Yesterday Major League Baseball announced the sale of the Houston Astros and their move to the American League. As we wave good-bye to this NL rival, let’s take a brief walk down memory lane.

Houston joined the National League as an expansion franchise in 1962, the same season as the New York Mets. Some of you may remember they were called the Colt .45′s initially, a name they kept until moving into the Astrodome in 1965. The nickname ‘Astros’ was derived from the famous dome. The dome got its name thanks to the city’s relationship with the space program; Mission Control is based in Houston (how did Mission Control end up in Houston? Through the influence of Senator Lyndon Johnson.).

You might not know that Houston was once a St Louis farm team. From 1921-1958, the Houston Buffaloes played in the Texas League as the Cardinals Class A affiliate. The Buffaloes severed ties with the Cardinals after the 1958 season and played as an independent until the Major League franchise started; then they folded. From the team’s Wikipedia page:

During that period, star players such as brothers Dizzy and Daffy Dean, Solly Hemus, Vinegar Bend Mizell, Hal Epps, Don Gutteridge, Al Papai, Joe Medwick, Frank O. Mancuso, Harry Brecheen and Howie Pollet prepped in Houston on their way to the major leagues.

St Louis played Houston 18 times a season from1962-1968. They had trouble with the Astros, splitting the season series in 1962 and 1965, and losing 10 of the 18 in 1966. It’s an historical oddity thehigh-powered El Birdos Cardinals struggled to beat this expansion franchise, given that Houston lost at least 90 games a season during that period.

In 1969 the National League split into two 6-team divisions, and Houston was placed in the NL West. The number of games per year between these two franchises dropped to 12, and it stayed that way until 1995. Houston remained a tough team for the Cardinals throughout this period. Over those 25 years, the teams either split the season series or finished with one team beating the other seven games to five 17 times. St Louis won 3 NL East titles during those years, and Houston won 2 NL West titles (1980, 1986), but the two teams never played each other in the post-season.

In 1995 they both were placed in the newly formed NL Central and the rivalry really took off. St Louis caught the Astros for the division title in 1996. In 2001, St Louis and Houston finished tied atop the division but the Astros were awarded the title based on a 9-7 record head-to-head. The Cardinals incurred some wrath by calling themselves ‘NL Central Co-Champions’ on their 2002 media guide. Then there are the two classic NLCS meetings in 2004 and 2005. Based on how passionately these two franchises have played each other over the years, it’s appropriate they each won one of those Championship Series.

Sadly this rivalry is probably dead now, even with the prospect of permanent interleague. St Louis will play Kansas City each season, but will only play the Astros whenever the NL Central is matched up with the NL West. In the end, over 50 years, St Louis holds a 363-322 edge.

Cardinals in Houston (168-178 overall):

• 14-13 at Colt Stadium (1962-1964)
• 106-114 in the Astrodome (1965-1999)
• 48-51 at Enron/Minute Maid Park (2000-present)

Cardinals vs Houston (195-144 overall):

• 24-12 at Sportsman’s Park (1962-1965)
• 145-115 at Busch Memorial Stadium (1966-2005)
• 26-17 at Neo-Busch (2006-present)

I am sad to see the Astros switch leagues. This has been a good rivalry. Good night, Houston – and we thank you.

Mike Metzger is an I-70 contributing writer and author of Padres Trail. Follow him on Twitter.

As Chris Carpenter prepares to take the mound to start the 2011 season, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at some of the pitchers who took the mound in opening day. The Bob Gibson era (1959-1975) seemed to be as good a place as any to start. It may surprise you to learn that Gibby didn’t get the opening day call until 1965. In fact, early in the Solly Hemus era (1959-61), the future Hall of Fame pitcher would be moved between the bullpen, the rotation and the minor leagues, in spite of consistently demonstrating his enormous talent. It wasn’t until the arrival of Johnny Keane that Gibson got a chance to show what he was capable of – and National League hitters were never the same.

If Gibson wasn’t the opening day starter, who was and how did they do?

