The St. Louis Cardinals were coming home from a disappointing east coast road trip. They went 7-5 over the twelve games, but had dropped two of three in the final series to the first place Cincinnati Reds. It was more than losing two games to the Reds, it was how the last game ended that could have sent the team into a prolonged slump.

Rookie sensation, Dick Hughes, had taken a perfect game through a rain delay and into the eighth inning. A couple of bloop hits later, the Reds had a lead. The Cardinals didn’t give up and did mount a rally in the ninth inning, getting the tying run on third base with nobody out. Then came the play nobody expected – a game ending triple play. I can still hear Harry Caray grasping for words to describe what he had just witnessed.

This game on the following day was just what the Cardinals needed – one so strange that they could forget all about the base running blunder in Cincinnati.

For this one game series against the Atlanta Braves, the visitors would go with one of their left handed veterans, Denny Lemaster. Lemaster was an innings eater, but was susceptible to the long ball and that kept him from stringing together a significant number of wins. He would generally keep his team in the game, but not dominate.

For the Cardinals, a home town favorite would be on the mound: Ray Washburn. For trivia buffs, it was Ray Washburn that threw out the first pitch in the new Busch Stadium a year earlier. Washburn was a tremendous talent, but a series of injuries had kept him from putting together that season we all knew he had in him. In just a few days, another freak injury will cost him a month on the disabled list, but he had a game to pitch tonight first.

Don’t Mess with Hank

The game started off like many others against the Braves in the 60s: two quick infield groundouts and then one mistake to Henry Aaron for very loud 1-0 Braves lead. That didn’t bother the Cardinals veteran starter. Washburn responds by striking out Mack Jones to end the inning.

Lemaster would also have a typical first inning with Julian Javier reaching base on an error by Clete Boyer and a walk to Orlando Cepeda, but the inconsistent Alex Johnson fails to extend the inning.

A case against the Designated Hitter

It looked as if Washburn would have a quick second inning, striking out Joe Torre strikeout and getting Felipe Alou to ground out. Clete Boyer would atone for his error in the first inning by pulling a double into left field. The Cardinals would play the odds by walking eighth place hitter Dennis Menke to get to the Braves pitcher. Denny Lemaster would only get 7 hits in 1967 and should have been over-matched by Washburn, but he would hit a bloop single to center, driving in Boyer for a 2-0 lead.

As he did in the first inning, Washburn would bear down after limit the damage to just the single run. Not just this inning, the next five. Once in a groove, Washburn was nearly unhittable. Ask the San Francisco Giants whom he would no-hit in 1968.

Lemaster would continue to struggle, retiring the Cardinals in order only once – the 7-9 hitters in the fourth. With all of these base runners, the Cardinals had to break through, eventually.

They did in the fifth inning. After two quick outs, a walk to Curt Flood would come back to haunt the Atlanta hurler. 1967′s NL MVP, Orlando Cepeda, would rip a double into the left field corner putting the tying runs in scoring position. The light hitting platoon outfielder Alex Johnson would get another chance, and this time he would deliver, lining a single to center scoring both Flood and Cepeda for a 2-2 tie.

Both pitchers would put up zeros in the sixth inning with the Cardinals pulling off a nifty double play started by Cepeda and a strong relay throw by Maxvill to Washburn covering first to complete the twin killing. The Cardinals infield defense was the best in baseball – Maxvill and Javier being one the best middle infield combinations in team history.

Late Inning Trouble

The Braves would regain the lead in the top of the seventh inning.

Against a tiring Ray Washburn, Felipe Alou would hit a one out double in the right field gap. Clete Boyer again would hurt the Cardinals with a single up the middle. Javier was able to get to the ball but unable to throw Boyer out. Alou held at third and things momentarily looked good for the Cardinals. Washburn had already induced three double plays and he would try for his fourth. And he almost did. Charlie Lau hit the ball slowly to Maxvill who made the force throw to Javier but Lau beat the play at first and Alou scored the go ahead run.

The Braves would extend their lead in the next inning. Woody Woodward would lead off with a single to left field. The Braves would play for the single run and sacrifice Woodward to second base. Up to the plate steps Henry Aaron, and not wanting to repeat the first inning, Aaron is intentionally walked to set up another double play chance.

Cardinals manager, Red Schoendienst, would play this conventionally going to his bullpen with the hard throwing young left-hander, Larry Jaster, to face the left handed hitting Mack Jones. The Braves would counter by pinch hitting with Rico Carty – one of the best pure hitters of the era. Carty would miss the entire 1968 season fighting tuberculosis and would put up huge numbers in 1969 and Pujols like in 1970. But this was 1967 and Larry Jaster would win this battle, for now. Carty hit the ball back to Jaster and the Cards would turn a nifty 1-6-3 double play – their fourth of the evening.

A Wild Wild Wild Ending

This brings us to the ninth inning, and not even Barnum and Bailey could dream about what happened next.

Larry Jaster was brilliant in the eighth but quite the opposite in the ninth. Joe Torre would lead off with an infield single. I’m not sure what was moving slower, the ball off the bat or the future Cardinal star running down the first base line, but when the dust cleared Torre was standing on first.

After an Alou fly out to Lou Brock in left field, Jaster would lose his control. He would walk Clete Boyer and Marty Martinez, loading the bases. Red would again go to his bullpen for his big right hander Ron Willis. Willis would get the Braves pitcher to pop out to second, but Woody Woodward would battle Willis eventually drawing a walk, giving the Braves a 4-2 lead. Frustrated and not wanting to see the heart of the Atlanta order, Schoendienst went back to the bullpen for his closer, Joe Hoerner. Hoerner would only face one batter as he struck out Gary Geiger to end the inning.

For most other teams, the game was essentially over. But these were the 1967 Go Go El Birdos and they weren’t going down without a fight. And some serious entertainment along the way.

Journeyman and backup catcher Johnny Romano would lead off the ninth inning by reaching base on Clete Boyer’s second error of the game. His wild throw allows Romano to advance to second base. Lemaster had gone about as far as he could and the Braves went to their bullpen.

You cannot believe what would happen over the next five minutes.

The first strange move goes to Red Schoendienst. He pinch runs for Johnny Romano with Dick Hughes. Yes, Dick Hughes, the pitcher. The pitcher who took the hard luck loss the day before. Hughes was one heck of an athlete, and could run as well as any of the hitters left on the bench, so why not ?

Strange move number two goes to the Braves for bringing in knuckleballer Phil Niekro to close out this game, or at least try. The Cardinals had great success with a knuckleball closer earlier in the decade, but this was an unusual move to say the least. There was one player on the field that hated the knucklball more than all of the Cardinals hitters – poor Joe Torre. He hated to catch a knuckleballer. And would hate it even more before this inning was over.

Niekro immediately threw a wild pitch allowing Dick Hughes to advance to third base. Lou Brock actually hit one of Niekro’s floaters, far enough out to center field to score Hughes and cut the Braves lead to 4-3.

