This story begins on May 1, 1954. A little over two weeks into the season, the National League was bunched up, with nobody making a strong early run. The New York Giants were in St. Louis for an early season double header. They were not prepared for what the Cardinals would unleash on them. Or, more specifically, a Cardinal.

May 1, 1954

The Cardinals would get out to a quick lead in the first game, helped by a Stan Musial solo home run in the third inning. The Giants would roar back, taking a 5-4 lead of their own on back to back home runs to start the fifth inning. The lead would not last long when Stan Musial answered with his second home run of the game – this time a 2 run shot. Later that inning, one of the best nicknames in baseball, Peanuts Lowrey, would pinch hit for Cardinals starter, Gerry Staley.

Stan the Giants Killer

Al Brazle would take over for Staley, but would also be unable to hold the lead. With the game tied at six, the outcome of the first game would be determined when Stan Musial steps up to the plate in the 8th inning with 2 on and nobody out. Musial hits a three run homer, to give the Cardinals a 9-6 lead. The Cardinals would tack on another run, but it was Musial’s blasts that made this game so special.

Stan would go a perfect 4-4 with a walk, three home runs and 6 RBIs.

Oh wait, there is still another game to be played.

That one would not be so kind to the Cardinals. Joe Presko and two relievers gave up 8 runs in the top of the 4th inning, and the Giants would win the game easily. The 9 Giants runs are not the story here, it is the 7 runs the Cardinals would put up.

Trailing 8-3 in the fifth inning, Red Schoendienst would lead off the inning with a triple. Stan Musial would follow that with a 2 run homer, his fourth on the day. His RBI total is now 8. He is not done. Leading off the seventh inning, Musial would hit his second home run of the day off Hoyt Wilhelm, establishing a new major league record of five home runs on the day.

Sitting somewhere in Sportsman’s Park that day was an 8 year old with a dream to play in the major leagues. That little slugger was Nate Colbert. Little did he, or anybody else in attendance know, 18 years later, Colbert would match one of those records and shatter the other.

Off to Houston via Rule 5

Nate Cobert

That youngster watching Stan Musial put his name in the record book grew up to be a big strong first baseman/outfielder. He would be drafted by his hometown team, the Cardinals, in 1964 where he would start his professional career playing in the Rookie League in Sarasota, alongside future MLBers Gaylen Pitts and Sal Campisi. Colbert would spend 1965 in Cedar Rapids where he would hit a respectable .274 with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 9 home runs.

Following Colbert’s solid season in A-ball, his career would take an unexpected turn when he was selected by the Houston Astros in the Rule 5 draft. The Rule 5 draft was first introduced in 1959 and was intended to replace parts of the “bonus baby” rules that came into play when a team signed a prospect to a large initial contract.

The Rule 5 draft takes place in December, and it allows teams to select a player from another team’s farm system that is not protected by being on the 40 man roster. The drafting team must pay the original team a fee, now at $50,000. There is a catch, and it comes from the “bonus baby” legacy: the drafting team must keep the player on the major league active roster for the entire following season. After that, the new team controls the player’s contract and can option them back to the minors. If the drafting team does not keep the player on the active 25 man roster, the player must be offered back to the original team for half of the Rule 5 fee.

As it so often happens, that just took place in St. Louis.

Brian Broderick

Last December, the Washington Nationals drafted right handed pitcher, Brian Broderick (11-2, 2.77 ERA, 2 complete games, 1 shutout) from Springfield(AA). After a few appearances out of their bullpen in 2011, the Nationals decided not to keep Broderick on their active roster. Since they could not option him to AAA, they had to offer him back to the Cardinals, and the team gladly paid the $25,000 to get him back.

The situation was much different in 1965 when Houston drafted Nate Colbert. Teams carried fewer pitchers, and as a result, they could hold on to an infrequently used bench player longer than teams do today. Add in that Houston was still in building mode after entering the National League in 1962 as an expansion team and you have all of the ingredients to a successful Rule 5 pickup.

The 20 year old Nate Colbert would join the Houston Astros for the 1966 season. As expected, he was used infrequently – mostly as a pinch runner. Following the 1966 season, he would be optioned to AA to play with the Amarillo Sonics, where he would light up the Texas League with a .289 batting average, 28 home runs, 67 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. That prompted a late season promotion to Oklahoma City (AAA) where he would spend most of 1968.

Drafted Again ?

After a short injury call-up in July 1968, and a longer look in September, the Houston Astros lost their Rule 5 draftee when the San Diego Padres selected Colbert in the 1969 Expansion Draft.

It was in San Diego that Colbert would experience his best years in major leagues. In those 6 years, he would hit .253 with 163 home runs and 481 RBIs. A bunch of those would come on August 1, 1972.

August 1, 1972

The 6th place Padres would face the 4th place Atlanta Braves for a double header to start the month of August. Although the Braves had managed to stay close to .500, neither team had any hopes of catching the Cincinnati Reds on their first of five NL West titles over the next 8 seasons. That didn’t mean that they couldn’t still play some meaningful baseball.

Nate Colbert

The first game of this doubleheader was a curious one. Clay Kirby of the Padres would pitch a gem, where Ron Schueler of the Braves didn’t even make it out of the third inning. The scoring would be one sided, and the runs would come in bunches. And always when Nate Colbert came up to bat.

With one out in the top of the first, back to back walks to Dave Roberts and Larry Stahl led to the first of Colbert’s blasts. This one was a three run homer, and it gave the Padres all the runs they would need to win this game. But Colbert was far from done.

Roberts and Stahl would get on base again to start the third inning. This time it was some small ball from the bat of Nate Colbert, as the slugging first baseman hits a single, scoring Roberts. That’s four RBIs.

