Opening Day has come and gone for almost every team in baseball.  But when you play on the West Coast, you get the distinction of being the last.  The Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will take the field as the final two teams to open 2012.

After you take that afternoon nap to ensure that you will be awake for the entire late night affair, kick back and read the three things you should be watching closely during this nine inning battle between two of baseball’s most talked about teams.

Albert Pujols and Eric Hosmer
This game will feature two first baseman that the league will be watching closely.  Pujols is on a mission to prove that he deserves the money he is being paid, that he is capable of being the focal point of this team, and that he can handle the media pressure of the Los Angeles market.  Hosmer will attempt to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, continue to establish himself as a premier first baseman in the league, and start what many hope to be a All Star worthy campaign.

With so many storylines for both teams swirling around the first base bag, all eyes will be on the veteran and the youngster to make Opening Day a memorable one for two franchises.

Mike Moustakas
The young third baseman was the other half of the two “can’t miss prospects” in the Royals organization.  The problem, to this point, has been that he is missing.

Moustakas struggled last year but seemed to put it together in September.  That success, however, did not carry over into Spring.  With as many strikeouts (21) as hits and walks combined, the confidence level is thin currently and he may be walking an even thinner line.

The Royals believe it is “Our Time”.  If that’s true, than Moustakas will be expected to perform sooner rather than later or the team may have to look for someone who can hold down the hot corner.  Seeing him get off to a hot start while on the West Coast will put many fan’s minds at ease.

Kendrys Morales
It has been almost two years since the then first-baseman broke his ankle celebrating a walk off Grand Slam.  But Morales is back, and that makes the Angels’ offense that much better.

Spring was a big test to see if the big man was ready and, by all accounts, that test was passed with flying colors.  Morales posted a .367/.387/.600 slash line and hit a few home runs that we are not sure have landed yet.  If the Angels are successful this year, the strength of the lineup will be a big part of that success.  Morales in the Designated Hitter role will play a big part in that.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.
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No aspect of the 2012 Cardinals comes with more questions than the middle infield, where one position has no clear starter and one has a veteran with something to prove. Rafael Furcal returns on a two-year contract with the Redbirds, hoping to show he can still play at the high level he displayed as recently as 2009, while the team goes into Spring Training with an open competition for the starting second-base job.

If Furcal’s performance is an unknown, at least his role is not. On the other side of the keystone, there’s a different kind of uncertainty. Three players go into camp with a shot at winning time at second base: Tyler Greene, Daniel Descalso and Skip Schumaker. Any of the three could win the lion’s share of the job, or manager Mike Matheny could fashion a job-sharing arrangement among two or three of the contenders.

This is one spot where the Cardinals find themselves far from the top of the division, both offensively and defensively as it stands today.

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney hit .276 in 2011, with a pair of homers, nine steals, 43 RBIs and 66 runs scored.  Barney secured the starting second base job in Spring Training and never looked back. A .238 batting average in the second half dampens any enthusiasm for this youngster, who hasn’t shown much power or speed.

The Reds exercised Phillips’ $12 million option on Oct. 31, but the three-time National League Gold Glove winner has long trumpeted his desire to re-sign with Cincinnati for many years.  Phillips, 30, has also been firm about his lack of willingness to accept a hometown discount to remain with the Reds.  Phillips recorded his first .300 season but the numbers weren’t all as rosy. His home run total was the lowest since 2006 and his 14 steals were the lowest since 2005. Phillips remains a quality second baseman but at age 30, it remains to be seen if he can climb back to the 20-20 level.

Astros rookie second baseman Jose Altuve hit .276 with a pair of homers, seven steals, 12 RBIs and 26 runs scored in 221 at-bats during his inaugural season.  Altuve was hitting .389 in the Minors when the Astros gave him the call to the show. The 21-year-old showed some speed and the ability to collect hits against Major League pitchers but his lack of power and elite speed will limit Altuve’s potential in the short term.

Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks finished up an injury-plagued 2011 season with 20 homers, nine steals, 49 RBIs, 77 runs scored and a .269 batting average in 453 at-bats.  Weeks launched 17 homers in the first half of the season but suffered a serious ankle injury near the end of July and registered only 83 at-bats in the second half. The 29-year-old is an attractive asset heading into 2012 because of his ability to hit for power as a second baseman.

Without a lot of fanfare, this second-year player  produced a solid 2011 with .273 with 12 homers, nine steals, 83 RBIs and 76 runs scored.  Walker has settled in as a solid, but not spectacular second base option. Don’t look for major improvements in 2012 but at age 26 he could still make small gains. A  reasonable expectation for him and a solid season cound make him one of the few second baseman to collect 90 RBIs.

Schumaker, 31, hit .283 in 117 games last season, including a .299 mark after the All-Star break. He batted .381 in the playoffs and had the game-winning RBI in the decisive fifth game of the National League Division Series against the Phillies.

By the time 2012 is said and done here is how I see things shaking out amongst the NL Central second basemen

1. Brandon Phillips
2. Rickie Weeks
3. Neil Walker
4. Darwin Barney
5. Skip Schumaker
6. Jose Altuve

Looking ahead:

Descalso and Greene are likely slicker fielders, but Schumaker has established himself as a solid hitter for a middle infielder. Whereas at the start of the winter it sounded as though he was being removed from the second-base picture, later indications have made it clear that Schumaker can compete for the job.

Greene and Descalso both come from other positions. Descalso has played plenty of second, but in the Major Leagues, he’s spent more time at third. Offensively, he’s a bit similar to Schumaker, a line-drive hitter with some on-base ability but not much power. Defensively, he is probably a superior second baseman. But his versatility is also an asset that Matheny may covet.

Then there’s Greene, who sometimes sounds like the favorite coming into the spring. A former first-round Draft pick and a shortstop by trade, he has tremendous tools but has yet to turn them into dependable production at the big league level. Greene’s upside is the highest of the contenders, but of the three, he has proved the least in the Majors.

One advantage for Greene is that he is a shortstop, and there’s no clear backup to Furcal. If Greene doesn’t win the starting job, he could well stick as a utility player. Descalso is also almost certain to be on the roster for his positional flexibility, defense and pinch-hitting savvy, while Schumaker will be on as a utility man if not the starter.

On Monday night, April 5, 2011, Kyle McClellan reached an important career milestone. After two arm surgeries and three years in the Cardinals bullpen, the Hazelwood West graduate was finally making his first major league start. When Adam Wainwright went down to an elbow injury early in spring training, a spot in the rotation opened it. Throughout all of spring training, McClellan out-pitched both Lance Lynn and Brandon Dickson, forcing the managers hand in the same manner as Jaime Garcia did in 2010.

Shortly before McClellan took the mound, sportswriter Rob Rains shared this interesting piece of information.

A few moments later, Rob gave us the first two names on this list: Cliff Politte (1998) and Al Omsted (1980). You knew we couldn’t leave it at that, right ? Of course not.

Looking back at the last 100 years of Cardinals history, and perhaps casting a wider net over the St. Louis area to include De Soto, Missouri and Batchtown, Illinois, here is the list of those home town starters for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kyle McClellan – Hazelwood West (Hazelwood, Mo). 1 start in 2011, and counting. And what an impressive start it was. In six innings of work, McClellan put aside any concerns about his ability to work through the opponents batting order more than once. He would face all but the bottom of the order three times, and over that span he would allow just six hits while striking out seven. The two Pirates runs came on a Lyle Overbay home run in the first inning, teaching the youngster a valuable lesson – veteran power hitters can smack a flat curve ball a long way. To his credit, McClellan adapted, and Overbay never saw another mediocre breaking ball. The bullpen would combine for three more scoreless innings, allowing a late rally to give the Cardinals a much needed win. McClellan would not get a decision, but earned the admiration of the big hometown crowd that was in attendance.