Julian Javier just stood in the batters box while Niekro threw floater after floater. Javier knew he wasn’t going to hit Niekro’s knuckleball, so he took his chances that Niekro would walk him, and Javier won that battle.

This is when Cardinals radio announcer Harry Caray asked “He wouldn’t throw a wild pitch would he?” As if Niekro was listening to Harry, a pitch scooted past a frustrated Torre with Javier taking second base.

Again Caray asks, “He wouldn’t do it again, would he ?” And yes he would. Another floater that evades the glove of Joe Torre and the tying run in now standing on third.

The patient Curt Flood then delivers with a line drive single to left field and the game is now tied 4-4.

Beginning to worry about running out of players, Red Schoendient pulls another switch that not even Tony LaRussa would consider. He pinch runs for Curt Flood using Al Jackson, who had been warming up the Cardinals bullpen.

Future Cardinal pitcher Clay Carrol would strike out Orlando Cepeda and get pinch hitter Roger Maris to fly out to end the inning, but the never say die Cardinals had tied the game and into extra innings we would go. But not for long.

A Walkoff …… Triple ?

Al Jackson would take the mound and Roger Maris would go into right field. This is exactly the opposite of how you would do this. Jackson was a starter and Maris would be taken out of games late for defensive replacements. But this was the carnival of June 1, 1967 and the normal rules do not apply.

In the previous five seasons the little left hander would lose 20, 17, 16, 20 and 15 games. Not too many pitchers lose 20 games in a season, Jackson did it twice. On this evening, and for the duration of a single inning, Jackson pitched like Sandy Koufax making quick work of the heart of the Braves order with the ball never leaving the infield.

The bottom of the tenth inning would go even more quickly.

After an infield ground out by Tim McCarver, the light hitting utility infielder Phil Gagliano would hit a weak grounder to third and beat the throw for an infield single. Gagliano barely hit his weight, but his hits always seemed to be in key situations.

After an infield pop out, Clay Carroll would face Bobby Tolan. And the game would come to an end. One of the most loved players of the era, and one that we let get away, Tolan splits the outfielders with a line drive that goes all the way to the center field wall, scoring the speedy Gagliano from first. Bobby Tolan ends the game with a walk off triple and the Cardinals would have the most improbable 5-4 win.

The Cardinals would sputter a bit over the next few days, but this win ignited a run to the pennant that would have them survive losing both Bob Gibson and Ray Washburn to broken bones. And another World Championship for the Gateway City. More important, the unusual ending of the game gave fans and sports writers something to talk about other than running into a triple play to lose a game.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

The only thing hotter than the temperature in St. Louis was the battle for the 1967 National League pennant. It had suddenly become a three team race, two of which were the St. Louis Cardinals and the visiting Cincinnati Reds. The Reds had led the league for most of the season, but the Cardinals kept pace, never falling more than 4 1/2 games behind. It had been a two team race until the Cubs went on a tear, winning 16 of their last 19 games, including a recent 3 game sweep of the Reds. That knocked the Reds out of first place and put the Cubs into contention for the first time in several years.

At the start of this series, the Cardinals and Cubs were tied for first place and Cincinnati was starting to fade, now 5 games behind. The Cubs would give back nearly all of the ground they gained over the next two weeks, but it was this Independence Day series between the Cardinals and Reds that would set the tone for the remainder of the 1967 season.

The Cardinals seemed to be in good shape entering the series. Orlando Cepeda (.348) and Tim McCarver (.346) were chasing Roberto Clemente for the batting title, and were second and third in the league, respectively. Curt Flood was also in the mix, batting .306 at the time. Lou Brock, Roger Maris and and Julian Javier were also flirting with .300.

If that wasn’t enough for the Reds to deal with, the Cardinals starter on the night was Bob Gibson (9-6). But it wasn’t just any Bob Gibson. This was Gibson at his absolute meanest, and that meant trouble for the Reds. Gibson was coming off the worst outing of his career, giving up 9 runs in just 2/3 of an inning against the San Francisco Giants. When he took the mound, it looked like he had something to prove – we just didn’t quite know what it was.

Facing the Cardinals was veteran right hander, Milt Pappas. Pappas had recently come over to the National League after an impressive stint with the Baltimore Orioles. This was his 9th consecutive season with more wins than losses, and 10th if you are willing to include his rookie season where he went 10-10 as a 19 year old. In spite of all of his success, he always seemed to have trouble with the Cardinals.

A quick start

Gibson made quick work out of the Reds in the top of the first, as he would do for most of the game. A strikeout, an infield ground out and another strikeout and it was the Cardinals turn to hit.

And did they hit. And hit. And hit.

Lou Brock would lead off with a double, followed by singles by Curt Flood, Roger Maris and Orlando Cepeda. Before Pappas could even work up a sweat, the Cardinals had a 2-0 lead and were threating for more. Tim McCarver would hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Maris for the 3rd Cardinals run. Infield singles by Mike Shannon and Julian Javier would load the bases and end the day for the Reds starter. Don Nottebart, a former starter turned long reliever, would take over and he would be greeted rudely by light hitting Dal Maxvill who would clear the bases with a loud double in the right field gap. An errant throw allows Maxvill to score and the Cardinals now had a commanding 7-0 lead, with still only one out. Bob Gibson would extend the inning with a single.

What happens next united a team that was lacking a bit of identity, and they would need that over the coming months as they faced enough adversity to demolish a lesser team.

Thrown out

Lou Brock would make the second out of the first inning with a fielders choice, forcing Gibson at second base. There was no chance of doubling up the speedy Brock. With a 7 run lead, Brock attempts to steal second base and is thrown out, ending the inning. He also angered the Reds in the process. Apparently the Reds did not appreciate Brock running in that situation, and would soon retaliate. Not once, but twice – and that was just one too many.

Gibson would shut down the Reds quickly in the second and third innings, striking out seven of the first nine batters he faced. The Cardinals would go quietly in the second, but started another rally against Nottebart in the third.

Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon would start the inning with singles, putting runners at the corner. Deciding this was the time to make a statement, Nottebart brushes back Julian Javier, inviting the ire of Cardinals fans that remember Javier paying a similar price in 1965. Javier would ground into a fielders choice with McCarver being thrown out at home. The inning would end without a further incident, but tempers were clearly heating up.

In the fourth inning, Gibson would strike out two more Reds, bringing his total to 9. He was also throwing a perfect game, retiring the first 12 Reds rather quietly.

Once too often

Nottebart would again voice his displeasure of Brock’s running in the first inning by hitting the Cardinals left fielder to start the home half of the 4th inning. If he had not dusted Javier in the previous inning, that might have passed without a response. One was fine, but two batters could not be tolerated. Somehow, the Reds forgot who was on the mound for the Cardinals.

A return message was clearly delivered in the top of the fifth inning. Bob Gibson would throw one of his best fastballs behind the head of Tony Perez, one of the leaders of the young Reds team. Just because he didn’t hit Perez didn’t mean he wasn’t sending a loud and unambiguous message: this ends here and now. But it didn’t. Far from it.

