
Meanwhile the Mad Hungarian completed his three innings of work - allowing nary a hit, while striking out two - to record his sixth save of the season. Now that's a save!
Foster improved to 6-7 on the year, while Zahn fell to 2-2, despite allowing no earned runs in his six innings of work.
The Cardinals almost pulled off their first division title - but not quite. They would finish the season with a respectable 26-21 record, but the Pirates were red hot - finishing at 32-17 to leapfrog everybody - and the Cardinals would have to settle for a disappointing second-place finish.
The balance of the decade would be spent toiling in futility for the franchise - as their core group of players had either aged and then retired (Brock, Gibson, Torre, among others) or had been traded away (Allen, Carlton, Reuss, Reggie Smith, among others).
It would be seven seasons before the Cardinals were a serious contender for a division title. Of course, a change in management didn't hurt.
Ted Simmons' two-out sixth-inning grand slam home run off Dodgers' starter Geof Zahn provided the margin of victory - as first-place St Louis (60-54) held on to win by a score of 5-3 - and move a game and a half ahead of second-place Philadelphia - and 3.5 games ahead of Pittsburgh in the tight NL East race.
All four runs the Redbirds tallied in the sixth were unearned, thanks to a dropped fly ball by left fielder Von Joshua - which should have been the first out of the inning. Instead, it opened the floodgates - allowing Simmons the chance to capitalize with his two-out grand salami.
The Dodgers scored first off Cardinals starter Alan Foster - scoring a run in the third-inning when the butter-fingered Joshua tripled with two out - scoring Steve Yeager from third - who led-off with a base on balls, then moved up one base at a time, one out at a time.
The score was still 1-0 in favor of LA when the fateful sixth-inning began for St Louis - with the pitcher - Foster - lifting a fly ball to left field in the general direction of Joshua. Somehow this routine play turned into a very costly two-base error, as the ball clanged off Von's glove, allowing the hustling Redbird hurler to slide safely into second. In the process, Foster demonstrated to all those youngsters in the crowd a Cardinal Rule of Base Running: Always run hard because you never know when something like this might happen.
Next up - Lou Brock - grounded one off the pitcher's glove for an infield single; however, Foster wisely stayed at second, since he would have more than likely been out trying for third. The next batter - Ted Sizemore - grounded one slowly back to the pitcher, but this time Zahn was able to field the ball cleanly - forcing Foster at third (realizing he couldn't turn two). Next up - rookie sensation Bake McBride - grounded one to Steve Garvey at first base, whose only play was a toss to the pitcher covering the bag to retire the speedy McBride - as both runners moved up a notch - to second and third.
After retiring McBride, the inning should have been over - but the Cardinals were given an extra out - compliments of the now red-faced LA left fielder. After Joe Torre walked to load the bases, the next hitter was our hero - Ted Simmons. The switch-hitting Simba was hitting from the right side with the southpaw on the mound - and he got a pitch to his liking - hitting it way over a dejected Joshua's head, and way over the left field wall for that matter - to give the Cardinals a sudden 4-1 lead.
When Foster returned to the mound to face the Dodgers in the seventh-inning, he had apparently run out of gas. Maybe the sprint to second base had something to do with it. Or maybe he started thinking about having a three-run lead, causing him to alter his approach. Who knows? What we do know is that he walked the first batter - Yeager - then gave up a single to pinch hitter Gail (really?) Hopkins - who lined one to right field, which Luis Melendez had trouble fielding - allowing Gail to reach second, as Yeager held up at third.
After Davey Lopes singled to score Yeager, Miss Hopkins stopped at third - and the Dodgers were back in business - down 4-2 now.
By this time, manager Red Schoendienst brought in the Mad Hungarian - Al Hrabosky - to restore order. Although another (unearned) run scored after a couple of infield ground outs, Hrabosky didn't allow a hit - finishing off the inning with a flourish - striking out Senator Garvey with some serious gas.
The Cardinals manufactured an insurance run off reliever Mike Marshall - the over-hyped relief ace who was on his way to winning the NL Cy Young Award. Leading-off the eighth-inning, Brock reached on a base on balls - advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt - advanced to third on an infield ground out - and then advanced to home on a wild pitch. One run, without the benefit of a hit. The hardest hit ball was a little grounder that went maybe 50 feet. The wild pitch probably covered more ground than that.
Meanwhile the Mad Hungarian completed his three innings of work - allowing nary a hit, while striking out two - to record his sixth save of the season. Now that's a save!
Foster improved to 6-7 on the year, while Zahn fell to 2-2, despite allowing no earned runs in his six innings of work.
The Cardinals almost pulled off their first division title - but not quite. They would finish the season with a respectable 26-21 record, but the Pirates were red hot - finishing at 32-17 to leapfrog everybody - and the Cardinals would have to settle for a disappointing second-place finish.
The balance of the decade would be spent toiling in futility for the franchise - as their core group of players had either aged and then retired (Brock, Gibson, Torre, among others) or had been traded away (Allen, Carlton, Reuss, Reggie Smith, among others).
It would be seven seasons before the Cardinals were a serious contender for a division title. Of course, a change in management didn't hurt.
Friday, July 18, 2014
July 18, 2010 - How Sweep It Is! Come-From Behind Walk-Off Winner Over Dodgers
Sunday, July 18, 2010 - At Busch Stadium III (Jeff Suppan - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Los Angeles Dodgers (Vincente Padilla - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 40,743
After being swept by the Dodgers in three straight NLDS games in the 2009 postseason, the Cardinals were hoping to get some measure of revenge in 2010. They didn't get it in LA, that's for sure - getting swept in a three-game series (June 7 - 9) when everything seemed to go wrong for the Redbirds. The frustration from '09, combined with that early June sweep had the Cardinals chomping at the bit by the time LA arrived in St Louis right after the All Star break - for a crucial four-game series. After taking the first three games over LA - when everything seemed to go wrong for the Dodgers this time around - the Cardinals tried to make it a four-game sweep - on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for baseball.
The Dodgers had other ideas. Leading-off the fifth-inning for LA in a scoreless ballgame, Ronnie Belliard singled to left off Cards' starter Jeff Suppan - but was erased on a force out grounder by Xavier Paul - who was now the runner on first base with one out. Next up - A.J. Ellis - singled to left, advancing Paul - who was running on the pitch - all the way to third. Then the pitcher, Vincente Padilla helped his own cause with a double down the left field line to score Paul, as Ellis stopped at third.
This had the makings of a big inning, but Suppan was able to wriggle out of further trouble when he got Rafael Furcal on a short fly to right field, then retired Jamey Carroll on a ground out to the second baseman.
Suppan would work another scoreless inning, before giving way to an erratic Mitchell Boggs to start the seventh-inning. The Dodgers still led by that same 1-0 score, as the Cardinals could only muster one hit in Padilla's six innings of work - although he walked five - but none of the free passes cost him.
It was Belliard again causing trouble for the Cardinals, with a lead-off seventh-inning single to left. After Paul was retired on a fly ball to center, Ellis hit a slow roller to third baseman Felipe Lopez, who rushed his throw to second, trying to start a double play - instead, the throw sailed into right field for a very costly error.
With runners on first and second, Garret Anderson pinch hit for Padilla - delivering a run-scoring double to give LA a 2-0 advantage. With first base open, Furcal was intentionally walked - loading the bases. Then, with Carroll batting, Boggs uncorked a wild pitch - scoring Ellis with the third Dodger run. Somehow, Carroll struck out - but that would be the last batter Boggs would retire in this game. After an intentional walk to Andre Ethier loaded the bases once again, Boggs accidentally walked Matt Kemp to force in the fourth Dodger run.
That was enough for manager Tony LaRussa - relieving his rattled reliever of his duties for the afternoon - bringing in Dennys Reyes to face Blake DeWitt - who grounded one to Lopez at third, who got the force out at second this time. The inning was finally over - and the Cardinals' chances of winning this game seemed "over" as well - especially after they failed to capitalize on a seventh-inning lead-off double by Randy Winn, off the new Dodger pitcher - Travis Schlichting - who retired the next three batters to keep the Cards scoreless and frustrated, heading into the eighth-inning.