Cliff Politte – Vianney (Kirkwood). Cliff Politte would compile a 2-3 record in 8 starts for the Cardinals in 1998. He would then be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies where he would get a few more starts before being moved to the bullpen. That’s where Politte enjoyed his greatest success as a major leaguer, the best being with the Chicago White Sox in 2005. Politte would return to the Cardinals, pitching for Memphis (AAA) before retiring from baseball in 2008.

There was another Cliff Politte in the Cardinals farm system in the early 1960s. He too was from St. Louis, and a pitcher, although from the port side. This Cliff Politte made it as far as AA, appearing in 10 games with the Tulsa Oilers in 1964. His minor league numbers suggest that he struggled with his control, but yet was impressive at both the A and AA levels. When a lefty like that disappears suddenly, an arm injury seems the most likely culprit.

What are the odds of two unrelated Cliff Politte’s from the St. Louis area, both pitching for the Cardinals ? Although I can find nothing linking the two of them, their ages are consistent for a father and son twosome.

Al Olmsted – Hazelwood East (Hazelwood, Mo). The big left-hander had a monster season for the Springfield Redbirds (AAA) in 1980, which prompted a September callup with the big club. He would make five starts in September, including an impressive 9 1/3 scoreless inning effort against the Philadelphia Phillies in his debut.

Olmsted would become part of Whitey Herzog’s team overhaul in 1981, being sent to the San Diego Padres in the Rollie Fingers deal. What makes this interesting is Olmsted would return to St. Louis a year later as the “player to be named later” in the Ozzie Smith trade. Injuries, including a torn triceps muscle, would keep Olmsted from returning to the major leagues after that impressive September in 1980.

John Fulgham – Pattonville (NW St. Louis County, Mo). Fulgham was part of a core of young pitchers, including Silvio Martinez, Al Olmsted and Andy Rincon, that the Cardinals hoped would take them back into post-season play. Injuries shut all of them down far too early in their career, but in their brief time with the Cardinals, all were impressive. Especially Fulgham. The big right-hander has a most distinctive career statistic – all 14 of his career wins were complete games. His last start would come against the Houston Astros on August 27, 1980. He would be taken out of the game after just one inning. He would miss the entire 1981 season before trying to make a comeback in 1982. After struggling for two years in the Cardinals minor league system, Fulgham would retire from baseball in 1983.

Sonny Siebert – Bayless (St. Louis, Mo). The big right-hander had been an All Star starter in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, earning one mid-season classic invitation with each club. He made a brief stop through his home town at the tail end of his career. At age 37, Siebert made 20 starts for the St. Louis in 1974. His last Cardinals win would come in relief, pitching the last 2 1/3 of the 25 inning marathon with the Mets, on September 11. In that game, another aging veteran turned back the clock when Claude Osteen threw 9 1/3 scoreless innings to set up the win for Seibert.

Jerry Reuss – Ritenour (Overland, Mo). Jerry Reuss was a tall left-hander that the Cardinals drafted out of high school in 1967. He went on to a long and productive career, winning 220 games over his 22 year career. Those 220 wins puts Reuss at #75 on the major league wins list with Tim Wakefield (193) and Roy Halladay (169) being the closest active pitchers. Not known as a strikeout pitcher, his 1,907 is good enough for #79 on the all time list, although he will soon be passed by Johan Santana (1,877), Livan Hernandez (1,832) and CC Sabathia (1,794). To learn more about the career of Jerry Reuss, listen to the United Cardinal Bloggers show from Feb 19, 2011 where Daniel Shoptaw and I interview the former Cardinal hurler.

Harry Parker – Collinsville (Collinsville, Il). Primarily a reliever in his major league career with the Cardinals, Mets and Indians, Parker did make four starts with the Cardinals in 1970. All three of his decisions in St. Louis (1-2) would come in relief. Parker pitched a brilliant came against Carl Morton and the Montreal Expos on September 27, 1970. In nine innings of work, he would hold the Expos scoreless. Unfortunately for Parker, Morton was even better, throwing 11 scoreless innings. Tom Hilgendorf would take the loss in relief when Adolpho Phillips (remember that name?) singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Expos a 1-0 victory.

Bob Miller – Beaumont (St. Louis). Bob Miller had a long and productive career as a reliever, playing for many teams over his 17 seasons. From 1957 to 1961, Miller would get 22 starts for the Cardinals, before being the first player selected by the New York Mets in the 1962 expansion draft. After one season in New York, Miller would be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would enjoy his best years in the majors.

Jack Faszholz was born in St. Louis, but grew up in Berkeley, California. He did get one start for the Cardinals in 1953, but should probably not be on this list. At least not without an asterisk.

Eldred “Bud” Byerly – Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo). Bud Byerly pitched for the Cardinals between 1943 and 1945, making 14 starts. He would go on to pitch for Cincinnati, Washington, Boston and San Francisco. In addition to 237 major league appearances, Bud also pitched in 509 minor league games, as late as 1961.

Bill McGee – Batchtown Il. Bill is another pitcher that probably didn’t make Rob Rains’ list. Batchtown is a small community on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. It is west of Pere Marquette Park and Grafton and due north of St. Peters. In the 1930′s, they might not have considered themselves part of the St. Louis metro area, but they are close enough for me.

McGee pitched for the Cardinals for between 1935 and 1941 before being traded to the New York Giants where he would spend his last two seasons. While in St. Louis, he would make 144 starts. He had a career high of 16 wins in 1940.

Bill Walker – East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Il). Bill Walker was a left handed pitcher who was originally signed by the New York Giants. He would be traded to St. Louis in 1933. In 4 years, Walker would make 77 starts with his last being against his former club on September 14, 1936.

Leo Dickerman – De Soto, Mo. Like Bill Walker, Dickerman started his major league career in New York, but with the other National League team – the Brooklyn Dodgers. He would spend the last 2 years of his rather short major league career in St. Louis (1924-1925) where he would start 31 games.

Henry “Hi” Jasper – St. Louis, Mo. In his short major league career, Jasper would pitch for the White Sox, Cardinals and Indians. In 1916, Jasper would start 9 games for his home town team.

Gene Dale – St. Louis, Mo. Gene Dale was a tall right hander who pitched for the Cardinals in 1911 and 1912. He would start 5 games over that two year period.

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.

In Part 2 of this series on opening day pitchers, we will take a look at the hurlers that took the first baseball of the new season immediately following the retirement of Bob Gibson. As with the previous article, several interesting things can be seen when looking back, not all of them expected.

Free agency really started taking it’s toll on the Cardinals pitching staff, following the rise of John Denny. Failure to developed a genuine staff ace, and hold onto him for any appreciable amount of time, created somewhat of a revolving door of opening day starters. The two best pitchers during this era, Joaquin Andujar and John Tudor, only account for three games. One name that did keep popping up year after year was the trusty old warhorse, Bob Forsch. He would be involved in opening day festivities as late as 1988, but before then, there were a few memorable performances.

Lynn McGlothen (1975) 1-0

When the Cardinals acquired the former Red Sox prospect during the 1973 winter meetings, they thought they had found their next Bob Gibson, and at just the right time. With Gibby’s legs giving him more trouble, the end of his career was fast approaching, and perhaps a few years mentoring the young McGlothen might turn the right-hander into another star. When he jumped out to a 12-4 record at the 1974 All Star break, maybe the wait was over. The youngster would get an invitation to the mid-season classic, the only one he would received in his 11 year career. He would also lead the Cardinals starters in wins, shutouts and strikeouts, trailing only Bob Gibson in innings pitched. A little bit more of this and McGlothen would be the ace of the pitching staff.

Sadly, there wasn’t much more like that first half of 1974.

