What do Andy Messersmith, Jim Kaat, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Joaquin Andujar and Fernando Valenzuela have in common?
They were all NL Gold Glove Award-winning pitchers who didn't deserve the honor. In each case, the Gold Glove Award should have gone to just one guy: Rick Reuschel. All told, ten seasons of Gold Glove snubs are represented by these six fine NL pitchers (Messersmith and Kaat both won two in a row, and Niekro won three in a row).
How did this happen? It may sound preposterous, but I have it figured out.
Andy Messersmith: GG in '74 and '75 for no real reason; at least it had nothing to do with actually "fielding" his position well. His Range Factor of 1.91 in '74 was slightly better than league average (1.88). He followed that up with a 1.51 in '75, which was significantly worse than league average. Let's face it: He was chosen simply because he was a high profile free agent who was signed by the Dodgers in '74 - and they went on to play (and lose) in the World Series. Somehow, the aura of all that notoriety lasted for another season; hence, the ridiculous second GG.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.77 Range Factor in '74 and a 2.95 in '75.
Jim Kaat: GG in '76 and '77 for no real reason; except his reputation from all those GG seasons in the AL carried over in his first two seasons in the NL. Kaat's Range Factor for both seasons was exactly 1.46. These would be the last of 16 Gold Glove Awards Kaat would bag. He actually deserved the first four.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.63 RF in '76 and a 2.57 in '77.
Phil Niekro: 3 straight GG - '78 (2.21 RF) - '79 (2.29 RF) & '80 (1.90 RF). Niekro had never won before, so it was simply his time. He was very good with the glove, but somebody else was better.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.52 RF in '78, a 2.86 RF in '79 and a 2.94 RF in '80. Do we detect a trend yet?
Steve Carlton was about as "high profile" as it gets for a pitcher in '81. He was a taciturn World Series champion in '80 and he was closing in on the 3000 career strikeout plateau. Of course, that has nothing to do with "fielding" - which Carlton rarely did that season (1.18 RF).
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.59 RF in '81. Can you believe it?
Reuschel was out of commission for the '82 and '83 seasons. When he came back in '84, he was still leading the NL with a 2.53 RF, but '82 World Series champion Joaquin Andujar posted a respectable 2.38 RF to take home the Gold. He was colorful, and that's good enough here, folks.
By 1985, the opposing coaches and managers in the NL finally realized this Rick Reuschel fellow was pretty darned good with the glove. He won GG number one with a 2.97 RF.
Fernando Valenzuela: GG in '86 with a very nice 2.54 RF. He almost deserved it.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.84 RF in '86, so it appears he should have won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards. But no.
However, Reuschel led the NL with a 2.50 RF in '87. Not coincidentally, his team - the San Francisco Giants - just happened to play the Cardinals in that season's NLCS, thus creating the perfect candidate for the GG: Big Daddy!
For his career, the underrated Reuschel had a career 2.52 RF (compared to NL average 1.89 RF). In the National League, only Greg Maddux was a better fielding pitcher in the history of the Gold Glove Award. He was a guy who deserved all 18 of his Gold Gloves; proving that sometimes, they do get it right.
Showing posts with label Steve Carlton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Carlton. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, September 15, 2014
September 15: Road Wins for the '60's Pennant Winners
Tuesday, September 15, 1964 - At County Stadium (Ray Sadecki - Game One Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Milwaukee Braves (Tony Cloninger - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 5,843
In the first game of a doubleheader with the Milwaukee Braves, Mike Shannon broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth-inning with a two-out three-run home run off Tony Cloninger (16-13) - en route to an 11-6 win. Ray Sadecki (17-10) certainly had better games, but managed to record the win, with 2.2 innings of relief help from Barney Schultz - who picked up his seventh save of the season.
Game Two Starting Pitchers: Bob Gibson vs Wade Blasingame
The Cardinals completed the sweep, with a 3-1 win in the nightcap.
Trailing 1-0 with two out in the seventh-inning, Julian Javier's two-run home run off Wade Blasingame (5-5) put the Cardinals in front to stay. Dick Groat's RBI double in the eighth-inning scored Curt Flood with an insurance run.
Gibson (16-10) went the distance - yielding the one lone run on four hits. He walked four and struck out twelve, as St Louis (82-63) picked up a half game in the standings on first-place Philadelphia (88-57) - 1-0 winners in Houston.
The Cardinals were still six games behind the Phillies - with just seventeen games to be played.
Friday, September 15, 1967 - At Crosley Field (Steve Carlton - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Cincinnati Reds (Gary Nolan - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 13,797
The Cardinals drew one step closer to clinching the National League pennant, as Steve Carlton (14-8) was brilliant - tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout in the Redbirds' 4-0 win over the Reds.
Mike Shannon broke a scoreless tie - connecting for a three-run home run in the third-inning off Gary Nolan (13-7). Later that inning, Carlton helped his own cause with an RBI single - scoring Javier from second. But tonight, he obviously didn't need the insurance.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals (92-56) now led the pack by 10.5 games with just fourteen games remaining on the schedule. They would clinch the pennant in Game 151 - in Philadelphia.
Sunday, September 15, 1968 - At The Astrodome (Steve Carlton - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Houston Astros (Don Wilson - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 16,638
In Game 151, the Cardinals clinched the National League pennant with a 7-4 win over the Astros. Steve Carlton (14-8) wasn't nearly as sharp as he was one year earlier, but he went the distance - recovering from a first-inning two-run home run he served up to Jim Wynn - to hold the Astros in check while his teammates heated up the offense.
