The St. Louis Cardinals entered the final two series of the 2012 regular season with something to play for: the Second Wild Card, which would assure them a one game playoff—the winner of which goes on to play in the NLDS against the playoff team with the best record. But what if the game was still being played under last year’s rules? What would the Cardinals be playing for in these final six games?

A whole lot of nothing, that’s what.

The Atlanta Braves clinched a playoff spot on September 25. The reason it’s only a playoff spot and not the Wild Card is because the Washington Nationals have not yet closed out the National League East Championship. Regardless, without the Second Wild Card, both teams would be in the postseason already no matter how they finish in the regular season standings. Aside from some seeding still to be determined, the playoff brackets would be full and the Cardinals would be on the outside looking in. Ironically, the one thing the Cardinals could do this weekend is help the Braves keep the door open to winning the NL East by beating the Nationals. That’s actually true with or without the Second Wild Card, but this season the Cardinals need the wins. Otherwise they would be relegated to the role of spoiler at best. And after what transpired at the end of the 2011 regular season, what an interesting discussion that would spark.

Imagine the questions that would surround the team without the opportunity in front of them: Was Mike Matheny the right guy for the job? How much can injuries be blamed for the Cards’ shortcomings? Did they need to spend the money on Carlos Beltran? Are they regretting letting Albert Pujols get away? Do you think Tony La Russa and/or Dave Duncan would come back? Should other coaches on the staff be let go? What does John Mozeliak need to do in the offseason to right the ship? When a champion comes back and falls woefully short the next year, these are the types of things people talk about. Some of those questions may get asked of the Cards in the offseason anyway. But the perspective and, consequently, the answers are so different between a playoff year and a non-playoff year.

Even the roster can be drastically affected. Perhaps the Cardinals would have shut down ailing players like Carlos Beltran or Matt Holliday for the season by now. Perhaps Chris Carpenter would not have come back at all, or the Cards would have taken a page from the Stephen Strasburg files and backed Adam Wainwright off in the interest of the long-term. After all, what would be the rationale for pushing these guys after elimination, knowing they are under contract for 2013? There would be none. And we’d probably be seeing even more players from the Cards’ system up with the big club.

Last year, one of the rallying cries was “11 in ‘11,” and the Cardinals did indeed win their 11th World Championship in 2011. It also took 11 wins to get there: three Division Series wins, four National League Championship Series wins, and four World Series wins. Naturally, the fan base turned their attention to longing for “12 in ‘12” before the confetti had even been swept up from the parade through downtown St. Louis last October. The funny thing is, without the need to win a 12th postseason game created by the Second Wild Card, the Cardinals would have no shot to fulfill that longing this season. And that would really trigger some what ifs.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

Currently, the Kansas City Royals sit at 29-35 and 5 games out of 1st place in the American League Central. If they can continue streaking, could they actually become buyers at the trade deadline?

Royals fans are all too used to the same story at the trade deadline every year. Let’s see what assets we have that other contending teams might want and see if we can turn those into anything useful for the future. Is it possible, that with the way the Royals have played since ending their 12 game losing streak in April, that they could actually become buyers at the deadline this year? One can only hope. And barring any injuries to position players, the primary need will be Starting Pitching. So as we sit about 6 weeks away from the trade deadline, let’s examine what starting pitchers might be available for the Royals to pursue.

Cole Hamels (Phillies)-The Philadelphia Phillies are currently 9 games out of first place in the National League East. Hamels is a free agent after this season, and all signs point to the Phils not being able to re-sign him. Assuming they don’t agree to an extension before the deadline, and that the Phillies don’t right the ship, you can bet they will be listening to offers.

Zack Greinke (Brewers)-Same situation as above. Milwaukee is 8.5 games out of first place, Greinke is a free agent, and the chances of the Brewers re-signing him are very slim. If they don’t right their own ship, they will be looking to trade him for a similar package of prospects that they traded away to get him from the Royals.

Shaun Marcum (Brewers)-Again, if the Brewers aren’t in contention, they will be looking to move Marcum, who is also a free agent at the end of 2012 and a Kansas City native as well.

Brandon McCarthy (Athletics)-McCarthy is having another very solid season, and will be a free agent after this season. And the Oakland Athletics are going nowhere in 2012, so it would be shocking to see him finish the season in an A’s uniform.

Francisco Liriano (Twins)-While it is not likely the Minnesota Twins would be willing to trade Liriano to a division rival like the Royals, he is also the guy on this list that would command the least in return. There is no denying his ability, so he would be worth a gamble for the Royals or another team in need of starting pitching for the stretch run.

Wandy Rodriguez (Astros)-The Astros are trying to rebuild, and though Rodriguez is signed through 2013, they don’t figure to be contending until after that. So he will likely be made available at this year’s deadline. The left-hander would be a solid addition to the Royals staff not only this year, but next year as well if they could land him.

Ryan Dempster (Cubs)-Dempster has pitched very well this season, but the Chicago Cubs are the worst team in baseball and Dempster will be a free agent after the 2012 season. It is highly unlikely the rebuilding Cubs would be willing to invest in a multi-year deal with the 35 year-old Dempster, so he is bound to be made available.