Tony Perez would fly out, but while heading back to the dugout he yelled something at Gibson.

There are two things you can’t do to Bob Gibson: cheat on the inside of the plate and bark at him. Tony Perez must not have gotten that memo.

Perez and Gibson would share several verbal exchanges, both men getting more animated as they went on. The situation escalates when Orlando Cepeda comes over from first base to try to intervene, according to Cepeda’s version of the story. This move is misinterpreted by the Reds reliever, Bob Lee who comes running in from the Cincinnati bullpen.

Lee is a mountain of a man, listed at 6ft 3in and 225 pounds, but he looked much bigger at that particular moment.

Both teams ran out on the field and punches were thrown, hard and repeatedly. The scrum moved quickly into the Reds dugout and players started jumping in just as quickly as others were being thrown back onto the field of play. Even some fans got in on the conflict, helping out the home team. St. Louis police officers were soon dispatched to break up the fight, and they were eventually able to restore order, but not before several players were hurt, as was one of the officers.

The Reds manager had to be treated for lacerations from being spiked. The Reds reliever, Don Nottebart, received several facial cuts, but would stay in the game and pitch the bottom of the inning. Bob Gibson would jam the thumb on his pitching hand and it would bother him later in the game, prompting a call to the bullpen in the 8th inning. The most humorous of the injuries was to Tommy Helms, who broke a tooth – presumably the result of a Gibson punch. Helms would end the night 0-4 causing a sports writer to note that Gibson got more hits on Helms than Helms did on Gibby.

When play resumed, only one player was ejected: Bob Lee. While his actions had led to the escalation, the reason for his ejection was that he had entered the field of play illegally.

Back to the game

The game would continue, but it was clear that the fight had taken a toll on both teams. The Reds went quietly until the top of the 8th. Gibson was starting to struggle with his control, and the Reds started hitting him hard. After giving up 3 runs, manager Red Schoendeinst would go to his bullpen and Nelson Briles would quickly shut things down. Perhaps this was an omen as Briles would be called on to fill the spot in the rotation when Gibson lost two months to a broken leg.

The Cardinals would end up splitting the 4 game series, winning the first and last games while dropping the middle two. More important than this series, something had awakened in the Cardinals clubhouse. In a few weeks, Orlando Cepeda would stand up on a trunk and proclaim “Viva el Birdos”, and the Cardinals would go on to win the pennant and defeat the Red Sox in the fall classic. Looking back at the season, that bird might have taken flight in the 5th inning of this game. July 3, 1967.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a time to get together with friends and family, share a feast and then talk about everything that happened in the last year in which we are thankful. This year I thought it might be fun to look back at the last half century and give thanks to some of players that have amazed us, entertained us and sometimes, just made us yell at the television. Organized as a top 10, one player per position, here is my list of 10 Cardinals for which I am most thankful.

First Base – Albert Pujols

2001 – 2010 (and counting, all as a Cardinal so far)

1,900 hits, 408 home runs, 1,230 RBIs. Career batting average .331. Career OPS 1.050

Rookie of the Year (2001)

9 time All Star (2001, 2003-2010)

3 time NL Most Valuable Player (2005, 2008, 2009)

2 time Gold Glove winner (2006, 2010)

Unless you have been stranded on a desert island or were hiding in a bomb shelter, you know who Albert Pujols is, and what he has accomplished. There are players in the Hall of Fame with lesser career stats than “El Hombre”, and Albert’s career is far from over. The scary thing – we may not have seen the best of Pujols yet.

More than Pujols the player, the reason that he is on the list is Pujols the man. The Pujols Family Foundation’s assistance for children with Down Syndrome as well as the work they do helping people in the Dominican Republic is something special. Derrick Goold wrote an article documenting some of this for American Way Magazine in the summer of 2010. If you missed it, you can read it here. When you do, you will understand why Albert Pujols is listed first in my Thanksgiving list. Albert Pujols is a very special person, and we are privileged to get to see him play 81 games a year in our ballpark.

Second Base – Julian Javier

1960 – 1973 (1960 – 1972 as a Cardinal)

1,469 hits, 78 home runs, 506 RBIs, lifetime batting average .257

2 time All Star (1963, 1968)

Many of the younger members of Cardinals Nation will credit Yadier Molina for their interest in the Redbirds. Whether it was helping the Cardinals win the 2006 National League Championship Series or just an arbitrary Tuesday night game, there is something genuinely infectious about the way Molina plays the game, always smiling like he is having the best time of his life. In my generation, that player was Julian Javier. With every at bat, every ground ball he fielded, and every interview he ever gave a sportscaster, Julian Javier always had a smile that went from one ear to the other. He was just a bigger and better version of the kids we played baseball with in the neighborhood.

Defensively, Javier was a marvel. He had soft hands and scooped up everything hit in his direction. He had a strong arm, especially for a second baseman. And nobody in baseball turned a sweeter double play than Javier. Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates may have turned more, but Javier’s were magical. Tim McCarver gave him the nickname “The Phantom” after watching so many baserunners try to take him out on the double play, but failing miserably. One instant he was there on the base with ball in glove, but in a blink he was gone. That was the key to his success, for if he were to get tangled up with a baserunner, he would surely be on the losing end.

Like Curt Flood, Javier was acquired as part of the master plan to build a dynasty in St. Louis in the 1960s. If not for free agency (and a couple of clunker deals), it might have netted more than just three pennants and two World Series titles. With Flood behind him, and either Dick Groat or Dal Maxvill beside him, the Cardinals were one of the most fundamentally sound teams up the middle. At times there were question marks on the corners, but never up the middle.

Unfortunately for Javier, he played in the shadow of Bill Mazeroski for most of his career. Fortunate for the Cardinals through as both of them came up through the Pirates organization at the same time, and there was no room for two second baseman, so the Cardinals ended up with Hoolie. For my money, we got the better of the two second baseman. And before anybody brings up Mazeroski’s walk off home run in the 1960 World Series, it was Javier’s 3 run homer in Game Seven of the 1967 World Series that put the game out of reach, allowing Bob Gibson to cruise to an easy victory.

Shortstop – Ozzie Smith

1978 – 1996 (1982 – 1996 as a Cardinal)

2,460 hits, 28 home runs (but one of the biggest in Cardinals history), 793 RBIs, 580 stolen bases

15 time All Star (1983 – 1992, 1994-1996)

13 consecutive Gold Gloves (1980 – 1992)

1985 NLCS Most Valuable Player

Inducted into the Hall of Fame (2002)

Poor Barry Larkin. Julian Javier feels your pain – he played in the shadow of Bill Mazeroski throughout all of his career.

The Cardinals organization has been blessed with some spectacular shortstops. Some of them were somewhat one dimensional. Dal Maxvill was one of the best gloves of his era, but could barely hit above his body weight. Dick Groat was an offensive threat, but his defense was vastly underrated. We won’t talk about the current situation at shortstop, this is supposed to be a thankful article.