Larry Jackson (1959, 1960, 1962) 1-1 with 1 no decision

Larry Jackson

Larry Jackson was one of the best pitchers of his era but had the misfortune of playing his career on non-contending teams – sort of an anti-Jason Marquis. The first part of his career (1955-1962) was with the St. Louis Cardinals, who were rarely over .500. Unlike the his team, Jackson was consistently over .500, going 116-87 in those 8 seasons. He would earn 3 All Star Game invitations as a Cardinal plus one more with the Cubs in 1963. His 24-11 record with the Cubs in 1964 would earn him second place in the Cy Young voting. Unfortunately for Jackson, the award was only given to one pitcher, not one per league as it is done today. Jackson was clearly the best pitcher in the National League in 1964. Not only could Jackson pitch, but he could also field his position, earning him the reputation of being the best defensive pitcher of his generation. He would consistently lead the league in fielding percentage and at one time held the major league record for most consecutive chances without an error. By any measure, Larry Jackson was a bona fide ace.

Jackson would pitch well enough to win all three opening day starts, but would end up 1-1 with one no-decision. A blown save by Jim Brosnan in 1959 would cost him a win against the Giants. Some shaky Cardinals defense and a lack of hitting would hand Jackson a tough loss against the Giants in 1960. In his last opening day start for the Cardinals in 1962, the schedule makers gave Jackson the advantage as he would earn an easy win against the expansion New York Mets.

You may be asking why Jackson didn’t get the opening day start in 1961 ? During spring training, he was hit by a piece of Duke Snyder’s shattered bat and suffered a badly broken jaw. He would miss the remainder of spring training as well as the first two weeks of the regular season. Because his jaws were wired shut, the liquid diet did not give him adequate nutrition and he lost a lot of weight. As a result he struggled early in the season. By July 1, all of that was in the past and he would have a terrific second half, posting an 11-3 record with an ERA just over 3 runs per game.

As for home openers during Jackon’s era,Vinegar Bend Mizell and Lindy McDaniel would combine for a nice 5-2 win over the Cubs in 1960.

Before moving on, let’s close the book on Larry Jackson.

After a blowout season in 1964, Jackson ran into a bit of trouble in 1965, losing 21 games. He didn’t pitch poorly, in fact quite the opposite. It was more a reflection of the Cubs than anything Jackson had done. Early in the 1966 season he would be traded to the Phillies in their version of the Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio deal, with the Cubs receiving a young right hander named Ferguson Jenkins. After getting off to a slow start for the Cubs in 1966, Jenkins would go on to win 20 or more games for six consecutive seasons (67-72). He would start nearly 40 games a season, and average over 300 innings pitched during that stretch. He would win the Cy Young award in 1971 with his league leading 24 victories, and get a second place in 1967 and third place in 1970 and 1972. Yes, the Cubs got the better of that trade, perhaps to make up for the Lou Brock deal in June 1964.

While nowhere near as dazzling, Jackson had a fine end to his career in Philadelphia. Jackson was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1969 expansion draft and rather than pitch for another losing team, he retired after the 1968 season.

Ernie Broglio (1961, 1963, 1964) 1-1 with 1 no decision

Ernie Broglio

Ernie Broglio would get the next few opening day starts – 1961, 1963 and 1964. Like Jackson, the fan favorite would go 1-1 with one no decision.

The 1961 opening day in Milwaukee against the Braves was a great game. If featured two of the best pitchers at the time, Broglio (who had gone 21-9 in 1960) and Warren Spahn (who was one of the greatest left handed pitchers ever, and had gone 21-10 in 1960). Few runs were scored, as expected, and Broglio left after 7 innings with the Cardinals down 1-0. A late run by the Cardinals tied the game and a home run off Spahn in the 10th inning gave reliever Lindy McDaniel the victory.

In 1963, Broglio would open the season in New York against the Mets. He would throw a complete game 2 hit shutout, striking out 8. Young Ray Washburn would follow that up with a 4 hit complete game shutout. And to complete the most amazing start to a season, veteran left hander Curt Simmons would throw a complete game shutout in the home opener against the Phillies. Three games, three shutouts. What a start to the 1963 season. If not for a certain left handed pitcher in Los Angeles, the Cardinals might have won the pennant in 1963.