McGlothen would take the mound on opening day in 1976, to begin the post-Bob Gibson era, and he was brilliant. His opponent was Ray Burris of the Chicago Cubs. Burris was a tall right hander whose career mimicked that of McGlothen – sometimes could be dominating but for the most part, frustratingly average.

In this first game of the 1976 season, McGlothen was as dominant as any time in his career. Unfortunately, some of the Cardinals defense hadn’t made it’s way to St. Louis from spring training, and routine errors threatened to unravel McGlothen throughout the game, but the big right-hander never flinched. He would throw a complete game shutout, and earn the win in his only opening day start.

Following the season, McGlothen would be traded to the San Francisco Giants for former Cardinal, Ken Reitz. Reitz should never have left St. Louis, and it was good to have “The Zamboni” back at the hot corner. Things would not work out so well for McGlothen as he would developed arm troubles the following season and see just limited action for the Giants. The 2-9 record he posted would be the only black mark on an otherwise fine career.

Following one season in the Bay Area, plus a few games into 1978, he would be sent to the Chicago Cubs and begin a second career as a reliever. He became quite effective, but a shortage of Cubs starters in 1979 opened the door for McGlothen and he moved back into the rotation and turned in two fine seasons, much like the ones he had in St. Louis.

Sadly, the Lynn McGlothen story would have a tragic ending. Two years after calling it quits from baseball, the former Cardinals pitcher would die in a mobile home fire, along with the woman who had tried to rescue him. McGlothen was only 34 years old.

John Denny (1977, 1979) 2-0

As Lynn McGlothen was ending his Cardinals career, a quirky young right-hander named John Denny was just beginning his. And an interesting one it would be.

Looking back at Denny’s career, we probably missed the fact that he was the right handed John Tudor, without the icy exterior. He was a control pitcher that didn’t strike out a lot of batters. As a consequence, some of his pitching stats don’t indicate how good he really was – a control pitcher with a K/BB ratio of 1 and a wildly oscillating ERA ? Pitch to contact and getting the hitters to get the small part of the bat on the baseball was Denny’s game, and when he was on, there was nobody better. But, if he started putting the ball over the heart of the plate, that 84 mile-per-hour fastball wasn’t fooling anybody and he could be hit hard. And I mean HARD.

Denny would get the opening day starts in 1977 and 1979, plus the home opener in 1978. He would pitch brilliantly in two, and just good enough to win the other, compiling a 3-0 record.

In the 1977 opener, he would face an old friend, Jerry Reuss of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Reuss had quietly been establishing himself as a top of the rotation pitcher in Pittsburgh, and this was an opportunity to show the Cardinals what the had given away a few years earlier. Unfortunately for Reuss, he would be undone in the first inning as the Cardinals sent 8 men to the plate, scoring four of them. Typical of a Reuss loss, nothing would be hit hard, only one ball would making it out of the infield. But relentless speed at the top of the batting order (Lou Brock, Garry Templeton, Bake McBride) forced error after error, and the game was soon out of reach.

Denny would be on cruise control until two outs in the sixth inning. Al Hrabosky would come in to relieve Denny and turn in 2 1/3 innings of solid relief. John Sutton would be touched up for a couple of runs in ninth in one of his few (31) major league appearances. The Cardinals would win the game 12-6.

On the strength of his only 20 win season, Bob Forsch would get the opening start in 1978. As a consolation prize, Denny would get the home opener, also against the Pirates. This time he would face Jim Rooker, who didn’t even make it out of the first inning. Unlike Reuss in the previous opener, the Cardinals hit Rooker hard and often. The final blow was a three run homer from eighth place hitter Mike Tyson. The 6-0 lead that blast gave the Cardinals was enough as Denny went the distance and the Cards won big, 11-2.

Denny saved his best for last as he took the ball on opening day for the last time as a Cardinal on April 6, 1979. He was facing a former Cardinal, and one of the best in the game – Steve Carlton. It was a pitchers duel through the first three innings with each hurler giving up a solo home run. That’s when Carlton ran into trouble. He would surrender three runs in the fourth and another one in the sixth. The final blow in the game would come in the seventh inning, when Carlton would load the bases. Reliever Doug Bird got George Hendrick to pop up to the shortstop (infield fly rule), but he could not get past Tony Scott. Scott tripled to clear the bases and the Cardinals increased their lead to 7-1. Scott would score the final run of the game on a double by Ken Reitz. The final score was 8-1 as Denny again went the distance.

Following the 1979 season, Denny would be traded to the Cleveland Indians. Although he had pitched well, leading the league in ERA in 1976 and posting another sub-3 in 1978, he never won more than 14 games and was around a .500 pitcher for his five seasons in St. Louis. His fortunes might have been much different if he had managed to hang on until Whitey Herzog arrived.

After a few frustrating seasons in Cleveland, Denny would return to the National League late in 1982, this time with the Philadelphia Phillies. He would lead the league in wins in 1983 with 19 and post a career low ERA of 2.37. That would be good enough to earn him the Cy Young Award for 1983.

As good as he pitched in 1983, he was even a bit better in 1984, but injuries limited his number of starts, so his mediocre 7-7 record doesn’t accurately reflect the quality of his work. He would become a workhorse in 1984, but that pinpoint control was starting to diminish, and as a result he would post a rather lackluster record.

Denny would finish his career with the Cincinnati Reds, in 1985.

Bob Forsch (1978, 1981-1983) 2-2

After an unbelievable 20-7 record in 1977, there was no question who would take the ball on opening day in 1978. He would face the Philadelphia Phillies, and that meant Lefty. And again, Lefty was not sharp. To get some idea of how this game would go, look no farther than Steve Carlton’s fourth inning.

Ken Reitz, not a power hitter by any measure, leads off with a solo home run. Tony Scott grounds out for the first out of the inning. Carlton stikes out Mike Tyson, but the slider was one of those 59ft varieties and got past former Cardinal backstop, Tim McCarver, allowing Tyson to reach base. A sacrifice bunt by Forsch and single off the bat of Lou Brock scored Tyson, who should never have been on base.

Carlton would not make it out of the fifth inning.

On the other side of the diamond, Forsch was cruising until tiring in the 8th. Pete Vukovich would take over and and finish things, retiring former Cardinal Ted Sizemore for the last out in the game. Forsch would earn the win with Carlton taking the loss.

Forsch would get the opening day start in 1981, again facing the Philadelphia Phillies. This time it would be against a tough right-hander, Dick Ruthven.

Forsch worked himself into a corner early in this game. The first two men would reach base. With one out, Mike Schmidt stepped up to the plate and did what you expected him to do – hit a three run homer. That, and a later solo shot by Bob Boone would be all the Phillies needed as Ruthven would cruise to a complete game win, defeating Forsch and the Cardinals 5-2.

Perhaps we should also give Bob Forsch credit for another opening day start when he took the mound on August 10, after the 60 day lockout. It was more of a spring training type game as none of the pitchers were conditioned to go for very long in the game. As he had done in the opener, he drew the Philadelphia Phillies with Larry Christenson getting the start. In five innings of work, Forsch was as sharp as we’d ever seen him be. He would allow just one hit, a two out double by Mike Schmidt in the first.

Christenson would take a hard luck loss in this one as he would give up three runs in his five innings. Sparky Lyle would give up a pair of runs in relief, but the high point in the game came in the top of the ninth inning. Sexto Lezcano and Gene Tenace would hit back to back home runs of Mike Proly, putting the game out of reach. Forsch would earn the win and Bruce Sutter would earn a save in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Pete Vuckovich (1980) 1-0

Pete Vuckovich was certainly one of those pitchers that got away, and we knew it the moment that it happened. He was an unfortunate victim of the Whitey Herzog clubhouse cleansing in 1981. Although the particular deal he was in did not work out well for the Cardinals, it set things in motion that put two teams into the 1982 World Series, with Herzog and the Redbirds standing as winners when the last pitch was thrown.