After a St Louis reliever by the name of Evan Maclane kept it a 4-0 deficit with one inning of scoreless work (the only complete big league inning he'd ever pitch) - the Redbirds started working on getting back into this game in their half of the eighth, with Schlichting still on the mound for LA. Brendan Ryan coaxed a lead-off walk - but Lopez, trying to atone for his error that handed the Dodgers two unearned runs in the seventh - tried too hard - flying out to left for the first out of the inning. After Jon Jay drew the second free pass off Travis, Justin Miller came in from the bullpen to pitch to the young rookie - Allen Craig - who was playing first base today, as Pujols was given a rare day off - at least as a starter.
Craig was off to a horrendous start to his major league career, but this game was the turning point for him. With one swing of the bat, the four run deficit was cut in half, as Craig scored both Ryan and Jay with a double down the left field line. Manager Joe Torre sensed this one getting away from him, and quickly brought in the veteran Jonathan Broxton to pitch to Matt Holliday - who flew out to right field for the second out of the inning. However, Randy Winn - whose lead-off double the inning before was wasted, promptly brought Craig home with a single to right field - making it a 4-3 game now. There was more drama in this inning, but no more scoring. After Skip Schumaker walked, LaRussa sent Albert Pujols in as a pinch hitter for catcher Jason LaRue - but he grounded out to short to end the inning. However, the Redbirds were back in it - and LaRue's defensive replacement behind the plate would ignite the game winning rally in the ninth-inning.
After Ryan Franklin pitched a scoreless ninth-inning for St Louis, all he had to do was sit back and enjoy the final stage of the Cardinal comeback. Yadier Molina - just in the game - led-off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right field. After Ryan bunted him down to second, Lopez again tried to atone for his two-run error by hitting a walk-off two-run home run. He almost did it, but his fly ball deep to left field was hauled in at the warning track, for the second out in the inning.
Jay drew another base on balls, putting runners on first and second - for a relaxed and confident Allen Craig - enjoying the best day of his brief major league career. Allen lined a single to center, scoring Molina with the tying run. With the winning run now on second base, Matt Holliday - who had been having a tough day to this point - promptly ended it with a base hit to right. As Jay streaked home with the game-winning run, the Redbirds had completed the four-game sweep - and were still in first place (51-41) in the NL Central - a half game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they would finish the season with a dismal 35-35 record, to finish five games behind the Reds. Inexplicably, their season record against five sub-.500 teams (Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Marlins and Royals) was 21-32. Their worst offense was losing ten out of fifteen games against the hapless Houston Astros. This would shape up to be one of the most frustrating seasons in recent memory - when the Cardinals seemed to have plenty of talent to go deep into the postseason - but they never got there.
As 2010 ended in disappointment for Cardinal fans, 2011 would be quite a different story, altogether. "2011 would be quite a different story!" (If you get it, you know this is a gag from the movie, Airplane!) If you don't get it, and find it offensive, please head over to your favorite social media site to voice your concerns, pipe shot.
Thanks, Management
After being swept by the Dodgers in three straight NLDS games in the 2009 postseason, the Cardinals were hoping to get some measure of revenge in 2010. They didn't get it in LA, that's for sure - getting swept in a three-game series (June 7 - 9) when everything seemed to go wrong for the Redbirds. The frustration from '09, combined with that early June sweep had the Cardinals chomping at the bit by the time LA arrived in St Louis right after the All Star break - for a crucial four-game series. After taking the first three games over LA - when everything seemed to go wrong for the Dodgers this time around - the Cardinals tried to make it a four-game sweep - on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for baseball.
The Dodgers had other ideas. Leading-off the fifth-inning for LA in a scoreless ballgame, Ronnie Belliard singled to left off Cards' starter Jeff Suppan - but was erased on a force out grounder by Xavier Paul - who was now the runner on first base with one out. Next up - A.J. Ellis - singled to left, advancing Paul - who was running on the pitch - all the way to third. Then the pitcher, Vincente Padilla helped his own cause with a double down the left field line to score Paul, as Ellis stopped at third.
This had the makings of a big inning, but Suppan was able to wriggle out of further trouble when he got Rafael Furcal on a short fly to right field, then retired Jamey Carroll on a ground out to the second baseman.
Suppan would work another scoreless inning, before giving way to an erratic Mitchell Boggs to start the seventh-inning. The Dodgers still led by that same 1-0 score, as the Cardinals could only muster one hit in Padilla's six innings of work - although he walked five - but none of the free passes cost him.
It was Belliard again causing trouble for the Cardinals, with a lead-off seventh-inning single to left. After Paul was retired on a fly ball to center, Ellis hit a slow roller to third baseman Felipe Lopez, who rushed his throw to second, trying to start a double play - instead, the throw sailed into right field for a very costly error.
With runners on first and second, Garret Anderson pinch hit for Padilla - delivering a run-scoring double to give LA a 2-0 advantage. With first base open, Furcal was intentionally walked - loading the bases. Then, with Carroll batting, Boggs uncorked a wild pitch - scoring Ellis with the third Dodger run. Somehow, Carroll struck out - but that would be the last batter Boggs would retire in this game. After an intentional walk to Andre Ethier loaded the bases once again, Boggs accidentally walked Matt Kemp to force in the fourth Dodger run.
That was enough for manager Tony LaRussa - relieving his rattled reliever of his duties for the afternoon - bringing in Dennys Reyes to face Blake DeWitt - who grounded one to Lopez at third, who got the force out at second this time. The inning was finally over - and the Cardinals' chances of winning this game seemed "over" as well - especially after they failed to capitalize on a seventh-inning lead-off double by Randy Winn, off the new Dodger pitcher - Travis Schlichting - who retired the next three batters to keep the Cards scoreless and frustrated, heading into the eighth-inning.
After a St Louis reliever by the name of Evan Maclane kept it a 4-0 deficit with one inning of scoreless work (the only complete big league inning he'd ever pitch) - the Redbirds started working on getting back into this game in their half of the eighth, with Schlichting still on the mound for LA. Brendan Ryan coaxed a lead-off walk - but Lopez, trying to atone for his error that handed the Dodgers two unearned runs in the seventh - tried too hard - flying out to left for the first out of the inning. After Jon Jay drew the second free pass off Travis, Justin Miller came in from the bullpen to pitch to the young rookie - Allen Craig - who was playing first base today, as Pujols was given a rare day off - at least as a starter.
Craig was off to a horrendous start to his major league career, but this game was the turning point for him. With one swing of the bat, the four run deficit was cut in half, as Craig scored both Ryan and Jay with a double down the left field line. Manager Joe Torre sensed this one getting away from him, and quickly brought in the veteran Jonathan Broxton to pitch to Matt Holliday - who flew out to right field for the second out of the inning. However, Randy Winn - whose lead-off double the inning before was wasted, promptly brought Craig home with a single to right field - making it a 4-3 game now. There was more drama in this inning, but no more scoring. After Skip Schumaker walked, LaRussa sent Albert Pujols in as a pinch hitter for catcher Jason LaRue - but he grounded out to short to end the inning. However, the Redbirds were back in it - and LaRue's defensive replacement behind the plate would ignite the game winning rally in the ninth-inning.
After Ryan Franklin pitched a scoreless ninth-inning for St Louis, all he had to do was sit back and enjoy the final stage of the Cardinal comeback. Yadier Molina - just in the game - led-off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right field. After Ryan bunted him down to second, Lopez again tried to atone for his two-run error by hitting a walk-off two-run home run. He almost did it, but his fly ball deep to left field was hauled in at the warning track, for the second out in the inning.
Jay drew another base on balls, putting runners on first and second - for a relaxed and confident Allen Craig - enjoying the best day of his brief major league career. Allen lined a single to center, scoring Molina with the tying run. With the winning run now on second base, Matt Holliday - who had been having a tough day to this point - promptly ended it with a base hit to right. As Jay streaked home with the game-winning run, the Redbirds had completed the four-game sweep - and were still in first place (51-41) in the NL Central - a half game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they would finish the season with a dismal 35-35 record, to finish five games behind the Reds. Inexplicably, their season record against five sub-.500 teams (Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Marlins and Royals) was 21-32. Their worst offense was losing ten out of fifteen games against the hapless Houston Astros. This would shape up to be one of the most frustrating seasons in recent memory - when the Cardinals seemed to have plenty of talent to go deep into the postseason - but they never got there.
