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.

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.

August 14, 1971 - The Bob Gibson No-Hitter

Saturday, August 14, 1971 - At Three Rivers Stadium (Bob Gibson - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Pittsburgh Pirates (Bob Johnson - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  30,678

Bob Gibson had never given much thought to his prospects of pitching a no-hitter.  It didn't happen in '68 - when he had one of the most dominant seasons by a starting pitcher in baseball history.  Now, three years later - at the age of thirty-five - he was still a very good pitcher, but well past his prime.  His only concern was trying to catch the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates - a team loaded with talent and holding a 5.5 game lead over St Louis prior to this game.

The Cardinals jumped all over Pirates starter Bob Johnson for five runs on four hits in just one-third of an inning - knocking him out of the game after Joe Hague knocked a three-run home run out of the park.  In that small sample size, Johnson's earned run average was 135.00 - in case you were wondering.

The next pitcher for Pittsburgh - Bob Moose - made it through the the fourth-inning before running into more trouble in the fifth.  Ted Kubiak's two-run double scored Torre and Simmons - and Kubiak eventually scored from third on Gibson's sacrifice fly.

The next "Bob" to enter the game - Bob Veale - made it through eight innings - and like Moose, gave up three runs in his last inning of work.  A bases loaded walk to Dal Maxvill preceded Gibson's two-run single - padding the lead to 11-0.

All those unnecessary runs weren't the big story in this game.  By the time the Cardinals had scored their final run of the game, Gibson still hadn't allowed a hit.  The first batter to reach base was Milt May - who stuck out on a wild pitch in the second-inning - then reached first before Simmons could even make a throw.  Gibson would strike out two other batters in the inning - en route to a ten strikeout game.

The only other base runners for Pittsburgh came via the base on balls:  Jackie Hernandez in the third-inning - Willie Stargell in the fourth - and Bob Robertson in the seventh.

The strikeout victims:  Stargell (three times) - Robertson (twice) - May, Hernandez, Moose, Sands and Clines (one apiece).

The only "non-Bob" to pitch in this game was Gibson's former teammate - Nelson Briles - who was the pitcher the Cardinals added to the starting rotation back in '67 - when Gibson suffered a broken leg on a vicious line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente.  Briles pitched a scoreless ninth, then watched in admiration from the Pirates' dugout as his former mentor - Gibby - got the final three outs to get that elusive no-hitter.

Gibson's final pitch of the game was a called third strike to Willie Stargell - who may not have liked the call -  but deep down inside, was happy to see his fierce rival make history.

For the joyous Cardinals, they would close out the four game series sweep on Sunday - with a come-from-behind 6-4 win - to close within 3.5 games of first in the NL East.  But that would be as close as they'd get, as the Pirates regrouped from this temporary setback to easily take the division title - then went on to win a classic seven-game World Series over Baltimore.

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

June 12, 2005 - Seabol's Only Career HR a Game Winner Over Yankees

The life of a big league ballplayer is rarely as glamorous as most people envision.  For Scott Seabol - a 21-year old infielder who signed with the New York Yankees in the 1996 amateur draft - his life was anything but glamorous.  After toiling in the Yankees system for five years, his shot with the big club finally arrived on April 8, 2001.

The Yankees were hammering the Toronto Blue Jays, 13-5, in the sixth-inning of a game played at Yankee Stadium, when manager Joe Torre decided to give veteran outfielder David Justice the rest of the night off.  With that, Seabol entered the game as a pinch hitter to face the zany Dan Plesac, who retired the kid on a pop fly to the second baseman.

That was the extent of his major league career with New York.

After signing a free agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002 - he never made the big club, was released in 2003 - then immediately signed with the Cardinals.  After spending another couple of years kicking around the minors, Seabol got another chance to live the glamorous life of a big league ballplayer in 2005 - at the age of 30.

Seabol appeared in 59 games for Tony LaRussa in 2005 - mostly as a backup infielder - in what would prove to be his final season as a major league player.  The highlight of his very brief career came in a game against his original team - the New York Yankees - on:

Sunday, June 12, 2005 - At Busch Stadium III:  This was the rubber game of a three-game series between the New York Yankees and St Louis Cardinals - two iconic rivals who had faced each other five times between 1926 and 1964 in World Series competition.  Every regular season inter-league game since has been infused with a definite postseason atmosphere - and today was no exception, as 50,372 red-clad fans packed the house, hoping Cards starter Matt Morris could contain the mighty Yankees' lineup.

The Cardinals struck first off Yankees stater Carl Pavano in the third-inning - when Yadier Molina doubled, advanced to third on Morris' sacrifice bunt, and scored on David Eckstein's single.  That would be the only run Pavano would allow in his six innings of work.

New York tied the game in the fifth-inning, on a two-out Alex Rodriguez RBI double - scoring former Cardinal Tony Womak from first.  For Morris, that too, would be the only run he'd allow in six innings of work.

