October 30, 1929: Gabby Street Gets The Job

On October 30, 1929, Gabby Street was named manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. The former Washington Senators catcher had joined the Cardinals coaching staff that season and after several changes at the helm, Street was named the skipper. The '29 season was a rough one for the Birds who had been swept out of the '28 World Series which led team owner Sam Breadon to firing Bill McKechnie despite the fact he had guided the club to a pennant. The choice that Breadon made was not necessarily a great one as it put the club in disarray, Billy Southworth took over at the beginning of  the '29 season but he couldn't keep the owner happy and by July, Breadon decided to bring McKechnie back. It didn't last. Before the season came to an end McKechnie was out and Street took over as an interim manager for the last few games of the campaign. After the season ended and Street got the job full time he began to help get the Cardinals back on track. He guided them to the National League Pennant in 1930 and  a World Series title in 1931. His run as Cardinals skipper came to an end midway through the '33 season after the team fell 10 games under .500 much to the owner's dismay. While Street's run as manager was a short one, he had helped the team refocus and accomplished a lot in that short span. Street's given name was Charles, but his gift of gab earned him a nickname that stuck with him for a lifetime. Before he became a coach he was the man who caught the great Walter Johnson in Washington. After his stint with the Birds he managed for a few seasons in the American Association then was hired on to manage the St.Louis Browns in 1938. The Browns just didn't have the talent for any manager to turn them into a contender and after one year Street returned to the Cardinals as a broadcaster. He would sit in the broadcast booth along side Harry Caray where the fans would listen to his stories of yesteryear while they were calling ballgames.

October 28, 2011: What a Ride!!! What a Year!!!

On October 28, 2011, with a 6-2 win in Game 7 of the World Series, the Cardinals won the 11th title in franchise history. Just one day earlier they survived Game 6 due to David Freese's late inning heroics. Twice in that fateful Game 6 the Texas Rangers were one strike away from a World Series Title, and lightning struck twice in the form of David Freese. First he tied it in the ninth with a triple, then he hit a walkoff shot that gave the Birds a 10-9 victory in the eleventh. The Game 6 victory was something you would only expect to see in a movie that probably had me on the edge of a heart attack multiple times. After the jubilation of victory passed the fact was they needed one more win to call themselves World Champions. With it all on the line Chris Carpenter made his third start of the series on three days rest and after rough first inning he settled down and turned in a performance that would help bring the club another ring. Carp gave up the only two Texas runs of the game in that first when Josh Hamilton and Michael Young connected on back-to-back RBI doubles. Things didn't go any better for the Rangers starter Matt Harrison, David Freese's hot bat tied the ballgame with a two RBI double in the bottom of the first. From there Carpenter found his groove while Harrison served up a solo shot to Allen Craig that gave the Cards a 3-2 lead and there was no looking back. The Rangers bullpen added to the Cardinals score with a bases loaded walk in the fifth, then a it batsmen one batter later to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead. Yadi capped the scoring off with an RBI single in the seventh as the Cardinals bullpen held the Rangers in check before Jason Motte took over in the ninth. Motte made quick work of the Rangers, he got Nelson Cruz to flyout, retired Mike Napoli on a grounder, and finished it off with a David Murphy fly ball that landed in the glove of Allen Craig. As Yadi rejoiced to The God of Baseball Heaven, the Cardinals were World Champions.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201110280.shtml

October 27, 2006: The Cardinals Win Their 10th Championship

On October 27, 2006, St. Louis celebrated the first World Championship since 1982 with a 4-2 Cardinals victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the Fall Classic. The Tigers sent Justin Verlander to the hill while the Birds countered with Jeff Weaver and once again the Tigers rookie pitcher struggled  against the Cardinals. He was wild from the start, he threw two wild pitches in the first and barely escaped a bases loaded jam in the first. A familiar hero by the name of David Eckstein delivered in the second with a two out RBI single that put the Birds up 1-0. On the other side of the diamond, Weaver was looking strong. He had four strikeouts through three innings before a defensive miscue and a pitch to Sean Casey gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantaged in the fourth.  Weaver started that fourth inning with a quick out before Chris Duncan dropped a fly ball off the bat of Magglio Ordonez, the next pitch from Weaver was launched into the right field seats by Casey. The 2-1 lead for the Tigers was short lived, in the bottom of that fourth inning the Cardinals answered right back. Yadier Molina and So Taguchi picked up back to back one out singles before Weaver came to the plate hoping to move them over with a bunt. Weaver laid it down and Verlander fielded it, instead of going to first base for the sure out Verlander tried to get the lead runner and threw the ball away which led to Molina scoring the tying run, one batter later David Eckstein knocked Taguchi in with a groundout and the Birds were up 3-2. Verlander was able to settle down and give his club 7 innings but the damage had been done. The Birds added a little insurance in the eighth, Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney Eckstein gave up a single to Eckstein to lead off the inning, then walked Preston Wilson before getting the next two men out. Scott Rolen made Rodney pay for his mistakes with a single into right that brought Ecsktein into score the fourth Cardinals run. Weaver pitched a 1-2-3 eighth before handing the ball over to Adam Wainwright to close it out. Waino made it a little interesting, the first batter worked the count full before grounding out. The next man up, Sean Casey also worked the count full but he delivered with a double that brought the tying run to the dish. After getting Ivan Rodriguez to groundout Wainwright walked Placido Polanco. With men at first and third and two out Brandon Inge came to the plate with Detroit's season on the line, Waino did't toy around with him, Inge fell behind 0-2 then fired in the third strike that Inge swung but missed on. The Cardinals were World Champions for the first time in 24 years. It was an unlikely run by a team that just wouldn't give up. They had lost 10 of their last 14 regular season games and literally backed into the playoffs. Once the playoffs start the regular season numbers just don't matter, everyone that is in starts with 0 wins and 0 losses. Tony LaRussa's team had belief in themselves that they could compete with anyone and it was something they did on the way to the championship. They never gave up.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200610270.shtml