As 2010 ended in disappointment for Cardinal fans, 2011 would be quite a different story, altogether. "2011 would be quite a different story!" (If you get it, you know this is a gag from the movie, Airplane!) If you don't get it, and find it offensive, please head over to your favorite social media site to voice your concerns, pipe shot.
Thanks, Management
Monday, July 14, 2014
July 14, 1964 - The Comeback of the Year - A Walk-Off Winner Over Dodgers
Tuesday, July 14, 1964 - At Busch Stadium I (Curt Simmons - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Los Angeles Dodgers (Sandy Koufax - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 24,817
In a season filled with nail-biting wins and excruciating losses - when a National League pennant would hang in the balance until the very last day of the season - this walk-off win over the Dodgers will forever be known as The Comeback of the Year for the '64 St Louis Cardinals.
Curt Simmons started the game for the Cardinals, but didn't last long. His trouble began in the second-inning - with a lead-off single to left by Frank Howard. The next batter - Ron Fairly - just tried to move Howard to second base with a bunt - but Simmons bobbled it, allowing Fairly to safely reach on the error as Howard moved to second. Next up - Johnny Roseboro - blooped a single to center, scoring Howard.
The next batter - Nate Oliver - just tried to move the runners up to second and third with a bunt - but it was well-placed - and by the time Simmons got to it, he had no play. The bases were again loaded; however, the next batter was the pitcher - Sandy Koufax - and he couldn't do much - hitting a foul popup which first baseman Bill White grabbed for the first out of the inning.
Maury Wills then grounded one to short - Dick Groat got a force out of Roseboro at third - but Fairly scored an unearned run. Simmons then struck out Derrell Griffith to end the inning - but the Cardinals were already in a 2-0 hole, facing the best pitcher in baseball.
The hole deepened in the third inning, starting with a one-out single by Tommy Davis - followed by Frank Howard's double down the left field line. With runners on second and third, the Cardinals had the infield playing in - and the strategy paid off when Simmons induced Ron Fairly to ground one directly to Javier at second base - who got the out at first as the runners remained at second and third.
Simmons couldn't dodge this bullet however, as Roseboro lined a two-out double to right, scoring both runners. When Nate Oliver ripped another double to score Roseboro, manager Johnny Keane had seen enough. Simmons' night was over, allowing five runs (four earned) in just 2.2 innings - and despite the fact that Sandy Koufax was the next batter - it would be Glen Hobbie coming in from the bullpen to retire the Dodgers' weak-hitting pitcher - who now had stranded a total of four runners in his two trips to the plate. But then again, it didn't seem to matter; after all, he was now staked to a 5-0 lead - normally, an insurmountable lead with Koufax on the mound.
After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the third, Maury Wills led-off the fourth-inning for LA with a line-drive single to left field - and when Lou Brock bobbled the ball, Wills advanced to second on the error. Two outs later, with Wills on third, catcher Tim McCarver missed connections on a Hobbie slider - as Wills raced home on the passed ball. It was now 6-0 - a situation that seemed utterly hopeless at the time.
However, the Redbirds got that run back in their half of the fourth, when Mike Shannon hit a solo home run off Koufax - but that was all the scoring, for now.
In the sixth-inning, Bill White made it a 6-2 ballgame with a lead-off home run - but Koufax then struck out the next two batters - Javier and McCarver - to reassert his dominance.
The Dodgers got that run back in the seventh-inning - when Ron Fairly singled in Tommy Davis from second - to restore a five-run lead - 7-2. After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the seventh, many of the disheartened fans began filing towards the exits.
But then, St Louis caught a break. With Bob Humphreys now pitching, Sandy Koufax led-off the eighth-inning for LA with a single to center field. In his previous two trips to the plate, Koufax had been retired with a total of four runners on base - three in scoring position. Now, he's reluctantly forced to run the bases - advancing to second on Wills' sacrifice bunt. Jim Gilliam - pinch hitting for Griffith - then lined a single to right field, as Koufax - huffing and puffing - stopped at third. Humphreys then struck out Willie Davis, and got Tommy Davis on a foul popup to White at first, to get out of the jam.
Not only had the Dodgers failed to score, their ace pitcher was forced to expend more energy than normal - and "normal" for Koufax was to rest comfortably in the dugout - not run wild on the base paths. In retrospect, the fatigue factor seemed to be a major factor as Koufax faced the Cardinals in the bottom of the eighth-inning.
After Dick Groat hit a slow roller to the right side, beyond the reach of the first baseman, Koufax hustled over to cover the bag - taking the throw from the second baseman for the out. Statistically, St Louis now had just a one-percent chance of winning this game.
However, Koufax - who needed just five more outs for the complete-game victory - suddenly ran out of gas. The next batter - Ken Boyer - singled to left - then Bill White walked on a borderline full-count pitch. Mike Shannon - a hot hitter tonight - singled to left - loading the bases. Julian Javier then scored Boyer with a sacrifice fly to center, but it was an expensive way to get a run - when outs were at a premium. But then McCarver got a big two-out hit - a single to left field, scoring White to make it a 7-4 ballgame.
Dodgers manager Walter Alston removed the fatigued Koufax from the game at this point - bringing in Ron Perranoski - who got the third out in the eighth - retiring Phil Gagliano on a ground ball to the shortstop who got the force out at third.
Reliever Ron Taylor (3-2) set the Dodgers down in order in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for the completely unforeseen walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth.
Curt Flood started the rally by drawing a base on balls - however, Lou Brock couldn't catch up to a Perranoski fastball, striking out. Next up - Dick Groat - drew another base on balls, bringing the tying run to the plate - Ken Boyer - who lined a single to center, scoring Flood. Now the potential winning run was in the batter's box - Bill White - who drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases.
At this point, Alston removed the suddenly wild Perranoski from the game - bringing in Bob Miller to face Shannon, who grounded one slowly to the shortstop, with the runners in motion - the only play was to get the out at first base, as Groat scored the sixth run of the game for St Louis.
With the game on the line - down by a run, with runners on second and third - Keane decided to send a pinch-hitter in place of Javier - veteran Bob Skinner, who was recently acquired in a trade with Cincinnati - on June 13. Skinner was in the twilight of his very productive major league career - but he knew how to handle pressure situations - ripping a Miller fastball up the middle, scoring Boyer with the tying run, then White, streaking home from second - with the winning run.
Harry Caray was beside himself in the broadcast booth - his raspy voice bellowing his signature "Cardinals win" exclamation at least a half dozen times, as the crowd in the background roared its delirious approval of this game's unlikely outcome.
The significance of this improbable come-from-behind win would not be fully appreciated until the successful conclusion of the regular season - when the Cardinals' miracle finish brought them the pennant on that last day. It's also interesting to note - the Dodgers would clobber the Cardinals on Wednesday and Thursday, by a combined score of 23-5 - to take two out of three from the future World Champions.
For now, St Louis had improved to 44-41 - still in fifth-place - 7.5 games behind the Giants. Not quite Pennant Fever in Cardinal Nation, but at least the Redbirds were over .500. More importantly, this team never believed they were out of any game - and they certainly never felt they were out of the pennant race.
In a season filled with nail-biting wins and excruciating losses - when a National League pennant would hang in the balance until the very last day of the season - this walk-off win over the Dodgers will forever be known as The Comeback of the Year for the '64 St Louis Cardinals.
Curt Simmons started the game for the Cardinals, but didn't last long. His trouble began in the second-inning - with a lead-off single to left by Frank Howard. The next batter - Ron Fairly - just tried to move Howard to second base with a bunt - but Simmons bobbled it, allowing Fairly to safely reach on the error as Howard moved to second. Next up - Johnny Roseboro - blooped a single to center, scoring Howard.
The next batter - Nate Oliver - just tried to move the runners up to second and third with a bunt - but it was well-placed - and by the time Simmons got to it, he had no play. The bases were again loaded; however, the next batter was the pitcher - Sandy Koufax - and he couldn't do much - hitting a foul popup which first baseman Bill White grabbed for the first out of the inning.
Maury Wills then grounded one to short - Dick Groat got a force out of Roseboro at third - but Fairly scored an unearned run. Simmons then struck out Derrell Griffith to end the inning - but the Cardinals were already in a 2-0 hole, facing the best pitcher in baseball.