Matt Garza (Cubs)-Garza will be arbitration-eligible after this season, and a free agent after the 2013 season. Like the Astros, the Cubs don’t figure to be competitive until long after 2013, so they might as well move him while he has value.

So as you can see, there should be no shortage of capable starting pitchers available at the deadline. And the Royals have no shortage of desirable prospects to deal away. It would sure be nice to have the shoe on the other foot for a change.

Earlier today we introduced the UCB All Time Cardinal Team Tournament.

This tournament of 64 different Cardinal franchises will start today here on i70baseball and on Pitchers Hit Eighth.

The Buck Region belongs to us and our match-ups follow below.  Please take the time to vote on the various games and help us determine who the best of the best really is.

Voting for this round will close on Saturday, March 17, at 8:00 p.m. Central Time

The 1942Cardinals hold the record for the most wins in franchise history (106). They won the World Series, only losing one game to the Yankees. Enos Slaughter was the team’s top performing player posting a 7.1 WAR.

The 1917 Cardinals finished 3rd in the National League with a 82-70 record. Rogers Hornsby led the team in WAR, posting a 9.2.

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The 1947Cards posted a 89-65 record while finishing second in the National League. Whitey Kurowski was the best on the team, posting a 6.2 WAR.

The 1957 team was also a second place finisher, posting a 87-67 record. Stan Musial would lead the team with a 6.6 WAR.

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 The 2005 team won 100 games, yet lost in the NLCS to the Houston Astros.  Albert Pujols led the team with a 8.2 WAR.

The 2008 team would finish in 4th place while posting a 86-76 record.  Albert Pujols would lead this team with a 9.6 WAR.

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The 1943 team would win 105 games and lose the World Series to the New York Yankees.  Stan Musial led the boys with a 8.9 WAR.

1977 was a sentimental pick.  The year I was born, the Cards went 83-79 and finished 3rd in the National League East.  Ted Simmons led the team with a 6.3 WAR.

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 In 1944 Cardinals won a World Series title after winning a second consecutive 105 win season.  Stan Musial would post a 9.1 WAR to lead the team.

The 14th seed is the 1914 club.  They finished 81-72, 3rd in the league.  Pitcher Harry “Slim” Sallee led the team with a 4.8 WAR.

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 2009 would see the Cardinals finish at 91-71 and lose the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Albert Pujols would led the team with a 8.8 WAR.

The 1991 Cardinals would finish in 2nd place, their highest finish under Joe Torre.  Ozzie Smith would led the team with a 4.7 WAR.

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The 1935 Cardinals would finish second in the league despite a 96-58 record.  Dizzy Dean posted a 7.6 WAR.

1989 would give the Cardinals a 86-76 record, good enough to finish third.  Ozzie Smith would lead the team with a 6.3 WAR.

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The number two seed represents the site well, coming from 1985.  The team won 101 games and lost the World Series to the Royals.

The 15th seed comes from the year prior, in 1984.  They would finish 84-78 and third in the division.  Bruce Sutter’s 4.5 WAR would lead the team.

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Please vote and share the brackets with your friends.  The polls will close on Saturday and the winners will move on to next week’s rounds.

Earlier this month, we took a look at how the 1987 Cardinals overcame a slew of injuries to win the National League East Division Title, holding off a late run by both the New York Mets and the Montreal Expos. John Tudor would miss half of the season with a broken leg, newcomer Tony Pena a month and a half with a broken hand and long disabled list stints by Danny Cox, Tommy Herr, Curt Ford, Joe Magrane and Jack Clark. Of these, Clark’s injury hurt the Cardinals the most as he was their only legitimate power threat in the lineup. Behind the dual running threat of Vince Coleman and Ozzy Smith and the reliable bat of Tommy Herr, Jack Clark feasted on opposing pitchers. He put together one of the best offensive seasons since a guy named Stan Musial roamed in the right field corner at Grand and Dodier (Sportsman’s Park). That is until the sixth inning of the game in Montreal on September 9 when “The Ripper” tried to avoid a tag on an errant throw by Expos third baseman Tim Wallach and ended up tearing some ligaments in his ankle, ending his season. For many Cardinal fans, their hopes for post-season ended with that awkward slide.

Thanks to some late season heroics by Terry Pendleton and the pitching of Greg Mathews, Joe Magrane, Danny Cox and John Tudor, the Redbirds were able to hold onto the lead that they had built earlier in the season and would face NL West Champions, the San Francisco Giants, in the National League Championship Series. While the Cardinals limped into post-season, the Giants stormed into the series. A long winning streak in mid-September separated the Giants from both Houston and Cincinnati and the outcome of the division was really never in doubt after that. The Giants were also entering the playoffs with all of their regulars in the lineup.

Bad Blood, Lots of it

Not that post-season needs any more drama than the best-of-seven game series provides, this one featured just a bit more than the others in the decade. There was bad blood between these two teams, and a lot of it. It all dated back to a game the previous season. To be specific, a Tuesday night game in St. Louis on July 22, 1986. Both pitchers would get off to a rough start. Giants starter Vida Blue was being beaten up, one single at a time. At the same time, John Tudor could not retire the Giants in order and surrendered a game tying home run to Bob Brenly just moments after being given an early lead. It was going to be one of those kind of games.