Trailing 2-1 in the third-inning, Roger Maris gave the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish - with a two-run home run off Don Wilson (13-15). Maris also added a sacrifice fly, as the Redbirds tacked on four more runs - giving Carlton a nice cushion - before Houston scored a couple of meaningless late-inning runs.
Curt Flood had a flawless day at the plate - with five singles in five plate appearances - scoring two runs, and driving in one. Last season's NL MVP - Orlando Cepeda - had two hits - good for two RBI - and later led the Cardinals in their post game champagne-soaked clubhouse celebration.
In two full seasons playing in St Louis, Cepeda became an all-time fan favorite - but would be traded to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre, shortly before the start of the '69 season. For Cepeda and the Braves, the trade was a good one. Atlanta would reach the postseason before being eliminated by the New York Mets in the first-ever NLCS.
Torre played well for the Cardinals - but the team never quite made it to the postseason during his six year tenure in St Louis. An aging group of core players and some bad trades turned the franchise into also-rans in the '70's.
In the first game of a doubleheader with the Milwaukee Braves, Mike Shannon broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth-inning with a two-out three-run home run off Tony Cloninger (16-13) - en route to an 11-6 win. Ray Sadecki (17-10) certainly had better games, but managed to record the win, with 2.2 innings of relief help from Barney Schultz - who picked up his seventh save of the season.
Game Two Starting Pitchers: Bob Gibson vs Wade Blasingame
The Cardinals completed the sweep, with a 3-1 win in the nightcap.
Trailing 1-0 with two out in the seventh-inning, Julian Javier's two-run home run off Wade Blasingame (5-5) put the Cardinals in front to stay. Dick Groat's RBI double in the eighth-inning scored Curt Flood with an insurance run.
Gibson (16-10) went the distance - yielding the one lone run on four hits. He walked four and struck out twelve, as St Louis (82-63) picked up a half game in the standings on first-place Philadelphia (88-57) - 1-0 winners in Houston.
The Cardinals were still six games behind the Phillies - with just seventeen games to be played.
Friday, September 15, 1967 - At Crosley Field (Steve Carlton - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Cincinnati Reds (Gary Nolan - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 13,797
The Cardinals drew one step closer to clinching the National League pennant, as Steve Carlton (14-8) was brilliant - tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout in the Redbirds' 4-0 win over the Reds.
Mike Shannon broke a scoreless tie - connecting for a three-run home run in the third-inning off Gary Nolan (13-7). Later that inning, Carlton helped his own cause with an RBI single - scoring Javier from second. But tonight, he obviously didn't need the insurance.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals (92-56) now led the pack by 10.5 games with just fourteen games remaining on the schedule. They would clinch the pennant in Game 151 - in Philadelphia.
Sunday, September 15, 1968 - At The Astrodome (Steve Carlton - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Houston Astros (Don Wilson - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 16,638
In Game 151, the Cardinals clinched the National League pennant with a 7-4 win over the Astros. Steve Carlton (14-8) wasn't nearly as sharp as he was one year earlier, but he went the distance - recovering from a first-inning two-run home run he served up to Jim Wynn - to hold the Astros in check while his teammates heated up the offense.
Trailing 2-1 in the third-inning, Roger Maris gave the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish - with a two-run home run off Don Wilson (13-15). Maris also added a sacrifice fly, as the Redbirds tacked on four more runs - giving Carlton a nice cushion - before Houston scored a couple of meaningless late-inning runs.
Curt Flood had a flawless day at the plate - with five singles in five plate appearances - scoring two runs, and driving in one. Last season's NL MVP - Orlando Cepeda - had two hits - good for two RBI - and later led the Cardinals in their post game champagne-soaked clubhouse celebration.
In two full seasons playing in St Louis, Cepeda became an all-time fan favorite - but would be traded to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre, shortly before the start of the '69 season. For Cepeda and the Braves, the trade was a good one. Atlanta would reach the postseason before being eliminated by the New York Mets in the first-ever NLCS.
Torre played well for the Cardinals - but the team never quite made it to the postseason during his six year tenure in St Louis. An aging group of core players and some bad trades turned the franchise into also-rans in the '70's.
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.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Niekro, Blyleven & Stieb - Flying Under the Cy Young Award Radar
How underrated was Phil Niekro? In three different seasons - 1974 - '78 - '79 - he posted the highest WAR among all National League pitchers - 7.8 - 10.0 - 7.6 - but never won a Cy Young Award.
In 1977, his 8.9 WAR was second only to Rick Reuschel's 9.4 - and neither of them won the CYA - it went to Steve Carlton, who posted a 5.9 WAR. Niekro, in fact, never even got a single vote that year.
For the entire decade of the '70's, Niekro and his knuckle-ball flew under the Cy Young Award radar, despite the fact that his 64.7 WAR for a pitcher was second only to Tom Seaver's 67.1 - a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Yet with all of his accomplishments throughout his long and illustrious career, Phil Niekro didn't even get enough votes for Cooperstown until his fifth try.
Bert Blyleven - another underrated great pitcher and prankster - had to wait nearly 15 years before he finally got in.
In 1973, his 9.9 WAR was tops in the American League, but in the CYA voting that year - the man with perhaps the greatest curve-ball in history - finished a distant seventh.
In the strike-shortened '81 season, Rollie Fingers won both the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards, with a 4.2 WAR. Blyleven's 5.6 WAR led the way for pitchers - yet received nary a CYA vote.