October 26, 2006: The Cards Move One Step Closer To a Title

October 26, 2006,  in front of more than 46,000 fans at Busch, the Cardinals moved one step closer to a World Championship with a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 4 of the Fall Classic. The game didn't look like it was going the Cardinals way early on, Sean Casey took Jeff Suppan deep in the 2nd that gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Casey came up big again in the third with a two out RBI single then Ivan Rodriguez followed it up with an RBI of his own. With the score now 3-0, the Cardinals needed to get to work if they wanted to stop the Tigers from evening the series at two games apiece. To work they went. In the bottom of the third, David Eckstein delivered with a two out RBI double off of Jeremy Bonderman that scored Aaron Miles to put the Birds were on the board. They continued to peck away at the lead in fourth, the Tigers lead shrank to 3-2 when Yadi connected with a 2 out double that brought Scott Rolen into score. The score stayed the same until the seventh, Eckstein began the inning with a double, then pinch hitter So Taguchi went to the dish with a sacrifice bunt in mind, he laid it down perfectly, while Eckstein was on his way to third, Fernando Rodney was airmailing it over Placido Polanco's head at first. What should have been a simple sacrifice, turned into an E1, and a tied ballgame as Eckstein capitalized on the error. Three batters later Preston Wilson put the Birds in front with a two out RBI single and just like that the score was 4-3 Cards. The lead didn't last long, Braden Looper got into a bit of trouble in the top of the eighth, he allowed a leadoff double to Ivan Rodriguez, then Polanco moved him over on a groundout. The Cardinals skipper, Tony LaRussa then went to his young rookie Adam Wainwright who had suddenly found himself closing out games with the hopes of a Championship on the line. Unfortunately for Waino he couldn't keep Rodriguez from scoring, Brandon Inge tagged the Cardinals hurler for a double that tied the game which just set the table for someone that had been tearing it up all night long. Jim Leyland sent Joel Zumaya out to pitch the bottom of the eighth, he led the inning off with a walk to Yadi, the Cardinals backstop was eliminated from the basepaths on a fielder's choice off the bat of Aaron Miles. Zumaya got his second out of the frame with a strikeout of Juan Encarnacion but not before a wild pitch put Miles at second base. Then came David Eckstein, he had done damage all night long and he wasn't done just yet, the scraptastic shortstop came up with his fourth hit and third double of the game that brought Miles into score what proved to be the game winner. Waino put the exclamation point on it with a 1-2-3 frame and the Birds were one win away from the first title the team had seen since 1982.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200610260.shtml

October 24, 2006: Carpenter Dominates Game 3 of The Fall Classic

On October 24, 2006, the first ever World Series game was played at the new Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis the Cardinals blanked the Tigers 5-0. The Cardinals had split the first two games in Detroit and were looking to take a 2-1 lead in the series with Chris Carpenter making his first ever World Series start in Game 3. It was something they would accomplish, the Cardinals hurler was flatout dealing while the offense capitalized on a double by Jim Edmonds in the fourth that scored two runs. Then a throwing error by pitcher Joel Zumaya in the seventh led to two more runs before a wild pitch by Zach Miner led to the fifth Cardinal run of the ballgame. The story of the day was Carpenter, he allowed just three hits over 8 innings of work. There was a minor scare in the seventh, after Placido Polanco lined out to Albert Pujols, Carp came off the mound looking like he might have hurt his hand. The entire training staff gathered around him while Josh Kinney began to warmup at a rapid rate. Minutes later Carp was right back to work, he set down batter after batter as the Cardinals were on their way to a very important victory. He got a standing ovation when he came out to bat in the eighth as the fans knew they had witnessed one of the best at his best. It was a long eighth inning for the Redbirds which led to Braden Looper finishing off the ninth with three quick outs. It was a masterful performance by Carpenter, he not only held the dangerous Tigers lineup to three hits, he also struck out 6, and walked no one, while helping move the Cardinals one step closer to a championship.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200610240.shtml

October 23, 1995: The LaRussa Era Begins In St. Louis

On October 23, 1995, it was announced that Tony LaRussa would become the 48th manager in the history of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. The former skipper of the Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's came to St. Louis with high expectations as he took the number 10 to signify his desire to bring the Cardinals their 10th Championship title in franchise history. He also expressed his hope to see the club surpass the 3 million in attendance number by fielding a good product that the fans in St. Louis would be proud of. The team drew 3 million+ during 13 of 16 years with  LaRussa at the helm. He was the guiding force to 8 Division Titles, 3 National League Pennants, and 2 World Series Championships. Over 16 years the skipper became the winningest manager in franchise history with 1,408 victories while wearing the birds on the bat across his chest. After the 2011 Championship, LaRussa went out on top. He had reached expectations then exceeded them after his long tenure with the Birds. He will forever be remembered for being the captain of the ship that could boast the most win during the 2000s with 913 in the decade, and the most postseason wins of any ball club in the major leagues from 1996 to 2011 with 33. He not only retired as the winningest manager of the Cardinals, his 2,728 managerial wins is good for third on the all time list, only John McGraw's 2,763 and Connie Mack's 3,731 stand before him. Following his retirement the Cardinals retired his #10 as he is among the greatest to ever wear a St. Louis Cardinals uniform.

Check out the all time list of Cardinals managers: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/history/managers.jsp

October 22, 2011: Albert Joins The Babe and Mr. October

On October 22, 2011, in a 16-7 Cardinals win in Game 3 of the World Series, Albert Pujols became just the third player in the history of the game to hit three bombs in one World Series contest. The Cardinals slugger went 5 for 6 with six runs batted in and tied Paul Molitor for most hits in a World Series contest. He also set a record for total bases with 14, as well as becoming the first player in World Series history to pick up a hit in four consecutive innings. Albert's bat had been quiet up to that point in the series then it came alive with bombtastic results. The Cardinals jumped in front early after Allen Craig went yard in the first, they tacked on 4 more in the fifth and it was looking like it was going to be all Cardinals in this one. Then, Kyle Lohse served up a solo shot to Michael Young in the fourth, and two batters later Nelson Cruz connected with a two-run shot that shrank the Cardinals lead to 5-3. The Cardinals answered right back in the fifth, Pujols led the inning off with a single then Rangers reliever Scott Feldman issue back-to-back walks that would come back to haunt him. Following the walks David Freese came up with a productive groundout that brought Pujols into score the sixth Cardinal run before a clutch double by Yadier Molina opened the lead up to 8-3. That Rangers team refused to go down without a fight, they scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to get within two runs of tying the ballgame only to have Pujols crush their rally with a three run bomb in the sixth. Molina added another RBI to his total before the inning ended to give the Cardinals a commanding 12-6 lead. The battering of the baseball wasn't over just yet. Albert went yard once again in the top of the seventh, this time it was a two-run bomb that opened the lead up to 14-6. Mike Napoli knocked in the last Rangers run of the day in the bottom of that inning. While the Rangers were done scoring the Cardinals had a couple more in the tank. Yadi capped off his day at the plate by knocking in Daniel Descalso in the eighth, then Pujols joined a very short list of legendary men when he rocked his third solo shot over the wall in the ninth that gave the Birds the 16-7 lead. Only Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson had hit three home runs in a World Series contest and Babe Ruth did it twice against your very own St. Louis Cardinals. The first time Ruth did it was during the 1926 Series, then the second time was during the 1928 series. Jackson joined Ruth in 1977, it would take 36 years for Pujols to join the club. Just one year later Pablo Sandoval added himself to that list with a 3 home run performance in Game 1 of the 2012 Fall Classic.