The hole deepened in the third inning, starting with a one-out single by Tommy Davis - followed by Frank Howard's double down the left field line. With runners on second and third, the Cardinals had the infield playing in - and the strategy paid off when Simmons induced Ron Fairly to ground one directly to Javier at second base - who got the out at first as the runners remained at second and third.
Simmons couldn't dodge this bullet however, as Roseboro lined a two-out double to right, scoring both runners. When Nate Oliver ripped another double to score Roseboro, manager Johnny Keane had seen enough. Simmons' night was over, allowing five runs (four earned) in just 2.2 innings - and despite the fact that Sandy Koufax was the next batter - it would be Glen Hobbie coming in from the bullpen to retire the Dodgers' weak-hitting pitcher - who now had stranded a total of four runners in his two trips to the plate. But then again, it didn't seem to matter; after all, he was now staked to a 5-0 lead - normally, an insurmountable lead with Koufax on the mound.
After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the third, Maury Wills led-off the fourth-inning for LA with a line-drive single to left field - and when Lou Brock bobbled the ball, Wills advanced to second on the error. Two outs later, with Wills on third, catcher Tim McCarver missed connections on a Hobbie slider - as Wills raced home on the passed ball. It was now 6-0 - a situation that seemed utterly hopeless at the time.
However, the Redbirds got that run back in their half of the fourth, when Mike Shannon hit a solo home run off Koufax - but that was all the scoring, for now.
In the sixth-inning, Bill White made it a 6-2 ballgame with a lead-off home run - but Koufax then struck out the next two batters - Javier and McCarver - to reassert his dominance.
The Dodgers got that run back in the seventh-inning - when Ron Fairly singled in Tommy Davis from second - to restore a five-run lead - 7-2. After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the seventh, many of the disheartened fans began filing towards the exits.
But then, St Louis caught a break. With Bob Humphreys now pitching, Sandy Koufax led-off the eighth-inning for LA with a single to center field. In his previous two trips to the plate, Koufax had been retired with a total of four runners on base - three in scoring position. Now, he's reluctantly forced to run the bases - advancing to second on Wills' sacrifice bunt. Jim Gilliam - pinch hitting for Griffith - then lined a single to right field, as Koufax - huffing and puffing - stopped at third. Humphreys then struck out Willie Davis, and got Tommy Davis on a foul popup to White at first, to get out of the jam.
Not only had the Dodgers failed to score, their ace pitcher was forced to expend more energy than normal - and "normal" for Koufax was to rest comfortably in the dugout - not run wild on the base paths. In retrospect, the fatigue factor seemed to be a major factor as Koufax faced the Cardinals in the bottom of the eighth-inning.
After Dick Groat hit a slow roller to the right side, beyond the reach of the first baseman, Koufax hustled over to cover the bag - taking the throw from the second baseman for the out. Statistically, St Louis now had just a one-percent chance of winning this game.
However, Koufax - who needed just five more outs for the complete-game victory - suddenly ran out of gas. The next batter - Ken Boyer - singled to left - then Bill White walked on a borderline full-count pitch. Mike Shannon - a hot hitter tonight - singled to left - loading the bases. Julian Javier then scored Boyer with a sacrifice fly to center, but it was an expensive way to get a run - when outs were at a premium. But then McCarver got a big two-out hit - a single to left field, scoring White to make it a 7-4 ballgame.
Dodgers manager Walter Alston removed the fatigued Koufax from the game at this point - bringing in Ron Perranoski - who got the third out in the eighth - retiring Phil Gagliano on a ground ball to the shortstop who got the force out at third.
Reliever Ron Taylor (3-2) set the Dodgers down in order in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for the completely unforeseen walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth.
Curt Flood started the rally by drawing a base on balls - however, Lou Brock couldn't catch up to a Perranoski fastball, striking out. Next up - Dick Groat - drew another base on balls, bringing the tying run to the plate - Ken Boyer - who lined a single to center, scoring Flood. Now the potential winning run was in the batter's box - Bill White - who drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases.
At this point, Alston removed the suddenly wild Perranoski from the game - bringing in Bob Miller to face Shannon, who grounded one slowly to the shortstop, with the runners in motion - the only play was to get the out at first base, as Groat scored the sixth run of the game for St Louis.
With the game on the line - down by a run, with runners on second and third - Keane decided to send a pinch-hitter in place of Javier - veteran Bob Skinner, who was recently acquired in a trade with Cincinnati - on June 13. Skinner was in the twilight of his very productive major league career - but he knew how to handle pressure situations - ripping a Miller fastball up the middle, scoring Boyer with the tying run, then White, streaking home from second - with the winning run.
Harry Caray was beside himself in the broadcast booth - his raspy voice bellowing his signature "Cardinals win" exclamation at least a half dozen times, as the crowd in the background roared its delirious approval of this game's unlikely outcome.
The significance of this improbable come-from-behind win would not be fully appreciated until the successful conclusion of the regular season - when the Cardinals' miracle finish brought them the pennant on that last day. It's also interesting to note - the Dodgers would clobber the Cardinals on Wednesday and Thursday, by a combined score of 23-5 - to take two out of three from the future World Champions.
For now, St Louis had improved to 44-41 - still in fifth-place - 7.5 games behind the Giants. Not quite Pennant Fever in Cardinal Nation, but at least the Redbirds were over .500. More importantly, this team never believed they were out of any game - and they certainly never felt they were out of the pennant race.
Monday, June 2, 2014
The Meteoric Rise & Fall of Larry Jaster: Dodger Killer
Larry Jaster's major league career began with a flourish, late in the '65 season. The 21-year old southpaw made his Cardinal debut in a meaningless September 17 game - working one perfect inning against the Dodgers - a team he would later become notorious for shutting out a record five times the very next season.
Jaster earned his shot to become a starting pitcher thanks to his successful audition in the waning days of the dismal '65 season. The Cardinals were already well out of the pennant race when Jaster was called up, so management decided to see what this kid could do as a starter. He made three starts - all complete game victories. Looking back on it, maybe going nine innings in three successive starts took its toll on that 21-year old arm. Maybe not. Either way, his ERA was a Koufax-like 1.61 heading into the '66 season; and the young southpaw's rookie status was intact.
Jaster loved pitching against the Los Angeles Dodgers - especially in 1966. Five starts - five National League-leading complete game shutouts, with scores that almost seem contrived in their symmetry: 2-0, 2-0, 4-0, 4-0, and 2-0. Against the rest of the league, Jaster was mediocre - 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA. But he owned the Dodgers. He knew it, they knew it; everybody knew it. It didn't matter what lineup manager Walter Alston put together. They were like those wild and crazy guys on SNL - they just couldn't score.
Jaster's first start/shutout against LA came on April 25, 1966 at Dodger Stadium. The victim: Claude Osteen. Jaster must have been nervous in that hostile environment. The Dodgers roughed him up for seven hits; that would be the season high for the Dodger lineup against the 22-year old southpaw. He walked no one; apparently he feared no one - at least no one wearing a Dodgers uniform. Never a big strikeout artist, Jaster fanned seven in his first blanking. Eight was his career high.
Shutout number two - July 3, 1966 - victimized Don Drysdale, once again at Dodger Stadium. This time LA could only muster three hits, although Jim Lefebvre did draw the team's first base on balls against Jaster. And they cut down on the strikeouts to just five. So at least they had that going for them.
Number three - July 29, 1966 - victimized Drysdale again, this time at Busch Stadium. Five hits, two walks, and a career-high eight strikeouts. I think the home crowd got him psyched.
Number four - August 19, 1966 - back to Dodger Stadium with another repeat victim: Claude Osteen. Five hits, three walks, seven strikeouts. Where's Sandy Koufax when you need him? Or maybe fight rookie fire with another, even younger rookie?
The record-setting fifth shutout - September 28, 1966 at Busch Stadium. The victim: 21-year old Rookie Don Sutton, who at least got it back to a 2-0 deficit. Four hits, two walks, four strikeouts.
The Cardinals opened the '67 season at home against the San Francisco Giants. Naturally, it was Gibson vs Marichal, and on this night, Gibby pitched a complete game 6-0 shutout. For some reason, the Dodgers were the scheduled opponent for game two, on April 14, 1967. Naturally, Jaster was the starter, and for the first six innings, kept LA scoreless. By this time, the Cardinals had forged an insurmountable 8-0 lead. But the Dodgers scored a moral victory with a two-out run in the seventh-inning.
