August 5, 1974: Simba and Torre Provide a Late Punch

     On August 5, 1974, a ninth inning two run shot by Ted Simmons tied it, and a bases loaded single by Joe Torre in the 13th led the Redbirds to a 3-2 victory over the Phillies at Busch.

     The game was a duel, as Bob Gibson went head-to-head with Wayne Twitchell. Gibson allowed a run in the first, was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth, then watched another Philadelphia score with Al Hrabosky on the bump. Meanwhile, Twitchell was carving up batters until he allowed a single to Bake McBride in the ninth, then served up a big fly to Ted Simmons. It was a new ballgame, and even though the Philadelphia starter had let the lead slip away he pitched through the eleventh, piling up 11 strikeouts.

      Pete Richert took over in the twelfth, worked through the frame unscathed, then ran into trouble in the thirteenth when he began the frame by allowing a double to Ted Sizemore. He then put Bake McBride on with an intentional walk, which was followed by a pickoff attempt by the Philadlphia backstop Bob Boone who threw the ball into center, which put Sizemore and McBride on second and third. It was the end of the day for Richert, as he handed the ball off to Mike Garman, who wanted none of Ted Simmons, so he walked him intentionally to get to Torre, who ripped the ball into left to push in the game winner. It was a pick your poison kind of deal with that one-two punch and either way it went, Garman was going to get poisoned.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197408050.shtml

     The victory put the Cardinals two games ahead in the N.L. East. They would contend into the final week of the season, but fell just short. While that may have been the case, that club played their hearts out and sent the fans home happy many times throughout that season. That season may have had a much different ending if not for a lunatic that threatened the lives of Lou Brock and Bake McBride. It seems that it took a toll late, and they stumbled across the line. We'll never know of that happening is the reason why they did not make it to the postseason, but I do know that it had to have a pretty harsh psychological effect on the men in that clubhouse. Especially those who were threatened. You can read about it here: www.onthisdayincardinalnation.com/2014/09/september-20-1974-lives-of-brock-and.html

August 4, 1937: One More Hit For The Fordham Flash

     On August 4, 1937, in a pinch hit appearance player/manager Frankie Frisch capped off a 16-hit attack with a game winning single in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Boston Bees 7-6. A pair of four hit days by Johnny Mize and Ducky Medwick put the skipper in position to win it, as Mize belted a home run, while Medwick rapped out four doubles in the tilt. The Birds were down 6-2 when the ninth rolled around, before the game winning rally began, that ended with Frisch coming to the dish with two outs, the bases loaded and the club trailing 6-5. Catcher Mickey Owen was the man due up to hit, but was called back by the Frisch who singled into right and pushed the tying and winning run into score. This was the 2,880th and final hit of Frisch's 19 year career on the big league diamond. He appeared in a game the next day, but failed to come through in one plate appearance. The man who guided the Gashouse Gang would managed the club the rest of that season, then most of the next before being replaced, and when that day came an era closed in the rich history of Cardinals baseball.

     Frisch's career in the game was far from over. In fact, he went onto manage the Pirates for seven seasons, and the Cubs for three. Forever a Cardinal, Frisch was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1947. You can read about the life and times of the man they called "The Fordham Flash" here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/0bbf3136

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193708040.shtml

August 3, 1991: Zeile Burns The Jolly Roger

     On August 3, 1991, Todd Zeile burned the Jolly Roger at Busch with a walk off shot to beat the Pirates  6-5 in the tenth inning.

     The Bucs came into this one hoping to stop a seven game skid, but that would not happen on this day. Although, the effort was there to do so. They jumped on the Redbirds starter Bryn Smith early and often, scoring five runs on him through six. While Smith was getting knocked around the Pirates starter Doug Drabek was getting much of the same treatment. He surrendered 10 hits, gave up four runs, with two of the four being attributed to a pair of errors.

    Like Smith, Drabek worked six innings before handing it off to the pen. However, Drabek's pen failed him, as Bob Kipper allowed a lead off home run in the eighth to Milt Thompson to knot things up at five apiece. Thompson had been thrown out at the dish earlier in the contest, so you know that when he got a hold of that one he had to feel great. He set the table for the walk off heroics by Zeile who was the first and last batter to hit in the tenth.

     The pitcher that put it in the platter was Bob Patterson, and with one swing of the stick Zeile became a hero, as he stood at the plate and watched it fly over the wall in right. His team mobbed him after he rounded the bases, and the crowd of more than 40,000 stood, cheered, and it likely they high fived a new friend that just happened to be sitting next to them on that fine day in Cardinal Nation.

Zeile led the team in home runs with 11 in 1991. It was the lowest team leading total since 1920, when Austin McHenry led the club with 10.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199108030.shtml

August 2, 1970: Gibby Strikes Out 10, Then Wins It With His Bat

     On August 2, 1970, Bob Gibson struck out 10 and drove in the winning run in the ninth to beat Astros 3-2 in front of more than 23,000 fans at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

      Everything was workin' for Gibby who allowed a leadoff single in the first, then held the Astros hitless until the eighth, when catcher Johnny Edwards got a hold of one and sent it sailing over the wall to cut the Cardinals lead to 2-1. The Birds had scored the two runs in the fourth on back-to-back singles by Jose Cardenal and Mike Shannon in the fourth, which proved to be very important, as their starter Jack Billingham was able to work around the other trouble he faced.