Simply put, Vuckovich was a horse. From the moment he arrived from Toronto in 1977, everything about the big right hander was done to the extreme. He logged a huge number of innings and could be as intimidating as anybody in the game. He also led the Cardinals staff in wins in 1979 with 15 (tying the fragile but exciting Silvio Martinez). That earned him the opening day start in 1980, and he did not disappoint.

How about a complete game 3 hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates and future Hall of Famer, Burt Blyleven? That’s what the scruffy Vuckovich did on April 10, 1980. The difference in the game was a leadoff walk Blyleven gave to Bobby Bonds to start the second inning. George Hendrick would rip a double and Bonds easily scored for the only run in the game. Vuckovich would go the distance in the 1-0 shutout, striking out 9 Pirates on the day.

Sadly, 1980 would be the last time we would see Vuckovich in the Cardinals uniform, but not his last time at Busch Stadium. After being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers following the 1980 season, Vuckovich would have two brilliant seasons, leading the league in wins in 1981 with 14 and posting an 18-6 record in 1982. Just as Joaquin Andujar had taken over the Cardinals staff, Vuckovich transformed the Brewers rotation into a powerhouse and took them to two post-season births, going all the way to the World Series in 1982. For his efforts, he would win the Cy Young Award in 1982.

His success would not last long however. Some time in the pennant stretch of 1982, he injured his rotator cuff. Displaying a level of toughness normally reserved for the hockey rink, the big right-hander pitched through the extreme discomfort. Ultimately it would cost him not only the 1983 and 1984 seasons on injured reserve, but his career as he would never pitch as effectively again.

Dave LaPoint (1984) 1 no decision

Thanks to some curious scheduling with the Cardinals opening on a West Coast road trip, lefty Dave LaPoint would take the mound for both the season and home openers, almost two weeks apart.

In the season opener at Los Angeles, LaPoint would face another crafty left-hander, Fernando Valenzuela. Neither pitcher was sharp, and both would be gone by the end of the third inning. Danny Cox would take over and pitch 4 shutout innings, allowing just two hits. He kept the Dodgers at bay long enough for the Cardinals bats to take revenge on Valenzuela and reliever, Pat Zachary. Cox was on cruise control until being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. Fortunately for Cox and the Cardinals, they managed to extend their lead in the inning to 9-3. With Neil Allen coming in to pitch the bottom of the inning, they would need nearly every one of those runs.

Allen would not get a single out in the inning, and when he left the game the Dodgers had pulled to within two runs. Bruce Sutter would be called on to get a long save. Early on, it didn’t look good as Sutter was wild. He hit one batter and walked the next, putting the tying runs on base. If you are feeling a Jason Isringhausen moment while reading this, you are not alone. Sutter righted himself after the walk and got an infield ground out and double play to end the rally. He would only face six more batters in two innings of work for an excepti0nally long save, preserving the win for Danny Cox.

Things would go much better for LaPoint in the home opener against John Candeleria and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although “The Candy Man” put on a clinic, striking out 11 Cardinals in seven innings of work, a three run homer off the bat of Ozzie Smith was the difference in the game as the Cardinals won 4-1. Bruce Sutter pitched two solid innings of relief for his second save of the season.

Joaquin Andujar (1985) 1 no decision

A few weeks ago, we took a look at the Cardinals career of Joaquin Andujar in a two part series. One of the most surprising facts about his time in St. Louis is that he only got one opening day start. That would happen in 1985 against the team that would chase them all the way to finish line, the New York Mets. And in nearly 50 years of watching Cardinals baseball, this was one of the most disappointing games I can remember.

The game would feature two of the best right handers, the veteran Andujar against the young phenom, Dwight Gooden. They, along with John Tudor, would fight for the NL Cy Young Award with Andujar and Tudor splitting some of the vote, leaving Gooden as the winner. And it is hard to blame the voters as Gooden’s 1985 ranks right along some of the best since Gibson’s 1968.

In this 1985 opener, neither pitcher brought their A game. Andujar didn’t even bring his B game, it seemed, as the Mets jumped out to a quick 2-0, and then 5-2 lead. Late in the game the Cardinals started getting to Gooden and when manager Davey Johnson went to his bullpen, the Cardinals tied the game – on a bases loaded walk to Jack Clark. That is until Gary Carter came up to the plate to face Cardinals pitcher Neil Allen in the bottom of the 10th inning. Carter sent all the Mets fans home happy as he took Allen deep for a walk-off home run.

What a terrible way to start the season. And we would see more of that out of Allen until he was shipped off to the Yankees in early summer. Almost immediately after the deal, the fortunes of the Cardinals improved, and they sprinted their way to the World Series. None of that seemed possible after watching this agonizing opening day loss to the Mets.

Bob Forsch would get the home opener a week later against the Montreal Expos. Earlier that day, the Cardinals announced a long term contract extension for Ozzie Smith, and the buzz associated with that good news make Busch Stadium electric by game time. And the Wizard did not disappoint, going 2-3 with a home run. In fact, the entire lower part of the batting order did damage as Forsch cruised to an easy complete game 6-1 win. Perhaps a bit of sting was taken away from the horrific opening day loss to the Mets. At least for a day.

John Tudor (1986-1987) 2-0

With the “in the dead of night” deal that sent Joaquin Andujar to the Oakland Athletics following the end of the 1985 season in Kansas City, there was little doubt who would get the next few opening day starts, John Tudor. There may have been better pitchers in St. Louis, but have been none that displayed the degree of cool that Tudor did on the mound. It didn’t matter if he was facing an 8th place hitter that was afraid of his own shadow, or the heart of the New York Mets lineup with a 1 run lead, Tudor was just one cool customer.

He would get two opening day starts, both against the Chicago Cubs. He would win both, but the 1986 opener was one for the ages.

Tudor would face Rick Sutcliffe in this first game in 1986. The big right-hander did everything he could do to win the game for his team. If his team had tried as hard, perhaps they would have emerged victorious instead of the Cardinals.

The turning point in the game happened in the top of the 4th inning. With both hurlers putting up quick zeroes, Sutcliffe hit a bit of a bump facing the heart of the Cardinals order. Tommy Herr would lead off the inning with a walk. Somewhere, Harry Caray was telling a fan that lead-off walks always come back to haunt the pitcher, and this one certainly would. Jack Clark followed with a screaming single to center field that Bob Dernier could not play cleanly. On the miscue, Herr would take third and Clark would take second. That would turn out to be significant as Andy van Slyke followed that with a single, scoring both runners.

Those were the only two hits Sutcliffe would give up in the game, and he was behind 2-0. The Cubs would get one of those runs back, but that’s all Tudor would allow as he goes the distance in a brilliant 2-1 win.

For Sutcliffe, it was a heartbreaking loss. 8 innings, 2 hits and 7 strikeouts. But one of the 4 walks on the day was the difference in the game.

Tudor and Sutcliffe would hook up again in the 1987 opener, in Chicago. Tudor was shaky early, giving the Cubs three quick runs. Things would turn around in the Cardinals third inning when Sutcliffe would fall apart, giving up 5 runs before turning things over to the bullpen. Taking over for Sutcliffe was a young right hander making only his seventh appearance in the major leagues. He would not figure in the outcome of this one, but Greg Maddux would haunt the National League for the next couple of decades. Another youngster that would see action later in his game was a lefty named Jamie Moyer.

Tudor would toughen and not allow another run. Newcomer, Bill Dawley would take over in the sixth inning and throw 4 scoreless innings, allowing just a single hit. For the second time in two years, Tudor would get the opening day win and Sutcliffe would suffer the loss. Bill Dawley would get the save, one of only two he would earn on the season.