In '84, his 7.2 WAR was second only to Dave Stieb's 7.9 - and neither of them won the CYA - although Blyleven finished third - and Stieb - another highly underrated pitcher - finished seventh. Relief pitcher Willie Hernandez and his 4.8 WAR won it that year.
In 1989, at the advanced age of 38, Blyleven had the second highest WAR among AL pitchers - 6.0 - yet finished fourth in the CYA voting. At least this time, the pitcher with the highest WAR - Bret Saberhagen (9.7) - won the Cy Young Award. Imagine that.
Dave Stieb - at least for three straight seasons - may have been the most underrated pitcher in major league history. From 1982 to 1984, Stieb was the best pitcher in the American League, but never came close to winning a Cy Young Award. In 1982, however, The Sporting News named him Pitcher of the Year - an honor usually bestowed upon a Cy Young Award winner...
Stieb's greatest claim to fame came with having two no-hitters and one perfect game broken up in the ninth-inning - just one out shy of nailing down all three. No quitter - he finally got one on September 2, 1990 - the only one in Toronto Blue Jays history.
Time to examine another batch of Cy Young Awards. Niekro, Blyleven and Stieb had a lot of company in getting snubbed - including three rookies and a future Hall of Fame reliever who got snubbed as a starter - and should have been snubbed as a low-WAR reliever.
PART TWO - Revising CYA History (1976 - 1985) - 5 Out of 20 Correct Picks According to WAR
The year was 1976. A free-spirited Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher - Mark "The Bird" Fidrych - captivated the nation with his antics - most notably, his frequent in-game-on-the-mound conversations with baseballs - with explicit instructions on what he wanted them to do. Apparently, they listened.
Fidrych was not only the best pitcher in major league baseball in 1976, he was the best all-around player in the American League - period - with a 9.6 WAR as proof.
Coincidentally, in the National League, Joe Morgan was putting together his second straight MVP season with an identical 9.6 WAR.
However, Fidrych was runner-up to Jim Palmer (6.6 WAR) for the Cy Young Award, while Thurman Munson (5.3 WAR) won the Most Valuable Player Award.
Of course, The Bird took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award - with the highest WAR ever recorded by a rookie - until Mike Trout came along in 2012 - posting his astounding 10.8 WAR.
That same year - 1976 - San Francisco Giants pitcher - John "The Count" Montefusco - the '75 NL Rookie of the Year (6.4 WAR) - rejected any notion of experiencing a sophomore jinx in his second full season. His 6.9 WAR was the highest for any National League pitcher in '76 - but Randy Jones (4.8 WAR) took home the CYA - while The Count's CYA vote count was zero.
Here are the rest of the CYA winners (through '85) - along with evidence (if applicable) that indicates another pitcher deserved to win (more often than not):
1977 (AL) - Sparky Lyle (3.7) - Frank Tanana (8.3)
1977 (NL) - Steve Carlton (5.9) - Rick Reuschel (9.4)
1978 (AL) - Ron Guidry (9.6)
1978 (NL) - Gaylord Perry (4.3) - Phil Niekro (10.0)
1979 (AL) - Mike Flanagan (3.9) - Dennis Eckersley* (7.3)
1979 (NL) - Bruce Sutter (4.9) - Phil Niekro (7.6)
(*For Eckersley, who probably deserved to win the CYA in '79, this makes up for the one he'd get in '92 for no good reason.)
1980 (AL) - Steve Stone (4.0) - Britt Burns (7.0)*
1980 (NL) - Steve Carlton (10.2)
(*Burns was a Chicago White Sox rookie in 1980, and despite the high WAR, only finished 5th in the ROY voting.)
1981 (AL) - Rollie Fingers (4.2) - Bert Blyleven (5.6)
1981 (NL) - Fernando Valenzuela (4.8) - Steve Carlton (5.5)
1982 (AL) - Pete Vuckovich (2.8) - Dave Stieb (7.7)
1982 (NL) - Steve Carlton (5.5) - Steve Rogers (7.7)
1983 (AL) - Lamar Hoyt (3.7) - Dave Stieb (7.0)*
1983 (NL) - John Denny (7.4)
(*Stieb's reward for being the best AL pitcher in '82 without winning the CYA was to be completely snubbed by voters in '83 - despite once again, being the league's best pitcher.)
1984 (AL) - Willie Hernandez (4.8) - Dave Stieb (7.9)*
1984 (NL) - Rick Sutcliffe (3.9) - Dwight Gooden (5.5)**
(*Stieb's reward for being the best pitcher in the American League for the third straight year was a seventh place finish in this year's CYA race. Whoopee.)
(**Gooden was good enough to go back-to-back. See below.)
1985 (AL) - Bret Saberhagen (7.3)
1985 (NL) - Dwight Gooden (12.1)*
(*Gooden was so good in '85, he posted the highest WAR of any pitcher since the CYA was established in 1956.)
Up Next: Part Three (1986 - 1995) - Two More Overrated Closers & Other Surprises
In 1977, his 8.9 WAR was second only to Rick Reuschel's 9.4 - and neither of them won the CYA - it went to Steve Carlton, who posted a 5.9 WAR. Niekro, in fact, never even got a single vote that year.
For the entire decade of the '70's, Niekro and his knuckle-ball flew under the Cy Young Award radar, despite the fact that his 64.7 WAR for a pitcher was second only to Tom Seaver's 67.1 - a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Yet with all of his accomplishments throughout his long and illustrious career, Phil Niekro didn't even get enough votes for Cooperstown until his fifth try.
Bert Blyleven - another underrated great pitcher and prankster - had to wait nearly 15 years before he finally got in.
