August 5, 1964 & 1967 - Two For Tuesday

Wednesday, August 5, 1964 - At Busch Stadium I (Gordie Richardson - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Chicago Cubs (Bob Buhl - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  11,614

Even the most die-hard of Cardinal fans old enough to remember much about the '64 season, probably don't remember a 25-year old rookie left-handed pitcher by the name of Gordie Richardson - who made his major league debut on July 26, 1964 - getting a complete game victory (6-1) over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a double-header at Connie Mack Stadium.  The Cardinals would also win the second game to inch closer to the top of the standings - although few really considered them a legitimate contender at the time.

Hindsight tells us that every single game the Cardinals somehow managed to win that year was absolutely necessary in their quest for the NL pennant.  Richardson certainly did his part by starting six games for St Louis late that season, and was used for relief duty, as well.  It's highly unlikely the Cardinals would have made it to the top of the National League without his contributions - a 4-2 record with a stellar 2.30 ERA in 47 IP.  His reward for his efforts was to be traded to the lowly New York Mets in the off season - and after two unsuccessful seasons, Richardson's career was over before his 28th birthday.  That's the harsh reality of the vast majority of major league baseball careers - they usually don't last very long.  Of course, many players never get the chance to be part of a world championship team - especially in their rookie year.  I'm pretty sure this rookie enjoyed the brief time in the limelight.

Of course, there wasn't much limelight for young Gordie to deal with as he took the mound against the visiting Cubs on this hot August night.  Less than 12,000 fans bothered to attend this game - an obvious indication that pennant fever hadn't infected Cardinal Nation.  That would change in a few weeks.

For now, the rookie was just trying to survive a shaky start to this game.  After issuing a lead-off walk to Joe Amalfitano, the next Cubs batter - Leo Burke - hit a ground ball to third baseman Ken Boyer.  Instead of turning two, Boyer bobbled the ball - allowing Burke to reach first safely as Amalfitano advanced to second.  Richardson struck out the next batter - Billy Williams - but Ron Santo drove in the first run with a single, then Ernie Banks singled in another run - an unearned run - to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals got one run back in their first trip to the plate.  After Cubs starter Bob Buhl struck out Julian Javier, then Lou Brock to start the bottom of the first - Bill White singled - and so did Ken Boyer - to put runners on first and second for Curt Flood, who scored White with a base hit of his own, as Boyer advanced to third.

Then, with Mike Shannon batting, Boyer tried to steal home - unsuccessfully.  I'll bet Harry Caray went nuts in the KMOX broadcast booth on that one.  Time for another ice-cold Busch.

The score remained 2-1 in favor of Chicago when the Cardinals came to bat in the fifth-inning.  Javier coaxed a one-out walk off a tiring Buhl, then Brock lined a single to left - putting runners on first and second for Bill White - who promptly hit one on the pavilion roof for a three-run home run, to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead they would never relinquish - but things got a bit dicey the next time the Cubs came to bat.

Richardson had some trouble of his own in the sixth-inning.  Santo led-off with a single to left field, then Banks walked - putting two on and nobody out.  Manager Johnny Keane wisely decided to bring in a fresh arm - replacing his starter with reliever Bob Humphreys - yet another unsung hero for the Redbirds in '64.

The veteran reliever had a stellar '64 season for St Louis - going 2-0 with a 2.54 ERA in 42.2 IP.  He also had two saves - and got one of them in this game.  Humphreys not only got out of the sixth-inning unscathed, he also kept the Cubs off the board for the balance of the game.  All told, he allowed just two hits in four innings - walking none and striking out three.  Now that's a save!

As a footnote to the July 26 arrival of Gordie Richardson - at the time, the Cards were just a .500 ball-club (48-48).  However, they would finish with a NL-best 45-21 record with more than just a little help from guys like Gordie and Humpreys - to catapult them into the World Series.

Saturday, August 5, 1967 - At Busch Stadium II (Ray Washburn - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Cincinnati Reds (Mel Queen - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  48,019

Exactly three years after the now-retired Gordie Richardson defeated the Cubs in front of a sparse gathering at the old ballpark on Grand and Dodier - the Cardinals played a twelve-inning marathon at their new downtown ballpark which nearly 50,000 fans turned out to witness.  It was worth the wait, as the Cards walked-off with the win, thanks to a pinch hit single from an unlikely player - backup catcher Dave Ricketts.