Greg Mathews would get the home opener in 1987 against the Montreal Expos. It was a cold and wet night, and that was just the beginning of the troubles for the young Cardinals lefty. After striking out the first two batters, the wheels would fall off. A single, three consecutive walks and then a bases clearing double gave the Expos a 4-0 lead. Another walk and single to start the second inning would send Mathews to the showers early. The Cardinals were never in the game and the big home town crowd would go home disappointed. There would be lots of disappointment early in the season, but somehow this plucky group managed to find ways to win, until the seventh game of the World Series.

Joe Magrane (1988-1990) 0-1 2 no decisions

Thanks to a microscopic and league leading ERA of 2.18 in 1987, Joe Magrane would get the next few opening day starts for the Redbirds.

His first start in 1988 would be against Mario Soto and the Cincinnati Reds. Magrane would struggle through 6 innings, but what we remember of that game was his bat. In his second plate appearance of the season, he would hit a three run homer to put the Cardinals out in front, 4-1. Unfortunately, he would give all of those runs back before leaving the game in the seventh inning. As shaky as Magrane was, the bullpen was incredible. Scott Terry, Ken Dayley, Todd Worrell, Steve Peters and Bob Forsch managed to get the game into the 12th inning without allowing a single run. Of course, on the other side of the diamond, the Reds relievers were just as good.

A leadoff walk in the 12th inning given to the Reds by Bob Forsch would be the difference in the game. That runner would come around to score when Larry McWilliams gave up a walk off single to Kal Daniels. Forsch would take the hard luck loss, and former Cardinals reliever, Pat Perry would earn the win.

Danny Cox would get the home opener in 1987 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It would be a back and forth game, with the Pirates winning 4-3.

In 1989, Magrane would get both the season and home openers, both against the Mets. He would get shelled in both of them, losing both. Don’t feel bad for Magrane though as he would only lose seven more games all season, to go with 18 wins. The 24 year old had put together a rather impressive season. Unfortunately, elbow trouble was about to derail him, but that’s a story for another day.

Joe Magrane would get one more opening day start. That would be on April 9, 1990 against current Springfield Cardinals pitching coach, Dennis Martinez. Magrane was sharp, allowing just one run before leaving the game in the sixth inning. Martinez had been shaky, but limited the damage to just three runs.

When the bullpens got involved, things turned ugly. Ken Hill would allow three runs before getting the final out in the sixth inning. Frank DiPino followed suit in the seventh, allowing a run of his own. Fortunately, Cris (no-H) Carpenter, Howard Hilton and Ken Dayley righted the ship and managed to get the game into the 11th inning. That’s when another lead-off walk, this time to the Cardinals Milt Thompson, would prove to be the game winner when Uncle Milty came home on a Willie McGee walk-off single two batters later.

Bryn Smith (1991) 1 no decision

The Joe Torre era would start in earnest in 1991 with a game against the Chicago Cubs. The new Cardinals manager gave the opening day start to Bryn Smith, who had been a horse for the Montreal Expos over the last 8 season, winning as many as 18 games in 1985.

Smith pitched a gem of a game allowing just a single run in seven innings of work. On the other side of the diamond, Danny Jackson was the unfortunate victim of the the last remnants of Whitey Ball as the still speedy Cardinals legged out infield hits and beat throws on fielders choices, inning after inning.

The turning point in the game would come in the top of the 8th. The score was tied at one when Jose Oquendo stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. He would hit a weak grounder and beat the throw to first base, allowing Felix Jose to score the game winning run. Craig Wilson would follow with a well placed dribbler between the pitcher and first baseman that would score another run. Rex Hudler would ground out, scoring Tom Pagnozzi for final run of the inning, and the game. The Cubs pitchers had just beaten up by a bunch of moths, or so it must have seemed. Former Cub, Lee Smith, earned the first of his NL leading 47 saves in the game, just to add a bit of insult.

Bob Tewksbury would pitch seven strong innings in the home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Terry Mulholland would pitch well for the Phils, but not well enough as Tewks picks up the win. Lee Smith would earn his fifth save on the young season in relief.

Jose DeLeon (1992) 1 no decision

Jose DeLeon would get the opening day call to start the 1992 season. His opponent would be David Cone and the New York Mets. Both starters were effective with DeLeon allowing just one run in 7 innings and Cone, 2 runs in 8 innings. The story of the game was relief pitching. The Mets had some and the Cardinals didn’t. In a rare blow-up, Lee Smith allowed the tying run to score in the top of the ninth inning, and lost it when Bobby Bonilla hit a 2 run homer in the 10th. On the other side, the Mets bullpen was sharp, putting up two innings of zeroes.

Bob Tewksbury (1993-1994) 1-1

Of all the pitchers to come through the Cardinals system in the last 50 years, Bob Tewksbury might have been the best actual pitcher. To be able to stand on the mound knowing your fastball topped out at 81 miles per hour (with a tail wind) and face hitters like Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Ryne Sandberg and Freg McGriff, and have the courage to throw the ball anywhere near the plate took a special cunning, and lack of fear. He had nothing intimidating, couldn’t throw inside and his out pitch was something you were likely to see in a co-ed softball game. In six years in St. Louis, he put up a 67-46 record with an ERA of 3.48. And this is in the beginning of the steroids era.

Tewksbury would take a hard luck loss in the season opener in 1993 against the San Francisco Giants. The most unsettling thing about this game was seeing Willie McGee hitting lead-off for the pumpkins – it just did not look right at all.

A Matt Williams RBI double in the 4th and a Barry Bonds sacrifice fly in the seventh were the only runs allowed by Tewksbury, but that would be enough as John Burkett went six strong innings, allowing just a single run. The Giants bullpen was brilliant, allowing just a single hit in three innings of combined relief.

Tewks would fare a bit better in the 1994 opener against the Cincinnati Reds. He would struggle in six innings of work, but Reds starter Jose Rijo was knocked around rather rudely by Cardinals bats. Rijo did not have an easy inning during the game and he would surrender 6 runs before turning the game over to his bullpen. Tewksbury would earn the win and Mike Perez would pitch a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Ken Hill (1995) 1 no decision

This would be the second time for Ken Hill to wear the Birds on the Bat. The first time was as a prospect, acquired from Detroit in 1986, while pitching in his first professional season. He came up through the Cardinals system but stalled a bit at Arkansas (AA). After being promoted to Louisville (AAA), he was quickly called up to the majors when injuries with the big club created an opening. He pitched well enough to stay, at least for the remainder of the year. He would lead the league in walks and losses, but not all of that was his fault as evidenced by a 3.80 ERA that was good for a rookie. Not great, but not too bad either. A shaky defense behind him turned him into a tentative pitcher that didn’t aggressively go after hitters.

He started out the 1990 season with the Cardinals, but after being hit hard in his first three relief appearances, he would be sent back to Louisville where he would light up the American Association to a tune of a 6-1 record with an ERA well under 2 runs per game. That prompted another callup in late July. Hill would start off well, but fade again in September, ending with a 5-6 record with the big club. One more season with the Cardinals in 1990 that mirrored his rookie campaign, except that this time he did get a little bit of run support, and then it was off to Montreal.

That’s when the real Ken Hill showed National League teams what he could do. In three seasons in Montreal, he would post a 41-21 record with an ERA just over 3. Some injuries limited his starts in 1994, but he still managed to win 16 games in that season, to go with only 5 losses.

That prompted an off-season trade with the Cardinals to bring Hill back for another look, and we got exactly what we had in the late 1980s. The tall right hander would not last the entire season before being traded to Cleveland before the non-waiver trade deadline, where he would help the Indians make the playoffs. Hill would pitch brilliantly in the ALDS and ALCS, earning one win in each. He didn’t fare as well against the Braves in the World Series, but his stock had risen significantly.