Broglio would have the misfortune of hooking up against that same lefty, Sandy Koufax, in the last of his opening day starts for the Cardinals. The year would be 1964, and Broglio was about to be traded to the Cubs for a young unknown left fielder. The trade would be one of the most lopsided in baseball history – certainly one of the most unpopular. Broglio would develop arm trouble and his career would soon be over. We all know how the Lou Brock story ends – a trip to Cooperstown, NY.

In the 1964 opener, Broglio would be let down by his team’s defense and Ron Taylor could not keep the game close. Koufax was, well….. Koufax and he threw a nice complete game shutout. The Cardinals had their chances but could never break through against the lefty. Not many teams did.

Curt Simmons (1966) No decision

Curt Simmons

During the Ernie Broglio era, Curt Simmons would get the start in the home openers in 1961, 1963 and a rather late one in 1964. As he did so frequently in a Cardinals uniform, Simmons would pitch well and go 2-0 with one no-decision.

Curt Simmons would get the opening day start in 1966, the last of his Cardinals career. He would face the Phillies and their left handed ace, Chris Short. Short is at the high point in his career, winning 17 in 1964 and 18 more in 1965. He would go on to win 20 for the only time in his career in 1966. On this day, he was as good as any pitcher the Cardinals had faced. He would go 9 2/3 innings before being relieved by former Cardinal, Roger Craig. Simmons pitched well for the Cardinals, but the story was the bullpen. Nelson Briles, Joe Hoerner and Al Jackson had pitched 4 innings of shutout baseball. Dennis Aust, a short right hander would finish up the game with 2 strong innings. Unfortunately he would pitch three. In the twelfth inning, former Cardinal Bill White and future Cardinal Richie Allen would get to Aust and give him the only decision in his short career, an opening day loss.

Bob Gibson (1965, 1967-1975) 2-2 with 6 no decisions

Bob Gibson

The Gibson era would truly begin with a historic season opener in 1965 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. New manager Red Schoendienst was handed one of the finest rotations in Cardinals history, and at the top of it was Bob Gibson. Gibson would respond with the first of his five 20 win seasons (to go with two more 19 win seasons and an 18 win one). Facing Gibson was former Cardinal ace, Larry Jackson. Jackson wouldn’t make it out of the first inning as the Cardinals jumped out to a quick lead. Cubs errors (5 on the day) and the inability to find the strike zone doomed Jackson. Unfortunately Gibson was not all that much more effective and left after 3 1/3 innings. The bullpen did not fare any better as Ron Taylor, Tracy Stallard and Barney Schultz got roughed up by Cubs bats, although Stallard was the best of the three, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing only a single hit. It was that hit plus a walk that led to a Ron Santo three run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Barney Schultz which tied the game at 9.

What happens next makes this game historic. In the bottom of the tenth inning, a young left hander named Steve Carlton makes his major league debut. He faces one batter, and walks him. To make things even more historic, the game would end after 10 innings as a 10-10 tie. Yes, a tie in the Major Leagues. In 1965, there were no lights at Wrigley field and there was a late afternoon curfew that came into play.

The game would be made up on July 11 and the Cardinals would lose both games of the double header 6-0. Wrigley Field wasn’t being friendly to the Cards lefties on this day.

Gibson would return as the opening day starter in 1967 and throw a complete game shutout against the Giants, striking out 13 along the way. Not to be outdone, he would combine with Ray Washburn to throw a brilliant 3 hitter against the Braves in 1968. Washburn would collect the victory in relief. With a healthy Ray Washburn, the Cardinals run on their second consecutive National League pennant was all but assured. The only question would be who they would face in the fall classic.

Gibson would again take the mound in the 1969 opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but would be long gone by the time a decision was recorded. As they had been for several years, Bob Gibson and Joe Hoerner were brilliant. Gibson went 9 innings, striking out 10. Hoerner went another 4 innings without allowing a hit, facing the minimum number of hitters (12). Mel Nelson would take the mound in the 14th inning give up 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning. This was Nelson’s second time with the Cardinals and this would be his only decision in his final year in the majors.