In 1973, his 9.9 WAR was tops in the American League, but in the CYA voting that year - the man with perhaps the greatest curve-ball in history - finished a distant seventh.
In the strike-shortened '81 season, Rollie Fingers won both the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards, with a 4.2 WAR. Blyleven's 5.6 WAR led the way for pitchers - yet received nary a CYA vote.
In '84, his 7.2 WAR was second only to Dave Stieb's 7.9 - and neither of them won the CYA - although Blyleven finished third - and Stieb - another highly underrated pitcher - finished seventh. Relief pitcher Willie Hernandez and his 4.8 WAR won it that year.
In 1989, at the advanced age of 38, Blyleven had the second highest WAR among AL pitchers - 6.0 - yet finished fourth in the CYA voting. At least this time, the pitcher with the highest WAR - Bret Saberhagen (9.7) - won the Cy Young Award. Imagine that.
Dave Stieb - at least for three straight seasons - may have been the most underrated pitcher in major league history. From 1982 to 1984, Stieb was the best pitcher in the American League, but never came close to winning a Cy Young Award. In 1982, however, The Sporting News named him Pitcher of the Year - an honor usually bestowed upon a Cy Young Award winner...
Stieb's greatest claim to fame came with having two no-hitters and one perfect game broken up in the ninth-inning - just one out shy of nailing down all three. No quitter - he finally got one on September 2, 1990 - the only one in Toronto Blue Jays history.
Time to examine another batch of Cy Young Awards. Niekro, Blyleven and Stieb had a lot of company in getting snubbed - including three rookies and a future Hall of Fame reliever who got snubbed as a starter - and should have been snubbed as a low-WAR reliever.
PART TWO - Revising CYA History (1976 - 1985) - 5 Out of 20 Correct Picks According to WAR
The year was 1976. A free-spirited Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher - Mark "The Bird" Fidrych - captivated the nation with his antics - most notably, his frequent in-game-on-the-mound conversations with baseballs - with explicit instructions on what he wanted them to do. Apparently, they listened.
Fidrych was not only the best pitcher in major league baseball in 1976, he was the best all-around player in the American League - period - with a 9.6 WAR as proof.
Coincidentally, in the National League, Joe Morgan was putting together his second straight MVP season with an identical 9.6 WAR.
However, Fidrych was runner-up to Jim Palmer (6.6 WAR) for the Cy Young Award, while Thurman Munson (5.3 WAR) won the Most Valuable Player Award.
Of course, The Bird took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award - with the highest WAR ever recorded by a rookie - until Mike Trout came along in 2012 - posting his astounding 10.8 WAR.
That same year - 1976 - San Francisco Giants pitcher - John "The Count" Montefusco - the '75 NL Rookie of the Year (6.4 WAR) - rejected any notion of experiencing a sophomore jinx in his second full season. His 6.9 WAR was the highest for any National League pitcher in '76 - but Randy Jones (4.8 WAR) took home the CYA - while The Count's CYA vote count was zero.
Here are the rest of the CYA winners (through '85) - along with evidence (if applicable) that indicates another pitcher deserved to win (more often than not):
1977 (AL) - Sparky Lyle (3.7) - Frank Tanana (8.3)
1977 (NL) - Steve Carlton (5.9) - Rick Reuschel (9.4)
1978 (AL) - Ron Guidry (9.6)
1978 (NL) - Gaylord Perry (4.3) - Phil Niekro (10.0)
1979 (AL) - Mike Flanagan (3.9) - Dennis Eckersley* (7.3)
1979 (NL) - Bruce Sutter (4.9) - Phil Niekro (7.6)
(*For Eckersley, who probably deserved to win the CYA in '79, this makes up for the one he'd get in '92 for no good reason.)
1980 (AL) - Steve Stone (4.0) - Britt Burns (7.0)*
1980 (NL) - Steve Carlton (10.2)
(*Burns was a Chicago White Sox rookie in 1980, and despite the high WAR, only finished 5th in the ROY voting.)
1981 (AL) - Rollie Fingers (4.2) - Bert Blyleven (5.6)
1981 (NL) - Fernando Valenzuela (4.8) - Steve Carlton (5.5)
1982 (AL) - Pete Vuckovich (2.8) - Dave Stieb (7.7)
1982 (NL) - Steve Carlton (5.5) - Steve Rogers (7.7)
1983 (AL) - Lamar Hoyt (3.7) - Dave Stieb (7.0)*
1983 (NL) - John Denny (7.4)
(*Stieb's reward for being the best AL pitcher in '82 without winning the CYA was to be completely snubbed by voters in '83 - despite once again, being the league's best pitcher.)
1984 (AL) - Willie Hernandez (4.8) - Dave Stieb (7.9)*
1984 (NL) - Rick Sutcliffe (3.9) - Dwight Gooden (5.5)**
(*Stieb's reward for being the best pitcher in the American League for the third straight year was a seventh place finish in this year's CYA race. Whoopee.)
(**Gooden was good enough to go back-to-back. See below.)
1985 (AL) - Bret Saberhagen (7.3)
1985 (NL) - Dwight Gooden (12.1)*
(*Gooden was so good in '85, he posted the highest WAR of any pitcher since the CYA was established in 1956.)