Colbert would hit a solo home run off Mike McQueen in the seventh inning, giving him 2 on the day to go along with five RBIs.

All in all, a good day for Colbert. Then came Game Two.

Like the first one, game two was a total slugfest, and also pretty one-sided. A late inning rally by the Braves makes this game look a lot closer than it was. It was all Padres, and pretty much all Nate Colbert.

With the Padres leading 2-0, Colbert would come up to bat in the second inning with the bases loaded. Pat Jarvis, from Carlyle Illinois, would make a mistake to the the Padres cleanup hitter, and cleanup is exactly what Colbert did. A grand slam homer, his third on the day, and RBIs six, seven, eight and nine. That blast broke the game open for San Diego, but more importantly, those RBIs tied Stan Musial from 18 years ago.

After a ground out in the fifth inning, Colbert came up to bat with one man on in the seventh. He would hit his fourth home run on the day, extending his single day RBI total to 11.

With two men out in the ninth inning, Nate Colbert comes up to the plate with Larry Stahl on first base again. He takes Cecil Upshaw for another 2 run homer, his fifth on the day. That would tie Stan Musial’s record from 1954. It would also give him 13 RBIs in the doubleheader, establishing a major league record that still stands today.

There are still two more St. Louis tie-ins to this Nate Colbert story, but it will require looking ahead 21 years, to September 7, 1993.

September 7, 1993

The Cardinals would visit Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati for a late season showdown between two teams that were well out of contention. The small crowd that witnessed this Tuesday night doubleheader saw one of the most entertaining games of the season, if not the decade.

The first game was a wild one, with a capital W. The Cardinals would use 21 players and the Reds would counter with 20 of their own. 41 of the 50 eligible players would see action in this game, and surprisingly, it would finish in regulation. The Reds would win the game, 14-13, thanks to a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth on a Reggie Sanders triple that center fielder Mark Whitten misplayed. Perhaps driven by that poor defensive play, Mark Whitten would go on to have a legendary second game, but before we look at that one, there is one plate appearance in game one that needs some attention.

Mark Whitten

That at-bat would take place in the top of the 8th inning. Trailing 9-6, the Cardinals had roared back against Reds reliever, Scott Service. Rob Dibble had come into the game and gave up the tying run on a single by Gregg Jefferies. He would then walk the bases loaded, before turning the game over to Scott Ruskin. The first batter he would face is Mark Whitten. Ruskin walks Whitten, forcing in the go-ahead run. Even though Whitten would be hit-less in the game, that RBI would soon be very significant. Not to the outcome of the game, but to writer of the major league record books.

While Whitten went 0-4 in the first game, he would demolish the Reds in the second. Cincinnati starter, Larry Luebbers, would be Whitten’s first victim, and it would come in the first inning. With bases loaded and two out, Whitten hits a grand slam to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. As with Nate Colbert in 1972, that would be enough runs to win the game, but Whitten was only getting started.

In the third inning, Luebbers would do what no other Reds pitcher could do in game two, retire the Cardinals slugger. He would get Whitten to pop out to third base.

Mark Whitten would face Cincinnati reliever, Mark Anderson in both the sixth and seventh innings. Both times, Todd Zeile and Gerald Perry would be on base. And both times, Whitten would hit a home run. That would give Whitten three homers on the day, and 11 RBIs. With any luck, he would have one more chance to tie, or perhaps even break the single day record for RBIs.

That chance came in the ninth inning. With Gerald Perry on base, Whitten hit a Rob Dibble pitch deep into the dark Cincinnati sky. It cleared the outfield wall by inches, but by doing so, it game Whitten 13 RBIs on the day, tying the major league record, set by St. Louisan, Nate Colbert, back in 1972. The four home runs in a single game also tied a major league record, held by many players.

No Thanks to Gilkey

There is one more St. Louis aspect to this game, and it requires a second look at the seventh inning of Game Two to find it. It turns out that some exceptional hustle on the part of Bernard Gilkey, also a native of St. Louis, cost Mark Whitten the single day RBI record.

With two outs in the seventh, Bernard Gilkey starts the Cardinals rally with a single. Todd Zeile follows that with a single, but Zeile pulls the ball into left field so Gilkey could not advance to third base. It is the Gerald Perry infield single that alters baseball history. The play was very close at first base, and the Reds were not paying attention to Gilkey who they thought had only advanced to third on the play. When he rounded third base, he never stopped running, and scored when the Reds hesitated. Gilkey’s hustle was the right play, but it also cost Whitten a 14th RBI when moments later, he hit a second home run of Mark Anderson.

Nate Colbert and Stan Musial’s record of five home runs in a double header still stand today. Colbert and Mark Whitten’s 13 runs batted in for a double header also stands as a major league record. Whitten’s 12 RBIs in a single game also ties him for the major league record, shared with yet another Cardinal: Jim Bottomley on September 16, 1924.

The Braves and the Brewers squared off in a double header on Wednesday.

The Brewers were excited. The largest off-season acquisition for the team, Zack Greinke, was set to take the mound for the first time in 2011. The staff ace was set to take the mound after recovering from an injury sustained in a pick up basketball game. Brewers fans wished each other “Happy Greinke Day” and settled in to watch the former Cy Young Award winner with the Royals take the mound in a new shade of blue.

If it was a Cy Young caliber pitching performance that the fans wanted, they got it. If it was from Greinke that they expected to get if from, well, that was a bit of a problem. The pitching performance that Brewers fans settled in to watch did not come from a former Royal, it was the former Athletic Tim Hudson who himself is establishing himself as an ace once again.