In 1970, Gibson would open the season in Montreal and combine with Chuck Taylor for a nice 7-2 win. George Culver, obtained from Cincinnati for long time fan favorite Ray Washburn, got the home opener against the Mets and pitched a good game for the win.

The 1971 opening day game was one for the ages. It featured two of the best right handers in the game – Bob Gibson and Chicago’s Fergie Jenkins. The battle in Chicago did not disappoint anybody, although Cardinal fans didn’t like the outcome. Both men brought their “A” game, as they always did when facing each other. Jenkins went 10 innings, allowing only a single run on a home run by Joe Torre. Gibson went the distance as well, 9 1/3 innings. A one out home run by Billy Williams in the bottom of the 10th inning was the difference in the game as the Cubs won 2-1.

The home opener in 1971 was a sentimental one as the St. Louis native, lefty Jerry Reuss took the mound against the Giants. He lasted all of three innings and would take the loss. Reuss would never live up to his potential for the team he grew up watching. After a clash with Cardinals owner Gussie Busch over facial hair, Reuss would be sent to Houston following the season. He would go on to have a nice long career for Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, helping both teams get into post-season with regularity. He would end his 22 year career with an amazing 220 victories, which proves that if you are a lefty and can throw strikes, you can have a long career in the major leagues.

In 1972, Gibson would open the season at home against the Montreal Expos. Montreal would get off to a quick lead on a two run homer by future Cardinal Mike Jorgensen. Gibson would settle down and leave after 6 innings, down 2-0. The Cardinals would later tie the game at 2. In his second inning of relief, Al Santorini would give up a leadoff single to future Cardinal, Ron Hunt. Jose Cruz misplayed Hunt’s single, allowing him to advance to second. An infield ground out and a sacrifice fly and the Expos led 3-2, a lead they would make hold up. One hit and Santorini takes a hard luck loss.

Bob Gibson takes a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 8th inning in the 1973 opener at Pittsburgh. With one out, the Pirates loaded the bases against Gibson and Red Schoendienst went to his bullpen, calling on Diego Segui. Segui would be lit up like a Christmas Tree and would take the loss as the Pirates scored 5 runs, three being charged to Gibson.

Bob Gibson would face former Cardinal Jerry Reuss in the home opener in 1974. It was a typical Reuss pitched game. The Cardinals always seemed to have runners in scoring position, and managed to plate 4 of them in his 7 innings. Gibson went 8, and while he looked much better than Reuss, the score was tied at 4. The Cardinals would light up former Cardinal relief specialist, Dave Guisti and Al Hrabosky would earn the first of his 8 victories, although it was not a spotless outing for the Mad Hungarian. Al Hrabosky put together two amazing seasons in 1974 and 1975, going a combined 21-4, all in relief. Many of those appearances were multiple innings. Nobody was any better than Hungo and he received quite a few Cy Young votes for his 13-3 1.66 ERA 1975 season.

In his last season in the majors, Bob Gibson took the ball on opening day against the Montreal Expos. This was a historic game as two of the best pitchers of their era were making their last opening day starts. Facing Gibson was former Baltimore Orioles ace, Dave McNally. Both hurlers would finish the season with 3 victories, McNally getting one of them in this game. A huge crowd turned out to cheer on these two legends, and both starters turned in a good game. Had Red gone to his bullpen after 7 innings like he should have, Gibson might have one more victory. Cardinal fans will still remember those 12 strikeouts, as if it was Gibson’s farewell gift to all those in attendance.

In the post-Gibson era, Lynn McGlothen would get the first opening day start in 1976. It was hoped that McGlothen would follow in Gibson’s footsteps, but alas that was not to be. John Denny and Bob Forsch would get the next opening day starts as the Cardinals searched for an ace to anchor the top of the rotation. That would eventually happen as Joaquin Andujar and John Tudor formed one of the best 1-2 starters in the 1980s.

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.