Up Next: Part Three (1986 - 1995) - Two More Overrated Closers & Other Surprises
Monday, May 12, 2014
This Day in St Louis Cardinals History: May 2, 1971 - May 3, 1967 - May 4, 1964 - 2 Shutouts & Why Gibson Didn't Win 20 in '64
May 2, 1971 - Imagine a game with the two teams combining for 17 hits, two walks and four errors. That's what the St Louis Cardinals and Montreal Expos produced on this beautiful Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium II, with a modest crowd of 10,320 to witness the action. The starting pitchers - Carl Morton for the Expos and Steve Carlton for the Redbirds - seemed to thrive on surviving peril; both pitched complete games and the only run scored in the game was of the "unearned" variety.
The offensive outburst happened in the bottom of the third-inning, as Lou Brock (who was 3 for 4 with a stolen base) singled to center, advanced to second on a Luis Melendez tapper back to the pitcher (Brock was trying to steal), then moved up to third (he was trying to steal again) when Ted Simmons just got a piece of the pitch to roll it into fair territory; the catcher made the putout. In case you were wondering, Brock had never successfully stolen home in his entire career. In this particular situation, it wasn't necessary.
Joe Torre then hit a routine grounder to the shortstop which was kicked for a costly error; no RBI for Torre (who led the league with 137 in '71), but a run nonetheless for the Redbirds, who now led 1-0. Curiously, Torre would be 0 for 4 in this game as his batting average dipped to .350; he'd end up at .363 to win the batting title as well as becoming the National League's MVP.
This single run would prove to be the lone tally for the entire game. The pitching lines for both starters were strikingly similar:
Morton - 8 IP - 8 H - 1 R - 0 ER - 1 BB - 3 SO
Carlton - 9 IP - 9 H - 0 R - 0 ER - 1 BB - 2 SO
Carlton allowed at least one hit in every inning, except the ninth, when he set the Expos down in order to secure the win; improving to 5-1 (1.82 ERA) on the young season. He would go on to win 20 games for the Cardinals that season, and at the age of 26, seemed destined to become the ace of the Cardinals staff, with the current ace, Bob Gibson already in his mid-thirties; Gibby would call it quits after the '75 season, shortly before his 40th birthday.
However, when Carlton had the audacity to ask for a $10,000 raise prior to the 1972 season, an outraged team owner, Gussie Busch ordered general manager Bing Devine to trade "the sob"; thus ensuring the Cardinals would be also-rans for the next ten years; until Busch had the good fortune to bring Whitey Herzog on board to run things in the early eighties. Before accepting the job, Whitey made it clear to the cantankerous Busch he alone would be running the show - no mandated trades or other such nonsense (like the Steve Carlton fiasco, for example).
May 3, 1967 - If Steve Carlton's 9-hit shutout of the Expos was somewhat nerve-wracking, the one spun by Cardinals starter Ray Washburn seemed like a walk in the park, by comparison. The first-place Cincinnati Reds were in town to take on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium II, with 14,879 on hand to witness a game that would be over in a snappy one hour and forty minutes.
The Cardinals only mustered six hits and one walk in this game, but half of the hits and the lone base on balls occurred in the fourth-inning, off Reds starter, Milt Pappas. The Redbird rally began with a one-out bunt single by Roger Maris - a guy previously known for hitting the long ball during his New York Yankees playing days. Orlando Cepeda then banged a double down the left-field line to move Maris to third base. After Tim McCarver was intentionally walked, Mike Shannon foiled the strategy by singling in Maris and Cepeda, to put the Cardinals up 2-0. That was all the scoring in this one.
For Cardinals starter Ray Washburn, two runs was more than enough; his complete game two-hit shutout of Cincinnati gave him his first win of the season (he had two losses) and improved the second-place Cardinals' record to 11-7 - two games behind the Reds (15-7). This would prove to be the only shutout Washburn would bag in '67, but it came at a time when the Cardinals were looking to stay close to a team that seemed poised to run away with things in the National League. As it turned out, it would be St Louis running away with things this year. But who knew?
May 4, 1964 - With 7,437 in attendance at Busch Stadium I, the Cardinals played host to the Philadelphia Phillies. Neither starting pitcher - Philadelphia's Dennis Bennett nor the Cardinals' Bob Gibson - lasted very long in this game; Bennett was knocked out after just 2.1 innings, allowing five hits (including one home run) and five runs; Gibson only pitched four innings, allowing three hits and just one run. His early exit from the game had nothing to do with his pitching performance. It had everything to do with getting drilled by a Jack Baldschun fastball as he was leading off the fourth-inning. As a precaution, manager Johnny Keane removed an irritated Gibson from the game, just one inning shy of qualifying for the win. The fact that the very next hitter, Carl Warwick, homered to give St Louis a 7-1 lead, made the fuming Gibson even more indignant about this early exit.
The Cardinals would go on to score nine runs in this contest, while reliever Roger Craig (5 IP - 5 H - 1 R - 1 BB - 2 SO) was the beneficiary of this easy win, improving to 2-0 on the young season. Curt Flood and Tim McCarver also homered in this game, while Ken Boyer had three hits good for four RBI, en route to a league leading 119 RBI for the year; while bagging the NL MVP Award to go with his World Series championship ring.
For Gibson, the '64 season was certainly a memorable one, capped off by a World Series MVP honor, featuring a brand spanking new Chevrolet Corvette as part of the package. However, his quest for attaining a 20-win season would have to wait another year. Thanks in large part to his early exit in this game, Gibby won just 19 games in '64.
The offensive outburst happened in the bottom of the third-inning, as Lou Brock (who was 3 for 4 with a stolen base) singled to center, advanced to second on a Luis Melendez tapper back to the pitcher (Brock was trying to steal), then moved up to third (he was trying to steal again) when Ted Simmons just got a piece of the pitch to roll it into fair territory; the catcher made the putout. In case you were wondering, Brock had never successfully stolen home in his entire career. In this particular situation, it wasn't necessary.