Watch the historic performance here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=19939895

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2011_WS.shtml

October 21, 2006: Reyes Shines In Game 1 Of The Fall Classic

On October 21, 2006, the Cardinals took Game 1 of the World Series with a 7-2 victory over the Tigers in Detroit. The game was a matchup of rookie pitchers that had Anthony Reyes on the bump for the Birds and Justin Verlander going for the Tigers. When you look at those names on paper you might think Verlander would dominate this ballgame but that wasn't the case as Reyes gave the Cardinals 8 strong innings, giving up just 4 hits, striking out out 4, while allowing the 2 runs. On the flip side Verlander gave up all 7 of the Cardinals runs in 5 innings of work. The night didn't start well for Reyes, he gave up a run in the first on an RBI by Carlos Guillen before settling down and turning in the stellar performance. The 1 run lead didn't last long for the Tigers, Verlander dropped one in Scott Rolen's wheelhouse in the top of the second and the Cardinals third baseman hit one out of the yard to tie it up. The score stayed even until the third when Yadier Molina led the inning off with a single before being knocked in by Chris Duncan with a two out double that gave the Birds a 2-1 lead. Then came the big blow of the inning, even with first base open Jim Leyland chose to pitch to the perennial MVP candidate Albert Pujols, and #5 made him pay. Pujols took a 93 mph Verlander fastball and parked it over the fence in right that gave the Cards a 4-1 advantage. Meanwhile, Reyes was simply taking care of business while he waited for the offense to add on to the total. His wait ended in the sixth, the Cards broke it open in that inning with three more runs to give them a 7-1 advantage. Reyes was the star of this one, he had the fewest wins of any Game 1 starter in World Series history and he set down a World Series rookie record 17 men in a row before giving up a single to Carlos Guillen in the seventh. Reyes was only removed after giving up a leadoff home run to Craig Monroe in the ninth. With the comfortable 7-2 lead, Braden Looper had no problems shutting the door on the Tigers to secure the victory for  St. Louis.

Reyes posted a 5-8 record with a 5.06 ERA in 17 regular season starts. He was the first starter to have a losing record since John Matlack started Game 1 of the '73 Fall Classic. Matlack posted a 14-16 record during that '73 campaign. When it came to Verlander, he was on his way to winning rookie of the year honors after posting a 17-9 regular season record. In the end what happens during regular season just didn't matter because in the postseason you just never know who will step up.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET200610210.shtml

October 20, 1982: The Cardinals Win The World Series

On October 20, 1982, in front 53,723 fans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Cardinals captured their first World Series title since 1967, with a thrilling come from behind 6-3 victory over the Brewers in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. The Birds found themselves down 3 games to 2  after 5 games then came back in Game 6 and smoked the Brew Crew 13-1 to force a Game 7. The Birds got on the board first with an RBI single off the bat of Lonnie Smith in the fourth. The 1-0 lead disappeared in the top of the fifth when Ben Oglivie tied it up with a solo shot to right off of the Cardinals starter Joaquin Andujar to leadoff the inning. Things got worse for the Birds before they got better, the Brewers tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth. Joe Gantner led that inning off with a double then one batter later, Paul Molitor knocked him in with what should have been a single. Molitor ended up at second base when Andjuar aired one out trying to gun him down at first, the error came back to haunt Andujar, a single by Robin Yount followed that moved Molitor to third, then Cecil Cooper knocked him in with a sacrifice fly. The Brewers came out of the top of the sixth with a 3-1 lead but it didn't take long for the Cardinals to answer right back. In the bottom of that sixth inning Ozzie Smith picked up a one out single and it was followed with a double by Lonnie Smith. The double by Lonnie ended the day for the Brewers starter Pete Vuckovich, he had given up 10 hits but still kept his team in the game before handing the ball over to Bob McClure who walked pinch hitter Gene Tenace load the bases. Keith Hernandez came to the dish with the sacks jammed and promptly brought both of the Smiths into score by knocking a single into right. The score was now tied and the Birds weren't done just yet. George Hendrick gave the Cardinals the lead with another single that brought Mike Ramsey into score, Ramsey had been called into pinch run for Tenace following his walk. McClure retired Darryl Porter before being replaced by Moose Haas who was able to get the last out of the inning. The game did have some drama. In the seventh inning second baseman Jim Gantner hit a ball right to Andujar, the Cardinals hurler held onto the ball until the last possible second then fired the ball to first for the force out. Ganter responded by calling Andujar a blankety blank hot dog and the fiery Andujar responded with a few choice words of his own. After words were exchanged the two players nearly had a fisticuffs moment before the umpires were able to restore order. That proved to be the last inning of work for Andujar, he handed the ball over to Bruce Sutter in the eighth with the 4-3 lead intact. After a 1-2-3 top of the eighth by Sutter, the Cardinals hitters gave him a little breathing room when Darryl Porter and Steve Braun added an RBI apiece to open the lead up to 6-3. With the team just three outs away from a championship Sutter didn't even give the Brewers hope, he retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the ninth with groundouts, then put an exclamation on the win with a strikeout of Gorman Thomas. As the fireworks went off  in the background, the crowd came storming onto the field. The St. Louis Cardinals were World Champions.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198210200.shtml

October 19, 2006: Yadi Punches a Ticket To The Fall Classic

On October 19, 2006, Yadier Molina's 2-run homer in the top of the ninth gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead
over the Mets and proved to be the game winner in Game 7 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium in New York. The game was a classic battle from the start. The Cardinals sent Jeff Suppan to the mound while the Mets countered with Oliver Perez, both pitchers turned in stellar performances as they each wanted to get a chance to play for the top prize. The teams had to deal with the elements, it was raining lightly from the beginning and it got worse as the game progressed.  The Mets got on the board in the bottom of the first on an RBI from David Wright, then the Birds answered right back in the top of the second when Jim Edmonds came into score on a sacrifice bunt by Ronnie Belliard. From there it was a pitching duel that would stay tied until that fateful ninth. The highlight of the Mets day came in the sixth inning, with the Cardinals up to bat, Perez issued a one out walk to Jim Edmonds, the next man up was Scott Rolen and he gave a Perez pitch a ride to left that was almost sure to leave the yard only to have Endy Chavez make an absolutely spectacular catch that not only robbed Rolen of his homer, the alert Chavez then relayed the ball into second baseman Jose Valentin who doubled off Edmonds at first base. It was a huge play in the game as it kept the Cardinals from taking the lead in the well pitched contest. The sixth was the last inning of work for Perez who did an outstanding job of keeping his team in it by allowing just one run on four hits. The Cardinals starter, Suppan was a step above Perez, he allowed just two hits and the one run in 7 innings of work. The game would come down to bullpens as each starter exited with the game deadlocked at 1. Chad Bradford pitched a scoreless frame for the Mets in the seventh then handed the ball over to Aaron Heilman following that inning. On the Cardinals side Randy Flores took over for Suppan after the starter issued a walk to lead off the eighth, Flores set the next three men down and the 1-1 score was still intact. Then came the ninth inning that I'll never forget. In his second inning of work, Heilman struck out Edmonds to begin the inning. Scott Rolen stepped to the dish with hopes of redemption on his mind, he had not only been robbed of a home run, he had also given up a costly error in the sixth that helped load the bases with one out. Luckily for Rolen, Suppan was on his way to being named MVP of the series and worked his way around the jam. When he stepped up in the ninth his misfortunes were forgotten when he dropped a single into left, then came Molina. The 23 year old catcher had hit just 6 home runs in the regular season, delivered a postseason blow that flew over the left field wall to put the Cards up 3-1. The crowd in New York was stunned by the long ball, however, the Cardinals needed three more out to make it stand. Tony LaRussa sent rookie Adam Wainwright to the mound to close it out. The only reason Waino was on the hill was an injury had sidelined Jason Isringhausen in mid September. The inexperienced Wainwright gave up back-to-back hits to start off the bottom of the ninth, then retired the next two batters before walking the bases full. All the Birds needed was one out to go to the series but they had a guy by the name of Carlos Beltran stepping to the plate. As most of us surely remember, Beltran was a Cardinal killer, he had homered three times in this series and had hit 4 home runs and carried .417 against the Birds  in the postseason while he was with the Astros. Today was not the day that Beltran would be the hero, Wainwright got ahead of him quickly then fired in a knee buckler that caught Beltran looking for the the final out of the game. It was an epic moment as Molina and Wainwright celebrated at the mound. The Cardinals were on the way to the World Series.