The thing that I most admire about Ozzie was how to continued to work on the weak parts of his game, until he excelled on both halves of the game. He always had the defensive skills and the base running ability. In the early part of his career, his weak offensive production meant that he would hit well down in the batting order, 7th or 8th – Tony La Russa would have most certainly hit him 9th. There aren’t a lot of hit-and-run opportunities when you continually hit in front of the pitcher. Every year in St. Louis, you saw an improvement in “The Wizard’s” hitting, most noticeably at the start of the 1987 season. He worked hard during that off-season and put a lot of muscle on his frame. The result was a more potent hitter – one that Whitey Herzog could now put behind Vince Coleman for a genuine two headed monster at the top of the batting order. That allowed Herzog to move Willie McGee down in the order, where his batting average could do far more damage. The result was a trip to the 1987 World Series for a team that had no business playing in post-season.

More than any of this, I am most thankful for the back flip at the start and end of every season, and to excite the hometown crowd during post-season. These are just as memorable as Ernie Hayes playing “Here Comes the King”, and they still give me goosebumps to this day when I think about them.

Third Base – Scott Rolen

1996 – present (2002 – 2007 as a Cardinal)

1,944 hits, 303 home runs, 1,212 RBIs. Career batting average of .284

Rookie of the Year (1997)

6 time All Star (2002 – 2006, 2010)

8 time Gold Glove winner (1998, 2000-2004, 2006, 2010)

Career slugging average of .498

My brother-in-law will tell me that if I had seen Ken Boyer play in his prime that there would be no contest. Unfortunately, I didn’t, so rather than go on second hand information, I’m choosing the best third baseman that I did see play. Scott Rolen. One-third of the Cardinals MV3 of the mid-2000′s, Rolen excelled on both offense and defense. He could hit for average as well as power. Hitting behind Albert Pujols gave him an unfair opportunity to drive in runs, and he seized it with gusto. More than his offensive production, Rolen was one of the smoothest third baseman I’ve ever seen play the hot corner. It’s not until you get close to him, you realize that he’s a big man because he plays the position so gracefully. Soft hand scoop up grounders without incident and a cannon of the arm sometimes makes it difficult for the television cameras to keep the ball centered in the shot.

A couple of unfortunate injuries shortened his time in St. Louis. We should have been able to enjoy watching him for longer than we did, but I have no regrets – I’ll take almost 5 years of MV3 over any from the previous decade.

Left Field – Lou Brock

1961 – 1979 (1964 – 1979 as a Cardinal)

3,023 hits, 149 home runs, 900 RBIs, career batting average of .293

937 stolen bases, led the league 8 times. 118 steals in 1974

6 time All Star (1967, 1971 – 1972, 1974 – 1975, 1979)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame (1985)

On June 15, 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals became a much better team. They didn’t realize it at the time, but the little left fielder they just acquired from the Chicago Cubs would own left field for the better part of the next two decades. He would strike fear in the hearts of catchers in both leagues, stealing bases with regularity and changing the game forever. Opposing teams disliked Brock’s “steal at any time” approach to the game. Truth be told, a few of him teammates didn’t like it either. But he played hard, slid into bases hard and he made defenders think twice before reaching in to make a tag.

There are two teams that aren’t thankful for Lou Brock: the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. In the 1967 and 1968 World Series, Brock was a menace from the first at bat until the last pitch of Game Seven. If he was not stealing bases, he was robbing the other team with amazing catches (which is especially interesting as his defense the rest of the year could be rather suspect). The Tigers figured out the best way to keep him from beating you was to keep him off the bases. Brock obliged by hitting two home runs – not exactly what the Tigers were thinking.

I have two favorite memories of Brock. September 10, 1974 and the Cardinals were still in the middle of a playoff run. It was a home game, and my sister got us tickets to see it. In the first inning, Brock singles off Phillies starter, Dick Ruthven. He immediately steals second base, tying Maury Wills for the single season stolen base record at 104. Poor Bob Boone, the Phillies catcher never had a chance. The next two times up, Brock failed to reach base. In the seventh inning, Brock singles again. The crowd is on their feet cheering so loudly they could probably hear us in Chicago. Brock is off again and steals second base, the throw coming in too late. Brock now holds the single season stolen base record. He would try to extend it later in the game and fail, but he saw history.

The other memory was of him waving goodbye to the St. Louis crowd for the last time in 1979, rather triumphantly as he had defied the odds by hitting .304 at age 40.

Center Field – Curt Flood

1956 – 1971 (1958 – 1969 as a Cardinal)

1,861 hits, 85 home runs, 636 RBIs, career batting average of .293

3 time All Star (1964, 1966, 1968)

7 consecutive Gold Gloves (1963-1969)

Only Cardinals player to hit over .300 in 1968

Before Jim Edmonds and before Willie McGee there was Curt Flood. The record books can tell you a lot about the star from the 1960′s, but if you ever had the chance to see him patrol centerfield, you don’t need them to tell you he was the best defensive outfielder of his generation. He had Lou Brock’s speed but combined that with Jim Edmonds instincts. An injury in 1967 affected his shoulder, but before that he had one of the best arms in the game. Runners tested him often as a 20 year old rookie, but soon figured out that they should be happy with one a base advance, instead of two. Even after the injury, Flood could cut down his share of runners.

His defense often overshadowed his offensive production. While teammate Lou Brock got the attention with his power and ability to steal bases, it was Flood that was steady as a rock at the plate. When the entire 1968 team’s offense took a nose dive, Flood was the only regular producer at the plate. He was a singles hitter, but sandwiched between Lou Brock and sluggers like Roger Maris, Orlando Cepeda, Bill White and Ken Boyer, that was exactly what the Cardinals needed.

Flood’s career has extra significance in two areas: one that would forever change baseball, the other the Cardinals franchise. Prior to the start of the 1970 season, Flood would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in a mammoth deal. Not wanting to play there, Flood challenged the reserve clause in the Major League collective bargaining agreement. Ultimately he lost, but his efforts led to the free agency model that we have in place today. Much of what Flood went through is documented in the book, A Well Paid Slave.

With respect to the Cardinals, when August Busch took ownership of the franchise in the 1950′s, he challenged General Manager, Bing Devine, to build a championship team. Flood was the first player that Devine acquired to begin building the core that would lead to World Championships in 1964 and 1967 and the National League Pennant in 1968.

With all due respect to Willie McGee and Jim Edmonds, if there is any talk about retiring another number in the Cardinals franchise, it should be #21 for Curt Flood.

Right Field – Roger Maris

1957 – 1968 (1967 – 1968 as a Cardinal)

1,325 hits, 275 home runs, 850 RBIs, career batting average of .260

4 time All Star (1959 – 1962)

2 time American League MVP (1960, 1961)

Gold Glove winner (1960)

Set the single season home run record in 1961 (61)

What can you say about Roger Maris, that hasn’t already been said before, and better. Not a lot, so instead of trying to do so, let me recommend a great book that does just that. Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero. This is one of the books that should be in every fan’s possession.