Joe Torre then hit a routine grounder to the shortstop which was kicked for a costly error; no RBI for Torre (who led the league with 137 in '71), but a run nonetheless for the Redbirds, who now led 1-0. Curiously, Torre would be 0 for 4 in this game as his batting average dipped to .350; he'd end up at .363 to win the batting title as well as becoming the National League's MVP.
This single run would prove to be the lone tally for the entire game. The pitching lines for both starters were strikingly similar:
Morton - 8 IP - 8 H - 1 R - 0 ER - 1 BB - 3 SO
Carlton - 9 IP - 9 H - 0 R - 0 ER - 1 BB - 2 SO
Carlton allowed at least one hit in every inning, except the ninth, when he set the Expos down in order to secure the win; improving to 5-1 (1.82 ERA) on the young season. He would go on to win 20 games for the Cardinals that season, and at the age of 26, seemed destined to become the ace of the Cardinals staff, with the current ace, Bob Gibson already in his mid-thirties; Gibby would call it quits after the '75 season, shortly before his 40th birthday.
However, when Carlton had the audacity to ask for a $10,000 raise prior to the 1972 season, an outraged team owner, Gussie Busch ordered general manager Bing Devine to trade "the sob"; thus ensuring the Cardinals would be also-rans for the next ten years; until Busch had the good fortune to bring Whitey Herzog on board to run things in the early eighties. Before accepting the job, Whitey made it clear to the cantankerous Busch he alone would be running the show - no mandated trades or other such nonsense (like the Steve Carlton fiasco, for example).
May 3, 1967 - If Steve Carlton's 9-hit shutout of the Expos was somewhat nerve-wracking, the one spun by Cardinals starter Ray Washburn seemed like a walk in the park, by comparison. The first-place Cincinnati Reds were in town to take on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium II, with 14,879 on hand to witness a game that would be over in a snappy one hour and forty minutes.
The Cardinals only mustered six hits and one walk in this game, but half of the hits and the lone base on balls occurred in the fourth-inning, off Reds starter, Milt Pappas. The Redbird rally began with a one-out bunt single by Roger Maris - a guy previously known for hitting the long ball during his New York Yankees playing days. Orlando Cepeda then banged a double down the left-field line to move Maris to third base. After Tim McCarver was intentionally walked, Mike Shannon foiled the strategy by singling in Maris and Cepeda, to put the Cardinals up 2-0. That was all the scoring in this one.
For Cardinals starter Ray Washburn, two runs was more than enough; his complete game two-hit shutout of Cincinnati gave him his first win of the season (he had two losses) and improved the second-place Cardinals' record to 11-7 - two games behind the Reds (15-7). This would prove to be the only shutout Washburn would bag in '67, but it came at a time when the Cardinals were looking to stay close to a team that seemed poised to run away with things in the National League. As it turned out, it would be St Louis running away with things this year. But who knew?
May 4, 1964 - With 7,437 in attendance at Busch Stadium I, the Cardinals played host to the Philadelphia Phillies. Neither starting pitcher - Philadelphia's Dennis Bennett nor the Cardinals' Bob Gibson - lasted very long in this game; Bennett was knocked out after just 2.1 innings, allowing five hits (including one home run) and five runs; Gibson only pitched four innings, allowing three hits and just one run. His early exit from the game had nothing to do with his pitching performance. It had everything to do with getting drilled by a Jack Baldschun fastball as he was leading off the fourth-inning. As a precaution, manager Johnny Keane removed an irritated Gibson from the game, just one inning shy of qualifying for the win. The fact that the very next hitter, Carl Warwick, homered to give St Louis a 7-1 lead, made the fuming Gibson even more indignant about this early exit.
The Cardinals would go on to score nine runs in this contest, while reliever Roger Craig (5 IP - 5 H - 1 R - 1 BB - 2 SO) was the beneficiary of this easy win, improving to 2-0 on the young season. Curt Flood and Tim McCarver also homered in this game, while Ken Boyer had three hits good for four RBI, en route to a league leading 119 RBI for the year; while bagging the NL MVP Award to go with his World Series championship ring.
For Gibson, the '64 season was certainly a memorable one, capped off by a World Series MVP honor, featuring a brand spanking new Chevrolet Corvette as part of the package. However, his quest for attaining a 20-win season would have to wait another year. Thanks in large part to his early exit in this game, Gibby won just 19 games in '64.
Friday, April 25, 2014
6 Thrilling April (13th - 18th) Victories in St Louis Cardinals History
April 13, 1968 - A Saturday afternoon game for the Cardinals at Wrigley Field had an ominous beginning, but a familiar ending for the defending World Champions - another come-from-behind victory at the expense of their long-suffering rivals - the Chicago Cubs.
Steve Carlton started the game for St Louis, who failed to score in their half of the first-inning; and before most of the paid crowd of 33,875 even had a chance to get settled into their seats, the Cubbies had chased four runs home - capped off by Ron Santo's three-run home run into the left field bleachers. Carlton would make it through seven innings, and managed to keep Santo & Company at bay the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Cardinals pecked away, scoring one in the second on a Dick Simpson home run, two in the third on RBI base hits by Orlando Cepeda and Tim McCarver, and another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Curt Flood. The game was all tied, and the Redbirds had the momentum. In the eighth, pinch hitter Phil Gagliano's two-run single broke the deadlock, as the inspired Cardinals went on to score four times, putting the game out of reach. Chicago scored an unearned run in their half of the eighth, but it was too little, too late. Final score: 8-5.