Things fell apart for the Giants in the fourth inning when the Cardinals sent 11 men to the plate against Blue and relievers Mark Davis and Juan Berenguer. Andy van Slyke did most of the damage with a triple and a home run, but it was the aggressive base running of Vince Coleman and Ozzie Smith that got under the Giants skin. By the time Berenguer got the last out in the inning, the Cardinals plated 8 runs for a 10-2 lead.

In the next inning, John Tudor would single with one out. Vince Coleman would ground out, forcing Tudor at second. With a 10-2 lead, Coleman was back off to the races and would steal both second base as well as third. The last straw came when Vince Coleman tried to score on a wild pitch to Willie McGee. Catcher Bob Brenly threw out Coleman and pitcher Juan Berenguer slammed the ball into the ground to show his displeasure of Coleman’s aggressive play with such a big lead. Both benches emptied, but nothing happened quite yet. Coleman added fuel to the fire when he tipped his cap to Berenguer in mock appreciation of his play.

You know what comes next, right ? Exactly. When Coleman comes up to bat the next time, he take his punishment – which in this case was a pitch in the rib cage, but not before the first attempt failed to hit the Cardinals speedster. Both benches were warned, but that apparently wasn’t a deterrent as Frank Williams’ next pitch hit Coleman in the mid-section, prompting an automatic ejection of Williams and manager, Roger Craig. That’s when the melee broke out, and a good one it was. Even Whitey Herzog got into the act when Jeffrey Leonard threw Cardinals pitching coach Mike Roarke to the ground. A huge mound of players exchanged blows with Tommy Herr getting the worst of it, receiving 8 stitches to the face.

The Giants would make the game more interesting by jumping all over reliever Ray Burris, but Todd Worrell would close the game out, preserving the win for the Redbirds. But the Giants would get their revenge, it just took a bit over 14 months for another opportunity to present itself.

NLCS Games 1 and 2

Even though the Cardinals had won 5 more game than their Western Division foes, injuries to Jack Clark and Terry Pendleton made the Giants the favorites in this series. Fortunately for the Cardinals, the series would start in St. Louis where young left-hander Greg Mathews won Game One with 7 1/3 innings of 4 hit baseball. Mathews would even drive in the eventual winning runs with a 2 out single in the sixth inning. Todd Worrell and Ken Dayley would bail Mathews out late in the game, preserving the win for the home team.

Dave Dravecky would even the series with the best post-season pitching performance since Jim Lonborg’s 1 hitter in the 1967 World Series. The Giants lefty would hold the Cardinals to just 2 hits as they pecked away at John Tudor for a 5-0 win. In this game, Jeffrey Leonard would hit his second home run in as many games. That was starting to get under the skin of the Cardinals.

Game 3

While the first two games featured some very good pitching on both sides of the diamond, the first game at Candlestick Park looked to be more of an offensive battle. Whitey Herzog would give the ball to his star rookie, Joe Magrane. On the other side, Roger Craig would call on his big lefty, Atlee Hammaker. Hammaker had been a bit of a Ray Sadecki pitcher for the Giants. He had great stuff and could completely shut down the opposition, but for some reason could not get any run support. If the current group of baseball writers were voting for the Cy Young award in 1983, Hammaker would probably have won it. Even though he only compiled a 10-9 record, he led the league in ERA (2.25), walks per 9 innings (1.7) and K/BB ratio of almost 4. After missing the entire 1986 season with an injury, Hammaker turned in a solid 1987, finishing with a 10-10 record.

The Giants would draw first blood in this battle, getting all over Joe Magrane in the bottom of the second inning. A double by Chili Davis, single by Will Clark and double from the bat of Bob Brenly would give the Giants a quick 2-0 lead. That would lead would soon grow to 3-0 when Bob Brenly scored on a Magrane wild pitch to leadoff hitter, Robby Thompson.

What the box scores don’t tell you is that the Cardinals were being beaten on every aspect of the game. They were being out-pitched, out-hit and out-hustled. If something didn’t change, and soon, the series might not return to Busch Stadium.

The last straw for the Cardinals in this game came in the bottom of the third inning. Jeffrey Leonard would lead off with his third home run of the series. In front of the large home town crowd, Leonard took his time rounding the bases. As he did so, he ran with his right arm dangling limply – he called that his “one flap down.” It was a huge insult to the opposing pitchers, and that was not lost on Bob Forsch who was getting ready to enter the game.

Bob Forsch Knocks One Flap Down

The dean of the Cardinals pitching staff would take over for Joe Magrane in the fourth inning. After a failed bunt from Robbie Thompson and a sharp single by Kevin Mitchell, Jeffrey Leonard stepped into the batters box. In a bit of old school retribution, Bob Forsch puts a pitch right in Leonard’s rib cage. Leonard takes it like a professional and quietly takes his base. After some shaky infield play, Forsch closed out the inning without any further damage. But he did make a big statement – if the Cardinals bats could just show some sort of life, this could be a game again.