Brewers perennial All Star Rickie Weeks would hit a double off of Hudson to lead off the fourth inning and drew a walk in the ninth. That would be all the action the Brewers could muster against Hudson as he would put together the third one-hitter and 12th shutout of his career.

The buzz going into the night was all about the Brewers’ new found ace but it did not last. Greinke failed to get into the fifth inning, only going four while giving up five hits, five runs (four earned), and walking one. He did strikeout six and found himself playing the victim of circumstance early on. Indeed, Greinke must have felt that he was back in Kansas City in the first inning. A fielding error by Prince Fielder and catcher’s interference being called on Wil Nieves would lead to run off a single by Dan Uggla.

If Greinke could hang the first inning on his defense, the fourth inning would not give such a luxury. A leadoff double by David Ross would be followed by another one by Eric Hinske, plating the Braves’ second run. Nate McLouth would put the exclamation point on the night with a no doubt, two-run home run.

It seems to me that Greinke found new surroundings but the same old ballgame.

It’s been a soggy, stormy week in St. Louis. Amazingly, the Redbirds got all their games in, even though they had to play a double header. They took 4 of 6 games at home, including 2 from the division rival Reds, leaving them at 12-10 atop the NL Central.

The Cards hope to head to dry land as they visit Houston and Atlanta this week after the off day Monday. The offense has a nice draw this week avoiding Houston’s top two starters and Tommy Hanson in Atlanta. They get Norris, Happ (L), and Figueroa from the ‘Stros then Hudson, Beachy and Lowe from the Braves.

Injury Front:

Albert Pujols left the game Sunday night with mild tightness in his right hamstring. No word on any lingering effects as this appeared to be just a precautionary move. Assume he’ll be good to go.

Skip Schumaker will remain on the DL through the week with an elbow injury and Allen Craig will be there too. Both are eligible to come back next week but it’s uncertain that they will.

Playing Time:

Nick Punto was activated from the DL but will share time with Daniel Descalso on the infield. Neither needs to be paid any attention at this point.

HOT:

The Puma continues to pounce. Lance Berkman is playing like an MVP. He has four straight multi-hit games and his average is up to .377. He seems to be his old self, just remember he will be spelled throughout the season.

Albert Pujols has finally begun to hit the ball the other way and is looking comfortable at the plate. He has already climbed to the top of the HR leader boards after hitting three out this week. He’s scoring runs and driving them in (7 on this home stand). He’s now hit in 11 of his last 13 games and is finely putting fantasy owners’ minds’ at ease. What, you didn’t really think his slump would last did you?

A new combination of Fernando Salas, to Eduardo Sanchez, to Mitchell Boggs, may become a familiar refrain in the next few years in St. Louis. Sanchez has struck out 12 in his first 7 Major League innings and is a nice holds option if your league counts them. Boggs has looked impressive since taking over the closer role. He has great stuff and all that has held him back heading into this season was control. With a 15/3 K/BB ratio, he seems to be figuring something out. He has a filthy slider and a live fastball that can push up to 97. He has been a bit lucky but hitters are chasing a bit more which is a nice indicator of how good his stuff is.

Kyle Lohse threw a two-hit complete game shutout against Washington for his third straight quality start. He’s pitching deep into games, displaying great control, and a decent K rate (6.32). He is starting to warrant ownership in most leagues and is proving that his struggles were related to health issues. He has also developed a nice change-up that he is throwing more than ever.

Jaime Garcia is still hot and is one of the best two-start pitchers available this week.

NOT:

Ryan Franklin can be dropped in all formats. He’s lost his closer role. And even in the appearance he did have he gave up a two-RBI hit to Miguel Cairo that sealed the second game of the Cincy series. His stuff is just getting mashed at the plate.

Yesterday, I-70 Baseball examined the thought that Ryan Franklin was simply a victim of “bad luck”. The pitcher seems to be finding a way to deflect all the blame from the concept that maybe, just maybe, he does not have what it takes to get big league hitters out consistently any longer.

After a tough outing in game one of a double header, Ryan Franklin was asked about the reaction of the fans as they booed him coming off the field after surrendering a home run and a walk in his second inning of work. Franklin took exception to anyone who would boo a player from the home team. The quote that jumps off the page, however, was “You should go write stories about the fans booing. They’re supposed to be the best fans in baseball. Yeah right.”

Later in the evening, Franklin would release a statement explaining the best he could about his frustration that led to the comments and apologizing for saying things out of emotion.

What does that mean? Does that mean that 50,000 people poor into the park every night and refuse to say anything bad about the players that wear the colors of the home team? Does it mean that, no matter what, they will stand behind their own? No, it does not.

When the term was used for the fans in St. Louis, it was used to describe a fan base that was intelligent, understood the game, and expected the best from any player that set foot on the grass of Baseball Heaven. When an outfielder dives and makes a miraculous catch, when an infielder stabs a ball that was a sure double, when a player shows respect to the game, and when a veteran has given his blood, sweat and tears to this game, the crowd acknowledges it. The crowd cheers. When someone speaks out against the team, when someone disrespects the game, when someone under performs and refuses to acknowledge that something may be wrong, they boo. It is not because they dislike or even like the player that gets the cheers or boos, it is based on the knowledge of the game and the desire for the player to act appropriately.

You see, the best fans in baseball will boo. It is their right. When you retire, when you hang ‘em up, and when you walk onto that field for the last time, those same fans will give you the ovation you deserve for your entire body of work in St. Louis and in baseball as a whole. The reaction in the middle of a ballgame is not about your career, it is about your current work.

Maybe Ryan Franklin should shag some fly balls with Rick Ankiel this afternoon and talk to him about the fanbase here. Ankiel was not always cheered and adored in St. Louis. A year later, he realizes how supportive these fans were to him and he acknowledges that. The visiting team’s center fielder showed class and received a standing ovation when he approached the plate. The home team’s relief pitcher simply states over and over that it is not his fault and he gets booed.