The hitting star of the game was Curt Flood, who had five singles in five at bats, scored one run and drove in two. All told, the Cardinals had sixteen hits - thirteen of which were singles - and they drew three walks, for good measure. This type of offense would certainly prove to be the "exception" in '68 - The Year of the Pitcher - but it was still early in the season; the Cardinals didn't know any better.
April 14, 1970 - Just two years and one day removed from that Saturday game at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals had undergone major changes to its roster. Gone: Curt Flood, Tim McCarver, Orlando Cepeda and Roger Maris. Added: Dick Allen, Joe Torre, Joe Hague and Jose Cardenal. On paper, this seemed like a contending team; in reality, by season's end, it was a sub .500 team. However, on this particular day, the Redbirds were looking good, and came away with a 10-inning 6-5 win over the visiting Montreal Expos; good for a 4-2 record in the new season.
With a small crowd of just 9,891 on hand at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals staked pitcher Bob Gibson to a quick 3-0 lead after two innings. For a while, that seemed to be enough for the ace right-hander, but after surrendering a run in the sixth-inning, Gibson simply ran out of gas in the seventh, facing four batters; retiring none. He was charged with the three runs Montreal scored, and suddenly was on the wrong side of a 4-3 deficit. As a hitter, Gibby fared much better, collecting 2 hits in 3 ABs, scoring one run and driving home another. The Montreal lead was short-lived, as Jose Cardenal's solo home run in the bottom of the seventh tied the game at 4-4, and got Gibson off the hook.
The game remained deadlocked after regulation, but only one extra inning was required to settle this contest. After the Expos pushed a run across off reliever Sal Campisi (the eventual winning pitcher) in the top half of the tenth, the Cardinals came roaring back in the bottom half to win it in "walk-off" fashion. A Jim Campbell RBI single tied the game once again, and with the bases loaded and one out, pinch hitter Cookie Rojas' infield single to third base sent what was left of the small gathering, back to their nice, warm homes.
April 15, 1980 - Ten years and one day after St Louis won that 10-inning affair in front of that small partisan crowd, an even smaller crowd (8,166) ventured out to see the Cardinals clobber the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, by a score of 7-2. Pete Vuckovich, who pitched a complete game 1-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day (April 10), went the distance for the second straight start, limiting the Phillies to five hits and a walk, while striking out three. Both runs Philadelphia scored were of the "earned" variety, raising the colorful right hander's ERA to 1.00 on the young season. He also handled the bat well on this particular day, doubling home a couple of runs to ensure a postgame interview on Jack Buck's Star of the Game program. Honorable mention goes to 1979's NL co-MVP, Keith Hernandez (3 for 3 with a triple and 2 singles, BB, 1 R, 1 RBI).
Despite all that offense by the home team (12 hits & 3 walks), the hyperactive Vuckovich wrapped up this contest in just an hour and 57 minutes. No muss, no fuss; no visits to the mound to discuss strategy, and no long walks in from the bullpen by a handful of relief specialists. Alas, in the long run, this team would prove to be a high-scoring bunch of misfits with not enough pitching - especially in the back end of the bullpen. That problem would be solved by the time the '81 season began (Bruce Sutter in a trade with the Cubs), and a whole new era of Cardinal baseball (spearheaded by Whitey Herzog) would make the '80s a very successful decade for this franchise; and give fans a reason to show up for the games.
April 16, 1981 - The aforementioned Bruce Sutter would earn his second save as a Redbird (2.2 IP - 1 H - 0 R - 0 BB - 2 SO) in this game between the visiting Cardinals and the still-hapless New York Mets at Shea Stadium. The final score: 5-1, as all five of the St Louis runs came as a result of the long ball - a game-tying solo shot by Darrell Porter, and a pair of two-run blasts by silent George Hendrick and future Met Keith Hernandez. Rookie Andy Rincon (6.1 IP - 6 H - 1 R (unearned) - 1 BB - 2 SO) earned his first career major league win, but arm trouble would end his promising career just a few weeks later; proving that success at this level can be fleeting, especially if the injury bug decides to bite.
On the other side of the equation was the Mets' starting (and losing) pitcher - Mike Scott, who remained injury-free yet toiled in futility with New York; but after a trade to the Houston Astros, became one of the most dominant pitchers in the game over a five year stretch (1985 - 1989), winning the NL Cy Young Award in 1986, and almost preventing his old team's trip to the World Series in a classic NLCS. Former Cardinal-future teammate-future adversary Keith Hernandez later accused the crafty Scott of scuffing the baseballs to make his pitches break in suspicious and nearly unhittable trajectories. Nothing was ever proven, but whatever he was or wasn't doing with the Mets wasn't working; however, whatever tricks he learned with the Astros worked quite well, thank you very much.
Meanwhile, the strike-shortened 1981 season would be a frustrating one for St Louis, who had the best overall record in the NL East, but failed to qualify for postseason play because they finished second in each newly-created "half". Justice was served the following season, as a very good but not "great" team managed to win when it counted, all the way through a Seven Game World Series showdown with a colorful team from Milwaukee.