The Cardinals scored first in this game, when back-to-back doubles by Lou Brock and Curt Flood staked Ray Washburn to an early 1-0 lead.  Reds starter Mel Queen retired the next three batters after Flood's two-base hit - to keep it just a one run deficit.

It was still a 1-0 ballgame when the Reds came to bat in the sixth-inning.  A lead-off double by Tommy Harper was followed by Vada Pinson's two-run blast - to give Cincinnati its first lead of the game:  2-1.

However, the Redbirds quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, off a tiring Mel Queen.  With one out, Brock tripled - then Flood doubled, to tie the game.  After Roger Maris walked, Orlando Cepeda hit one deep to center - but Pinson tracked it down for the out.  After the catch, Flood tagged up and advanced to third.

At this point, Reds manager Dave Bristol brought Cool Billy McCool in from the bullpen to pitch to Tim McCarver - but the strategy was foiled when McCarver lined a single to right - scoring Flood with the go-ahead run.  It was now a 3-2 St Louis lead - but not for long.

After Washburn walked Harper to start the eighth-inning for the Reds, manager Red Schoendienst brought in Joe Hoerner from the Cards' bullpen to face Pinson - who moved Harper to second with a sacrifice bunt.  Next up - the relentless Pete Rose - he tied the game once again with a base hit - but Hoerner was able to escape further damage in the inning - and through the tenth-inning, as well.

Ron Willis then relieved Hoerner to start the eleventh - holding Cincinnati scoreless for the next couple of innings.  He would be the winning pitcher - improving to 4-3 after his nice work.

The fifth pitcher of the game for the Reds - Don Nottebart - retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the twelvth - Tim McCarver - on a ground ball right back from where it came.  Mike Shannon then singled to start a one-out rally.  Phil Gagliano followed that with an infield hit down the third base line, to put runners on first and second.  Dal Maxvill then grounded one to shortstop Tommy Helms, which should have been an inning-ending double play.  Instead, Helms booted it - loading the bases for pinch hitter Dave Ricketts.

Ricketts had seven pinch hits in '67 - and this one was his most significant - a line drive base hit to center field to score Shannon with the extra-inning walk-off winning run.  It was a long night for the Cardinals, but for the fans who stuck around past their bedtimes, it was worth the wait.

July 6, 1967 - Thrilling Come-From-Behind Walk-Off Winner Over Reds

Thursday, July 6, 1967 - At Busch Stadium II (Dick Hughes - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Cincinnati Reds (Mel Queen - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  26,131

The Cardinals had to overcome a pair of fielding miscues along with some poor base running - to walk-off with a thrilling 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds - a game that was loaded with rarities.

Cincinnati struck first, in shocking fashion - with one out in the third-inning.  Back-up catcher Jim Coker - playing in his ninth and final major league season - shocked everybody - including himself - with a triple - his first since 1960 - and the last one he'd ever hit.

With pitcher Mel Queen now batting, Reds manager Dave Bristol put the squeeze play on; however, Queen's bunt was so well-placed, by the time Tim McCarver retrieved it, not only had the runner from third scored, Queen was safe at first with a single.

Next, Bristol immediately put Queen in motion, stealing second - as a befuddled shortstop Dal Maxvill completely missed the throw from McCarver - allowing Queen to ramble all the way in to score the second run of the inning on the error.  Queen would steal one more base in '67 - and that would be his grand total for eight major league seasons.

However, the Cardinals were a resilient bunch in 1967 - striking back with long-ball power in the fourth-inning.  After Roger Maris drew a lead-off walk, Orlando Cepeda hit one deep to left to tie the game, 2-2.  Tim McCarver followed with a home run of his own, giving the Cardinals a temporary 3-2 lead on the back-to-back long balls.

The Reds - also a resilient bunch - bounced back in the sixth-inning, after the first two batters were retired.  Pete Rose tripled, then Tony Perez hit a mammoth home run over the wall in left-center to suddenly make it a 4-3 Cincinnati lead.  After Maxvill committed his second error of the game, on a ground ball off the bat of Deron Johnson, he was given the rest of the night off.  Luckily, that error didn't lead to further scoring.