The scoreless streak was over. Jaster had gone 52.2 innings before the Dodgers finally scored a run - on a sacrifice fly. Maybe that inspired them; or maybe Jaster was running out of gas. After working a scoreless eighth, the first two batters reached base in the ninth-inning, signaling the end of his night. He didn't get any help from the bullpen, as both runners eventually came around to score on a new rookie phenom who was getting his first dose of major league hitters - Dick Hughes - who quickly settled down after this shaky first appearance, winning 16 games, primarily as a starter, that season.
Jaster's next start against the Dodgers on April 24 (at Dodger Stadium) was brutal. In 2.1 innings pitched, Jaster was mauled for four runs on four hits - two of which were home runs. He was fortunate to escape without the loss, getting a no-decision in a game the Dodgers eventually won in 13 innings, 6-5.
He started against LA again on June 10, 1967 at Busch Stadium II. This time, he pitched extremely well, but again had another no-decision for his effort. He went nine innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. He tied his career-high strikeout total - eight batters - but the game would continue until Roger Maris' walk-off three-run home run in the eleventh-inning. Final score: St Louis 5 - LA 2.
Nearly two months would pass before Jaster had another shot at his favorite team. On August 9, 1967, pitching at Busch Stadium II, Larry earned yet another no-decision - but this time he worked a career-high ten innings, allowing just two runs - both runs coming from home runs. Other than that, the total Dodger offense against the young southpaw consisted of three hits and one walk. He struck out four. This game would last eleven innings once again; and once again, the Cardinals walked-off with a win - this time by a 3-2 score.
Finally, on August 25, 1967 - his tenth career start against the Dodgers (at Dodger Stadium) - Jaster's luck ran out. He had allowed just two runs on four hits (no walks - four strikeouts) through six innings, but the Cardinals had only scored once. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh, but to no avail. This minor blemish on Jaster's Dodger-killing reputation remained intact; and rightfully so.
In '68, Jaster was still the master of LA in his first three starts against them, with two wins and one no-decision. However, his last start against the Dodgers as a member of the Cardinals came at home on September 9; and it was the worst - and shortest - start of his career: 1.1 IP - 5 H - 6 R - 0 BB - 1 SO - This was only the second loss against the Dodgers in fourteen career starts, but it no doubt hastened his exit from St Louis. He spent one dreadful season with Montreal, then hung on for two more seasons with Atlanta, but his days as a Dodger killer were a distant memory.
For old time's sake, on October 4, 1972, Jaster made his final appearance on a big league mound in Atlanta - getting the start against the Dodgers; who else? Jaster pitched reasonably well - 5 IP - 4 H - 2 R - 1 BB - 3 SO - but took the loss, lowering his career record against LA to 9-4.
As a member of the Cardinals, he was 8-2 in 14 games started against LA. Overall, in 109 innings pitched against LA, he posted a remarkable 1.90 ERA, featuring those five shutouts in his first five starts. Even taking those out of the equation, in 64 innings work, Jaster still posted a nice 3.23 ERA. Not bad; not bad at all.
It's hard to explain his mastery against this one team, especially early in his career. Aside from the five shutouts he had against LA in '66, Jaster only had two others - an August 4, 1967 four-hit 5-0 blanking of the Reds, and a May 31, 1968 2-0 two-hitter against Tom Seaver and the Mets. He came close, but never shut the Dodgers out after that memorable '66 season.
Whatever Jaster did to the Dodgers in '66 - maybe some savvy baseball analyst in the Baltimore Orioles front office figured it out - and passed that knowledge on to the young World Series-bound Orioles pitching staff - Palmer, Bunker and McNally - All they did was jam 33 consecutive scoreless innings down the LA throats in a four game World Series sweep. Larry Jaster was no doubt smiling about that scoreless streak which was still a dozen innings shy of what he accomplished in those five starts against the National League champions that season - at the tender age of twenty-two.
Jaster earned his shot to become a starting pitcher thanks to his successful audition in the waning days of the dismal '65 season. The Cardinals were already well out of the pennant race when Jaster was called up, so management decided to see what this kid could do as a starter. He made three starts - all complete game victories. Looking back on it, maybe going nine innings in three successive starts took its toll on that 21-year old arm. Maybe not. Either way, his ERA was a Koufax-like 1.61 heading into the '66 season; and the young southpaw's rookie status was intact.
Jaster loved pitching against the Los Angeles Dodgers - especially in 1966. Five starts - five National League-leading complete game shutouts, with scores that almost seem contrived in their symmetry: 2-0, 2-0, 4-0, 4-0, and 2-0. Against the rest of the league, Jaster was mediocre - 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA. But he owned the Dodgers. He knew it, they knew it; everybody knew it. It didn't matter what lineup manager Walter Alston put together. They were like those wild and crazy guys on SNL - they just couldn't score.
Jaster's first start/shutout against LA came on April 25, 1966 at Dodger Stadium. The victim: Claude Osteen. Jaster must have been nervous in that hostile environment. The Dodgers roughed him up for seven hits; that would be the season high for the Dodger lineup against the 22-year old southpaw. He walked no one; apparently he feared no one - at least no one wearing a Dodgers uniform. Never a big strikeout artist, Jaster fanned seven in his first blanking. Eight was his career high.
Shutout number two - July 3, 1966 - victimized Don Drysdale, once again at Dodger Stadium. This time LA could only muster three hits, although Jim Lefebvre did draw the team's first base on balls against Jaster. And they cut down on the strikeouts to just five. So at least they had that going for them.
Number three - July 29, 1966 - victimized Drysdale again, this time at Busch Stadium. Five hits, two walks, and a career-high eight strikeouts. I think the home crowd got him psyched.
Number four - August 19, 1966 - back to Dodger Stadium with another repeat victim: Claude Osteen. Five hits, three walks, seven strikeouts. Where's Sandy Koufax when you need him? Or maybe fight rookie fire with another, even younger rookie?
The record-setting fifth shutout - September 28, 1966 at Busch Stadium. The victim: 21-year old Rookie Don Sutton, who at least got it back to a 2-0 deficit. Four hits, two walks, four strikeouts.
The Cardinals opened the '67 season at home against the San Francisco Giants. Naturally, it was Gibson vs Marichal, and on this night, Gibby pitched a complete game 6-0 shutout. For some reason, the Dodgers were the scheduled opponent for game two, on April 14, 1967. Naturally, Jaster was the starter, and for the first six innings, kept LA scoreless. By this time, the Cardinals had forged an insurmountable 8-0 lead. But the Dodgers scored a moral victory with a two-out run in the seventh-inning.
The scoreless streak was over. Jaster had gone 52.2 innings before the Dodgers finally scored a run - on a sacrifice fly. Maybe that inspired them; or maybe Jaster was running out of gas. After working a scoreless eighth, the first two batters reached base in the ninth-inning, signaling the end of his night. He didn't get any help from the bullpen, as both runners eventually came around to score on a new rookie phenom who was getting his first dose of major league hitters - Dick Hughes - who quickly settled down after this shaky first appearance, winning 16 games, primarily as a starter, that season.
Jaster's next start against the Dodgers on April 24 (at Dodger Stadium) was brutal. In 2.1 innings pitched, Jaster was mauled for four runs on four hits - two of which were home runs. He was fortunate to escape without the loss, getting a no-decision in a game the Dodgers eventually won in 13 innings, 6-5.
He started against LA again on June 10, 1967 at Busch Stadium II. This time, he pitched extremely well, but again had another no-decision for his effort. He went nine innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. He tied his career-high strikeout total - eight batters - but the game would continue until Roger Maris' walk-off three-run home run in the eleventh-inning. Final score: St Louis 5 - LA 2.
Nearly two months would pass before Jaster had another shot at his favorite team. On August 9, 1967, pitching at Busch Stadium II, Larry earned yet another no-decision - but this time he worked a career-high ten innings, allowing just two runs - both runs coming from home runs. Other than that, the total Dodger offense against the young southpaw consisted of three hits and one walk. He struck out four. This game would last eleven innings once again; and once again, the Cardinals walked-off with a win - this time by a 3-2 score.