What I will say about Roger Maris is that in his short time in St. Louis, he was everything that we had hoped he would be. He was professional, he played hard – and smart. And he was the perfect counterbalance for Orlando Cepeda’s enthusiasm and Bob Gibson’s fierce competitiveness.

He was a legend. He was part of that Yankees dynasty. He played next to Mickey Mantle. And he held one of the most prestigious records in baseball – single season home runs. But what we saw those two summers was a baseball player that genuinely wanted to play the game the right way and seemed to appreciate being in St. Louis. I still remember going to games at Busch Stadium and watching him sign autographs for all the kids who were lined up. I don’t know which of them had the bigger smiles. That’s my memory of Roger Maris, and it still makes me smile some 43 years later. Shame on all of you Yankees fans and sports writers for not appreciating one of the game’s best players. You should have sent him to St. Louis much earlier than you did.

Catcher – Yadier Molina

2004 – 2010 (all in St. Louis, so far)

718 hits, 41 home runs, 325 RBIs, career batting average of .268

2 time All Star (2009, 2010)

3 consecutive Gold Gloves (2008 – 2010) – should be 4

Career caught stealing – 47%. Led league 3 times with 64% in 2005.

You don’t run on Yadi. Ever.

Yadier Molina has to be one of the most likable players in the game, unless you are a base runner. Not only does he catch one out of every two would-be stealers of second base, he’s reinvented the throw-behind-the-runner pick off play at first base. The only place a base runner is safe is when he is in the dugout.

Of all the great Cardinals catchers in the last 50 years, and there have been quite a few, two things make Molina stand head and shoulders above the rest. In Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, Molina’s game winning 2 run homer in the top of the 9th inning propelled the Cardinals to the World Series where they would brush aside the Detroit Tigers. That was one of the most exciting games, in one of the best post-season series of the last half century. In that type of game, one player will rise to the occasion, that it was Molina. I think the smile was even bigger than normal on that particular night.

The other happened at 7:18pm EDT on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 in Cincinnati. In just seven seconds, Yadi displayed the greatest example of leadership that I have seen in my 40+ years of watching Cardinals baseball. Cincinnati second baseman, Brandon Phillips, had made some negative comments about the Cardinals the day before. As he came up to bat, Molina stood up to him in front of the Reds fans and let him know that his words were not appreciated. A scuffle broke out and a few players were injured. In Molina’s first at bat, he hits a home run, essentially taking control of the game away from the Reds. The Cardinals would sweep the series, but lose the division in the end. But that was one of the greatest moments in personal leadership, and I’m thankful that I got to see it. And thankful for the MLB archive, so I can see it over and over again.

Starting Pitcher – Bob Gibson

1959 – 1975 (all as a Cardinal)

251 – 175, 3,117 strikeouts, career ERA of 2.91

8 time All Star (1962, 1965 – 1970, 1972)

9 consecutive Gold Gloves (1965 – 1973)

2 time Cy Young Award winner (1968, 1970)

National League Most Valuable Player (1968)

Worlld Series Most Valuable Player (1964, 1967)

Set single season ERA record in 1968 (1.12)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame (1981)

See: Albert Pujols. If you are too young to have seen Gibson pitch, you have missed one of the games best. The record books only tell part of the story. They don’t tell you that he threw just as hard and determined in the 13th inning as he did in the first. If the Cardinals needed him on short rest, as they did when they clinched the 1964 NL Pennant, Gibson would take the mound and give the Cardinals a chance. And while the statistics hint at the brilliance and domination of his 1968 campaign, watching and listening to over two months of inning after inning of shutout baseball is beyond anything that you can relate to in the current game. Chris Carpenter is the only pitcher in baseball today that you could mention in the same sentence as Gibson, but “Hoot” did that for over a decade and a half.

I’m afraid that my bias is starting to show. Gibson is my favorite baseball player, and I am thankful that I got to see him pitch in his prime. If you are not so fortunate, check out Game 1 of the 1968 World Series in the MLB archives, or pick up the DVD Box Set of the Greatest Games at Busch Stadium and then you’ll understand why he captivated a generation of baseball fans.

Relief Pitcher – Al Hrabosky

1970 – 1972 (1970 – 1977 as a Cardinal)

64 – 35, 97 saves, 548 strikeouts. Career ERA of 3.10

8-1 with a 2.95 ERA and 9 saves in 1974

13-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 22 saves in 1975

Played with both the Cardinals and Royals

Don’t let that career total of 97 saves fool you. Whether or not you like Al Hrabosky as a broadcaster, if you saw him pitch for the Cardinals in the 1970s, there will be a special place in your heart for the Mad Hungarian. If you were at Busch Stadium, or watching on television, you could not wait until the 8th inning when it was time for Hrabosky to come into the game.

He would often step behind the pitchers mound and start yelling at the baseball he held in his hand. Satisfied that he’d instructed the baseball properly, he’d pop it hard into his glove and then take his place on the pitching surface, much as an ancient warrior mounted his warhorse. He’d then give a cross-eyed stare to the batter, if he could in fact see Hungo’s eyes through the all of the hair and a cap pulled way down on his forehead. And then the pitching motion – it sort of defied anatomy. The phrase herky-jerky just doesn’t adequately describe the swiftly counter-rotating confluence of arms and legs, and somewhere out of this maelstrom would come a baseball at 90+ MPH.

Yeah, there’s a reason he put up those obscene numbers in 1974 and 1975 – the Mad Hungarian was simply that overpowering. And he didn’t do things cheaply. He might pitch two or three innings to earn a save, sometimes more if the game went into extra innings. And he did it much as Mariano Rivera does it today – relying on one pitch. In Hrabosky’s case it was the fastball. A very hittable pitch, if you could ever find it in that ugly thing he called a delivery.

When looking back at the old Busch Stadium, a number of memories separate themselves from the others. The sound of Ernie Hayes playing Here Comes the King, watching Ozzie Smith do a back flip, the sound of a Richie Allen home run, and watching Al Hrabosky talk to himself behind the mound. He was great fun, and I’m so thankful that I got to see him pitch.

Your Turn

These are the 10 Cardinals whom I am most thankful for. Who are some of yours ? Please share your list in the comments and make sure and tell us why they are so special to you.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Over the last two weeks, the writers at I-70 Baseball have shared their perspectives on the 1985 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. It was an amazing time for both organizations, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the I-70 Baseball series, especially from the perspective of the Kansas City writers and those too young to have experienced it firsthand. No coverage of that great Series would be complete with a discussion of Don Denkinger’s call in Game Six. If you have not already done so, please read Aaron Stilley’s outstanding article, 22%: Quantifying the Denkinger Call. Whether or not you can put the call behind you, as Bill Ivie suggests, one area where we can all find agreement is that there have been other controversial calls in baseball’s history. What you may not know is that one such call by a future Hall of Fame umpire had a similar impact on the outcome of the 1968 World Series. Here is story of October 7, 1968.