During the offseason we have been taking a look at the past, giving readers a timeline of St. Louis baseball throughout history. Last time we learned about Cardinal teams that could never quite put it all together. Unfortunately, the trend would continue…

What do you say to an aging superstar who has obviously seen better days but is not convinced that it is time to hang up the spikes? If you are the Cardinals, and your aging superstar is Bob Gibson, the answer is this: not one word. 1974 had been brutal to him, and his statistics were across the board the worst he had seen since 1960, when Solly Hemus was making his life miserable by jerking him from the rotation to the bullpen and refusing to put his talent to good use. But after his marriage broke up, Gibson had nothing to lose, and shuffled back out on the mound in 1975. He needed one more year of baseball. He could not walk away.

Life was miserable for Gibby in ’75. He had lost control and velocity. Walks, hits and ERA soared, strikeouts tanked, and the once great pitcher had become a mere mortal. At the All-Star break the big righty was shipped to the bullpen. In early September he came in to a game and gave up a grand slam to journeyman Pete LaCock. Gibson was mortified. Manager Red Schoendienst came out to get the ball, and Gibson walked off the mound with his head down. He never pitched another ball in the majors. It was a sad end to a truly Hall of Fame worthy career.

Al Hrabosky

The team as a whole felt unremarkable, finishing at 82-80, ten and a half games back of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Catcher Ted Simmons was the catalyst of the lineup, leading the team in almost every statistical category, as well as calling 157 games behind the plate, all at age 25. The pitching staff had a couple of names that jumped off the page – Bob Forsch and Al Hrabosky. The pair of 25 year olds were the leaders of the staff. Forsch went 15-10 with a 2.86 ERA over 240 innings. “The Mad Hungarian” was something else – turning in a career year by posting a 13-3 record, 22 saves, a 1.66 ERA and a 1.079 WHIP, which earned him a third place finish in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

The Cardinals in 1976 were young. Only four players on the roster were older than 30, and only two (37 year old Lou Brock and 33 year old Don Kessinger) had any significant playing time. So how did the kids do? Not very well. They were not strong hitters, scored very few runs, were dead last in the league in home runs, and that was just the hitters! Their pitchers were eleventh out of twelve in strikeouts, tenth in wins and walks, and just seemed to fall flat everywhere. Nothing was remarkable about this team, and a 72-90 finish, good enough for fifth in the six team NL East, just validates that thought.

Owner Gussie Busch was, once again, getting very impatient. It had been 8 full seasons since his team last saw a pennant flag rise above Busch Stadium, and that was just unacceptable to the beer baron. He decided that Schoendienst was just too soft on his players, and booted him out for Vern Rapp, a man that Gussie saw as someone who would be tough and get the boys to grind out the wins.

Vern Rapp

Rapp had been a career minor league catcher, playing for parts of sixteen seasons from coast to coast, never sticking with one team for long, and even being a player manager for a little one year. He had eleven seasons of managing in the minors (with a relative measure of success) before getting the call to St. Louis. He brought a no-nonsense, extremely conservative and yet stern look to a team that was not looking for someone to treat them like Marines. He installed a strict curfew, forced the players to cut off all facial hair, and held team meetings just to yell at various players who needed to lose a few pounds or cut their hair.

Players wanted to mutiny. Keith Hernandez’s star was on the rise in baseball, but he felt like his team was fighting against not only the rest of the National League, but the front office and managing staff of their own team as well! Despite it all, the team as a whole rebounded from their abysmal 1976 campaign, and went 83-79, to push them back up to third in the East. The team still did not have any real firepower, landing in the cellar in home runs (for the hitters) and strikeouts (for the pitchers). Ted Simmons , Keith Hernandez, and Garry Templeton were all hitting, but there were not enough pieces in place to make a strong enough dent in the standings.

Things got worse. Rapp was out of control, suspending his closer in Hrabrosky because Al refused to cut his hair and Fu Manchu and calling fan darling Simmons “a loser.” Gussie realized that this was not going to work out, and sent Rapp packing a mere seventeen games into the 1978 season. In to replace him was the amiable Kenny Boyer. While Rapp was harsh and cruel, Boyer fit a lot more into the Schoendienst model of nurturer and letting the boys play. Unfortunately, the record shows that Boyer fared no better than Rapp in the standings. It is hard to find positives about a team that finished 69-93, but here goes nothing…

Keith Hernandez won his first Gold Glove. Starters John Denny and Pete Vuckovich both pitched well, despite less than stellar W-L records of 14-11 and 12-12, respectively. Possibly the most important thing that happened was that Boyer installed Hernandez as the everyday first baseman, rain or shine, slump or hot streak. This played an important role in 1979.