The fans may boo. They may cheer. They may even be indifferent. But in the end every player to wear the birds on the bat will tell you there is no place quite like St. Louis to play baseball. They may not love their players blindly, but they will reward them accordingly when the time is right.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

When I started writing on a regular basis and beginning the arduous task of attempting to make a career of it, I was hired for a brief time to put together a staff for a large website that was trying to get a solid start. While putting together the staff for that site, I asked for the writing sample that I prefer to ask for from all my writers, “Why I Love Baseball”.

Building a staff that size, I was not prepared for the answer that started coming up more and more frequently.

“I don’t enjoy baseball anymore, I have been covering it for too long.”

It was the worst thing I could hear. I have grown up on the game, been raised with the game, and love this game above just about anything else. The thought that I would, at any point in my life, find myself not able to enjoy the game terrified me. I asked questions. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know what they would do different, if they could. No one could really answer.

I challenged writers across the country with a plan to overcome this. I challenged writers to put down their computers, pens, voice-recorders, and media guides. I asked them to forget everything they were doing and just go watch a game. Little league, high school, minor league, or major league, I did not care. Just buy a ticket and go watch a game. Clap along with the organ player. Talk with the fans around you. Catch a foul ball and give it to a kid. In the midst of it all, remember why you started writing about this game. Remember what made you fall in love with it.

Earlier this week, I stopped by the ticket office of the Springfield Cardinals and purchased tickets to take my 7 month old son to his first baseball game on Saturday. On Friday night, I received the press release that the Cardinals and the Frisco Roughriders had been rained out and they would play a traditional double header on Saturday, with the first game starting at 2 pm.

So, this past Saturday, that is exactly what I did. I took my son to his first game. We sat four rows from the field and watched two, seven inning games. The home team dropped the first game, though they found themselves with a dramatic come back in the final inning. The second game would see a huge home run from the home team’s first baseman and a good effort by both teams that ultimately resulted in a win for the home team.

In the midst of it, I met a photographer for a major trading card company. I yelled at the poor umpiring and inconsistent strike zone of the home plate umpire. My son had his picture taken with the mascot. I met people from around the area and talked baseball. I cheered and yelled. I joked with the players and even heckled a few of them. I kicked back and had some fun. Through it all, I realized something…

…I love this game.

Today baseball marks the 64th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Two years before that, Jackie was breaking into professional baseball as the shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League. He was only a Monarch for five months before Branch Rickey offered him a contract, and the Monarchs spent most of their schedule on the road, so Kansas City fans only had around 12 dates to see Jackie patrolling the infield of Ruppert (later Municipal) Stadium at 22nd & Brooklyn. Here are details from some of those home games:

May 6 • vs Chicago American Giants

After playing a month of exhibition games in the south, the Monarchs opened the regular season at home on a Sunday. Pre-game festivities started at 2:00, and “began with a parade led by the Wayne Minor American Legion drum corps and Arthur E. Toney, president of the Monarchs Boosters’ club. A detail of the Kansas State Guard…drilled. Dr. J.B. Martin, league president, was introduced from the pitcher’s mound. James H. Herbert, attorney, pitched the first ball to Eddie Dwight, a member of the Monarchs when ‘Bullet’ Rogan was manager” (May 11 Kansas City Call). Jackie had been so impressive during the spring exhibitions that manager Frank Duncan had him hitting third in his first league game. Jackie came through with an RBI double in the sixth inning, a stolen base and run scored to help the Monarchs to a 6-2 win. Booker McDaniels pitched a complete game for KC.

May 13 • vs Birmingham Black Barons

A week later, the Black Barons came to KC for a double header. Legendary Monarchs pitcher Hilton Smith dominated game one with a complete game, 3 runs allowed performance on the bump and a 2-for-3, three RBI day at the plate. Jackie went 1-for-3 with two RBI and was rung up for an error. The Monarchs won game two as well.

Satchel & Jackie

June 10 • vs Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns

After four long weeks on the road, the Monarchs finally returned to KC to meet the Clowns for another Sunday double header. Some guy named Satchel Paige started the first game for the Monarchs, and struck out six while allowing one hit and no runs in his four innings of work. Jackie had a nice 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and two runs, and KC prevailed 7-1. They dropped the nightcap for their first home loss of the season.

July 1 • vs Cleveland Buckeyes

The Buckeyes had everyone’s number in 1945. They won both halves of the American League season and then upset the National League Homestead Grays in the World Series. The Monarchs lost all five contests with them that I am aware of in ’45. That includes two losses in KC on July 1. The Monarchs blew late leads in both games. Jackie had one single in four at-bats plus a run scored in the first game. Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe started at catcher in one of his few games as a Monarch, but was knocked out by a foul tip off the bat of Sam Jethroe (future NL Rookie of the Year).

July 4 • vs Cleveland Buckeyes

The teams met for another twin bill in KC three days later, and the Buckeyes came out on top in both games once again. The Monarchs hot-hitting first baseman Lee Moody injured his shoulder in batting practice, which lead to some shuffling of infielders. Jackie took over first base. The out-of-place fielders piled up errors in the two losing efforts.

July 8 • vs Birmingham Black Barons

A crowd of just 1,900 braved some nasty weather to watch this game which was played on nearly ankle-deep mud. Those hearty fans witnessed Jackie smack three hits in five at-bats, with two doubles, two runs and three RBI. Behind another strong pitching performance from Booker McDaniels, KC walked away 9-2 winners.