That would pay off with a free agency deal with the Texas Rangers, where he would find his old form. He would help pitch the Rangers into the playoffs, winning 16 games for the third time in his career. After that, he would be a pennant run pickup by the California Angels where he would have a couple of good seasons before injuries ended his career.

All that success, and we missed every bit of it in St. Louis.

Ken Hill did get the opening day call for the Cardinals in 1995. With a rotation of Mark Petkovsek, Allen Watson, Donovan Osborne and both Danny Jackson and Mike Morgan at the end of their careers, you know it is going to be a long season. And you now understand why it was Hill that got the opening day call.

He would face a young hard throwing right hander from the Philadelphia Phillies named Curt Shilling. Shilling was still a few years away from putting it all together, and a decade from the famed bloody sock heroics in post-season. It would be a fair fight between two struggling right-handers, and neither would be around to get a decision.

Hill would get hit hard in the third inning when the Phillies sent 9 men to the plate, scoring 5 times. The Redbirds would get three of those runs back in their half of the third as they sent 8 men to the plate against Schilling.

A Brian Jordan two run homer off Toby Borland in the sixth pulled the Cardinals to within a run at 6-5. It would stay that way until the Cardinals came to bat in the bottom of the ninth. Former Reds closer, Norm Charlton could not manage to find the strike zone as he tried to close the game out. Bernard Gilkey would start things off with a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield. Two walks would load the bases for Scott Cooper, and he delivered with a sharp single though a pulled-in infield, scoring Gilkey with the tying run and Ozzie Smith with the game winner. Rene Arocha would pick up the win with one sharp inning of relief.

Next time, we will look at the opening day starters in the Tony La Russa era.

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.

Over the last few weeks, the United Cardinal Bloggers have been collecting their top stories from the 2010 season. While each contributor had a slightly different list, the emergence of Jaime Garcia was included by nearly every writer. The youngster had a remarkable rookie season and Cardinals Nation is anxiously awaiting the start of his sophomore campaign. Thirty-five years ago, the Cardinals farm system produced another pair of remarkable lefties. Everybody knows about Steve Carlton, but one year before “Lefty”, another youngster had a historic rookie season. That pitcher was Larry Jaster and this is his story.

Busting Out

On September 17, 1965, a torch was passed, although we did not know it at the time. Ray Sadecki and Curt Simmons were a pair of lefties that helped the Cardinals win the World Series the previous year, and both had struggled this season, going a combined 15-30. Neither would finish next season in St. Louis as they gave way to a new pair of young lefties who would take the Cardinals to their next World Championship. On this night, Curt Simmons had battled one of the best in the game, Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Typical of Simmons 1965 season, he had pitched well, certainly well enough to win the game, but found himself on the short end of a 3-0 score when he was taken out of the game for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. A bases loaded single and sacrifice fly was all Simmons allowed, but it was just enough to earn him another tough luck loss.

Relieving Simmons in the sixth inning was a hard throwing left-hander named Larry Jaster. He was making his major league debut, and it was brief. He would face the tail end of the Dodgers batting order, but Jaster made quick work of them, retiring the side in order. We (and the Dodgers) would see much more of this in 1966, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves – the 1965 season is far from over.

Jaster’s performance against the Dodgers was good enough to earn him a turn in the rotation. The Cardinals were so far behind the Dodgers in the standings, manager Red Schoendienst might as well start figuring out what he had to work with next year. Jaster’s first start would come against the Houston Astros, who were even farther back than the Cardinals. Jaster got the first two batters out, but then started having trouble finding the strike zone. After two walks and a stolen base, Bob Aspromonte, who would break up Al Jackson’s no-hitter in 1967, grounded out to end the inning.

Houston starter Jim Ray was in a similar situation as Jaster, making his first major league start after one impressive inning of relief. He didn’t fare as well as Jaster through. Bobby Tolan would lead off the game with a single. The Cardinals would score their first runs of the game on a very rare event, a two run homer off the bat of Curt Flood. Flood would also homer off reliever Dave Guisti later in the game, only the second multi-homer game of his career.

Those were the only runs the Cardinals would need as Jaster settled into a comfortable groove. In the first eight innings, he would only surrender two hits, a two out single to Sonny Jackson in the second inning and lead-off double by Chuck Harrison in the fourth. His control improved as well, giving up just one more walk in the game, to Jimmy Wynn. If there was an Astros hitter to be careful with, it was the “Toy Cannon”.

The young lefty would take a shutout into the top of the ninth inning. The man he had been so careful with all night long finally got the hit that he’d been looking for: a clean lead-off double by Jimmy Wynn. A tiring Larry Jaster would get Chuck Harrison to fly out, but the pesky Bob Aspromonte would get the fourth and final Houston hit as he singles home Jimmy Wynn. Disappointed, Jaster toughened and ended the game on a high note, a Dal Maxvill (in for the injured Julian Javier) to Jerry Buchek to George Kernek double play. What a first start for the 21 year old, a four hit complete game and two outs away from a shutout.

There would be more like this, and before the end of the 1965 season, and perhaps even more impressive than the first one.

His next start would come against the Giants in San Francisco. The Giants were within a game of first place and battling the Dodgers for the National League pennant. This one was going to go down to the wire, but not tonight as Jaster would mesmerize the Bombers from the Bay. Jaster came out firing early and set the tone for the game. Unlike the Astros in the previous start, the Giants did hit him hard, but every time they did, Jaster bore down even more and retired the next batter, often by way of the strikeout. The lone Giants run would come on a Willie Mays solo home run in the eighth inning. Mays did that once or twice in his career, so the youngster shouldn’t have been disappointed when Mays took him deep.

On the offensive side of the game, Jaster was involved in two key plays, one of them being among the most exciting plays in baseball. In the top of the second inning, Jaster steps up to the plate with two outs and two runners on base: Mike Shannon on third and Julian Javier on first. Jaster is a combined 0-fer his career so far, so manager Red Schoendienst decides to steal a run. Literally. Javier breaks for second base and as the catcher makes the throw, Shannon breaks off third. The Giants are unable to get either runner. A double steal and a run – it doesn’t get much more exciting than that.

In the top of the sixth inning, Jaster delivers the knock-out blow – with his bat. Again he steps to the plate with runners on the corners and two outs. Again, Javier steals second, but this time Tim McCarver was the runner at third and he stays put. Then the young lefty gets his first major league hit, a 2 RBI single scoring both McCarver and Javier. The Cardinals lead was now 6-0 and Jaster was cruising.

Any questions about Jaster getting lucky against a weak Houston team were silenced when he records his second complete game victory against a contender.

Jaster would get one more start in 1965, against the team he beat in his first start, the Houston Astros. This time Houston would get off to an early lead, but Jaster would settle down and the Cardinals bats, largely silent all season, came alive to give him his third complete game victory in as many starts. In three complete games and one inning of relief, the young lefty would give up just 5 runs for an ERA of 1.61.

Rookie Sensation

With Bob Gibson, Ray Washburn, Curt Simmons and Ray Sedecki set in the rotation, Jaster earned the fifth spot out of spring training, but he would not stay there when the rosters got trimmed down in May. But not before Jaster would pitch one of the best games of his young career, shutting out Claude Osteen and the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 25. In that game, Jaster would strike out 7.

Jaster’s next break would come in late June when the Cardinals sent Curt Simmons to the Cubs for cash. The rookie would take the veteran’s spot in the bullpen, until July 3 when he would get a start against the same Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers that he faced in his debut. To say that Jaster eclipsed his one previous inning against Drysdale is an understatement. He would throw a complete game, 3 hit shutout and beat the Dodgers 2-0. Interestingly, the 2 runs Drysdale gave up is exactly the same as in Jaster’s debut. The difference is that this time, Jaster pitched the entire game.