Hernandez was feeling down at the beginning of the season, hitting an anemic .232 for the month of April. Boyer went to his still young (25) player and told him that no matter what, he would be the third place hitter for the season. The solidarity of that statement spurred him on to have his best year in the majors, hitting .344/.417/.513. He was in the top five in every major offensive statistical category, and led the league in batting average, runs, and doubles. Boyer had helped install a confidence that pushed a young player from a .232 first month of the season to an MVP award.

Ted Simmons

Despite bringing in very few new faces in 1979, the team as a whole fared better. Whether it was getting all of the players a year older, wiser or better or they just all happened to have better seasons that year is unknown, but one thing that is seen easily is that the bats are what carried them back up to third place in the East with a record of 86-76. Cardinal hitters were first in the National League in hits, doubles, triples and batting average over the course of the season. They took few walks, but they slapped the ball around and ran with it. Hernandez was the star, but guys like Templeton, Simmons, and “Silent George” Hendrick all had strong seasons at the plate as well. Even 40 year old Lou Brock, in his last year in baseball, put together a .304/.342/.398 batting line before hanging them up.

Maybe, once the kids all started growing up and really becoming ballplayers, things would turn around and push the team back to the top…

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals for i70baseball.com and writes at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.

During the offseason we have been taking a look at the past, giving readers a timeline of St. Louis baseball throughout history. Last time we learned about Gussie Busch and the beginning of Bing Devine’s work with the Cardinal’s front office. Unfortunately the product on the field was not good at all, and the Cardinals were finding themselves at the bottom of the National League food chain. Things had to go up. Who would become the answer?

The Cardinals’ players just did not like Solly Hemus. Players knew he was not using his best lineup simply because he was not utilizing players like Curt Flood, Bill White, and Bob Gibson – all African American players – the way he should have. In 1960, he pushed All-Star and Gold Glove winning first baseman White out in the outfield, flipping him back and forth between leftfield, centerfield, and first base. Hemus also pushed Stan Musial around the diamond, never leaving him in one place for any length of time and seeing him find time in left, right, and first. Musial had his second “down” year in a row, hitting .275/.354/.486 and seeing the fewest number of at-bats in the season (378) than any other in his twenty-two year career. Of course, it is quite difficult to perform at the top of your game when you are constantly shifting your role and sliding up and down the lineup, but I digress…

Ken Boyer

Third baseman Ken Boyer won his third consecutive Gold Glove in 1960, and led the team in basically every major offensive category. On the pitching rubber Larry Jackson had arguably his best season wearing the birds on the bat, going 18-13 and leading the team with fourteen complete games on the year. Ernie Broglio rounded out a 21-9 record and 2.74 ERA by pitching twenty-eight games in relief to go with twenty-four starts. All of that combined to bring the Cardinals back up to a respectable 86-68 record, good enough for third place in the National League behind the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates, led by Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, and Dick Groat.

Things changed in 1961. Despite the assumption that Hemus was a “player’s manager,” the fact that he and Stan the Man obviously did not see eye to eye (not to mention any of the African American players) did not go unnoticed by the front office. Bing Devine had to make a change, and by the time he went to Gussie Busch and requested that the change be made Gussie was irritated by the Cardinals’ then 33-41 record. He told Bing that whatever he wanted to do was fine, so Bing made the switch, firing Hemus and bringing in coach Johnny Keane. Keane had been a minor league manager for the Cardinals’ farm system for many years and had worked his way up to an assistant coach for the big league squad when he took over the reins.

Keane knew what it would take to turn around several of the players on the team. He went to Stan Musial and told him that he was still a valued and productive member of the team. The 40-year-old Musial stepped it up and had something of a return to form. Keane went to Curt Flood and installed him as the permanent centerfielder, went to Bill White and made him the full-time first baseman, and went to Bob Gibson and changed his career.