Finally, on August 25, 1967 - his tenth career start against the Dodgers (at Dodger Stadium) - Jaster's luck ran out. He had allowed just two runs on four hits (no walks - four strikeouts) through six innings, but the Cardinals had only scored once. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh, but to no avail. This minor blemish on Jaster's Dodger-killing reputation remained intact; and rightfully so.
In '68, Jaster was still the master of LA in his first three starts against them, with two wins and one no-decision. However, his last start against the Dodgers as a member of the Cardinals came at home on September 9; and it was the worst - and shortest - start of his career: 1.1 IP - 5 H - 6 R - 0 BB - 1 SO - This was only the second loss against the Dodgers in fourteen career starts, but it no doubt hastened his exit from St Louis. He spent one dreadful season with Montreal, then hung on for two more seasons with Atlanta, but his days as a Dodger killer were a distant memory.
For old time's sake, on October 4, 1972, Jaster made his final appearance on a big league mound in Atlanta - getting the start against the Dodgers; who else? Jaster pitched reasonably well - 5 IP - 4 H - 2 R - 1 BB - 3 SO - but took the loss, lowering his career record against LA to 9-4.
As a member of the Cardinals, he was 8-2 in 14 games started against LA. Overall, in 109 innings pitched against LA, he posted a remarkable 1.90 ERA, featuring those five shutouts in his first five starts. Even taking those out of the equation, in 64 innings work, Jaster still posted a nice 3.23 ERA. Not bad; not bad at all.
It's hard to explain his mastery against this one team, especially early in his career. Aside from the five shutouts he had against LA in '66, Jaster only had two others - an August 4, 1967 four-hit 5-0 blanking of the Reds, and a May 31, 1968 2-0 two-hitter against Tom Seaver and the Mets. He came close, but never shut the Dodgers out after that memorable '66 season.
Whatever Jaster did to the Dodgers in '66 - maybe some savvy baseball analyst in the Baltimore Orioles front office figured it out - and passed that knowledge on to the young World Series-bound Orioles pitching staff - Palmer, Bunker and McNally - All they did was jam 33 consecutive scoreless innings down the LA throats in a four game World Series sweep. Larry Jaster was no doubt smiling about that scoreless streak which was still a dozen innings shy of what he accomplished in those five starts against the National League champions that season - at the tender age of twenty-two.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
May 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 2 Great Pitching Performances - The Pete Kozma LA Game - HR Derby at Busch
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 - With 19,426 well-tanned fans on hand at Petco Park in beautiful San Diego, the Cardinals and Padres were set to play the second game of a low-scoring three-game series. St Louis had won the night before, by a 3-1 score. They would lose by that same score in the series finale on Wednesday. What was in store for tonight? Hint: Very few runs.
The starting pitchers for tonight's game: Aaron Harang for the Padres - Kyle McClellan for the Cardinals. Both pitched well; but neither figured in the decision. The Cardinals scored an unearned run in the first-inning when Jon Jay scored from second on a combination Lance Berkman infield single/throwing error by the first baseman.
The Padres came back and scored two unearned runs of their own in the bottom of the first. With two out, ex-Redbird Ryan Ludwick reached safely on shortstop Ryan Theriot's throwing error. Instead of retiring the side, McClellan had to face Brad Hawpe, who showed no mercy, blasting a two-run home run deep to left field. That would be all the scoring for San Diego in this game; but for now, they held a 2-1 lead over the Cardinals. Until the seventh-inning.
Harang was still hanging in there as the seventh-inning began with Tony Cruz doubling to right field. Daniel Descalso then laid down a perfect bunt, not only moving Cruz up to third, but reaching safely himself. The next batter, Colby Rasmus, grounded one to the first baseman; Cruz first broke for home, but realizing he couldn't make it, tried to scamper back to third; but he was too far away from the bag - in no man's land. The first baseman quickly fired the ball over to third, as Cruz headed in the direction of home. The third baseman fired a strike to the catcher, as Cruz abruptly stopped and started back towards third; by this time, the catcher was halfway to third trying to catch the elusive runner, but gave up and thew it back to the third baseman. Now home plate was exposed, so the pitcher had to get involved, catching the throw from the third baseman as Cruz tried to score. He didn't make it, but stayed in the rundown long enough to get Descalso all the way over to third, as Rasmus hustled into second. Ryan Theriot, whose first-inning throwing error led to two unearned runs, atoned for that with a ground ball to second, which scored Descalso with the tying run.
In the meantime, as this game progressed, McClellan settled down nicely after giving up the first-inning home run. The only other hit he allowed in six innings of work was a two-out fourth-inning double by Chase Headley. In fact, that was the only other hit for the Padres in the entire game, as the St Louis bullpen - Miller, Motte, Batista, and Sanchez - would no-hit the Padres for five innings (they walked three).
The San Diego bullpen, which took over in the eighth-inning, was almost as dominant; at least through the first ten innings (one hit). But their luck ran out in the eleventh-inning, with a new pitcher - Ernesto Frieri. Allen Craig led off with a walk, then stole second as Skip Schumaker struck out. Cruz also struck out. But Descalso bounced an infield hit the shortstop couldn't corral. Craig - acting like Enos Slaughter - never stopped running as the ball trickled out towards center field. He scored what proved to be the winning run, giving aging reliever Miguel Batista (3-1) the win, as Frieri (1-2) got the loss.
Eduardo Sanchez pitched a perfect eleventh-inning for his fifth - and final - save of the season. Sanchez was one of many unsung heroes for the Cardinals in 2011. In 30 IP he had an ERA of 1.80, striking out 35 batters, while compiling a 3-1 record. A nice contribution, indeed.
In fact, several of the unsung heroes starred in this game; manufacturing the runs needed to get this one in the win column. For the time being, the Cardinals (30-20) occupied first-place in the NL Central. Although they cooled off while Milwaukee got hot, the Cards still grabbed the wild card; and when the postseason began, they were hotter than ever.
Thursday, May 25, 1967 - He looked more like a high school chemistry teacher than a major league pitcher. But Dick Hughes, as a 29-year old crew-cut rookie with the St Louis Cardinals, started the season in the bullpen, got his first starting assignment on May 5, and went on to compile some very impressive numbers: 16-6 - 2.67 ERA - 27 games started - 222.1 IP - a NL-best 0.954 WHIP. He even saved three games. Unfortunately, his career would be cut short the very next season after just 60+ innings of work. Tommy John Surgery hadn't been invented yet.
Hughes got the starting assignment in Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium on this particular night, with 18,375 in attendance to watch a truly masterful performance. In this start, Hughes would record his first complete game, his first win as a starting pitcher, as well as his first shutout (he had three in '67 - and in his short-lived career). Final score: St Louis 5 - Atlanta 0. Another Dick (Kelly) took the loss for Atlanta.
The Braves could only muster two hits off Hughes (2-1) all night long. No walks. Nine strikeouts. The game was over in 2:06. It lasted that long because the Cardinals were spending so much time on offense.
The Redbirds scored the only run Hughes would need in the second-inning. With Alex Johnson on first and Ed Spezio on third with one out, the pair executed a perfect double steal, as Spezio slid in ahead of the relay throw from a befuddled second baseman. (Hard for me to believe Lou Brock never stole home in his entire career. Mike Shannon has done it. So has Tim McCarver. Glenn Brummer in '82. Just to name a few.)
Hughes also got some home run support from the top of the order. Lou Brock connected with one out in the third (no runners on base). Then Curt Flood put the icing on the cake with a two-out three-run blast in the fifth-inning. That was it.
By the way, Hughes finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Tom Seaver - who had already become a celebrity by the All Star break, pitching for the New York Mets - edged him out.
Sunday, May 26, 2013 - This was the rubber game of a three-game series between the St Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers at beautiful Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers had their ace, Clayton Kershaw on the mound; the Cardinals countered with rookie Shelby Miller.
In the end, the final score: Pete Kozma 5 - Adrian Gonzalez 3.
Kozma was 4 for 4 (3 doubles) - 2 runs scored - 3 runs batted in - His first double in the second-inning came with the bases loaded and turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 Cardinal lead. He doubled again in the seventh and scored on a Matt Carpenter base hit, which put the Cardinals in the lead again, 4-3. Then he capped off his day with his third double in the ninth-inning, and came in to score the final run of the game on a Matt Adams base hit.