August 5 • vs Ft. Leavenworth Sherman Field Flyers

This was an exhibition game against white Navy men from nearby Leavenworth, Kansas. The pitcher for the Flyers was Herman Besse, who split time between the Navy, the minors and majors between 1936-54. Satchel Paige and Booker McDaniels combined for 10 strikeouts against the Navy men, who had won the semi-pro championship in 1944, and the Monarchs prevailed 6-0. Jackie made the most of his 1-for-5 day at the plate with an RBI, stolen base and run scored. This was Jackie’s last game in KC. By the time the Monarchs returned to play on September 2nd, Jackie was no longer with the team, and was under contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Aaron Stilley bloggerates here and Twittercizes here. In-depth coverage of the 1945 Monarchs season can be found here.

On Wednesday the Cardinals completed a 3-game series against Arizona in the desert. St Louis won 2 of the three games. That in and of itself is not remarkable; as mentioned last week, the Cardinals have had reasonable success in Tucson. What is unusual is how many runs the team scored in those three games.

To recap – St Louis won the opener 8-2 behind the resurgent Kyle Lohse, lost 8-13 behind surprisingly shaky Chris Carpenter, then bludgeoned their way to a 15-5 win in support of a grateful Jake Westbrook. Thirty-one runs in the series, with at least 8 runs in every game. Talk about runs in bunches. More perspective: they had scored only 27 runs total in their first nine games.

That many runs in a series has to be a rarity, right? How often have the Cardinals done that? Well, more often than I initially thought, but less often than one might expect.

Looking back over the past 50 seasons, the Cardinals have scored 8 or more runs in three consecutive games against the same opponent 17 times.

In 1961, two of the three games were played as part of a double-header (on 17 July 1961). The third game of that set was the first game of a double-header played the next day – yes, on July 17 and 18 the Cardinals and Cubs played back-to-back double headers.

Note that over half of these 3-game sets have happened in the last 10 years. If one needed more proof offensive production has taken off in the recent history of the game, here it is. Additionally the Cardinals have turned this trick before in Arizona, ten years ago to the week.

What is unique about the recently completed series is the Cardinals did not win all three games during this offensive explosion. While not a rarity if the series is scheduled for longer than 3 games, it is a rarity for a three game set. The data presented here only goes back to 1961, however, I searched on Baseball Reference to see if St Louis had ever played a 3-game series in which they scored 8 or more runs in all three games and failed to win all three games. Baseball Reference carries game results back to 1919, and I looked at 2300+ games.

Never before had the Cardinals scored 8 or more runs in a 3-game series and not swept until the recently completed Arizona series.

I counted 36 series where they had scored 8 or more runs in 3 consecutive games on consecutive days against the same opponent through the 1926 season, when I stopped writing them down. In each instance where they lost on of the 3 games the series was at least 4 games long (and in 2 instances, 5 games).

A footnote to history, to be sure. However as a wise man once said, the great thing about baseball is you might see something today you’ve never seen before. We did not know it at the time, but during this mid-week series we all saw the Cardinals do something they had never done before.

Mike Metzger blogs about the Cardinals at Stan Musial’s Stance.

A Royal Review

Opening up at home after a good spring training is just the thing this young ball club needed after showing off to mainly Arizona natives and a handful or reporters. A chance to show off their energy that made this writer intrigued for the first time in awhile.

I was extremely skeptical of what this team would look like after seeing the off-season transactions that took place. Two all-star caliber players off to new teams, a veteran taking one for the team (good job Gil) and lots of young, inexperienced but very energetic and enthused players.

Opening Day, the bats were as cool as the weather. The Royals went scoreless until late in the game and came up short in the end. However, the defense committed three errors, which was a problem reminiscent of last season. Any time you commit an error, it gives you an extra out and the Royals gave a whole extra inning to the Angels on Thursday.

Friday night was a different story however. The game was tight from start to finish despite the both defenses making what could have been costly errors but did not come back to haunt either team. However, in the bottom of the ninth Kila Ka’aihue blasted a ball over the right field wall for the game winning home run.

Coming Up

The Royals will finish their four game series with the Angels with a game on Saturday and Sunday. It may also be noted that there will be a special double header following Saturday’s game featuring the Storm Chasers and the Naturals, the Royals AAA and AA affiliates, respectively.

The Royals then have Monday off as they prepare to host the Chicago White Sox for a quick two game series. After that series, the Royals will have another day off before having a weekend series against another central division foe, the Detroit Tigers.

The Royals struggled against both of these teams last year. Accumulating a below par 16-20 combined record against these teams last year, the Royals look to improve upon those numbers. If they are going to compete this year, they are going to have to be able to consistently play well against division opponents.

Having these two days off this coming week will keep the Royals well rested before hitting a string of thirteen straight playing days beginning on April 12. The good news is that eight of those thirteen games are at home and against teams that finished off last season in just as bad shape as the Royals did (Cleveland and Seattle). However, before the Royals can get to these two teams, the Royals have to go to Detroit and then to Minnesota.

Solid pitching, timely hitting and executing on defense are the ways to win ball games. If the Royals can do that, they can compete with anyone.

Assessing the first month of a season for a ball club requires you to know the goal of the club overall. Every big league club and player will tell you that they play to win, point blank. But the front office may take a different view. In the case of the Royals, a lot is to be said about patience and development in 2011. The Royals will open the season taking on division rivals in the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and even the Cleveland Indians. They will also find themselves going head to head with AL West foes in the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Seattle Mariners. Some of these games will negatively impact the team’s record, but all of them will test a young team in terms of their fortitude.