That would happen in the next inning. With two outs and Ozzie Smith on first base, Jim Lindeman, filling in for the injured Jack Clark, surprised everybody by blasting a 2 run homer. After tearing up spring training and making it possible for Dal Maxvill to deal Andy van Slyke to the Pirates for Tony Pena, Lindeman struggled through the regular season, finishing with a disappointing .208 average with 8 home runs and 28 RBIs. With this one hit, Lindeman gave the Cardinals some much needed life.

If Lindeman was feeding off Forsch’s efforts in the previous inning, Forsch in turn feed off the bats waking up by setting down the Giants in order without a ball leaving the infield. That put the Cardinals bats back into the game quickly, and they would break the game open against Hammaker and relievers Don Robinson and Craig Lefferts. Unlike the previous inning, the Cardinals did it this time by pure Whitey-ball: singles, stolen bases and sacrifices. Jim Lindeman, who drove in the first two runs, would drive in the last run with a sacrifice fly. By the time the inning ended, the Cardinals enjoyed a 6-4 lead and were standing much taller than they were an hour earlier.

Whitey Herzog would turn the game over to Todd Worrell for a 3 inning save. A 2 out home run in the 9th inning by Harry Spilman would make it a one run game, but Worrell would retire Kevin Mitchell to end the game.

Games 4 and 5

In Game 4, the Cardinals got to Giants starter, Mike Krukow, early but failed to tack on any more runs. Cardinals starter, Danny Cox, ran into trouble with the long ball as Robbie Thompson, Jeffrey Leonard and Bob Brenly would victimize the big right hander. Leonard’s game winning homer was his 4th in as many games. Fortunately, this would be the last we would hear out of Leonard.

Game 5 was a back and forth affair as each time the Cardinals would score, the Giants would come back and tie the game. San Francisco would have the final word, scoring 4 runs in their half of the fourth inning. Neither team would allow another run and the Giants would leave San Francisco with a 3-2 lead in the series.

Games 6 and 7

When the series returned to Busch Stadium, John Tudor pitched one of the best post-season games in his career. He gave the Giants fits, scattering 6 hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. Todd Worrell and Ken Dayley would retire the five batters they would face, three by way of the the strikeout. The only run in the game came on a Tony Pena fly ball that Candy Maldonado misplayed into a triple. Jose Oquendo would drive him in two batters later with a sacrifice fly.

Game 7 would feature Danny Cox against Game 3 starter Atlee Hammaker. In a complete reversal of fortunes from Game 3, it was Hammaker that would fall apart early. Three consecutive singles by Tony Pena, Terry Pendleton and and Willie McGee in the second inning would set up the big play of the game. Jose Oquendo would break the game open with a three run homer, giving Danny Cox a lead that he would not surrender. The Cardinals would tack on two insurance runs later in the game, but Cox didn’t need them as he would go the distance in the 6-0 shutout, further adding to his reputation of being a big game hurler.

Epilogue

As much as Jeffrey Leonard irritated opposing players and fans, he had a truly remarkable post-season in 1987. He would be rewarded by taking home the NLCS Most Valuable Player award, the first one given to a player on the losing team. Willie McGee and Tony Pena had a good series for the Cardinals, but nothing like the .417/.500/.917 that Leonard put up. He would finish the series with 4 home runs, but just 5 RBIs. Yes, he deserved the award more than any other player.

But one player deserves an even bigger award. Bob Forsch gave his team a much needed lift when he sent the series MVP down in the dirt at that pivotal moment in Game 3. He won’t receive any iron for that, but he should get the respect of Cardinals fans, young and old. If not for some old school payback, the 1987 NLCS might have ended in San Francisco.

Last week, Michael Metzger took us back to Game 7 of the 1987 World Series with his article, The Other Game 7. It was truly an amazing game that had more plot twists than a Dan Brown novel. With the 25th anniversary coverage of the 1985 World Series last month, that leaves just one more Game 7 for the Cardinals in the Whitey Herzog era. That would be October 20, 1982: The Other Other Game 7.

Getting There

Even though they had the best record in the National League East in the strike shortened 1981 season, not everybody was convinced that the St. Louis Cardinals had the pieces in place to win the division in 1982. Cardinals fans were still upset over the sequence of events that brought Darrell Porter to St. Louis and sent long time favorite Ted Simmons to Milwaukee. There were also questions about where the production lost in the Garry Templeton for Ozzie Smith trade was going to come from. We did have Bruce Sutter, Bob Forsch and Joaquin Andujar, but Steve Mura, John Stuper and Dave LaPoint didn’t seem like the back end of a championship rotation. To make things more interesting, nobody on the Cardinals roster had career years, although Bruce Sutter, George Hendrick and Keith Hernandez were certainly very productive.

If there was a surprise, it was Lonnie Smith. He was just what manager Whitey Herzog needed at the top of the order – a good hitter with speed. A catalyst – the archetype of a Whitey Ball player. He would not be enough though, as the final piece fell into place when David Green, recently obtained in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, went down with an injury. A young speedster named Willie McGee was called up to fill in for Green. As Brock had done in June 1964, McGee turbocharged this lineup and transformation to Herzog’s “running rabbits” was complete.