Miller, who was victimized by Gonzalez with a two-run first-inning home run and a fifth-inning run-scoring single, left the game after getting one out in the sixth-inning, with the game tied, Kozma 3 - Gonzalez 3.
Kershaw pitched seven full innings; just long enough for Kozma to score the go-ahead run, which meant he stayed in the game long enough to take the loss. A well-timed relief appearance by Seth Maness (4-1) got him the win. Seth's pitching line: 1 IP - 2 H - 0 R - 2 BB - 0 SO - In other words, after bailing Miller out in the sixth-inning, he had to be bailed out in the seventh, with runners on first and third - one out.
Enter Trevor Rosenthal from the St Louis bullpen. After plunking Andre Ethier to load the bases, Rosenthal blew some 98 mph gas past Mark Ellis and Skip Schumaker to end the Dodger threat. He also worked a scoreless eighth-inning, before turning the ball over to closer Edward Mujica who got his 14th save of the season.
By season's end, Rosenthal had taken over the closer's role in the St Louis bullpen, and Pete Kozma had stopped hitting. But on this late May Sunday afternoon in LA, 43,244 Dodger fans had to be impressed with the Cardinal shortstop's uncanny hitting prowess. Against Clayton Kershaw, no less.
Sunday, May 27, 2012 - It was a sunny, hot and muggy Sunday afternoon in St Louis. Perfect weather for launching a few home runs at Busch Stadium III. Attempting to prevent such activity was Roy Halladay for the Philadelphia Phillies and Adam Wainwright for the home team.
Halladay immediately put himself into a bases loaded, two-out jam in the first-inning, with Yadier Molina stepping into the batter's box - and then stepping into a belt-high fastball that sailed over the wall for a grand slam home run. Halladay's day was going to be a short one - 2 IP - 4 H - 4 R - 1 BB - 0 SO - 1 HR
Wainwright fared a bit better. After missing the entire 2011 season from Tommy John Surgery, Waino struggled through 2012, trying to regain his arm strength and stamina. Staked to that nice 4-0 lead, he was able to make it through six innings with minimal damage - just one run on seven hits.
In the meantime, the Cardinals were still playing long ball. In the fifth-inning, Carlos Beltran hit one out deep to right center field with two runners on, then Matt Adams led off the sixth with a moon shot out to right field. That would be all the scoring for St Louis - 8 runs - all coming via the home run.
The Phillies scored a couple of meaningless runs late in the game, but this one had essentially ended with Molina's first-inning grand salami. Final score: St Louis 8 - Philadelphia 3
Halladay (4-5) took the loss, as his career was rapidly winding down. Wainwright (4-5) got the win, but he knew he still had his work cut out for him to get back to where he needed to be. It's safe to say he was heading in the right direction.
The starting pitchers for tonight's game: Aaron Harang for the Padres - Kyle McClellan for the Cardinals. Both pitched well; but neither figured in the decision. The Cardinals scored an unearned run in the first-inning when Jon Jay scored from second on a combination Lance Berkman infield single/throwing error by the first baseman.
The Padres came back and scored two unearned runs of their own in the bottom of the first. With two out, ex-Redbird Ryan Ludwick reached safely on shortstop Ryan Theriot's throwing error. Instead of retiring the side, McClellan had to face Brad Hawpe, who showed no mercy, blasting a two-run home run deep to left field. That would be all the scoring for San Diego in this game; but for now, they held a 2-1 lead over the Cardinals. Until the seventh-inning.
Harang was still hanging in there as the seventh-inning began with Tony Cruz doubling to right field. Daniel Descalso then laid down a perfect bunt, not only moving Cruz up to third, but reaching safely himself. The next batter, Colby Rasmus, grounded one to the first baseman; Cruz first broke for home, but realizing he couldn't make it, tried to scamper back to third; but he was too far away from the bag - in no man's land. The first baseman quickly fired the ball over to third, as Cruz headed in the direction of home. The third baseman fired a strike to the catcher, as Cruz abruptly stopped and started back towards third; by this time, the catcher was halfway to third trying to catch the elusive runner, but gave up and thew it back to the third baseman. Now home plate was exposed, so the pitcher had to get involved, catching the throw from the third baseman as Cruz tried to score. He didn't make it, but stayed in the rundown long enough to get Descalso all the way over to third, as Rasmus hustled into second. Ryan Theriot, whose first-inning throwing error led to two unearned runs, atoned for that with a ground ball to second, which scored Descalso with the tying run.
In the meantime, as this game progressed, McClellan settled down nicely after giving up the first-inning home run. The only other hit he allowed in six innings of work was a two-out fourth-inning double by Chase Headley. In fact, that was the only other hit for the Padres in the entire game, as the St Louis bullpen - Miller, Motte, Batista, and Sanchez - would no-hit the Padres for five innings (they walked three).
The San Diego bullpen, which took over in the eighth-inning, was almost as dominant; at least through the first ten innings (one hit). But their luck ran out in the eleventh-inning, with a new pitcher - Ernesto Frieri. Allen Craig led off with a walk, then stole second as Skip Schumaker struck out. Cruz also struck out. But Descalso bounced an infield hit the shortstop couldn't corral. Craig - acting like Enos Slaughter - never stopped running as the ball trickled out towards center field. He scored what proved to be the winning run, giving aging reliever Miguel Batista (3-1) the win, as Frieri (1-2) got the loss.
Eduardo Sanchez pitched a perfect eleventh-inning for his fifth - and final - save of the season. Sanchez was one of many unsung heroes for the Cardinals in 2011. In 30 IP he had an ERA of 1.80, striking out 35 batters, while compiling a 3-1 record. A nice contribution, indeed.
In fact, several of the unsung heroes starred in this game; manufacturing the runs needed to get this one in the win column. For the time being, the Cardinals (30-20) occupied first-place in the NL Central. Although they cooled off while Milwaukee got hot, the Cards still grabbed the wild card; and when the postseason began, they were hotter than ever.
Thursday, May 25, 1967 - He looked more like a high school chemistry teacher than a major league pitcher. But Dick Hughes, as a 29-year old crew-cut rookie with the St Louis Cardinals, started the season in the bullpen, got his first starting assignment on May 5, and went on to compile some very impressive numbers: 16-6 - 2.67 ERA - 27 games started - 222.1 IP - a NL-best 0.954 WHIP. He even saved three games. Unfortunately, his career would be cut short the very next season after just 60+ innings of work. Tommy John Surgery hadn't been invented yet.
Hughes got the starting assignment in Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium on this particular night, with 18,375 in attendance to watch a truly masterful performance. In this start, Hughes would record his first complete game, his first win as a starting pitcher, as well as his first shutout (he had three in '67 - and in his short-lived career). Final score: St Louis 5 - Atlanta 0. Another Dick (Kelly) took the loss for Atlanta.
The Braves could only muster two hits off Hughes (2-1) all night long. No walks. Nine strikeouts. The game was over in 2:06. It lasted that long because the Cardinals were spending so much time on offense.
The Redbirds scored the only run Hughes would need in the second-inning. With Alex Johnson on first and Ed Spezio on third with one out, the pair executed a perfect double steal, as Spezio slid in ahead of the relay throw from a befuddled second baseman. (Hard for me to believe Lou Brock never stole home in his entire career. Mike Shannon has done it. So has Tim McCarver. Glenn Brummer in '82. Just to name a few.)
Hughes also got some home run support from the top of the order. Lou Brock connected with one out in the third (no runners on base). Then Curt Flood put the icing on the cake with a two-out three-run blast in the fifth-inning. That was it.
By the way, Hughes finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Tom Seaver - who had already become a celebrity by the All Star break, pitching for the New York Mets - edged him out.
Sunday, May 26, 2013 - This was the rubber game of a three-game series between the St Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers at beautiful Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers had their ace, Clayton Kershaw on the mound; the Cardinals countered with rookie Shelby Miller.
In the end, the final score: Pete Kozma 5 - Adrian Gonzalez 3.
Kozma was 4 for 4 (3 doubles) - 2 runs scored - 3 runs batted in - His first double in the second-inning came with the bases loaded and turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 Cardinal lead. He doubled again in the seventh and scored on a Matt Carpenter base hit, which put the Cardinals in the lead again, 4-3. Then he capped off his day with his third double in the ninth-inning, and came in to score the final run of the game on a Matt Adams base hit.