Johnny Keane

Up until 1961 Bob Gibson had been on the outside looking in on the Cardinals’ pitching staff. He pitched, sure, but not particularly well, and was largely unknown by most. He had been bounced in and out of the rotation and bullpen, and was 2-6 on the season before Johnny Keane came in. The new manager was swift in righting Gibson’s career, handing him the ball for the first game in his control and informing the big pitcher that he trusted him to take care of business. That night Gibson threw a complete game and won 9-1 on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The rest of the way he went 11-6 under Keane and finished with a respectable 13-12 record and 3.24 ERA. The Cardinals all dusted themselves off after a rough first half and went 47-33 with their new skipper. They wound up 80-74, good enough for only fifth place in the National League.

By now Gussie had owned the team for nearly a decade and had never even come within smelling distance of a pennant, much less a World Series win. He was impatient, and when Mr. Busch was impatient he was apt to fly by the seat of his pants. 1962 did nothing to improve his mood. The team finished 84-78. This record was only good enough for sixth place in the newly expanded ten team National League. Gibson and Jackson led the pitching staff, but the real story in 1962 was the resurgence of Stan Musial. “The Man” played in 135 games (the most for him since 1958) and hit a much more Musial-like .330/.416/.508.

Gussie’s impatience led to a big change after 1962. At the suggestion of one of his friends he decided Bing Devine was not getting the job done, so he brought in an old friend to be a “senior consultant” for the team. Who was that man? Why, none other than Branch Rickey. Suddenly Devine found himself having to get approval from a man who had left the team in the dust over 15 years prior. If he wanted to make a move, he had to go to Rickey, and if Rickey approved he would go to Busch and inform him what was going to happen under “his acceptance.”

Devine and Rickey, while having a mutual respect for each other, did not necessarily see eye to eye, and had to find creative ways to work around the other. The first real road block came before the 1963 season, when Devine wanted to make a trade with Pittsburgh, swapping shortstop Julio Gotay and pitcher Don Cardwell for Diomenes Olivo and Dick Groat. Rickey did not like the deal, stating that when he made deals, he got the younger players, not the older ones. Gotay was “up and coming” in his mind, while the 31-year-old Groat’s best years could be behind him.

Eventually Devine rounded up a crew of “baseball minds” and went to Rickey again to convince him to make the trade. When Rickey realized he was outnumbered and surrounded by a team that was firmly convinced that he should go through with the trade, he acquiesced. Groat became a Cardinal, and the team was starting to take shape. The infield especially was a fearsome thing to look at for an opposing batter. The entire starting infield of Ken Boyer (1B), Dick Groat (SS), Julian Javier (2B), and Bill White (1B) started in the 1963 All-Star game, the first time this had ever happened in the history of the game.

Tim McCarver

Another new face on the field in 1963 was 21-year-old Tim McCarver. McCarver was a hotshot rookie who had offers from sixteen different teams before finally taking the Cardinals’ $75,000 offer to sign at age seventeen. Behind the plate he was the captain of the team, even at such a young age. He called the game like a seasoned veteran, and had enough spitfire in him to set the clubhouse ablaze. Having him there working with Gibson, Broglio and Curt Simmons pushed the team to the brink of the pennant. A late push probably saved Bing Devine’s job from the ever increasingly antsy Gussie Busch, but when Gibson broke his leg taking batting practice in mid-September, it became too much. They finished 93-69, six games back of the Dodgers.

To begin explaining what happened in 1964, I turned to i70 Baseball’s historian Bob Netherton for help. He made my job easy by dropping some tidbits about this very team in a recent post on his own site. Here is what he said:

Of all the come-from-behind teams, the 1964 Cardinals may have been the best. Not only did they win many of their games in the late innings, it was an unbelievable surge in August and September that propelled them to the World Series. This was not the first time they had rallied late in the season either. Johnny Keane’s Cardinals almost pulled off a similar upset in 1963, falling just a few games short of the Dodgers in the end. If Branch Rickey had not played the role of puppet master in the summer of 1964, there might be more pennants blowing in the wind in St. Louis. ’64 was no fluke, and Johnny Keane is a very underrated (and unappreciated) manager.