April Breakdown:

Total Games: 27

Home: 16

Road: 11

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 15

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 12

Vs teams in the AL Central: 16

Key Series:

March 31-April 3 vs Los Angeles – The Angels are being picked by many experts to win the AL West this year and will provide an immediate test for the Royals this season. That being said, the subtext that everyone in Kansas City is talking about revolves around the “Double Header” being billed on April 2nd. That night, following the game with the Angels, the Royals top two farm teams will do battle at Kauffman Stadium, allowing the fans in Kansas City to get a glimpse of the future that lays ahead of the franchise.

April 14-21 vs Seattle and Cleveland – This may be the key week to the early season for the Royals. Some people are wondering if the Royals are not as bad as many are predicting them. If the Royals are to put together a successful season in the win-loss column, it will have to be solidified with wins over teams that are honestly worse than they are. This week projects as a battle between three teams that many pick to be the worst in the American League and will give the Royals an opportunity to prove that they are more than just going through the motions in 2011.

Key To a Hot Start:

The Royals do not need a hot start. The team needs to be patient and develop their young players. If they are to separate themselves from the lower half of the American League, they need to take advantage of games against Cleveland, Seattle, and Detroit. They will be tested early by the likes of Minnesota and Chicago and coming away with a .500 record against those teams will go a long way in to convincing fans that the team has improved.

At the end of April:

If the Royals have 14+ wins… they have stepped up and shown that they are not to be considered with the worst teams. Fourteen wins is not out of reach in April, looking at the schedule. If they win each series with Cleveland, Seattle, and Detroit they will have won ten games. A single win against the Angels, White Sox, Twins, and Rangers will get them to fourteen wins and a record that is above .500.

If the Royals are .500… fans have to be somewhat pleased. No one expects much from this team and playing that well in the opening month might turn some heads.

If the Royals are below .500… then they are playing as most have predicted. Again, this season is not about winning but developing. The team will look to grow young players into consistent stars while looking to veterans to nurture the changing atmosphere. The team needs to play with heart, determination, and show a solid footing to be successful. This season cannot be judged by the record books, no matter what statisticians tell you.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Every time I remember hearing Harry Caray say “Al Jackson”, it was preceded by “Little”. I don’t know that anybody asked Jackson if he liked the nickname, but it was always said with respect and admiration, so I hope Mr. Jackson doesn’t mind if I call him that a few more times.

But “Little” did describe what Jackson looked like on the mound. The record books say that the left-handed pitcher stood 5′ 10″ and weighed in at 160 pounds, but when he pitched for the Cardinals it looked like a good breeze might blow him off the mound. It never happened, and at that point in his career, the only ones who were likely to be blown away were the opposing batters. In particular, the left handed batters. We often hear about current players that demonstrate a bit of old school attitude and we remark that they could have played back in the day. Jackson was the opposite, a player who was a couple of decades ahead of his time. If he were playing today, he would be a left handed relief specialist and would have a long and prosperous career. Arthur Rhodes, anybody ?

A Humble Beginning

Al Jackson was signed out of high school by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955 and immediately put to work as a starter in their minor league system. After a bit of a slow start, he became a head turner with the Lincoln Chiefs (A) of the Western League. An 18-9 record with a microscopic ERA of 2.07 would earn him a couple of looks with the big club in 1959.

Jackson made his major league debut on May 3, 1959 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Even this early in the season, Solly Hemus’s Cardinals were in free fall and still a few players and managerial change away from becoming a contender in the National League. The Pirates were about to make history behind a couple of youngsters named Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente, but in 1959 they would finish the season with a bit better than a .500 record. It was clear that the rebuilding was well under way. A nasty early season double header gave Jackson a chance to show what he could do.

The little left-hander was greeted rather rudely by the Cardinals when he took over for starter Bennie Daniels, who had been lifted for a pinch hitter the previous inning. With the Cardinals leading 2-1 at that point, a pair of Smith’s would beat up on young Jackson. Not Lonnie and Ozzie, in 1959 it was Bobby and Hal. Bobby led off the inning with a double, and would be advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Don Blasingame. Hal Smith would single home Bobby with the third Cardinals run. Even the Solly Hemus Cardinals ran as Hal, who was a catcher, would be caught stealing for for the second out of the inning. Cardinals legend Joe Cunningham would become Jackson’s first major league strikeout victim, ending the inning.

Jackson’s next inning was almost a repeat of his first. Lee Tate would lead off by striking out. Bill White would single, and advance to second base when the Pirates failed to make a play on Lindy McDaniel’s sacrifice bunt – both runners were safe. Unfortunately, the Cardinals didn’t have another Smith they could call on, so Ken Boyer and Gene Green would both make an out to squelch a second rally.

The young lefty would get another chance at the end of the month, this time as a starter. It would not go much better, so he found himself back in the bullpen. He did get another start at the end of June, also against the Cardinals. This time he was staked to a huge lead as Ernie Broglio failed to make it out of the first inning, giving up 5 runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Jackson actually did worse as he only survived 1/3 of an inning, giving up 4 runs of his own. Both of the men that relieved Jackson and Broglio got lit up as well, and the game got out of hand quickly. The Pirates would end up winning this wild one 10-8, but after it was over, Jackson would be heading back to Columbus, where he would just dominate the International League.

Jackson would spend all of 1960 at Columbus and miss out on the Pirates surprising World Series Championship. After a solid, but still learning year in 1960, Jackson turned in another brilliant year with Columbus in 1961, compiling a 12-7 record with a sparkling ERA of 2.89. That would earn the little lefty another chance in the big leagues when the rosters expanded in September. He would get two starts, going 9 innings in each. He would get a no-decision in his first one, but earn his first career win against the Cincinnati Reds with a complete game at the end of the season. It’s the game in between that turned heads as he would pitch 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in a loss – this would be typical of the way he would be used later in his career.