The home run by Molina is by far my favorite Yadi moment. I'll never forget that grin that came across his face within moments of making contact with the ball. Watch it here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=3232246

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200610190.shtml

October 18, 2013: Go Cards!!!

With the end of October approaching fast I might not be able to come up with a fact on a daily basis. Today is one of those days. I looked for a good fact for quite awhile then realized that I just couldn't lock one down for the 18th of October. Hopefully the Cards give us an October 18th that we'll never forget tonight. The Cardinals have won 11 Championships and 18 National League Pennants, every single one of those were earned much like this team has to earn it. They can do this. We have them at home, with a 3 to 2 advantage in the series, in front of a packed house and now it's time to take the National League Pennant. Believe in them. While I might not have a fact for today the great stories from the past are far from over and hopefully the Birds make history tonight.

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October 17, 2005: Albert Pujols Rocks Brad Lidge in Game 5 of The NLCS

On October 17, 2005, Albert Pujols hit one of his most memorable home runs in a Cardinals uniform in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Astros in Houston. The defending National League Champion Cardinals came into the game with their backs against the wall down 3 games to 1 and Chris Carpenter on the mound in hopes of staving off elimination. The Astros got on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI by Craig Biggio. Then the Cards struck back in the top of third when Mark Grudzielanek picked up a bases loaded 2 out bloop single off of Andy Pettite that scored 2 runs and suddenly the Cardinals had the advantage. Carpenter held the dangerous Houston lineup off until Lance Berkman launched a three run shot in the seventh inning that gave the Astros a 4-2 lead that the Astros bullpen was able to hold onto until they called on their closer Brad Lidge to pick up three outs that would send the Houston club to the Fall Classic. Lidge got the first two men to strikeout looking before David Eckstein got on with a single, then Jim Edmonds walked which set the stage for the Cardinals first baseman. The damage he did was more than just to the scoreboard as he crushed the second pitch of the at bat all the way to the train tracks above the left field wall at Minute Made Park. The monster shot put the Cards up 5-4 and after Jason Isringhausen tossed his second scoreless inning of the ball game the Cardinals had forced a Game 6 in St. Louis. The most memorable thing other than the crushing blow, was the reaction in Houston, you could hear a pin drop at the park that just minutes earlier had been on the edge of eruption with a World Series appearance just one out away. Unfortunately for the Cardinals and their fans, the Astros would win the next one and find themselves facing the White Sox in the World Series. They got swept in that series in which Lidge served up a walkoff shot to Scott Posednik in Game 2. The home run by Pujols seemed to have a long lasting effect on Lidge, he just wasn't the same pitcher as he was before the legendary blast. While he was able to recover from it and even earned the save in the deciding game of the 2008 World Series when he was a member of the Phillies. I can tell you this with no doubt in my mind... that swing by Pujols had to haunt him in his dreams.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU200510170.shtml

October 16, 1985: Jack Clark's Big Blast Send The Cardinals To The World Series

On October 16, 1985, with two on and two out in the top of the ninth inning of Game 6 of the NLCS in L.A., Jack Clark launched a Tom Niedenfuer fastball over the left field wall to give the Cardinals a 7-5 lead and an eventual victory that punched a ticket to the World Series for the Cardinals. The Dodgers showed up hoping to force a Game 7 and they looked like they had come to play after scoring a run in each of the first two innings. In the third inning the Cardinals starting pitcher Joaquin Andujar tried to help his own cause by leading of the inning with a double, a couple batters later Tommy Herr knocked the hurler in with an RBI single that cut the lead to 2-1. The Dodgers tacked on 3 more runs in the sixth on a sac fly by Pedro Guerrero, then a two run homer by Bill Madlock who was responsible for knocking in the first run of the ballgame. With the score 4-1 going into the top of the seventh the Cardinals needed to come up with a rally and that's exactly what they did. Darryl Porter and Tito Landrum began the inning with back-to-back singles, then Steve Braun moved both the runners to second and third on a groundout before Willie McGee knocked both men in with a one out single that moved the Birds to within one run of tying it up. The hit by McGee sent the Dodgers starter Orel Hershiser  packing and he would hand the ball over to Tom Niedenfuer in hopes that he would be able to preserve the lead. That hope didn't last long. Niedenfuer was set to face Ozzie Smith who had hit a dramatic walkoff home run against him just two days earlier. Smith might not have knocked this one out of the park but he did drill one all the way to the wall that brought McGee into score the tying run. After putting Herr on with an intentional walk Niedenfuer got out of the inning with back-to-back strikeout of Clark and Andy Van Slyke. In the bottom of the seventh Todd Worrell took over on the hill for the Cardinals and he had to navigate his way around a lead off triple by shortstop Mariano Duncan. After getting out of the frame with no damage done the Dodgers closer set the Cardinals down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of that inning Mike Marshall put the Dodgers in front when he led the inning off with a solo shot that gave them a 5-4 edge, they needed just three outs to force a Game 7 and all the pressure was on Niedenfuer to get those outs. The fateful ninth began with a strikeout by Cesar Cedeno before Willie McGee got on with a single. Neidenfuer had to face Ozzie once again, he walked the Cardinals shortstop then Tommy Herr moved both runners over with a groundout. Then came Jack The Ripper, with first base open some might have thought they would have walked the hard hitting first baseman but Tommy Lasorda decided to let his closer pitch to him. In the words of Jack Buck here's what happened next; "The Dodgers righthander is set and here's his pitch to Jack Clark. Swing and a long one into left field!! Adios, goodbye, and maybe That's a Winner!!! A three run homer by Clark and the Cardinals lead by the score of 7 to 5 and they may go to the World Series on that one folks!!!" It was an epic moment that Ken Dayley capped off with a 1-2-3 inning that ended with the Cardinals as Champions of the National League.