A huge winning streak at the start of the season gave the Cardinals some separation from their chief competition, the Philadelphia Phillies. The two teams would battle all summer for the NL East championship. Another well timed winning streak in September proved to be too much for the Phils, and the Cardinals cruised to their first division title since the league adopted the format in 1969. Step one complete.

There was another roadblock to the date with Game 7 – the Atlanta Braves. The Braves, behind NL MVP Dale Murphy, won the NL West division on the last game of the season. This would be their second trip to the playoffs and were the slight underdog to Herzog’s Cardinals. But in a short series, anything can happen. And it did.

The original Game 1 was interrupted by rain at a most fortunate time for the Cardinals. Trailing 1-0, the game was just a few outs from being an official game before umpires called it. A do-over. In the second Game 1, Bob Forsch cruised to an easy win, throwing a complete game 3 hit shutout in the 7-0 victory. Game 2 was a nail biter and would go down to the wire. Newcomer Darrell Porter proved to be the hero with an important RBI double in the middle of the game, followed by scoring the tying run a few innings later. Ken Oberkfell would send the huge St. Louis crowd home delirious with a walk off single after some well executed small-ball. The series would briefly move to Atlanta as the Cardinals jumped out to an early lead in the clincher and never looked back. A sweep of the NL West Champs sent the Cardinals to the World Series.

Meet the Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers were the exact opposite of the St. Louis Cardinals. Where the Cardinals were like a military band marching in precision, the Brewers looked like they just rolled out of a bar at closing time. The Cardinals ran, the Brewers slugged. The Cardinals played excellent defense all around the field. The Brewers slugged. What the two teams had in common were their closers – Rollie Fingers and Bruce Sutter, but Fingers would not be available for the World Series due to an injury. It was hoped that he would be able to return some time in the series, but that never happened, and the Brewers played with one less pitcher on their roster.

Herzog’s Cardinals were just supposed to be a speed bump on the Brewers path to immortality. When the Brewers opened the series with a 17 hit 10 run attack, it looked like that might be the way the series would go. Mike Caldwell did to the Cardinals what Bob Forsch had just done to the Braves – a demoralizing 3 hit shutout.

The Brewers jumped out to a quick lead in Game 2, but the intrepid Cardinals kept clawing their way back. An 8th inning run proved to be the difference in the game as the Cards tied the series.

Now, off to Milwaukee.

Thanks Ted

Game 3 was the coming out party for Willie McGee. He was a one man assault on the Brew Crew. Not only did he hit 2 home runs on the day, but he robbed Gorman Thomas of one with a Jim Edmonds like catch well above the center field fence. If that wasn’t enough, he made one of the most amazing diving catches, saving another run and preventing a possible rally. As good as McGee was, Andujar was better. He was throwing darts at the Brewers bats, and other than a couple of McGee gems, they weren’t hitting him. Until ex-Cardinal Ted Simmons comes to the plate in the 7th inning and lines the ball off Andujar’s right leg. Andujar had to be helped off the field and by all reports, was done for the series. The Cardinals held on for the win, but the heart and soul of the team just died. Or so we thought.

The next two games would reinforce that belief. The Brewers would get to Bob Forsch and Dave LaPoint in the next two games and take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Stuperman

Game 6 – the first elimination game. It was a cold and rainy night in St. Louis. The temperatures would quickly drop into the 30s – it was just a brutal night for baseball. Whitey Herzog gave the ball to rookie John Stuper, but all hands were on deck in case there was trouble. Through two long rain delays, Stuper was magnificent. He took a 1 hitter into the 9th inning while his teammates chewed up the Brewers bullpen to the tune of a 13-1 laugher. The young rookie right-hander may have just saved the World World Series.

The Other Other Game 7

To everybody’s surprise, Joaquin Andujar was announced as the Cardinals starting pitcher. Just a few days earlier, he had to be helped off the field. We’d last seen him standing on crutches with a huge bandage wrapping his knee. Now he’s standing in front of a sellout crowd at Busch Stadium in the biggest game of the season. His opponent would be former Cardinal, Pete Vukovich, who looked like he had slept in his uniform. Andujar was elegant, Vukovich unkempt. Andujar threw fastballs. Vukovich threw junk. The differences between these two couldn’t be greater.

Watching Andujar warm up, it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t right. He was landing gently, unable to put all of his weight on his right leg. He would throw across his body awkwardly. None of that seemed to matter though as Andujar, pitching on pure adrenaline, retired the first 9 men he faced. On the other side of the diamond, Vukovich was in trouble all night, throwing high pressure pitch after high pressure pitch. One of these two were about to crumble – we just didn’t know which one.

At first it looked to be Andujar. The second time through the order, the Brewers started a rally. Paul Molitor led off the fourth inning with a sharp single to right field. Robin Yount followed that with a slow ground ball to Ken Oberkfell at third base. Molitor was forced at second, but Yount easily beat the throw at first. Andujar was really struggling at this point in the inning. Cecil Cooper then dribbled a single to right field.