Expansion and an Opportunity

Jackson had played for some very good Columbus Jets teams in the minor leagues, and was part of a good organization in Pittsburgh. That didn’t prepare him for what would come next, the expansion New York Mets. Jackson would be drafted by the new club and was immediately thrown into the rotation with a bunch of young players and a handful of veterans that were in the declining years of their careers. Jackson would lose 20 games in that inaugural season, but that didn’t even lead the staff. Future Cardinal Roger Craig had that distinction with 24 losses. It’s not that Jackson pitched poorly, or Craig for that matter, the Mets were just that bad. They would lose 120 games in 1962, and wouldn’t lose less than 100 games until 1966. Tough luck losses were going to mount quickly, and Jackson had to learn to deal with that.

Along the way, there were a number of high points.

Jackson would pitch the first shutout for the Mets organization on April 29, 1960 as he defeated the Philadelphia Phillies. But that was nothing like what would happen later in the summer.

On June 22, Jackson would face Turk Farrell and the other expansion franchise, the Houston Colt 45′s. The Colts were not doing as poorly as the Mets and should have won this game easily. Nobody at the Polo Grounds thought much as this game got under way. With one out in the first inning, Joe Amalfitano would single sharply to left, a clean hit. This would become important in just a few moments. Roman Mejias would strike out and then Norm Larker would walk. Again, nobody thought much at this point in the game. Then Jackson would retire the next 22 batters in a row. Hardly anything was leaving the infield – Jackson was on cruise control. The Colts would only get one more base runner in the game, a lead-off walk by Pidge Browne in the top of the ninth inning. If this game had been played in the reverse order, the Polo Grounds crowd would have been going insane. Jackson would finish the game allowing just the one single.

The most insane thing that happened to Jackson, and any pitcher in my lifetime, occurred on August 14. The Mets were an embarrassing 47 1/2 games behind the Giants and Dodgers who were battling it out for the NL Pennant. On this afternoon game against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, Casey Stengel would earn the Dusty Baker Award for abusing his pitching staff as he would let Al Jackson pitch for 4 hours and 35 minutes and a total of 15 innings. Through 14 innings, Jackson had only given up 1 run and 4 hits. The game unraveled quickly in the 15th inning as Tony Gonzalez leads off with a pop-up on the infield that first baseman Marv Throneberry boots all the way to third base. Two singles and an intentional walk would be the difference as Jackson lost the game, 3-1. While there are no accurate pitch counts for this game, it is estimated that Jackson threw over 200 pitches. If there was an encyclopedia entry for “heartbreaking loss”, it would have the box score for this game and Al Jackson’s photo.

Al Jackson’s name will go in the record books two more times while pitching for the Mets. Jackson would record the last win in the Polo Grounds, on September 11, 1963, with a nifty complete game against the San Francisco Giants. He would also get the first win in Shea Stadium, the Mets new home in 1964. A huge crowd on Sunday, April 19, saw Jackson dominate his former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates as he tosses a complete game shutout.

Nearly a Knockout

On October 2, 1964, Al Jackson nearly did what the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees all failed to do – keep the Cardinals from winning the World Series. When the Mets came to St. Louis to close out the regular season, the Cardinals were in a virtual tie with the Phillies and Reds with just 3 games to play. The Cardinals were on fire and had just won their last 8, a 5 game sweep in Pittsburgh, and a back-breaking 3 game sweep of the Phillies. All that stood between them and the World Series was a 51-108 Mets team and a little left-hander with a 10-15 record. To make this game all the more poignant, on the mound for the Cardinals was an 18-11 hard throwing right-hander named Bob Gibson. Game over, raise the NL Pennant, right ? Not so fast.

Oh, Gibson was brilliant, as he had been since catching fire back on August 6. In 8 innings of work, he would allow a lone run in the third inning on a single and stolen base by former Cardinal George Altman and an RBI single by Ed Kranepool. Along the way, Gibson would strike out 7 while walking none. This had been typical of Gibson lately, and we would enjoy a lot more of this over the next decade.

But, and there’s always a but, Al Jackson matched Gibson pitch for pitch. Not only that, he did a little better. The Cardinals got nothing on the little left-hander, and he would win the game 1-0, derailing the Cardinals pennant run for a day. When Ray Sadecki got bombed the next day, it seemed like dream of a Cardinals/Yankees World Series was just that, a dream. It took a miraculous pitching effort on the last day of the regular season by Curt Simmons and Bob Gibson and some timely hitting by Bill White, Ken Boyer, Dick Groat and Dal Maxvill – yes, that’s right – Dal Maxvill, and a home run by Curt Flood to propel the Cardinals into post-season. But the sting of that 1-0 defeat at the hands of Al Jackson would continue to haunt the Cardinals.

Free Al Jackson

Jackson would continue to pitch well for the Mets, but would lose 20 games for the second time in his career in 1965. As before, another hurler would lose even more, time it was Jack Fisher with a mind-boggling 24 losses to lead the staff. Fortunately for Jackson, his career was about to take off, but not with the Mets.

Immediately following the 1965 season, the Cardinals traded future Hall of Famer, Ken Boyer, to the Mets for third baseman, Charley Smith and left-handed starter Al Jackson. General Manager Bob Howsam was following Branch Rickey’s rule:

Always trade a player one year too early rather one year too late

It was hoped that Smith would be able to take over for Boyer at third base, but it was Jackson that the Cardinals wanted in the deal. Smith would have a disappointing season in 1966, but would be part of one of the most famous trades in Cardinals history when he was sent to the New York Yankees for Roger Maris in one of Bob Howsam’s last deals before leaving the club prior to the start of the 1967 season.