Watch the shot here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=20045845

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198510160.shtml

October 15, 1946: Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash To A Championship

On October 15, 1946, at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Enos Slaughter made a Mad Dash straight into the history books in Game 7 of the World Series versus the Boston Red Sox. With the game knotted at three in the eighth, Slaughter led the inning off with a single, it looked as if it wouldn't amount to much as the next two batters were retired quickly and the Cardinals starting pitcher Harry Breechen was coming to the plate. Breechen had hit a meager .133 during the regular season so in most cases he could be considered an easy out, that was not the case on this day. The Cardinals hurler drove a ball all the way to the wall in left and Slaughter was off to the races. The Boston center fielder Leon Culberson cut the ball off quickly and spun around and threw it to his cutoff man, shortstop Johnny Pesky. Everyone in the ballpark probably expected a first and third situation but Slaughter had something else in mind as he just kept running. A surprised Pesky attempted to gun him down at the plate but he pulled his catcher Roy Partee up the line as Slaughter came sliding into home.  Breechen had come up big and was standing at second, while Slaughter had come up even bigger as made his Mad Dash home. In the top of that eighth inning, Breechen was called into relieve the Cardinals starter Murry Dickson. The Cardinals were clinging to a 3-1 lead at that point and Dickson got into a bit of trouble after giving up back-to-back hits that led to a first and third jam. The Cardinals manager, Eddie Dyer called on Breechen to hold the Red Sox off but it was something that he was not bale to do. The first batter he faced, Dom DiMaggio connected with a double that scored both runners and tied the ballgame up. It simply set up for Slaughter's run into history as he became an instant hero in the bottom half of the inning. After Slaughter put the Cards in from Breechen needed to get three more outs to finish the Red Sox off. He made it interesting by giving up back-to-back singles before setting down the next three batters in a row before the Championship celebration began in St. Louis.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194610150.shtml

October 14, 1985: "Go Crazy Folks!!! Go Crazy!!!"

On October 14, 1985, Ozzie Smith hit one of the most memorable home runs in the history of the Cardinals organization in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers. The Cards struck first with two runs in the first inning when Fernando Valenzuela issued a pair of walks before Tommy Herr connected with a double that both runners. Then,in the fourth the Dodgers tied things when they got to Bob Forsch for a couple of runs. The Cardinals bullpen took over for Forsch during the rough inning and Ken Dayley, Todd Worrell, and Jeff Lahti pitched a combined shutout the rest of the way. On the other side of the diamond Valenzuela was able to get over his rough first inning and was lights out until he was replaced by Niedenfuer in the ninth with the score still knotted at 2. After the Dodgers closer retired Willie McGee with a pop out to begin the inning, the Cardinals defensive wizard came to the dish with an extra base hit in mind. The switch hitting Smith stepped into the box hitting from the left side. Hardly known for his power, he had never hit a home run from that side of the plate in 3,002 at-bats, that was about to change. Ozzie pounced on a a 1-2 pitch that can only be described by the legendary Jack Buck's call; "Smith corks one into right down the line. It may go!! Go Crazy Folks!!! Go Crazy!!! It's a home run, and the Cardinals have won the game by the score of 3-2 on a home run by The Wizard!!! Go Crazy!!!" You gotta love it. The win put the Cardinals one game away from winning the National League Pennant and would set up for another very memorable game in Los Angeles just two days later. Stay Tuned.

Watch the historic shot here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=13062871

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198510140.shtml

October 13, 2006: The Birds Pull Off The Comeback In Game 2 Of The NLCS

On October 13, 2006, at Shea Stadium in New York the Cardinals pulled off a huge comeback 9-6 win in Game 2 of the NLCS versus the Mets. The Mets struck first blood when Carlos Delgado took a Chris Carpenter pitch deep that put three runs on the board in the first inning. It didn't take long for the Birds to answer back, in the second inning John Maine issued a leadoff walk to Jim Edmonds, then Scott Spiezio reached on an error. Maine continued to struggle with his location and ended up walking the bases full by issuing a free pass to Juan Encarnacion. The Mets hurler was able to get John Rodriguez to pop out but didn't have the same luck with the young up and coming catcher Yadier Molina who drove a line drive double into right that scored both Edmonds and Spiezer and cut the Mets lead to 3-2. While Maine was able to get out of the inning with just the two runs scored the Cards had showed they came to play some ball and that they did. Jose Reyes gave the Mets a 4-2 advantage with an RBI in the bottom of the second, before Jimmy Ballgame evened the score at 4 all with a two run shot in the top of the third. It was a true battle and it would be a battle all the way to the end. The Cards fell behind once again in the fifth when Delgado hit his second homer of the ballgame, a solo shot off of Carpenter that gave the Mets a 5-4 lead. Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock took over on the mound in the sixth inning and he got himself in trouble by issuing one out walk to the speedy Reyes, Paul Lo Duca made the reliever pay for that walk by smacking a double into left that brought Reyes flying around the bases and into sore the sixth Mets run of the contest. While the Cardinals trailed the team fought and clawed right back into it. In the seventh inning, Scott Spiezio came to the dish with Albert Pujols standing at second and Jim Edmonds standing at first, the third baseman who was only in the game for an injured Scott Rolen delivered with a triple that brought both runners into score and once again it was a whole new ballgame as the score was tied at 6. It set up for another unlikely hero to give the Redbirds a lead in the ninth, that hero was none other than the So Man, SoTaguchi, he led the inning off with a solo shot off of closer Billy Wagner that gave the Cards a 7-6 lead. Taguchi was only in the game as a defensive replacement, he took over in left for Chris Duncan in the eighth. There was no looking back at that point, Scott Spiezio came up big once again with an RBI double off of Wagner before Encarnacion knocked in the ninth Cardinals run of the ballgame. They still needed three outs to seal the deal in the bottom of the ninth, so Tony LaRussa called on lefty Tyler Johnson to face the dangerous Delgado. Johnson got his job done by striking out Delgado then he handed the ball over to Adam Wainwright who retired David Wright and Shawn Green on back-to-back ground balls to secure the huge W for the Birds.

Check out the box score:http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200610130.shtml

This was such a great series and I like many of you remember this one like it was yesterday. Much like in this game both teams battled each other right to the end before the Cardinals were able to prevail in 7 games.