The young lefty’s inconsistency would continue, sometimes he would would dominate in long relief and other times he might get a quick hook from the Cardinals manager.

The turning point in Jaster’s rookie season would come in the next series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and again it would be against Don Drysdale in St. Louis on July 29. Drysdale was a bit less effective, giving the Cardinals 4 runs on the night. Jaster, however, was lights out with another complete game shutout, striking out 8 and surrendering just 5 hits.

Jaster would stay in the rotation for the rest of the season and pitch quite effectively. Including the July 29 victory against Drysdale and the Dodgers, he would go 6-3 down the stretch with 55 strikeouts to just 28 walks. His ERA for the period would drop to 2.71 – that’s in Bob Gibson territory. Overall he would finish his rookie season with a record of 11-5 with an ERA of 3.26. He would also throw for 151 2/3 innings, which isn’t bad considering he spent 7 weeks in the minors.

But there’s just a bit more to his rookie season.

Jaster would face the Dodgers two more times in 1966. The next would be in Los Angeles on August 19. This time he would face left hander Claude Osteen whom he had beaten 2-0 back in April. The results would be nearly the same this time. Osteen would spot the Cardinals 4 runs while Jaster threw another complete game, 5 hit shutout. This time he would strike out 7.

The last time the young lefty would face the Dodgers would be on September 28, in St. Louis. This time it would be future Hall of Famer Don Sutton that would fall victim to the Legend of Larry Jaster. Sutton would pitch brilliantly, but Jaster was just a bit better throwing another complete game shutout.

Let’s put all of this together. Larry Jaster would face the Los Angeles Dodgers 5 times, and shut them out each time. These five shutouts would also give him the league lead for the 1966 season. But these shutouts weren’t thrown against a team in the bottom of the division – the Dodgers were the reigning World Champions and would go on to win the 1966 National League Pennant. Jaster’s five consecutive shutout victories against one team in a single season is still a major league record.

Simply amazing. Here is the breakdown of Larry Jaster versus the Dodgers.

Date	IP	Hits	Runs	Earned Runs	Walks	Strikeouts	HR
April 25	9	7	0	0	0	7	0
July 3	9	3	0	0	1	5	0
July 29	9	5	0	0	2	8	0
August 19	9	5	0	0	3	7	0
September 28	9	4	0	0	2	4	0

The remainder of the staff would go 3-10 against the Dodgers with 2 of those victories by Al Jackson, who was nearly as stingy as Jaster. Bob Gibson and Ray Washburn would combine for an 0-6 record with an ERA over 5.00.

An amazing rookie season. But there’s more.

Nearly Perfect

Jaster would put up nearly identical numbers in his sophomore season in 1967. His pitching was actually a little bit better, but he was not getting the benefit of much run support, so his 9-7 record is a little bit misleading. Not only did he do well as a starter, but also in relief late in the season as Red started getting his post-season rotation in order.

1968 would be something of a different season for Jaster, but not all of his doing. When the Cardinals broke camp in 1968, they had a surplus of exceptional arms, although one of the best, Dick Hughes, was injured late in spring training and would be used sparingly this season. With a healthy Ray Washburn joining Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Nelson Briles and Mike Torrez, Jaster became a forgotten man on the roster. He started the season in the bullpen as a long reliver, often in a mop-up role.

Jaster’s next break would come in late May, during a particularly brutal part of the schedule where the Cardinals did not have many off-days. Instead of taxing his rotation at this point in the season, Schoendienst gave Jaster a spot start against his favorite team on the planet, the Los Angeles Dodgers. And he did not disappoint. In 9 innings of work, Jaster allowed just two hits, a single to light hitting Paul Popovich in the fifth inning and a two out single by Wes Parker in the ninth. An unearned run ruined the shutout, but magic that Jaster had shown in 1966 and much of 1967 was back. Not only did he get a much needed win, but he saved a bullpen that had been used up in the previous start by Steve Carlton.

But that did not prepare us for what came next.

After a heartbreaking loss to former Cardinal great Larry Jackson and the Philadelphia Phillies, Jaster would face Tom Seaver and the Mets in New York on May 31. A huge crowd of over 41,000 fans piled into Shea Stadium hoping for a Bob Gibson/Tom Seaver pitching duel. Instead they nearly witnessed a piece of baseball history, and nobody left the ballpark disappointed.

The reigning NL Rookie of the Year (shared with the injured Dick Hughes) was brilliant. Seaver gave up just two runs in the third inning as Lou Brock, Curt Flood and Mike Shannon did all the damage. But the story of the night was Jaster. He would retire the first 23 batters he faced, taking a perfect game into the bottom of the 8th inning. With two out, light hitting Greg Goosen hit a clean single, ending the perfect game and no hitter. Jaster couldn’t relax because he only had a 2 run lead, and Seaver was getting stronger as the game went on. He coaxed a fly ball from Phil Linz to end the inning, preserving the shutout. Jaster would retire the first two batters in the ninth inning before the even lighter hitting Don Bosch got the Mets second hit of the game. Jaster got the dangerous Cleon Jones to hit into an fielders choice to end the game – one of the greatest pitching performances in my lifetime.

This was a special game. This was something we hadn’t seen out of Jaster since early in his career. He just went after every single Mets hitter, matching Seaver pitch for pitch. His control was so good on the night that he didn’t even get to a 3 ball count on any of the 29 batters he would face.

This game couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cardinals. With Dick Hughes still nursing a sore shoulder, Jaster would take his spot in the rotation and help carry the Cardinals to their second consecutive pennant. Jaster would pitch effectively, running his record to 7-4 with another dominating performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers. At this point in time, the Dodgers were wishing we would trade Jaster to the American League where they would never have to see him again.

That’s when the trouble started. He would have two rough outings to end July, although a rare offensive explosion by the Cardinals bats would make him a winner of one of those games. The wheels came off in August when he would lose all 5 of his starts, although pitched well enough to win one or two of them. Other than two more starts against the Dodgers, which he would lose both, Jaster spent the remainder of 1968 in the bullpen. Ironically, Jaster’s last win for the Cardinals would come in relief of Dick Hughes, whose injury gave Jaster the opportunity to start against the Mets in his near-perfect game.

Heading North

The Cardinals had a difficult decision to make entering the 1969 season. With four new teams entering the league, they left Jaster unprotected, hoping that the decline at the end of the 1968 season would scare off the expansion teams. Unfortunately, that backfired when Montreal selected Jaster as the 47th pick in the draft.

1969 would not be kind for the former Cardinals pitcher. While he didn’t pitch poorly, the expansion Montreal ball club was hardly the reigning NL Champion and they played poorly behind him, dooming the former star to a dismal 1-6 record, but not before he would enter the baseball record book two more times. On April 14, facing his former team, Larry Jaster threw the first major league pitch in Canada. He would also give up the first hit, a scorching double down the left field line by Curt Flood.

Jaster would spend the next season in Atlanta, in relief. He would never regain his dominance, and after five seasons of bouncing between Atlanta and their AAA affiliate in Richmond, Jaster would retire in 1974.

Life after Baseball

That would not be the end of his baseball career though. After taking a few years off, Jaster would return to baseball as a pitching coach in the Atlanta minor league system, from 1986 to 1993 and then return in the Baltimore Orioles system from 1997 to 2007.

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.

Since about halfway through the 2010 season the main focus of Royals fans shifted away from Kansas City and down to the farm. It is time to recognize a youngster who has already proven his abilities on the MLB level, Billy Butler. For the second consecutive season Butler, 24, took home the Royals’ Les Milgram Position Player of the Year Award. Butler joins Hall of Famer George Brett as the only person to win the Les Milgram Award in back-to-back seasons.