Game One

For fans of pitching, Game One of the 1968 World Series was one of the best in the history of the game. It featured two of the most dominating pitchers of their era, Bob Gibson and his 1.12 ERA versus the 31 game winner in Denny McLain. The two did not disappoint. Gibson pitched one of the best games in his career, striking out a record 17 batters on the day, including seven Tigers the first time through the order. Gibson had all of his pitches working – fastball, slider, change-up (yes, a wicked change-up) and a completely devastating curveball that Gibson won’t even acknowledge to this day. While Gibson breezed through the Tigers batting order, McLain struggled early. He fought Tom Gorman, the home plate umpire from the National League, all afternoon. Gorman refused to give McLain the high strike he had been getting in the regular season, and the big right hander was slow to adapt to the smaller strike zone. The Cardinals started exploiting McLain’s troubles in the third inning, finally breaking through in the fourth with three runs on a pair of walks and two RBI singles. McLain would exit the game early, turning the ball over to Pat Dobson and Don McMahon, who both pitched well. The only blemish was a solo home run to Lou Brock off Dobson. The Cardinals would win the game 4-0 behind the record setting performance of Bob Gibson. What the box scores don’t tell you is that even though McLain struggled, he nearly matched Gibson for the first half of the game.

Games Two, Three and Four

After a brilliant pitching duel in Game One, the respective offenses were on display for Games Two, Three and Four – or perhaps it was the vulnerabilities of the two bullpens. Because of Nelson Briles inability to keep the ball in the park, the Tigers were able to get into the Cardinals bullpen in Game Two, and bad things happened rather quickly. After surrendering his third home run of the game, all solo shots, an infield single by Willie Horton ended the day for the young right hander. Manager Red Schoendienst would go to his bullpen for the big left hander, Steve Carlton. Lefty would get hammered, giving up two more runs to the bottom of the Tigers batting order. Side armer Ron Willis was not any more effective the next inning and the Tigers had opened a huge lead. It is all Mickey Lolich would need as he shut the door on the Cardinals with a nifty complete game.

Fortunes would change for the Cardinals as the series moved to Detroit. Veterans Ray Washburn and Earl Wilson would do battle in Game Three. The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Al Kaline took Washburn deep in the third inning. There is no shame in giving up a long ball to the Detroit slugger, and Washburn limited the damage to just two runs. The Cardinals would get to Wilson and reliever Pat Dobson, taking a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Washburn would give one of those runs back when Dick McAuliffe hit a solo homer. Schoendienst would again go to his bullpen, calling on Joe Hoerner who had been victimized badly late in the previous game. This time, Hoerner was solid as a rock, earning a save in 3 2/3 innings of nearly perfect relief. Meanwhile the Cardinals would again get to the Tigers bullpen on their way to a 7-3 victory.

The Tigers bullpen would again be torched in Game Four. While Bob Gibson was cruising to another dominating victory, the Cardinals bats lit up starter Denny McLain and relievers Joe Sparma and John Hiller. When the dust, or maybe more accurately, the mud settled, the Cardinals won in a 10-1 laugher. More importantly, they had taken a 3 games to 1 lead in the World Series while making the Tigers bullpen throw a lot of innings.

This brings us to Game Five, the pivotal game of the 1968 World Series.

Game Five

This last game in Detroit featured the starters from Game Two, Mickey Lolich for the Tigers and Nelson Briles for the Cardinals. This time it was Lolich that had trouble with the long ball, and early. The Cardinals would jump out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning on a lead-off double by Lou Brock, a single and stolen base from Curt Flood and a two run homer off the bat of Orlando Cepeda – a bat that had been far too quiet for most of the 1968 season. Lolich would bear down and limit the damage, pitching effectively against the bottom of the Cardinals batting order.

On the other side of the diamond, Briles was cruising along, as he had done throughout most of the 1968 season. A couple of hard hit balls in the home half of the fourth inning caused a bit of trouble for Briles as Mickey Stanley and Willie Horton both tripled and scored in the inning. At least the ball was staying the field of play this time around. Like Lolich in the first, Briles settled down and limited the damage by retiring Bill Freehan to end the inning.

With the Cardinals holding on to a slim 3-2 lead and just 15 outs from their second consecutive World Series Title, we now proceed to the fifth inning, and the “other” blown call of the World Series.

The play

After Nelson Briles leads off the inning by striking out, Lou Brock nearly hits the ball out to left field. A great play by Willie Horton holds Brock to just a double. This defensive gem would become significant when Julian Javier singles to left field on the next play. Willie Horton comes up firing and throws a strike to Bill Freehan, who was blocking the plate. Brock actually beats the the throw to the plate, and unbelievably, Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey calls Brock out. A huge argument breaks out, involving the on deck batter, Curt Flood, Lou Brock, coach Joe Schultz and manager Schoendienst. Through all of this, Harvey remained resolute on his call, and the inning would eventually come to an end with Cardinals still nursing a slim one run lead.

After the game, Brock would defend his decision not to slide into home plate, as everybody expected. With Freehan blocking the plate, the only way for Brock to score would be to run through the Tigers catcher, which he did. What Harvey missed was Brock’s foot clearly on home plate before Freehan was able to turn and tag the speedy Brock. In his post game interview, Harvey even admitted to turning his attention away from the tag, calling it inevitable.

The best comment came from Bill Freehan, prior to Game Six in St. Louis. The Tigers catcher said, “After the game the other day, the writers came up to me and everybody wanted to know if Lou Brock had touched the plate or not. I told them I had to be the worst person in America to know because I was trying to catch the ball and couldn’t see a thing.” The grin on his face suggested otherwise.

The Implication

Had Harvey called Brock safe, the Cardinals would have had a two run lead at 4-2, instead of 3-2. They would also have had a speedy runner at second in Julian Javier. With only one out and the heart of the order coming up, the fifth inning in Game Five might have been a huge inning for the Cardinals. St. Louis had trouble with Lolich in Game Two, but he had not been particularly sharp thus far in Game Five. The momentum shift of a Brock run might have been all it took to rattle the Tigers lefty. The actual call had the opposite effect – Lolich toughened and the Cardinals would never really challenge him again.

The second domino to topple would happen in the bottom of the fifth inning. Trailing by two runs, with Briles crusing, Tigers manager Mayo Smith might have lifted Lolich for a pinch hitter. That would have put the game back in the hands of the Tigers bullpen, who had just been torched in the last two games. Down only a single run, Smith gambled, leaving Lolich in the game and that turned out to be the right decision as Lolich would be the one who cruised to the complete game victory, not Briles.

And we’re not done with the implications quite yet. With a two run lead, Red Schoendienst might have stayed with young Briles a bit longer when he got into trouble again in the bottom of the seventh inning. Down to just 8 outs for another championship, Schoendienst went to his bullpen, again calling on lefty Joe Hoerner. The Tigers ripped Hoerner just as they had at the end of Game Two, taking a 5-3 lead before the Cardinals reliever could record a single out. Ron Willis would finish the game, but the Tigers would go on to win this pivotal game.