October 12, 1967: Gibson and The Birds Take The Title

On October 12, 1967, at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the Cardinals clinched their 8th World Series title with a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. The Birds won the game behind a masterful performance by Bob Gibson who allowed just three hits and hit a home run in the contest. Gibson was a true warrior throughout the series, he was the winning pitcher in Game 1, Game 3, and the title clinching Game 7 battle. After splitting the first two games the Cardinals won games 3 and 4 to give them a 3 games to 1 edge in the series only to have the resilient Red Sox club take games 5 and 6 to force the Game 7 in Boston. The skipper of the Red Sox, Dick Williams decided to send Jim Lonborg to the mound on just two days rest, while Gibby was had an extra day of rest. Lonborg got tagged for all 7 of the Redbird runs through 6 innings of work, although one of those runs was unearned. The Cardinals began their scoring in the third after shortstop Dal Maxvill led the inning off with a triple. Lonborg picked up two outs before Curt Flood smacked a single into center that put the club up 1-0. Roger Maris moved  Flood over to third with a single then with Orlando Cepeda at the dish Lonborg threw a wild pitch that brought the Cardinals center fielder into score the second run of the inning. With the score still 2-0 Birds in the fifth, Gibby took Lonborg deep to push the lead to 3-0. Lou Brock followed Gibson with a single then stole second and third base before Roger Maris knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to right. The Birds were in control of this one, however, the Red Sox weren't going to go down without some semblance of a fight. In the bottom of the fifth, Gibson gave up one of those three hits to George Scott. The Red Sox first baseman hit a lead off triple in the inning then scored when Julian Javier threw the ball away in an attempt to gun him down. With the score 4-1 heading into the sixth, Javier made up for his throwing error with a 3 run shot over the Green Monster to open up a 7-1 lead. The dream of a World Series title was fading quickly with the dominant Gibson on the hill, he did allow the second Boston run of the ballgame in the eighth but he maintained his composure and got out of the inning with minimal damage. Brock stole his record setting third base of the game in the top of the ninth, it was not only a single game record it was his seventh of the series which was also a record. In the bottom of the ninth, Carl Yastrzemski led the inning off with a single, this led to a visit by the Redbird skipper Red Schoendienst who simply said a few words to his stud pitcher before letting him finish the job. Ken Harrleson erased Yaz with a double play and Gibson needed one more out to clinch the series. He finished the ballgame off with a strikeout of George Scott. While there were many heroes throughout this series none shined brighter than Bob Gibson. His dominance earned him MVP honors and he was presented with a brand new car for the second time in four seasons, he won the car after the '64 championship as well. With the series in Boston the bars in and around St. Louis were packed with Cardinals fans, when Gibson struck out Scott to finish off the ballgame, the downtown area erupted in man made snow as an avalanche of paper came out of the office building in the city. One woman said "I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life" as she watched the paper fall from the skies above. It was a thrilling finish for the Cardinals that once again were World Champions.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS196710120.shtml

A couple little sidenotes; The '67 Cardinals club won 101 games and took the National League pennant by 10 1/2 games over the San Francisco Giants. They were a club full of stars like, Brock, Cepeda, Maris, McCarver, and Gibson. The road to a 101 wins was not a road that was easily traveled, they had to overcome a devastating injury to Gibson that had him sidelined for a good part of the year, which simply led to other men on the club stepping up in his absence. When Gibson returned he was the same dominant pitcher he was before the injury and you never know without the injury things could have went a whole different way for the Series MVP.

On the flip side, the Red Sox had a season that was dubbed "The Impossible Dream" they were led by Yastrzemski and Lonborg and they posted their first winning season since 1946. Going into the last week of the regular season the Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, and White Sox were all within a game of each other in the standings. The White Sox lost their last 5 games of the season to fall out of contention, while the Red Sox and the Twins  met in the final two games of the season. With Minnesota up by a game before the two teams met, the Red Sox swept them but still had to wait on the results of a doubleheader between the Tigers and the Angels in Detroit, after the Tigers split that bill Boston was crowned the Champions of the American League. Much like in 1946, they would meet and get beat by the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

October 11, 1964: Ken Boyer Slams The Yankees

On October 11, 1964, Ken Boyer's sixth inning grand slam off of Yankees starter Al Downing led the Cardinals to a 4-3 victory in Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York. With a much needed victory the manager of the Cardinals, Johnny Keane sent Ray Sadecki to the mound to counter Downing. The Cardinals starter got knocked around early, the first four men he faced reached base before he was yanked by the skipper with the Yankees up 2-0. Roger Craig took over for Sadecki and gave up an RBI single before putting the fire out. All three runs were charged to Sadecki and Craig came in and did an admirable job as he kept the Yankees from adding to their lead before he was lifted for a pinch hitter in that big sixth inning for the Redbirds. The pinch hitter, Carl Warwick led the inning off with a single, he was moved over to second with a single off the bat of Curt Flood, after Downing got Lou Brock to fly out, the Cardinals shortstop Dick Groat hit a ball up the middle that looked like a sure inning ending double play only to have the Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson mishandle the ball which led to all of the Cardinals runners being safe. Boyer had committed an error in the first which led to a run, the costly error was quickly forgotten with one swing of the bat when he parked the Al Downing pitch into the stands in left. The grand slam only proved to be the game winner after Ron Taylor pitched 4 innings of no-hit ball, the Cardinals hurler was nearly perfect, he allowed just one man to reach base on a walk. This was a crucial victory for the Birds, after splitting the first two games in St. Louis, the Yankees won the third and held a two to one edge in the series. Boyer's grand slam and the relief performances of Craig and Taylor evened the series at two all instead of putting the Cards down three games to one. While the victory was a huge one, every man on that team knew they had work to do, as the club was in search of its first title since 1946.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA196410110.shtml