The Turning Point

What happens next will determine the winner of the 1982 World Series. On the Cooper single, the speedy Yount tried to take third base. George Hendrick, a vastly underrated defensive player, comes up firing and throws a strike to Ken Oberkfell. Oberkfell does his part by blocking off third base. The throw beats Yount and Oberfell makes the easy tag for the second out of the inning. If you know anything about Joaquin Andujar, you can guess what happens next. That is exactly the kind of play that can get Andujar back into the game, and it does just that. He throws two more pitches in the inning as Ted Simmons pops out. Brewers rally finished – momentum swing in the Cardinals direction.

As if scripted, the Cardinals would finally break through in the bottom of the fourth inning. Just moments after the run saving throw from Hendrick, the bottom of the order gets to Vukovich. A single by Lonnie Smith gives the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, and the hometown crowd is ecstatic. They fail to extend the inning though as Vukovich toughens.

Ben Oglivie would tie the game in the fifth inning with a long long long leadoff home run. Gorman Thomas nearly left the park with a long fly to the warning track that gave Lonnie Smith all sorts of trouble. Two ground balls end the inning without any further damage. Vukovich follows that with his best inning of the game so far, retiring the Cardinals with very little drama.

Andujar would get himself into a world of trouble in the sixth inning. A leadoff double sets up a disastrous sacrifice bunt that Andujar throws away. That allows Jim Gantner to score easily, plus put Paul Molitor into scoring position. A single and sacrifice fly would give the Brewers a 3-1 lead. It would also get the Cardinals bullpen busy. Andujar would close out the inning without any more trouble. There are now just 12 outs remaining and the Cards had a 2 run deficit.

Vukovich’s flirting with danger would finally get the best of him in the bottom of the inning. A one out single by Ozzie Smith followed by a double by Lonnie Smith set up the Cardinals best scoring opportunity of the game. Lefty Bob McClure replaces Vukovich and gets into trouble of his own. He walks pinch hitter Gene Tenace to load the bases. Mike Ramsey then runs for Tenace, putting good speed on the bases. On his 29th birthday, Keith Hernandez singles, scoring the 2 Smith’s. Silent George Hendrick follows that with a single, scoring Ramsey with what would turn out to be the game winning RBI.

With a slim 4-3 lead, Herzog stays with Andujar for the seventh inning, hoping he can get one more inning out of the right-hander. If so, he can turn the game over to Sutter – the best closer in baseball. Doug Bair and Jim Kaat are warming up, just in case. Andujar strikes out the dangerous Gorman Thomas, but the next batter silences the huge crowd. Roy Howell hits a towering shot to left field that totally fools Lonnie Smith. He breaks the wrong direction, turns the wrong way on the warning track, but somehow leaps at the very last second to catch the ball. Smith did absolutely everything wrong in the making that play, except he made the catch. 50,000+ fans in St. Louis exhaled in unison. A single by Charlie Moore sets up the Brewers last chance. Jim Gantner lines an Andujar pitch up the middle, but the “One Mean Dominican” snags it for a brilliant defensive play. He throws a 90 mile per hour strike to Keith Hernandez for the last out in the inning. Andujar knew he was done for the night, and being Andujar, wanted to go out with a flourish. Gantner takes exception to the showmanship and pleasantries were exchanged. Each of the players indicated that the other was #1 in their heart too, or something like that. Home plate umpire Lee Weyer quickly got in between the two players to prevent any unnecessary escalation.

That was the last we would hear out of the Brewers in the 1982 season. The Cards would tack on two insurance runs later in the 8th inning, but it was now Sutter’s game and he did not disappoint. The bearded one would face just six batters and retire them all with nothing leaving the infield. The only Brewer that put up a fight was Gorman Thomas, the last man Sutter would face. He worked the count full and then fouled off a number of pitches. That’s when Sutter would get the big man to swing at an outside fastball and miss.

The sight of Darrell Porter jumping up, throwing away his catchers mask and running out to hug Bruce Sutter is one of the greatest images in Cardinals history. Game 7 of the 1982 World Series was really one for the ages. An unexpected pitching performance from Joaquin Andujar, who was not even supposed to be available. George Hendrick’s run saving throw, and then a couple of innings later, driving in the winning run. And Bruce Sutter being Bruce Sutter.

The 1980′s were such a great time to be a Cardinals fan. Gashouse baseball had returned to St. Louis, but this time it went by another name: Whitey Ball. Manager and GM, Whitey Herzog transformed a group of players that didn’t quite fit together into a unified team featuring excellence in speed, defense and timely hitting. A balance of veterans supporting an exciting core of young players who, if they could avoid the injury bug, could provide championship caliber baseball for many years to come.

The Rivalry

In literature, each great hero had a foe of his or her equal. Sherlock Holmes had his Professor Moriarty. Harry Potter has his He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. For the 1980′s, the Cardinals archenemy were the New York Mets, and a mighty villain they turned out to be.

The Cardinals would battle the Mets for supremacy of the National League East for much of the decade. Like the Robert Brown character from the Star Trek Episode “The Alternative Factor” (aka And What of Lazurus), this battle went on for what seemed an eternity with neither side able to claim victory. The Cardinals would finish first in 1981 (with the strike ruining their first post-season under Herzog’s leadership), 1982, 1985 and 1987. The Mets got off to a slow start but would win in 1986 and 1988. Each team would bring home one World Series title. The two teams would meet 173 times in the decade, and only a single game would separate the two, with the Mets owning the advantage. To the Cardinals fans, the differential felt more like 50 games as it seemed like the Mets were winning every series. This would become one of the best rivalries between two quality baseball teams – and each of their fans developed a strong dislike of the others.