With Alberto Reyes now pitching for St Louis, Derek Jeter began the Yankees' seventh with a double, but remained at second as Reyes retired the next two batters.  LaRussa then summoned lefty Ray King out of the bullpen to face the dangerous Hideki Matsui - who promptly drove in the run with a single to right.

With Tanyon Sturtze now pitching for the Yankees - trying to preserve a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh- the Cardinals got something started, with a one-out single by Molina - his second hit of the game.

LaRussa then sent Scott Seabol in to pinch hit for Ray King - who was currently on the hook for a possible loss.  Instead, the former-Yankee draftee hit the first - and only - home run of his major league career - putting King (1-1) - who completed one-third of an inning of work - suddenly in a position to win the game.

In Seabol's childhood fantasies, maybe this home run took place in the Seventh Game of the World Series, to win it for his team.  Yet, as he circled the bases with more than 50,000 fans going crazy on this Sunday afternoon in St Louis, this had to be the next best thing.

Later in the inning, Jim Edmonds added a two-out two-run double off reliever Mike Stanton to pad the Redbirds' lead to 5-2 - which shrunk to 5-3 in the New York eighth-inning, after Jorge Posada's solo home run off Julian Tavarez.

But that was the old ball game.  Jason Isringhausen retired the Yankees in order in the ninth, to earn his 18th save, and make Scott Seabol a bit of a hero in Cardinal Nation, for at least a day.

This Day in St Louis Cardinals History - June 7, 1970 - Gibson Catches a Break - Simmons Hits 1st Career HR

Sunday, June 7, 1970 - At Busch Stadium II:  It's safe to say Bob Gibson didn't catch many breaks in '68 when he won only 22 games with a ridiculous 1.12 ERA.  Two years later, he managed to win 23 games with an ERA of 3.12.  Go figure.

One of those 23 wins happened in this game against the not-so-talented San Diego Padres, who had Gibson on the ropes early - but let him get off the hook late - resulting in an ugly 10-7 win for the man who was still the best pitcher in the National League.

In this game, a young catcher by the name of Ted Simmons - who would hit just .243 in 82 games - had a big day today in helping his battery mate snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  Or something like that.

The Padres quickly jumped out in front in this game, scoring three second-inning runs - two of which were unearned runs, thanks to an error by Joe Torre, who was trying to handle the hot corner today.  Later, in the dugout, Gibson and Torre exchanged pleasantries regarding such things as the weather, where they would be having dinner tonight, and how to field ground balls, etc.

Torre, trying to atone for his error, drove in a third-inning run with a single, as Gibson sneered in the Cardinals' dugout, "You needed to hit that one out!"

The Padres then jumped on Gibson for three hits and a pair of walks in the fourth-inning to score four earned runs, to take a commanding 7-1 lead.  In the dugout afterwards, Torre was overheard saying, "Don't blame me this time!"  Gibson replied, "You still owe me one!"

An irritated Gibson kept San Diego scoreless over the next two innings, when Torre led off the St Louis sixth with a ringing double down the left field line.  The next batter - a 20-year old Ted Simmons - trying to get on the good side of the surly Gibby - blasted his first major league home run to cut the deficit to 7-3.  With bravado, the excited kid from Michigan told his seasoned battery mate, "Don't worry man; we're gonna pull this one out!"  Torre and Lou Brock - lurking right behind Gibson - were doing their best to keep a straight face as Gibson sneered, "That would be oh-so-lovely!"

After Gibson worked a scoreless seventh against the suddenly quiet San Diego lineup, he was due to lead-off the bottom half.  Without hesitation, he worked his way towards the bat rack but was intercepted by manager Red Schoendienst, who told him, "Gibby, I'm gonna have Vic bat for you."

Ironically, Gibson was having one of his best years at the plate in '70 - on his way to hitting .303 with a couple of home runs and 19 RBI.  He was even used to pinch hit six times that season.  But the decision by Schoendienst is probably the reason Gibson would wind up winning - not losing - today's game.

Gibson - now a spectator - glared at pinch hitter Vic Davalillo - the diminutive Venezuelan who would lead the National League with 24 pinch hits in '70.  Davalillo just smiled and said, "Don't worry, man; I'm gonna get a hit for you!"  Brock chimed in, "Me too!"

As it turned out, Vic and Lou both had two hits in the seven-run seventh - as San Diego manager Preston Gomez used four different pitchers to try to stop the onslaught.  But the damage had been done - Jose Cardenal drove in one run, Torre two, Simmons yet another, Leron Lee drove in two more, and Davalillo's second hit drove in the seventh, and final run in the lucky seventh-inning for Bob Gibson - whose expression brightened considerably by the time it was over.

Torre and Brock couldn't help themselves - tormenting Gibson mercilessly between innings; and Gibson was enjoying every minute of it.  The 18,474 fans in attendance were definitely enjoying every minute of the game now, after that miraculous seven-run outburst.

Relievers Frank Linzy and Ted Abernathy (S-2) preserved the Gibson win - one of a league-leading 23 wins for the 34-year old Cardinal ace - who would win his second NL Cy Young Award that year; ironically, pitching for a team that finished 10 games under .500 that year.  Go figure.