October 10, 1926: The Cardinals Win Their First Title

On October 10, 1926, the Cardinals won their first title in the modern era with a 3-2 victory in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium in New York. Jesse Haines took the mound for the Birds while the Yankees sent Waite Hoyt to the hill.  Babe Ruth parked a solo shot in the right field bleachers in the third to put the Cardinals down 1-0, only to have shoddy defense lead to a 3 run fourth inning for the Cardinals. The Cardinals rally started with a one out single off the bat of Jim Bottomley, then Les Bell hit a hot shot to short that was booted by the Yankees shortstop Mark Koenig and moved Bottomley over to second while Bell was standing on first with an error charged to Koenig. The next man up Chick Hafey fell behind 0 and 2 before he looped a single into left to load'em up, then came the Cardinals catcher Bob O'Farrell. The backstop lofted a long fly ball into left that looked like it would simply be a sacrifice, then the left fielder Bob Meusal dropped the ball as Bottomley came into score while O'Farrell was standing at first with an error charged to Meusal.The Cardinals shortstop Tommy Thevenow followed O'Farrell with a single into right that brought both Hafey and O'Farrell into score the second and third runs of the inning. It proved to be all the runs the Birds would need. Although the victory was far from easy, Haines ran into trouble in the sixth, he gave up a two out single to third baseman Joe Dugan, then Hank Severeid knocked Dugan in with a double. Haines got out of the inning after pinch hitter Ben Paschal grounded out. In the seventh, Herb Pencock relieved Hoyt. Pencock had been the winning pitcher in games 1 and 5  and he proved he was up tot he task as he allowed just three hits tot he Cardinals the rest of the way. Haines got in a bit of trouble in the seventh, he gave up a lead off single to Earle Combs, then a one out intentional walk to Ruth , before issuing a two out walk to Lou Gehrig, After walking Gehrig, Haines was pulled from the game after developing a blister on his hand. The Cardinals skipper Rogers Horsby called on 39 year old Grover Alexander  to take over on the hill. Legend has it that Alexander was severely hungover, he had pitched a complete game the day before and celebrated the victory well into the night. It was reported the Alexander was sleeping in the bullpen when he his name was called. When he woke up he came in and got out of the bases loaded jam with a strike out of second baseman Tony Lazzeri. With the count 1-1 Lazzeri came within inches of a grand slam, he gave the third pitch of the at bat a ride deep down the left field line, fortunately for Alexander and the Cardinals the ball sailed foul then Alexander punched him out on the next pitch. It was a golden opportunity for the Yankees that Alexander quickly squashed. After a 1-2-3 eighth, Alexander came into shut down the Yankees in the ninth, he got two quick outs, then walked Babe Ruth. With Bob Meusal coming into face Alexander all of the fans knew all it would take was one swing of the bat to possibly bring Ruth into tie it up. Meusal had hit .315 during the regular season, had knocked in 81 runs, and picked up a double and a triple off of Alexander in Game 6. While it looked like the table was set for the Yankees, Ruth made a decision that might have just cost his Yankees a title. The slugger took off for second base on the first pitch to Meusal and O'Farrell gunned the ball to Hornsby at second who applied the tag on Ruth. To date, it's the only time a World Series has ended on a stolen base attempt. It was a thrilling finish for the Cardinals who could return home World Champions. The team hadn't won it all since 1886 when they were a part of the American Association and were known as the Browns. The city erupted in celebration following the victory, many of the residents sat around loudspeakers in the city and listened to the broadcast while every other Cardinals fan sat next to a radio in hopes of a Championship winner. As soon as the last out was recorded the streets of downtown St. Louis filled with thousands of people as they celebrated the Series win. On most Sundays in St. Louis the city was virtually deserted, not on this day, confetti poured from the roof of the Railway Exchange, whistles, cowbells, and car horns rang out while people beat on dish pans and everything else they could find to add to the uproar. People of every age literally danced in the streets as they celebrated the victory, cars were decorated with banners that said things like "The Cardinal is our National Bird" and "Alexander for President." It was quite the scene in St. Louis and one day later the team would return to a heroes welcome. They were more than heroes, they were World Champions!!!
  
Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA192610100.shtml

October 9, 1934: The Gashouse Gang Wins The Title

On  October 9, 1934, the Cardinals won their third championship title in franchise history with an 11-0 victory over the Tigers in Game 7 of the World Series at Navin Field in Detroit. The deciding game of the series came with some controversy as Ducky Medwick was forced from the Cardinals lineup by the commissioner of baseball Kennesaw Mountain Landis after he spiked Tigers third baseman Marv Owen in the sixth. Dizzy Dean handled pitching duties for the Cards, he had literally been knocked out in Game 4. Dean came into that contest to pinch run and he got smoked in the head while he was trying to breakup a double play. Dean had to be rushed to the hospital where he was given a clear bill of health. In fact, the Cardinals 30 game-winner pitched the next day in Game 5, a 3-1 loss. After the Game 5 defeat in St. Louis, the Tigers were up 3 games to 2 with the series headed back to Detroit. With their backs against the wall the Birds pulled off a 4-3 victory in Game 6. Dizzy's brother Paul not only went the distance in that game he also knocked in what proved to be the game winning run with a seventh inning RBI single. More than 44,000 packed Navin Field for Game 7, they all were anticipating victory while the Cardinals had other plans. The Tigers sent Elden Auker to the hill in the decider, he was no match for the Cardinals bats. The Tigers starter got through the first two innings cleanly, then things started going the way of the Cardinals in the third. Dizzy hit a one out double into left, Pepper Martin followed him with a single that put Dean at third. After Martin swiped second base,  Auker walked Jack Rothrock to load'em up which simply set the table for the player/manager of the team Frankie Frisch. The Cardinals second baseman delivered with a double that brought all three runners into score. The bases clearing double spelled the end of the day for Auker and Schoolboy Rowe was called in to relieve, despite the fact he had pitched all nine innings of the Detroit loss the day before. Rowe was able to get the second out of the inning with a groundout by Medwick, however, it was a productive out as it moved Frisch over to third. The next man up Ripper Collins knocked Frisch in with a double to left, then the Cardinals catcher  Bill Delancey smacked a double to right that brought Collins into score the fifth run of the inning.  Delancey was the last batter Rowe faced, Chief Hogsett  took over for him and the wheels continued to fall off the Tigers bus. Hogsett walked the Cardinals center fielder Ernie Orsatti which brought shortstop Leo Durocher to the dish, Durocher was the first batter of the inning as the Cardinals had batted around. The first time Durocher was up he flied out to center, this time he delivered with a single that loaded the bases for the second time in the inning. Dean promptly picked up his second hit in the frame that brought Delancey into score. Hogsett then walked Martin forcing in the seventh run of the frame. The Tigers finally got out of the inning after Tommy Bridges replaced Hogsett and got Rothrock to groundout. As you could imagine the fans in Detroit were a bit stunned and probably a more than pissed after they watched things unravel in such a big way. The fans hit a boiling point in the sixth, Martin led the inning off with a single, then with two outs Medwick knocked him in with a triple to right. As Medwick came into third he spiked the third baseman Marv Owen, which brought players pouring out from both dugouts as Owen and Medwick looked like they might just throw some punches. After order was restored Ripper Collins picked up his fourth hit of the day which brought Medwick into score the ninth Cardinals run. Bridges ended the sixth with an out of Frisch, then Medwick went to take his position in left. He was welcomed by a thousands of angry fans that showered him with bottles, fruit, vegetables, and anything else they could find to throw at him. It led to the decision by the commissioner to remove the embattled left fielder. It's the only time in the history of the game that a commissioner chose to remove a player from a game. While Medwick insisted it wasn't intentional, it was probably the right choice as it calmed things down. Medwick had to be led to the locker room by six police officers for his own safety. The Cards added a couple more runs in the seventh with RBIs by Martin and Rothrock,they were the last two runs in the 11-0 beatdown. At the end of the day the Cardinals had recorded 17 hits while Dean allowed just 6 hits. It was quite the end to a series that was a true battle between both clubs. While it might have ended with some drama for the fans in Detroit, the fans in St. Louis rejoiced as their Cardinals would be returning home World Champions.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET193410090.shtml

The Tigers posted a 101-53 record during that '34 season, that .656 winning percentage is the best in the long history of that franchise and  they finished 7 games ahead of the Yankees in the American League Standings. On the flip side the Cardinals posted a 95-58 regular season record and won a heated race with the New York Giants by two games.