The Race for 1987

Led by the 1-2 punch of Vince Coleman and Ozzie Smith backed up by the big bat of Jack Clark, the Cardinals got off to a slow but steady start in 1987. Key injuries kept the Cardinals from contending in 1984 and again in 1986. In mid-April, it seemed like it was happening again. On April 19, Barry Lyons of the Mets ran after a foul ball and slid hard into the Cardinals dugout, hitting John Tudor and leaving the staff ace with a severely broken leg. Tudor would miss the next three months, but somehow Herzog found a way to keep his team focused. And winning.

As the temperatures started warming up in May, so did the Redbirds. They continued to win more than losing in June and suddenly the Cardinals found themselves with a comfortable lead early in the summer. A 9 game winning streak in early July all but sealed up the National League East, or so we thought. Unfortunately, there were still 2 months to play, but a 10 game lead felt safe.

The Cardinals would begin to falter in August and again in September as additional injuries took their toll – none bigger than to slugger, Jack Clark. To add to the drama, a 7 game winning streak by the Mets in early August right on the heels of sweeping the Cardinals in St. Louis, and another 6 game run in early September brought the two rivals to within 1 1/2 games with less than a month to play. So much for that 10 game cushion.

The Game

This brings us to September 11, 1987. With a slim 1 1/2 game lead, the Cardinals went on the road to play 2nd place New York in a 3 game weekend series. Tensions were high and the momentum gained from winning this series would propel one of the two teams into postseason.

The 1987 Mets had a ferocious lineup. If they had any weakness, it was a vulnerability to left handed pitching, which the Cardinals had in abundance. For the series opener, the Cardinals were going with the always dependable John Tudor. Very quickly it became clear that this game was not going to follow anybody’s script.

Before we knew what hit us, the Mets had jumped out to a 3-0 lead. A Keith Hernandez RBI double and 2 run home run from Darryl Strawberry would get the home crowd of over 50,000 standing on their feet. Cardinals fans hopes for a September miracle series were destroyed in a span of about 3 minutes. And the first inning had just finished.

The Mets starter, Ron Darling, was unable to perform the most important job given to a pitcher – shut down the opponents when given a lead. A walk to Dan Driessen (filling in for an injured Jack Clark) and one of the rarest sights in baseball, a walk to Willie McGee, gave the Cardinals some hope. Three quick infield groundouts brought an end to the rally, but the Cardinals did manage one run. There was plenty of time – just eat away at the lead, one run at a time. Herzog style.

It was now John Tudor’s job to keep it a 3-1 Mets lead, and he didn’t fare much better than Darling. Two quick outs to the 8th and 9th place hitters brought Mookie Wilson to the plate. It also brought the New York crowd back to their feet. Wilson would hit a solo home run and the Mets would have their 3 run lead back. Now trailing 4-1, Cardinals fans felt like the season might be ending right here. To make matters worse, Ron Darling had shaken off his early game troubles. With Darling settling in and Tudor faltering, the season felt over. Tudor would find his groove though and the game would stay 4-1.

In the top of the 6th, Whitey Herzog would make the gamble of the game, maybe the season. Whitey would pinch hit for Tudor and hope that the bullpen could hold off the Mets. That decision appeared to backfire when Lance Johnson lined out to Keith Hernandez. Now it was up to the pesky Vince Coleman, and Coleman did what we had come to expect: a push bunt between Darling and Tim Teufel. With Ozzie Smith batting , Coleman would steal second base. This was Whitey Ball at it’s finest. One run at a time, keep the pressure on the other team. As quickly as it started, it ended when an overly aggressive Coleman was picked off of second base. Ozzie would extend the inning with a walk, but Tommy Herr grounded out weakly to first, ending the threat. But it was a threat, if they could just get another chance.

In the 7th, the Cardinals would try some Whitey Ball again. A walk and force out would put speedster, Willie McGee at first base. And after a Terry Pendleton strikeout, McGee would try to steal second. This game would feature another rarity – Gary Carter would throw out McGee at second, ending another rally. If the Cardinals could just break through.

This is when most Cardinal fans turned off their radios, and those that did missed some of the most exciting baseball of the decade.

In the bottom of the 7th, Scott Terry would get into trouble. A leadoff double by Len Dykstra and sacrifice bunt from Mookie Wilson had another runner at third with just one out. Running on contact, Herr made a good play on an infield grounder to throw out Dykstra at home. A seeing eye single from former Cardinal Keith Hernandez had the Mets poised for a 2 out rally. Herzog would again go to his bullpen – this time time for young lefty, Steve Peters. Only 24 years old and on the one month anniversary of his major league debut, Peters would face the toughest left handed hitter in 1987 – Darryl Strawberry. Peters would hit second in the next inning, so he knew he was in for just one out. If he could get it. Looking nothing like a nervous rookie, Peters got Strawberry to strike out, ending the rally.