Butler has been a standard of consistency since breaking into the MLB, on a team which has been anything but. In 2010, Butler led all Royals in every offense category except home runs. He had a career high 189 hits, causing a career high batting average, .318, which has steadily risen since his 2007 rookie campaign.

The greatest sign of Butler’s consistency is his well documented streak of hitting safely in 103 straight series. Butler was the Royals’ most productive player on the roster, compiling a WAR of 4.5. His 2010 WAR is the highest for a Royals’ position player since Carlos Beltran’s 7.4 WAR in 2003. Despite having fairly similar stat lines in all four of his seasons, his WAR has continued to increase significantly.

2007/ 0.2 WAR

2008/ -0.9 WAR

2009/ 1.5 WAR

“The toughest thing in baseball is the consistent aspect,” Butler said in an interview with Dick Kaegel of MLB.com. “You struggle out there to put the barrel of the bat on the ball every day and, with what the pitcher is trying to do, you try to stay ahead of him and make adjustments. You can’t control where the ball goes, but if you put the barrel on it, it’s going to find some holes.”

Many would consider 2009 his best offensive season. Considering he hit six more doubles, six more home runs, and 15 more RBIs, it’s hard to understand how Butler was worth more wins this season. One of the biggest factors is his continuing progress as a first baseman.

According to Baseball Reference, using the rTot stat (total fielding runs above or below average based on the amount of plays made) Butler improved his defense at first base from -13 in 2009 to 2 last season. The 15 RBIs he lost on the offensive side, he made up by playing essential 15 runs better at first base.

The rise in WAR is in direct correlation with Butler’s defensive prowess. Check out his single season rTot/yr, which is the same statistic projecting a player’s defensive opportunities over a 1,200 inning span.

2007/ -75

2008/ -22

2009/ -13

2010/ 2

“I’ve got nothing against Kila Ka’aihue, I’ve played with him for a lot of years and I’ve gotten along with him. He’s proved a lot in the Minor Leagues and he deserves a shot,” Butler said. “But I feel I’ve only improved my chances and gotten better every single day at first base and will continue to get better. This was only my second full season at first base; I didn’t do it that much in the Minors because I played third and the outfield. I’m only 24 and I’ve got better years ahead of me, even defensively. I want to play first base every day, that’s the bottom line.”

Despite the improvements in nearly every facet of Butler’s game the two biggest knocks on him are the amount of double plays he hits into and his lack of power.

In 2010, Butler rolled into the pitcher’s best friend 32 times. Statistically, Butler cost the Royals almost six runs over the season solely because of his double plays, more than any other player in the league.

Butler’s high contact rate, along with a line-drive/ground ball swing, and his agonizingly slow feet make him the perfect candidate. Matt Klaassen, of Fangraphs, discusses Butler’s double play problems here, and suggests if the problem continues the best spot for Butler may be in the leadoff spot.

Many other fans were disappointed to see Butler only go deep 15 times last year. Considering his position and frame many feel his high contact rate isn’t enough, to become a superstar he must find some power.

Consider this; the only Royals since 2004 to eclipse Butler’s 21 dingers (2009), at the age of 23, were Miguel Olivo (23) and Mike Sweeney (22). Butler’s also knocked 96 doubles over the last two seasons, more than any other Royal in history during a two year span. Butler is continuing to learn how to drive the ball to all fields, take a quick look at his spray chart of homers since 2008, courtesy of Hit Tracker.

2008

2009

2010

Butler may not hit 30 home runs a year, but it doesn’t take a top flight scout to recognize how his ability to drive the ball to all over the park has progressed.

When Butler hit his career high home run total, 21; he also struck out a career high 103 times. In 2010, Butler struck out only 78 times while taking 11 more walks, good enough for a 12 point boost in his OBP.

It’s worthwhile to note the best offensive player in Royals’ history, George Brett, also played an infield corner and hit over 25 homers only twice in his career, at ages 30 and 32. The start both had as prospects are actually very similar, with Brett hitting for a higher average and Butler showing more power.

1974-77

George Brett (21-24) – .311/.357/.458, 122 2B, 45 3B, 42 HR, 291 RBI, 171 BB, 147 SO, 2,300 AB

2007-10

Billy Butler (21-24) – .299/.359/.457, 141 2B, 3 3B, 55 HR, 278 RBI, 187 BB, 293 SO, 1,975 AB

The biggest difference between these two performances, Brett was a two-time All-Star and finished in the top 15 of MVP voting three times. A lot of those accolades can be attributed to Brett playing a more vital position, while also playing on a competitive squad.

It will be interesting to see how Butler’s numbers progress as he grows into his prime. Some speculate he will ‘grow’ into his power. But, it if means him hacking for the fences, raising his fly ball and strikeout totals like in ’09, I’d rather him stick to his natural line drive stroke.

As more of the hitting prospects find their way to the big leagues, Butler’s numbers should get a boost from having more capable hitters to protect him in the lineup. Any team with Yuniesky Betancourt as their second most productive offensive player is in trouble. The 2011 season will offer Butler a platoon between first base and DH with the presence of Ka’aihue.

Eric Hosmer’s debut will most likely cause a more permanent shift to DH for Butler. A move like this could make a significant change in his offensive production as well. Having to solely focus on the stick for a professional hitter like Butler could prove beneficial.

One of the best examples of this reminds me of another right handed hitter, with slow feet who was criticized for his lack of power and defense, Mariner legend Edgar Martinez.

Martinez, a third baseman, was celebrated for his amazing contact skills and is now widely considered as one of the best DHs of all-time. Martinez and Butler took very different paths to the big leagues, considering Martinez didn’t play his first full season until he was 27, but they still offer many comparisons. Check out Martinez’s first three full big league seasons compared to Butler’s last three seasons.

1990-92

Martinez (27-29) – .318/.402/.477, 108 2B, 6 3B, 43 HR, 174 RBI, 212 BB, 195 SO, 1,559 AB

2008-10

Butler (22-24) – .300/.362/.459, 118 2B, 1 3B, 47 HR, 226 RBI, 160 BB, 238 SO, 1,646 AB

I don’t think Butler will ever hit for as high of an average Martinez did mainly because of the differences between their strikeout and walk rates. Besides those factors, Butler’s numbers are almost a dead ringer for Martinez’s.

Martinez didn’t hit more than 18 home runs in a season until he was 32, his eighth season in the MLB. After his power break through, Martinez posted six seasons of 23+ HR and 100+ RBI. The biggest changes in Martinez’s game can be attributed to becoming primarily a DH, and a boost of batting talent around him.

Bill James has already produced his 2011 projections, putting Billy Butler with numbers like these:

2010 – .318/.388/.469, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 77 R

2011 – .307/.377/.476, 18 HR, 89 RBI, 78 R

James’ projections are fairly credible, although creating a projected stat line for a consistent hitter like Butler shouldn’t be rocket science. Just look at his four season stat lines and they are nearly identical.

Whether or not Butler reaches the level of Brett or Martinez, he is the lone standout hitter on a team searching for a turnaround. Butler’s presence in the middle of the lineup is one of the biggest reasons the Royals finished second in the MLB in batting average. It’s hard to believe a team with the second highest batting average can only manage 67 wins.

Butler’s performance and steady improvement offer a perfect example for the next crop of prospects coming through Kansas City. Butler is up for arbitration this winter and is in store for a well deserved raise from the league minimum.

GM Dayton Moore needs to recognize if the Royals are going to make an extended run at the playoffs, Butler needs to be at the center. He has proved his worth and his dedication to a team normally playing for nothing. More important than anything else, unlike Zack Greinke, Butler has been open about wanting to be a major part in the future of the organization.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else.”