Unfortunately, Maxvill's replacement had trouble fielding the position, as well.

After St Louis failed to score off Queen in the sixth and seventh, Cincinnai added another unearned run in the eighth-inning - off reliever Ron Willis.  With one out, Rose singled, then took third as the defensive replacement at  shortstop - Eddie Bressoud - booted a ground ball off the bat of Perez.  Johnson then singled to center field, scoring Rose with another unearned run, as Perez held up at second.

With the Reds already up by two runs, Cardinal manager Red Schoendienst brought in lefty Joe Hoerner to restore order - and he did - getting Art Shamsky on a popup to short and Dick Simpson on a called strike three.

With the Cardinals now trailing, 5-3 - Cepeda led-off the eighth-inning with a single to left field - but was out at second - unwisely trying to stretch it into a double.  When McCarver was retired on a lazy fly ball to center for the second out of the inning, some of the fans started heading for the exits.

But then a tiring Queen hit Mike Shannon with a pitch, bringing Julian Javier to the plate.  Javier, who hit a career-high 14 home runs in 1967, hit one of them here to tie the game - and send the crowd into a state of delirium - as many of those vacated seats once again became occupied.

After Hoerner (4-2) set the Reds down in order in their half of the ninth-inning, the Redbirds finished them off in the bottom half, off reliever Bob Lee (1-2).  With one out, lead-off hitter Bobby Tolan - playing in place of Lou Brock, who was given a rare night off - singled, then promptly stole second.  With first base open, Curt Flood drew a base on balls.  Maris tried to end it with a line drive to left, but Shamsky made a nice catch for the second out.

But then Cepeda - seeking redemption for unwisely testing the arm of left fielder Shamsky one inning earlier - delivered the game-winning single to center field - easily scoring  the speedy Tolan from second base - as Cards' broadcaster Harry Caray spewed his patented "Cardinals win!" summation a half dozen times to a blissful Cardinal Nation listening over the air waves.

Tonight's win earned the first-place Cardinals a split of the four-game series with the Reds - sending them packing, still four games back.  Meanwhile, the second-place Cubs also lost, moving them a game and a half off the pace.  For the Cardinals, this was the biggest win of the year - but there would be many more "biggest win of the year" games to follow in the not-too-distant future.

Greene's Game Winner Silences Critics

When asked to explain his somewhat unorthodox approach to hitting, Yogi Berra supposedly once said, "Ninety percent of hitting is half mental."  Behind all the zaniness of the irrepressible Berra was a ballplayer with terrific hand - eye coordination, who used that natural ability to become one of the greatest hitting catchers of all time.  He rarely allowed his mind to be burdened with outside distractions or an over-analysis of his hitting technique.  When asked what he was thinking whenever he was in the batters box, Yogi responded, "Think!  How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"

Nowadays of course, many fine hitters watch hours upon hours of video, trying to figure out what they were either doing right or wrong in their approach to hitting at any given time, and armed with that information, take appropriate action.  For some - "the thinkers" - this is a very helpful tool; for others, Yogi Berra's "non-thinking" approach produces the best results.

That "non-thinking" approach certainly worked for baseball's all-time hit king, Pete Rose, who shared his perspective in a recent interview with sportswriter Michael Dolan:

"I never watched myself hit on video and I never hit a ball off a tee, and I got 4200 fucking hits.  I mean, a guy strikes out on a ball that bounces in front of home plate, and he runs into the dugout to watch it on video.  Why the fuck would you put yourself through that?

I used to get texts from A-Rod a few years back.  A-Rod would say things like 'I don't know what's going on, Pete.  I'm hitting inside the ball.'  I would say, 'Alex, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.'  You can't think about hitting all the time.  Calm down!  I would tell him that you've got to just get a pitch and hit the fucking ball hard somewhere."

Let's face it; not all hitters are convinced that simple approach works best for them, especially when they're not hitting well; especially for extended periods of time.  So they continue tinkering with their swing and continue trying new batting stances, until they find something that seems to work.  Quite often they would have made so many adjustments, they come full-circle and return to an approach that worked well for them earlier in their careers, but abandoned at the first sign of a slump.