Steve Carlton started the game for St Louis, who failed to score in their half of the first-inning; and before most of the paid crowd of 33,875 even had a chance to get settled into their seats, the Cubbies had chased four runs home - capped off by Ron Santo's three-run home run into the left field bleachers. Carlton would make it through seven innings, and managed to keep Santo & Company at bay the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Cardinals pecked away, scoring one in the second on a Dick Simpson home run, two in the third on RBI base hits by Orlando Cepeda and Tim McCarver, and another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Curt Flood. The game was all tied, and the Redbirds had the momentum. In the eighth, pinch hitter Phil Gagliano's two-run single broke the deadlock, as the inspired Cardinals went on to score four times, putting the game out of reach. Chicago scored an unearned run in their half of the eighth, but it was too little, too late. Final score: 8-5.
The hitting star of the game was Curt Flood, who had five singles in five at bats, scored one run and drove in two. All told, the Cardinals had sixteen hits - thirteen of which were singles - and they drew three walks, for good measure. This type of offense would certainly prove to be the "exception" in '68 - The Year of the Pitcher - but it was still early in the season; the Cardinals didn't know any better.
April 14, 1970 - Just two years and one day removed from that Saturday game at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals had undergone major changes to its roster. Gone: Curt Flood, Tim McCarver, Orlando Cepeda and Roger Maris. Added: Dick Allen, Joe Torre, Joe Hague and Jose Cardenal. On paper, this seemed like a contending team; in reality, by season's end, it was a sub .500 team. However, on this particular day, the Redbirds were looking good, and came away with a 10-inning 6-5 win over the visiting Montreal Expos; good for a 4-2 record in the new season.
With a small crowd of just 9,891 on hand at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals staked pitcher Bob Gibson to a quick 3-0 lead after two innings. For a while, that seemed to be enough for the ace right-hander, but after surrendering a run in the sixth-inning, Gibson simply ran out of gas in the seventh, facing four batters; retiring none. He was charged with the three runs Montreal scored, and suddenly was on the wrong side of a 4-3 deficit. As a hitter, Gibby fared much better, collecting 2 hits in 3 ABs, scoring one run and driving home another. The Montreal lead was short-lived, as Jose Cardenal's solo home run in the bottom of the seventh tied the game at 4-4, and got Gibson off the hook.
The game remained deadlocked after regulation, but only one extra inning was required to settle this contest. After the Expos pushed a run across off reliever Sal Campisi (the eventual winning pitcher) in the top half of the tenth, the Cardinals came roaring back in the bottom half to win it in "walk-off" fashion. A Jim Campbell RBI single tied the game once again, and with the bases loaded and one out, pinch hitter Cookie Rojas' infield single to third base sent what was left of the small gathering, back to their nice, warm homes.
April 15, 1980 - Ten years and one day after St Louis won that 10-inning affair in front of that small partisan crowd, an even smaller crowd (8,166) ventured out to see the Cardinals clobber the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, by a score of 7-2. Pete Vuckovich, who pitched a complete game 1-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day (April 10), went the distance for the second straight start, limiting the Phillies to five hits and a walk, while striking out three. Both runs Philadelphia scored were of the "earned" variety, raising the colorful right hander's ERA to 1.00 on the young season. He also handled the bat well on this particular day, doubling home a couple of runs to ensure a postgame interview on Jack Buck's Star of the Game program. Honorable mention goes to 1979's NL co-MVP, Keith Hernandez (3 for 3 with a triple and 2 singles, BB, 1 R, 1 RBI).
Despite all that offense by the home team (12 hits & 3 walks), the hyperactive Vuckovich wrapped up this contest in just an hour and 57 minutes. No muss, no fuss; no visits to the mound to discuss strategy, and no long walks in from the bullpen by a handful of relief specialists. Alas, in the long run, this team would prove to be a high-scoring bunch of misfits with not enough pitching - especially in the back end of the bullpen. That problem would be solved by the time the '81 season began (Bruce Sutter in a trade with the Cubs), and a whole new era of Cardinal baseball (spearheaded by Whitey Herzog) would make the '80s a very successful decade for this franchise; and give fans a reason to show up for the games.
April 16, 1981 - The aforementioned Bruce Sutter would earn his second save as a Redbird (2.2 IP - 1 H - 0 R - 0 BB - 2 SO) in this game between the visiting Cardinals and the still-hapless New York Mets at Shea Stadium. The final score: 5-1, as all five of the St Louis runs came as a result of the long ball - a game-tying solo shot by Darrell Porter, and a pair of two-run blasts by silent George Hendrick and future Met Keith Hernandez. Rookie Andy Rincon (6.1 IP - 6 H - 1 R (unearned) - 1 BB - 2 SO) earned his first career major league win, but arm trouble would end his promising career just a few weeks later; proving that success at this level can be fleeting, especially if the injury bug decides to bite.
On the other side of the equation was the Mets' starting (and losing) pitcher - Mike Scott, who remained injury-free yet toiled in futility with New York; but after a trade to the Houston Astros, became one of the most dominant pitchers in the game over a five year stretch (1985 - 1989), winning the NL Cy Young Award in 1986, and almost preventing his old team's trip to the World Series in a classic NLCS. Former Cardinal-future teammate-future adversary Keith Hernandez later accused the crafty Scott of scuffing the baseballs to make his pitches break in suspicious and nearly unhittable trajectories. Nothing was ever proven, but whatever he was or wasn't doing with the Mets wasn't working; however, whatever tricks he learned with the Astros worked quite well, thank you very much.
Meanwhile, the strike-shortened 1981 season would be a frustrating one for St Louis, who had the best overall record in the NL East, but failed to qualify for postseason play because they finished second in each newly-created "half". Justice was served the following season, as a very good but not "great" team managed to win when it counted, all the way through a Seven Game World Series showdown with a colorful team from Milwaukee.
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