We are now in the 8th inning and Davey Johnson calls for his closer, Jack McDowell. McDowell and Jesse Orosco would make a formidable righty/lefty combination out of their bullpen, much like the Cardinals had with Ken Dayley and Todd Worrell. The top of the 8th would feature the third rarity of the game – a Keith Hernandez error. The Cardinals would get a runner as far as third base, and the Mets seemed willing to concede a run to avoid a big rally. But the rally failed to materialize and more Cards fans turned off their radios.

And this brings us to the most exciting 20 minutes of 1987. Perhaps of the last 50 years.

The Shot

With the Cardinals trailing 4-1 and the Mets closer in a nice groove, the Cardinals brought the heart of the order up (Ozzie Smith, Tommy Herr and Dan Driessen) in their final at bat. Or so they thought. Ozzie would start things off with a walk. Tommy Herr would try to pull the ball through the right side of the infield, but Keith Hernandez would make the play and take the conservative out at first. Smith’s run at second base meant nothing. Or so they thought. Driessen would strike out and the Cardinals were down to their last out – still trailing 4-1. Willie McGee would extend the inning, hitting a sharp single up the middle, scoring Smith from second. Again the Mets would make the conservative play holding McGee at first, allowing Ozzie to score without a throw. Smith’s run meant nothing. The Cardinals final hope now lies on the shoulders of youngster, Terry Pendleton. Roger McDowell gets two quick strikes against the Cards third baseman. What happens next still gives me goosebumps when I think about it. With 2 strikes, one strike away from dropping the first game of this pivotal series, Terry Pendleton hits a 2 run homer to the deepest part of Shea Stadium – dead center field. At first, it was hard to hear the call over all of the Mets fans cheering thinking they had won the game.

Improbably, the game was now tied 4-4. The Cardinals were not done – not by a long shot.

David Green would double putting the go ahead run at second, but catcher Tom Pagnozzi would strike out to end the inning.

Extra Inning

Whitey Herzog would go again to his bullpen and play the lefty vs lefty odds, chosing Ken Dayley over Todd Worrell. Fans of the 80s Cardinals will remember fondly the pitching antics of Ken Dayley. He would show moments of dominating brilliance followed by unexpected wildness. And then sometimes followed by cartoon-like wildness. Like Mitch Williams in the 90s, Dayley could walk the bases loaded and then strikeout the side. The bottom of the 9th on September 11, 1987 we would experience all that, and more.

Lee Mazilli would make the first out on a line drive to Dan Driessen. A single by pinch hitter Bill Almon would set the stage for some of Dayley’s drama. A wild pitch would put Almon at second base. The winning run is now in scoring position with only one out and Dayley now has to face the top of the Mets batting order. Poor Mookie Wilson was overmatched by Dayley’s devistating fastball and wicked curve and eventually would strike out. A walk to Tim Tuefel would bring Keith Hernandez to the plate. Once again, the Mets fans were on their feet and cheering so loudly that they could be heard as far away as Philadelphia. This time, Dayley gets the best of the ex-Cardinal, getting him to ground out to his counterpart, Driessen.

Could it get any better than this ? Extra innings late in a pennant race between the league’s best two teams ? Of course it could – with a Cardinal victory, which would not take very long on this evening. Like all of the great games of the decade, it involved some more Whitey Ball.

Jesse Orosco, the other half of the Mets closing tandem, was on to pitch the 10th inning. Tony Pena would line out to short to start the inning. A seeing eye single to left field would put Vince Coleman on first. A wicked single to left from Ozzie Smith would put Coleman at 3rd, and a single to right center by Tommy Herr would put the Cardinals on top for the first time in the game, 5-4. Driessen’s force play at 2nd would score an insurance run when he beat out the double play throw to first and the Cardinals had a 6-4 lead. Willie McGee being Willie McGee, struck out to end the rally, but nobody cared – we had a 6-4 lead.

With the heart of the Mets order due up in the bottom of the 10th, Herzog stayed with his lefty, but Todd Worrell was getting ready. Just in case.

He wouldn’t be needed on this night. This time, there was no drama as Ken Dayley made quick work of the Mets, striking out Strawberry and getting fly ball outs from Kevin McReynolds and Gary Carter. This was the brilliance that Dayley occasionally displayed and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Rest of the Story

Within one pitch of losing the first game of the pivotal series in New York, the Cardinals rallied for a victory, winning not only this game, but gaining some much needed momentum that would carry them to the National League East Championship and another World Series visit. After this game the Cardinals would not look into the rear view mirror to see who was chasing them – they were not to be caught.

From here, the Cardinals would go on to split or win all but two series after this monumental game. They would lose a heartbreaker on September 25, a Friday game at Wrigley. One bad pitch by Bob Forsch to Andre Dawson gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead that would hold up in spite of two Vince Coleman stolen bases. With the season winding down, the Cardinals would lose 2 of 3 to the Mets at home – but those games meant nothing as Danny Cox, Joe Magrane and Greg Matthews took 3 of 4 from Montreal, the last of these with the Mets in the stands, watching the Cardinals celebrate for winning the National League East for the 3rd time in the decade.