"Slump?  I ain't in no slump.  I just ain't hitting."  That's how Yogi responded to a Yankees beat reporter who was pestering the three-time AL Most Valuable Player about his uncharacteristically slow start, early in the 1957 season.  The previous year was one of Berra's finest, tying a career high with 30 home runs while driving in 105.  Yogi also hit a solid .298, but most importantly, racked up a career high .534 slugging percentage.

It was bound to happen; after an impressive nine-year run (1948-1956) in which Berra averaged 106 RBI per season, the 32-year old Yankees catcher had his worst season in 1957, establishing career lows in three key offensive categories:  RBI (82), BA (.251), and SLG (.438).  That last number really stands out, since it's nearly 100 points less than the slugging percentage Yogi produced just one year earlier.  It's also the best yardstick for measuring a hitter's true offensive productivity.  Not only had Berra begun hitting for a lower average, his extra-base power was diminishing, as well; not uncommon for players on the wrong side of thirty.

When an aging player experiences a noticeable drop-off in production, the problem is often exasperated by drastic changes the player usually incorporates into his normal routine, designed to "fix" things.  Typically, with all the changes happening, the player becomes confused and frustrated; especially if the fans and the media are constantly harping on what is perceived to be a prolonged "slump".  Confused and frustrated players are usually unproductive hitters; that's why they're confused and frustrated to begin with!  Unfortunately, by the time they start figuring things out again, their season is usually deemed a failure; especially, if they're an over-hyped superstar in the first year of a long-term multi-million dollar contract that seemed to come with a postseason guarantee as part of the deal.

Quite possibly, the pressure to succeed for some players is so intense, they self-destruct; especially when playing in front 40,000 now-hostile home fans, who boo them on every strikeout, pop-out, or error.  That could explain why Cardinals second baseman Tyler Greene has had little success playing at Busch Stadium; while perhaps his finest hour came in a two-home run multiple-hit game in Houston earlier this year.  ***UPDATE:  Speak of the devil; Tyler's 2-out-2-run-8th-inning bomb was a game winner in St Louis! With the Cardinals already mired in a four-game losing streak, and only four outs away from losing their fifth straight game - at home - to the worst road team in the NL - the San Diego Padres - Greene's opposite field blast off a pitch clocked at 100 mph in front of 40,360 delirious fans, has now become the beleaguered second baseman's finest hour.

Or it could explain why a young and talented Kansas City Royals team endured that mysterious twelve-game losing streak earlier this year in front of their adoring fans at Kaufman Stadium; yet have played quite well on the road, away from the distractions they encounter at home.

Or it could explain why even a seasoned team like the Boston Red Sox have had so much difficulty playing in front of their rabid Fenway Park fans; but when they hit the road, they start winning with relative ease, away from all the noise of talk radio.

Quite possibly, the best solution for players going through any prolonged periods of poor performance is to stop thinking about it.  That's easier said than done; especially when they constantly hear the outcry of public sentiment proclaiming them to be a bum.  Of course, the larger the market, the louder the outcry.  That may explain why some players simply don't feel comfortable playing under the intense scrutiny of New York or Boston, but thrive in more laid-back environments like Pittsburgh or Houston.

"Paralysis from analysis" can be a debilitating barrier to success in any endeavor; especially in a sport like baseball that requires split-second execution and timing.  The slightest bit of indecision on any given play can be disastrous; that state of mind usually occurs when players spend so much time thinking about every little thing they need to do, they overload their brains with useless information, and don't seem to do anything right.  If they were somehow unaware of their inability to perform their job description in a satisfactory manner, the fans would certainly remind them.

If more players would only heed the words of wisdom from both Yogi Berra and Pete Rose; to keep things simple; the quality of play would certainly improve, and the fans would really appreciate it.  That's a real no-brainer.  ***Finally; let's hope Tyler Greene will keep fans in St Louis cheering, rather than jeering his play.  The Cardinals needed him to come through last night in order to escape another bitter defeat; he did it, in dramatic fashion.  Lets hope this is the start of something big for Greene and the Redbirds!