     A former Cardinal, who was the then skipper for the Astros, Harry The Hat Walker called on Fred Gladding to take over pitching duties in the ninth. Gladding looked like he might get through the frame with no damage done, until he surrendered a one out single to Shannon, then put Dal Maxvill on first with a walk. All he had to do was get Gibson out, but that would not come on this fine day, as the man who wore the 45 laced one into right field to push Shannon across the dish to score the go ahead run.

      Gibson gave himself much needed insurance, as he got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth by allowing back-to-back singles, before picking up a pair of outs with a double play ball. He then walked a man, threw a wild pitch, before picking up the last out of the ballgame. It was quite the finish for the man who had won his 14th game of the season, and was on the way to a career high in wins with 23.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197008020.shtml

August 1, 1957: Two Big Blasts For The Man Lifts The Birds To Victory

     On August 1, 1957, a four hit day that included two home runs by Stan Musial, and complete game effort by Sad Sam Jones led the Cardinals to an 8-0 victory over the New York Giants at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Jones allowed just six hits in the contest, while the number six started the scoring off with a two run blast in the first, then connected with another two run shot in the sixth. he sprinkled in a couple singles between the home run heroics, as he helped the Cardinals win their sixth game in a row. Musial hit the showers after the sixth, with Jones in cruise control.

     Musial also surpassed Ty Cobb on the all-time extra base hits list in this game, by recording his 1,140th, which made him third on the list. Only Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth sat ahead of him on that list, with Ruth's 1,356 leading the way. Musial would end his career leading the category with 1,377 extra-base hits, which stands today as third on the all-time list. Hank Aaron holds the title with exactly 100 more extra base hits than Stan The Man.

     The 1957 Cardinals were the only club in the 50's that held the league lead after August 1st. Unfortunately, they fell off the pace down the stretch, and finished with 87 wins, which was good for second in the National League, eight games behind the Milwaukee Braves. With that said, there were many great games to celebrate during that campaign, which included the one that was played on that first day of August.

Check out box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195708010.shtml

I would like to note that according to baseball reference.com Cobb finished his career with 1,136 extra base hits, therefore, it is likely that Musial surpassed him before this contest was played. With that said, it is also likely that some numbers have been changed by official statisticians since. I am going off of what people read in the newspapers the following day, which is what I try to bring you daily. In baseball numbers are sacred, so there are many who have went to great lengths to make sure that they are correct. I tip my cap to them for that, but it also makes me want to yank my hair out when things don't line up. Luckily, I don't have much hair.

July 31, 1928: Sand's Boneheaded Play Helps Lifts The Birds To Victory

     On July 31, 1928, the Cardinals picked up 20 hits en route to an 18-5 beatdown of the Philadelphia Phillies at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. The two clubs were knotted up at two after three innings of play, before the Birds blew the door open with a five run frame in the fifth. That five run fifth featured a boneheaded play by Philadelphia's shortstop Heinie Sand, who thought he had picked up the third out, but as it turned out it was the second out. Sand and his teammates began trotting off the field, while Chick Hafey who was standing at first flew around the bases before they realized the err of their ways. It was like a string was pulled, and from there the Phillies began to unravel like an old sweater. The Cardinals scored a total of sixteen runs over the next four innings, as they pounded the home team into submission. Taylor Douthit led the way for the Cardinals in the 20-hit attack with five hits in six trips, and he was joined by four players who had three hits apiece, which included the pitcher Pete Alexander who went the distance. The 18 runs was the most runs the Cardinals would score in a game that season, and it was a game that ole Heinie Sand would surely never forget.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI192807310.shtml

July 30, 1959: Bob Gibson Makes His First Start

     On July 30, 1959, Bob Gibson made his ever first major league start at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The 23-year-old beat the Reds 1-0 with an eight-hit complete game effort. Ken Boyer scored the lone run of the contest after picking up a double in the second inning, before being knocked in by Joe Cunningham. From there it was all Bob Gibson. The youngster was dominant, however, he did run into bases loaded jam in the ninth, after allowing a lead off single, then two consecutive two out walks, before he got Johnny Temple to fly out to Curt Flood in center. It was win number 1 of 251, and little did anybody know that it was just a glimpse of things to come for the hurler who was destined to be among the immortals in Cooperstown, New York. The kid was going to be a legend.

If you would like to read about Bob Gibson's life and Hall of Fame career you can check out his SABR bio here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/34500d95

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN195907300.shtml

On a side note: one of my favorite Gibby stats is he had 255 complete games. Four more complete games than he had wins. You had to pry the ball from his hands. When he took the mound the men in the pen knew they would be getting rest that day, and it was likely they would witness a gem.