Miller, who was victimized by Gonzalez with a two-run first-inning home run and a fifth-inning run-scoring single, left the game after getting one out in the sixth-inning, with the game tied, Kozma 3 - Gonzalez 3.
Kershaw pitched seven full innings; just long enough for Kozma to score the go-ahead run, which meant he stayed in the game long enough to take the loss. A well-timed relief appearance by Seth Maness (4-1) got him the win. Seth's pitching line: 1 IP - 2 H - 0 R - 2 BB - 0 SO - In other words, after bailing Miller out in the sixth-inning, he had to be bailed out in the seventh, with runners on first and third - one out.
Enter Trevor Rosenthal from the St Louis bullpen. After plunking Andre Ethier to load the bases, Rosenthal blew some 98 mph gas past Mark Ellis and Skip Schumaker to end the Dodger threat. He also worked a scoreless eighth-inning, before turning the ball over to closer Edward Mujica who got his 14th save of the season.
By season's end, Rosenthal had taken over the closer's role in the St Louis bullpen, and Pete Kozma had stopped hitting. But on this late May Sunday afternoon in LA, 43,244 Dodger fans had to be impressed with the Cardinal shortstop's uncanny hitting prowess. Against Clayton Kershaw, no less.
Sunday, May 27, 2012 - It was a sunny, hot and muggy Sunday afternoon in St Louis. Perfect weather for launching a few home runs at Busch Stadium III. Attempting to prevent such activity was Roy Halladay for the Philadelphia Phillies and Adam Wainwright for the home team.
Halladay immediately put himself into a bases loaded, two-out jam in the first-inning, with Yadier Molina stepping into the batter's box - and then stepping into a belt-high fastball that sailed over the wall for a grand slam home run. Halladay's day was going to be a short one - 2 IP - 4 H - 4 R - 1 BB - 0 SO - 1 HR
Wainwright fared a bit better. After missing the entire 2011 season from Tommy John Surgery, Waino struggled through 2012, trying to regain his arm strength and stamina. Staked to that nice 4-0 lead, he was able to make it through six innings with minimal damage - just one run on seven hits.
In the meantime, the Cardinals were still playing long ball. In the fifth-inning, Carlos Beltran hit one out deep to right center field with two runners on, then Matt Adams led off the sixth with a moon shot out to right field. That would be all the scoring for St Louis - 8 runs - all coming via the home run.
The Phillies scored a couple of meaningless runs late in the game, but this one had essentially ended with Molina's first-inning grand salami. Final score: St Louis 8 - Philadelphia 3
Halladay (4-5) took the loss, as his career was rapidly winding down. Wainwright (4-5) got the win, but he knew he still had his work cut out for him to get back to where he needed to be. It's safe to say he was heading in the right direction.
Friday, August 23, 2013
August 23, 1982: This Date in St Louis Cardinals Championship History
August 23, 1982: In the first game of a three-game series between the host St Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Redbirds used timely hitting and capitalized on four Dodgers errors to cruise to an easy 11-3 victory. Every St Louis position player had at least one hit in the game, and with the exception of Tommy Herr and Ken Oberkfell, drove in at least one run. Reserve catcher Gene Tenace led the attack with four RBIs, while his battery mate, Bob Forsch (13-7) pitched 7.1 innings - was charged with three runs on seven hits; didn't walk any batters, and struck out two. In other words, a typical Bob Forsch game.
After the Cardinals jumped on Dodgers starter Jerry Reuss (12-10) for four runs in the third-inning, Forsch kept LA at bay through seven innings, holding a 5-1 lead entering the eighth. After yielding a run on two hits while retiring one batter, manager Whitey Herzog brought in relief specialist Bruce Sutter to nail the win down. Although an inherited runner scored on a two-base hit, making the score 5-3, Sutter was able to retire the next two batters to end the threat. The Cardinals made things easy for Bruce by plating six runs of their own in the bottom half of the eighth-inning, aided by more sloppy Dodgers defense.
Preserving an 11-3 win for the Cards may have been the easiest save (27) of Sutter's career. Still, by today's standards, a five-out save is considered almost heroic; perhaps even a bit desperate. Nowadays, most teams have specialists to nail down the final three innings. Herzog used Sutter in the highest leverage situations, and more often than not, the National League's premier closer and his remarkable split-fingered fastball delivered the save. In this particular outing, the future Hall of Fame relief ace struck out four batters in 1.2 innings of work. He allowed two hits (both doubles), walked none, and was charged with no runs. The Dodgers managed nine hits in the game, but with no free passes and no fielding miscues to capitalize on, they were unable to muster enough offense to threaten the future World Series champions.
The Redbirds dropped the final two games of the series at Busch Stadium to the Dodgers; the season series went LA's way as well in 1982, with the Cards winning five games, while losing seven. As it played out, the Atlanta Braves barely slipped past the Dodgers by a single game in the NL West that year, so it would be Atlanta - not LA - advancing to the NLCS to face the Cardinals. The Braves had to feel confident squaring off against the Redbirds, as they also held the edge in the season series - winning seven of the eleven games; however, the postseason is a different animal, and the Cards became beasts in sweeping Atlanta out of the postseason in three exciting NLCS games.
Whether or not the Cardinals would have whipped the Dodgers in a postseason showdown, as well, is anybody's guess. The showdown between the two iconic franchises would have to wait three years to become a reality. That one went decisively in favor of the Cards, four games to two. Many considered the 1985 edition of the Cardinals to be even better than the World Champions of 1982. Maybe Herzog's '82 squad got a bit lucky in the postseason; maybe not so lucky in '85.
Thanks to this shellacking administered by St Louis to Los Angeles on this date in 1982, the possibility of a Cardinals - Dodgers NLCS ultimately never materialized. That one may or may not have turned out so well for the Redbirds.
We'll never know, but it's always fun to consider the possibilities.
After the Cardinals jumped on Dodgers starter Jerry Reuss (12-10) for four runs in the third-inning, Forsch kept LA at bay through seven innings, holding a 5-1 lead entering the eighth. After yielding a run on two hits while retiring one batter, manager Whitey Herzog brought in relief specialist Bruce Sutter to nail the win down. Although an inherited runner scored on a two-base hit, making the score 5-3, Sutter was able to retire the next two batters to end the threat. The Cardinals made things easy for Bruce by plating six runs of their own in the bottom half of the eighth-inning, aided by more sloppy Dodgers defense.
Preserving an 11-3 win for the Cards may have been the easiest save (27) of Sutter's career. Still, by today's standards, a five-out save is considered almost heroic; perhaps even a bit desperate. Nowadays, most teams have specialists to nail down the final three innings. Herzog used Sutter in the highest leverage situations, and more often than not, the National League's premier closer and his remarkable split-fingered fastball delivered the save. In this particular outing, the future Hall of Fame relief ace struck out four batters in 1.2 innings of work. He allowed two hits (both doubles), walked none, and was charged with no runs. The Dodgers managed nine hits in the game, but with no free passes and no fielding miscues to capitalize on, they were unable to muster enough offense to threaten the future World Series champions.
The Redbirds dropped the final two games of the series at Busch Stadium to the Dodgers; the season series went LA's way as well in 1982, with the Cards winning five games, while losing seven. As it played out, the Atlanta Braves barely slipped past the Dodgers by a single game in the NL West that year, so it would be Atlanta - not LA - advancing to the NLCS to face the Cardinals. The Braves had to feel confident squaring off against the Redbirds, as they also held the edge in the season series - winning seven of the eleven games; however, the postseason is a different animal, and the Cards became beasts in sweeping Atlanta out of the postseason in three exciting NLCS games.
Whether or not the Cardinals would have whipped the Dodgers in a postseason showdown, as well, is anybody's guess. The showdown between the two iconic franchises would have to wait three years to become a reality. That one went decisively in favor of the Cards, four games to two. Many considered the 1985 edition of the Cardinals to be even better than the World Champions of 1982. Maybe Herzog's '82 squad got a bit lucky in the postseason; maybe not so lucky in '85.
Thanks to this shellacking administered by St Louis to Los Angeles on this date in 1982, the possibility of a Cardinals - Dodgers NLCS ultimately never materialized. That one may or may not have turned out so well for the Redbirds.
We'll never know, but it's always fun to consider the possibilities.
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