The Outcome

The record books tell us how this story would end. In Game Six, the World Series would return to a soggy St. Louis. Denny McLain would shake off his early World Series troubles and pitch a dominating complete game. Cardinals starter Ray Washburn would not be so lucky, giving up five runs before leaving without getting a single out in the third inning. Larry Jaster, Ron Willis and Dick Hughes would follow Washburn in the third inning, and would also be hit hard. The game was not even an hour old and the Tigers had an insurmountable 12-0 lead. They would go on to win Game Six in a laugher, setting up a decisive Game Seven.

Not even Bob Gibson could salvage this series. He pitched well, but a late defensive miscue by the always dependable Curt Flood led to three tigers runs in the top of the seventh inning. That proved to be the difference in the game, and ultimately the series as Lolich continued his domination of Cardinals hitters, winning his third game and earning the 1968 World Series MVP award.

When looking back at the 1968 World Series, many historians will point at the Jim Northrup fly ball that Curt Flood played into a triple in Game Seven as the turning point. If you are willing to take a closer look, the controversial call by Doug Harvey in Game Five was just as devastating as Don Denkinger’s now infamous call in Game Six of the 1985 World Series. The difference is that Harvey’s call happened in the middle of the game, in the middle of the series.

A few weeks ago, we took a look at how the 1964 Cardinals outlasted the Philadelpha Phillies and Cincinnati Reds and won one of the most exciting National League championships in baseball history. This time, I’d like to look at the World Series, to understand how the underdog Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees. Yes, the Cardinals had plenty of pitching and timely hitting, but so did the Yankees.

Injuries would play an important role for both clubs. Former Rookie of the Year and perennial All Star shortstop, Tony Kubek, would miss the last week of the season and all of the World Series with an injury. Phil Linz would fill in for Kubek and terrorize Cardinals pitchers with the long ball. He would also commit two costly errors, as would second baseman Bobby Richardson and third baseman Clete Boyer.

On the other side of the diamond, the Cardinals had their own troubles in the infield. Julian Javier was reduced to a single appearance as a pinch runner. A youngster from St. Louis named Dal Maxvill took his place, and played the position brilliantly. Not only did he play error free for the 7 games, Maxvill made a diving catch on a ball that kept a Yankees rally from getting started. He didn’t hit quite like his Yankees counterpart, but he did drive in a key run in Game 7.

The 1964 World Series would take a full seven games, plus an extra inning. For all of that wonderful baseball, the outcome was determined on a handful of plays – one team made them, and the other didn’t.

Game 1

If you were writing the perfect baseball script, Game One would have featured Bob Gibson and Whitey Ford, and the fans would have been in for a genuine treat. Unfortunately, Gibson had been used too often on short rest to be available for the opener. Instead, Manager Johnny Keane went with his young left hander, Ray Sadecki, winner of 20 games in 1964. Ford had half that many victories in the World Series alone, 236 for his career and an ERA that rarely went above 3 runs per game. Ford had the record for most Wins in the World Series. Ray Sadecki was about to throw his first pitch in the fall classic.

Fans didn’t realize it at the time, but the opening play would be an eerie indicator of how the series would go. Phil Linz hits a sharp line drive towards Ken Boyer at third base. Boyer knocks the ball down, picks it up and fires a strike to Bill White to record the first out. Perhaps not worthy of a highlight reel, but this is the type of play the Cardinals would make all series long. And the kind that the Yankees didn’t.

That was nothing compared to what would happen when Phil Linz came up to bat in the fourth inning. The Yankees had taken a 3-2 lead on a Tom Tresh 2 run homer and an RBI single from Whitey Ford. Sadecki had labored, but seemed to be getting back in a groove. With a runner on first and two out, Linz hits a bullet down the third base line. Off the bat, it was an easy RBI double, but somehow Ken Boyer leaps to the right and knocks the ball down, scampers over to pick it up, and fires another strike to Bill White at first. This was a play that maybe only Brooks Robinson might have been able to make. On replay, Linz beats the throw, but it was a close play and the home team got the call this time. There would be payback in Game Two.

Tom Tresh would again victimize Sadecki and extend the Yankees lead to 4-2 with a double in the fifth inning.

The Cardinals would finally get to Whitey Ford in the sixth inning. Mike Shannon would hit a long two run homer, well over the scoreboard. That tied the score at 4-4. Tim McCarver follows that with double. Al Downing comes in to relieve Ford and gets pinch hitter Charlie James to pop out. With two outs, here is where the game will be determined, and Phil Linz is in the middle of the play. Pinch hitter Carl Warwick hits a sharp grounder just beyond the glove of Linz, and McCarver scores the go-ahead run. Warwick goes to second on the throw home. Curt Flood follows that with a long fly ball to the warning track that Tom Tresh loses in the sun and crowd, and by the time he recovers, Javier, running for Warwick, scores and Flood is at third with a triple.

The Yankees would get one of the runs back in the 8th, but an error, passed ball and consecutive hits from Flood and Lou Brock would put the game out of reach.

Game 2

Game 2 would feature two right handers, Bob Gibson for the Cardinals and Mel Stottlemyre for the Yankees. Both pitchers had exceptional seasons, Gibson winning 19 games for the Cardinals ,while Stottlemyre won 9 games for New York after being called up in early August. The fans were expecting a pitching duel, and the two starters didn’t disappoint.

The game was tied at 1 run apiece as the Yankees batted in the top of the 6th. Mickey Mantle led off with a walk. Elston Howard would follow that with a line drive up the middle, but out of nowhere comes Dal Maxvill to make a spectacular catch. He was unable to get himself into position to double off Mantle from first, but that play may have prevented a longer Yankees rally.

This game would be decided on the next play. On an inside pitch, the home plate umpire ruled that Gibson hit Joe Pepitone. Replay showed that the pitch was nowhere near the Yankees first baseman, but he was awarded first base on the play. Perhaps this was a payback for the call that went against Phil Linz in Game One. A rattled Gibson gave up a single to Tom Tresh, and the Yankees took the lead. One that they would not surrender.

The game was still close when Bob Gibson was lifted for a pinch hitter in the 8th inning, but the Yankees would get to Barney Schultz and Gordie Richardson in the top of the 9th, and make it a laugher. Mel Stottlemyre would finish the game and earn the win for the Yankees.

The series is now tied at 1 game apiece.

Game 3

In an unexpected pitching duel between Jim Bouton and Curt Simmons, defense again would play a factor in the outcome of this pivotal game. With the Yankees leading 1-0, Tim McCarver hits a single to right that goes through Mickey Mantle’s legs. McCarver would take second on the error. After a Mike Shannon fly out, Dal Maxvill would ground out, allowing McCarver to take third on the play. Curt Simmons ties the game by hitting a squibber down the third base line, just beyond the reach of Clete Boyer.