The key to the ’64 Cardinals success? Mischief at the top of the batting order and then the big names coming up big. Curt Flood and newcomer Lou Brock terrorized National League pitchers with their hitting and base running. It would not be the only time they did this, but in 1964, the middle of the order was brutally consistent in the second half of the season. Ken Boyer and Bill White challenged each other down the stretch, with Boyer winning the NL MVP in the end. The few runners that this duo left on base were quickly driven in by Dick Groat, Tim McCarver or a new local kid named Shannon. There were some great role players on the team as well. Dal Maxvill, Carl Warwick and Bob Skinner all made big contributions, especially in the World Series, but it was the everyday players that brought the pennant to St. Louis in 1964.

Lou Brock

How about that newcomer in Brock? Devine knew around the trading deadline that something needed to happen – that spark to push the team over the top. He called Chicago. Yes, the Cubs. He had spoken with Cubs’ GM John Holland in the offseason about a kid named Lou Brock. The kid looked like he had talent, but had no clue what to do with it. The two sides agreed – Brock for Ernie Broglio.

The rest of the Cardinals were actually perplexed by the trade. Broglio had been an eighteen game winner in 1963 and Brock was a green knucklehead that tried to pull every ball out of the ballpark and ran the bases like a gazelle. It made no sense. There was no way for them to see what Brock would become. However, under Keane and the rest of the Cardinals’ management, their little speed demon would hit .348 the rest of the year and swipe thirty-three bases.

Gussie Busch was not satisfied with what Devine had been doing. Despite all his friends begging him not to do so (even Branch Rickey – who had realized that Devine actually knew what he was doing), Busch fired his GM and brought in Bob Howsam from Denver. Johnny Keane almost got the ax as well, but Busch had to back down. The season rode out dramatically, as the Phillies had to have one of the most grand collapses in the history of the game in order for the Cardinals to catch up, pass, and then capture the pennant away from them.

The World Series almost felt like an afterthought after the race to the finish of the regular season.

Almost.

The mighty New York Yankees were once again the foes awaiting the Cardinals in the World Series. By now the two teams had faced each other five times in the Fall Classic, but the last time had been 1943, and the Yanks had run away with that one 4-1. By the ninth inning of the third game, the score was 1-1, both in games won and in runs on the scoreboard. Barney Schultz, the knuckleballer that Bing Devine had brought in midway through the year, came in to hold down the score for the Cardinals. The first man he faced was the fearsome Mickey Mantle. Schultz threw his bread and butter knuckler to Mantle, but the pitch did not knuckle, and Mickey had a nice meatball to smash into the third deck of Yankee Stadium, giving the Yankees the win and the Series lead, both by a score of 2-1.

It felt back and forth the whole Series. In the fourth game the Yankees jumped out to a three run lead, but a grand slam blast by Ken Boyer in the sixth inning was all the firepower needed, and reliever Roger Craig helped finish out the win for the Cards. The score was tied again in game five and it led to extra innings. Bob Gibson pitched his heart out and ended up winning in ten innings thanks to a three run blast from battery mate Tim McCarver in the top of the inning. The tide had shifted and now the Cardinals were up 3-2.

The Yankees were not going away quietly, and tied the Series at three apiece with the deciding game seven left. Yanks manager Yogi Berra turned to Mel Stottlemyre, who lasted only three batters into the fifth before being pulled for a string of pitchers that paraded out from the Busch Stadium bullpen. Keane went with his ace, and Bob Gibson went out and pitched a complete game victory. The team staked their big right hander out to a 6-0 lead before Gibby gave up a three run home run to Mantle, but it was too little, too late. The Cardinals eventually won the game 7-5 and the Series 4-3.

Gussie Busch had his World Series ring, and the Cardinals were back on top, thanks to the strong arms of Gibson, Simmons and Ray Sadecki, the fleet feet of Brock, and the mighty bats of Boyer, White, and Flood. It was good to be a Cardinal again.

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals for i70baseball.com and writes at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.

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

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

A Humble Beginning

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

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

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

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

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

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

Expansion and an Opportunity

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nearly a Knockout

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

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

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

Free Al Jackson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Déjà vu all over again

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

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

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

A Bad Break

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

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

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

The Story Continues

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

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

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