Unlike Smith, Jackson did not disappoint. He would start the ’66 season in the bullpen and would only allow a single run in April. Jackson would earn his first victory as a Cardinal in early May, in a nice piece of long relief against his former club, the New York Mets. Oh, there is much more irony left in the Al Jackson story.

That performance would earn him a start on May 13 and he would go the distance in an 8-0 shutout against the Atlanta Braves. Four more quality starts before Jackson’s first rough outing included some dominating wins against Cincinnati and Philadelphia plus a couple of hard luck losses. Even this early in the season, the improved defense behind Jackson in St. Louis was making a huge difference. By the end of July, Jackson had run his record to 11-8 including two huge wins against the defending World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. His ERA was also two runs lower than it had ever been in New York.

The season wouldn’t end well for Jackson in the win-loss record, but his pitching had been exceptional. He would finish with an 13-15 record, but it’s the ERA of 2.51 that shows how well he pitched. Of the starters, only Bob Gibson had a better ERA, and just barely at 2.44.

Déjà vu all over again

The Cardinals would start the 1967 with an amazingly strong rotation of Bob Gibson, Ray Washburn, rookie Steve Carlton, the 1966 rookie phenomenon Larry Jaster and Al Jackson. Jackson’s first two starts of the season were somewhat of a tale of two cities with the first being a nice win against the Dodgers, but he got shelled in the second start. That brings us to the early season surprise of 1967, when Al Jackson faced the Houston Astros on April 25. Yes, this is the same Houston team that he nearly no-hit back in 1962. And he nearly did it again, but this time he kept 10,000 Houston fans in total suspense for nearly two hours as he retired one batter after another. Until Bob Aspromonte led off the home half of the eighth inning with a no-doubter single to left field. Little Al Jackson toughened and retired the next six batters, for his second career 1 hitter.

In an interesting turn of events, a rough month of May might have been the best thing for Jackson and the Cardinals. With the lefty failing to get deep into his starts, Red Schoendienst decides to move Jackson to the bullpen to make room for a suddenly dominating Dick Hughes, who nearly threw a perfect game of his own on May 30 in Cincinnati. The move to the bullpen was working out quite well for Jackson and the Cardinals. In shorter relief appearances, opposing teams just were not able to score runs against the little left hander. He got better as the season went on, being particular effective in the final push for the NL Pennant, posting a 2.15 ERA over August and September. The wins started coming in bunches too, and Jackson would finish the season with a 9-4 record, the only winning season in his career. The only time that Jackson struggled was in his spot starts, which became a bit more frequent after losing Ray Washburn and Bob Gibson to injuries. Red Schoendienst had learned in 1967 what would become a common approach today – a hard throwing lefty with a good curve can cause a lot of trouble to the opposing teams late in the game, especially against left handed batters. Al Jackson had just become one of the Cardinals first LOOGYs.

1967 was another first for Al Jackson – the first time he was on a World Championship team – but he would not see any action in the Fall Classic. With a starting rotation of Bob Gibson, Dick Hughes, Nelson Briles and Steve Carlton and a pair of strong lefties in the bullpen (Joe Hoerner and Hal Woodeshick), there just wasn’t any room for Jackson.

A Bad Break

1967 would be the final year for Al Jackson as a Cardinal. When Bob Gibson suffered a broken leg against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 15, perhaps it was on omen when Al Jackson took over when Gibson was unable to continue in the game. The New York Mets came into town the next day and just before the teams arrived at the stadium, a deal was made sending the Mets pitcher Jack Lamabe to the Cardinals for a player to be named later. Lamabe walked from the visiting locker room over to the home team’s facilities and introduced himself. His first outing was a little rough, but he became a huge part of a strong bullpen that kept the Cardinals in games while Gibson healed. There would be a huge price to pay though, and after the end of the 1967 season, the Mets took back Al Jackson.

Even though he was used sparingly in 1968, he pitched well for the Mets. His 3-7 record was more of a reflection of the Mets throwing Jackson back into the rotation instead of letting him thrive in the bullpen. Like with the Cardinals the previous season, in short and medium relief, Jackson was superb. Even with the huge number of starts, his ERA of 3.69 was very respectable, but would have been a run or more lower if he’d worked out of the pen exclusively.

Jackson would start the 1969 season with the Mets in the bullpen, but would struggle. He would also miss out on the excitement of the Mets amazing World Series Championship when he was sent to Cincinnati in June for cash. He would finish out his career with the Reds, appearing in 33 games that summer, all in relief. One final piece of irony in the story of Little Al Jackson. He would earn a win in his last major league appearance, in long relief against the Houston Astros. In 3 2/3 innings, he would allow just a single hit.

The Story Continues

Even though Jackson’s playing days were over, his baseball career would continue. Not only had Jackson pitched with some of the best in the game (Gibson, Seaver), he was a heck of a pitcher himself, so it was no surprise when he turned up next as the Boston Red Sox pitching coach, a job he would hold from 1977 to 1979. A decade later he would re-appear with the Baltimore Orioles in 1989, serving until 1991. And as if scripted by Abner Doubleday, Jackson’s last coaching job would be with the New York Mets, in 1999 and 2000. He has recently been a special assistant for the Mets and remains active in events such as fantasy baseball camps. He was also present at the Amazing Mets 40th anniversary as well as the closing ceremonies for Shea Stadium.

Mets fans remember Jackson fondly as the ace of a very poor team, that professionally took the baseball every four days and gave it his best. They look past his win-loss record and remember him for the quality pitcher that he was. Even though he was in St. Louis for such a brief time, the Little man from Waco, Texas sure left a huge impression. I hope that if Jackson ever appears at a Cardinals event, he will be remembered just as fondly.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at Throatwarbler’s Blog. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.