Neither pitcher would give up another run in the game.

In the top of the 9th, a Phil Linz error almost turned into disaster, but pinch hitter Bob Skinner failed to drive home Tim McCarver, who had reached base on the Linz miscue.

Barney Schultz, who saved Game One and let Game Two slip away, took over for Simmons. He faced one batter, Mickey Mantle. Schultz threw a “come hit me” knuckler, and that’s just what Mantle did. They Yankees won, 2-1, and had a 2-1 lead in the series.

Game 4

Another battle of left handers, this time the Game One starter for the Cardinals, Ray Sadecki, and the hard throwing Al Downing for the Yankees. The Yankees get all over Sadecki to start the game, with the first four men reaching base. Poor defense on the part of the Cardinals aided the early Yankees rally when Phil Linz, who led off the game with a double, was picked off second base, but an error by Ken Boyer allowed Linz to take third. A single to right by Mickey Mantle was originally misplayed by Mike Shannon, but he recovered and threw a bullet to Dal Maxvill, catching Mantle trying to advance on the play. That would be the only out Sadecki would get as Johnny Keane gambles and goes to his bullpen in the first inning. He calls on the veteran, Roger Craig. After a shaky beginning, Craig settles down and keeps the Yankees damage to just three runs. And we all know what that means, a single blast can tie the game.

This game would be decided by two plays in the sixth inning.

Carl Warwick would lead off for the Cardinals with his third pinch hit in the series, tying a World Series record. Curt Flood would follow that with a single. Lou Brock would fly out. And now, the first pivotal play. Dick Groat hits a sharp grounder to Bobby Richardson at second, a tailor made double play ball to get Downing out of the inning. Thompson is unable to get the ball out of his glove, and all base runners are safe. You know what’s coming next, right ? Bases loaded, following an blown double play. Ken Boyer blasts an Al Downing changeup about 20 rows deep in the left field bleachers for the 9th grand slam in World Series history. It also gave the Cardinals a 4-3 lead, and this time it is the Cardinals that won’t surrender.

Ron Taylor takes over for Roger Craig and pitches four innings of shutout baseball to preserve the win for Craig and the Cardinals.

The series is now tied at 2 games each. With Bob Gibson ready for Games 5 and 7, the Yankees hopes for another World Series title are beginning to fade.

Game 5

Bob Gibson and Mel Stottlemyre would hook up again in Game 5. They started off right where they ended in Game Two, with both pitchers putting up lots of shutout innings.

Defense would come into play in the Cardinals half of the fifth inning. With one out, Bob Gibson lifts a pop up, just beyond the infield into left field. The ball fell in between a hard charging Tom Tresh and a back-peddling Phil Linz. Curt Flood follows that with a sure double play ground ball, but it takes a bad hop and Bobby Richardson is unable to make the play. Both runners are safe. A single by Lou Brock and a ground out from Bill White gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals still had a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning. Mickey Mantle would reach base on an error by Dick Groat. Gibson would fan Elston Howard. What happens next is the turning point in the World Series. Joe Pepitone hits a grounder down the third base line, and Bob Gibson makes the most unbelievable play, throwing a strike to Bill White as he is falling down. One of the greatest defensive plays in World Series history. The reason this play is so important, Tom Tresh would follow itwith a home run, tying the game at 2-2. If Gibson does not make that play, the Yankees would win the game. But Gibson did make the play, and the game would go into extra innings, or inning.

Pete Mikkelson would get into all sorts of trouble in the top of the 10th inning. Bill White would lead off with a walk, followed by a perfect bunt from Ken Boyer. Bill White then steals third base, putting the go-ahead run just 90ft away with nobody out. That play was important because Dick Groat would ground out to third, and White’s stolen base prevented the easy double play. White had to hold at third, but just for a moment as Tim McCarver would follow with a three run homer to give the Cardinals the lead.

Gibson would pitch a very quiet 10th inning for the victory, giving the Cardinals a 3 games to 2 lead in the series, but not before one more spectacular play. With 2 outs, Roger Maris hits a foul ball out of play on the third base side. Just as the ball is about to strike National League President, Warren Giles on the head, Ken Boyer reaches deep into the stands and makes a circus-like catch to end the game. I can still hear Harry Caray with the call on that play.

Game 6

Game Three starters, Jim Bouton and Curt Simmons would do battle in what Cardinals fans hoped would be the final game of the World Series. Unlike the previous five games, this one would be determined by the long ball, and from a familiar source. With the score tied at 1-1 in the sixth, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit back to back home runs to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. As in Game Three, Simmons pitched well enough to win, but it was another late inning meltdown from Barney Schultz and Gordie Richardson that put the game out of reach, and taking the series to a decisive Game 7.

Game 7

There is nothing like a World Series Game 7, and the one in 1964 was one for the ages. It is remembered for a historic pitching performance by Bob Gibson, setting the World Series strikeout record. It is also the game where both Boyer brothers, Ken and Clete, hit home runs. What has been forgotten were two plays by Mike Shannon, in the span of about 10 minutes, one of which gave the Cardinals the lead, which they would extend and then hold onto for the win.

In the fourth inning, the Cardinals had a 1-0 lead. Tim McCarver was on third base, Mike Shannon on first. With light hitting Dal Maxvill at the plate and one out, Mike Shannon steals second – or more precisely, tackles the base. On the throw, Tim McCarver breaks for the plate and easily beats the throw home, completing one of the most exciting plays in baseball – the double steal. That was the first play. As he did throughout his career, Dal Maxvill delivers a huge hit, scoring Shannon, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the next inning, Bob Gibson got into a bit of trouble with a pair of walks. With one out, Phil Linz hits a sinking line drive to right field. It was a sure hit that would easily score Tom Tresh from second base. Mike Shannon had a different idea as he caught the ball off his shoe top in full stride and then fired a strike to Dick Groat covering second base, completing an unbelievable double play. That was the second play, and it ended the Yankees threat.

The Cardinals would tack on three more runs in the fifth inning, giving them a 6-0 lead. A three run homer by Mickey Mantle would give the Yankees fans a glimmer of hope, but that would be extinguished when Ken Boyer hit a home run in the seventh, extending the Cardinals lead to 7-3.

Gibson was now on cruise control and had just 6 outs to record to give the Cardinals a World Series championship. A tiring Gibson would give up two solo home runs in the ninth inning, one to Clete Boyer and the other to Phil Linz, who had been victimized on several defensive plays in the series. Bobby Richardson would pop out to Dal Maxvill to end the game, and the series.

Beyond the Box Scores

Much has been written about the 1964 World Series. Bob Gibson’s gutsy 10 inning performance in Game 5, setting the strikeout record in Game 7. Mickey Mantle setting the World Series career home run record. Even Carl Warwick’s three pinch hits. The real story in this championship series were a handful of defensive plays that the Cardinals made, in true Gashouse style. And several others that the Yankees didn’t make. In the end, those plays were the difference in the 1964 World Series.