October 8, 1944: The Birds Move Within a Game Of The Title

On October 8, 1944, the Cardinals moved within one game of capturing their fifth World Series title with a 2-0 win in Game 5 of the all St. Louis Fall Classic against the Browns. With Mort Cooper on the hill for the Birds and Denny Galehouse throwing for the Browns it was a game dominated by pitching. Cooper struck out 12 men and scattered 7 hits for the Cards while Galehouse turned in 10 Ks on the day, he gave up just 6 hits, but two of them were solo shots that were enough for the Cardinals to achieve victory.  Galehouse surrendered a long ball to Ray Sanders in the sixth then another to Danny Litwhiler in the eighth. it would be all the Birds needed as Cooper was dominating the Browns batters. Cooper came into the bottom of the ninth with just four strikeouts under his belt, he promptly struck out all three pinch hitters that Browns manager Luke Sewell sent to the dish. The pitching performance was the only time in World Series history that two pitchers struck out at least 10 batters. The Cardinals would take the title the next day with a 3-1 victory, it was the fifth title in franchise history.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLA/SLA194410080.shtml

Couple cool facts about the '44 series; During the regular season the manager of the Cardinals Billy Southworth and the Browns skipper Luke Sewell shared an apartment due to wartime housing shortage. The setup worked great during the season because the two teams were never in town at the same time. During the week of the World Series Southworth found an apartment to stay in while Sewell stayed at the one they shared. Another interesting one is the fans in St. Louis seemed like they didn't know who to root for, the newspapers of the day remarked that the fans in the stands were rather quiet. There wasn't a divide between the fans in St. Louis like there was in cities like Chicago and New York. I have always thought it would be awesome to have two teams in St. Louis just because it would mean there would be a game being played almost every day in the city during the regular season. This winter I will have a comprehensive look at each and every game that was played during each of the Cardinals World Series Championships.

October 7, 1982: Bob Forsch and Company Take game One of The NLCS

On October 7, 1982, the Cardinals won the first game of the NLCS by the score of 7-0 over the Braves at Busch. Bob Forsch started and finished the game for the Birds.He didn't allow a walk, and the Braves were able to scratch out only 3 hits against the Cardinals hurler. The Braves sent Pascual Perez to the mound and their starter gave up 7 of the 13 hits the Cardinals picked up on the day. The Birds scored their first run in the third. Willie McGee led the inning off with a scorcher down the first base line that the speedy McGee turned into a triple. One newspaper described it like this; It was an ordinary double for ordinary mortals, a triple for the supersonic McGee. But then the baseball hit the fence in foul territory and rebounded smartly past the startled rightfielder Claudell Washington. The outfielder gave chase, but the ball rolled almost to dead right center. McGee might have been able to score an inside-the-park home run if he realized what was going on with the fielder behind him. The Cardinals third base coach, Chuck Hiller was waving his arms frantically and tried screaming over the 53,008 fans in an effort to let McGee know he could turn the corner and head home. It would have been an uncontested inside-the-parker. While McGee missed out on his chance to score with the inside-the-park blast, he came into scored one batter later when Ozzie Smith sacrificed him in with a flyball to center. The score was 1-0 after one inning, it would stay the same until a Cardinal singles parade in the sixth. Lonnie Smith began the inning with a check swing single, the Braves first baseman had to come off the bag to retrieve the ball, then Perez had to run to the bag to get the force. In his haste, Perez dropped the ball, it was a gift single for Smith. Keith Hernandez and George Hendrick followed Smith with back-to-back singles that brought Smith into score. Hendrick was the last batter that Perez would face, the Braves manager Joe Torre called on Steve Bedrosian to take over on the hill and the Cardinals bats were ready and waiting. Bedrosian walked the bases full with a  free pass to Darrell Porter, then McGee drove in Hernandez with a broken bat flare to center. Ozzie Smith kept the line moving with a single that brought Hendrick into score. Then Forsch added another run to the total with a sacrifice that scored Porter. The Cardinals capped off the 5 run frame with what should have been an easy out of Ken Obkerfell at first, Bedrosian was slow to react to what was a routine grounder to the Braves first baseman, so Chambliss had to try and get the out himself at the bag, he slipped and fell and Obkerfell made it to the bag safely while McGee came across the dish. Bedrosian was replaced by Donnie Miller following the debacle at first, he was the third Braves pitcher in the inning. Miller was able to put the fire out but the Birds had a decisive 6-0 lead after the blowup inning. They added their seventh run of the ballgame in the eighth on a sac fly by Lonnie Smith that scored Forsch. The Cardinals starter absolutely dominated the game, while the offense came up big all he needed was that first inning run. Forsch struck out 6, he never found himself in a jam, his three hits, all singles, came in the third, fifth, and sixth innings. When asked about Forsch after the game Joe Torre said "He's a gutty pitcher. He doesn't have the fastball he once had but he moves the ball around real well and keeps hitters off balance." It's safe to say those Braves batters were off balance on that day in '82.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198210070.shtml

Sidenote: Just one day earlier the game was postponed after 4 1/2 innings because of rain, Atlanta was leading that contest 1-0 before it was called. The Cardinals won this series with a three game sweep. It's hard to say, but the postponed game might have been a blessing in disguise as the Cardinals were on the way to their first title since 1967.

October 6, 1968: The Cardinals Go Up 3 Games To 1 In The '68 Fall Classic

On October 6, 1968, the Cardinals moved within one game of winning their second consecutive title with a 10-1 win over the Tigers in Detroit. In a rematch of Game 1, Bob Gibson took on Denny Mclain, Gibby went the distance once again, just days after setting the World Series record by fanning 17 men. The game was delayed by 35 minutes by rain, it had everyone worrying about how the pitchers would do with the conditions and the extended wait to start the ballgame. One guy that wasn't worried was Gibby, he said "I sat in the clubhouse and ate some ice cream." Even after the game was underway the rain continued, it was something that Gibson was able to deal with, while it looked like it had really hurt McLain. The Detroit starter lasted just two and a third before he was sent to the showers. Lou Brock got things going as he led the game off with a home run. Mike Shannon extended the first inning lead to 2-0 with an RBI double that brought Roger Maris into score. In the third the Birds added two more in RBIs by Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon, they were in full control of the game as Gibson was working his way through the Detroit lineup with ease. The Cardinals hurler helped pad the lead with a solo shot to lead off the fourth, then Brock followed Gibson with his second hit of the day, it was a triple that would lead to a run after Maris knocked him in with a single. Gibson had his only hiccup of the game in the bottom of the fourth, he served up a long ball to Jim Northrup that cut the Cardinals lead to 6-1. The score stayed the same until the eighth, reliever John Hiller loaded the bases, then he walked Gibby who picked up an RBI on the free pass. The next man up was Mr. Lou Brock and once again he delivered with his third hit of the day, it was a double that brought all three runners into score. After the Tigers yanked Hiller, Pat Dobson came into put the fire out, he was able to get the job done but not before Brock swiped third base. Only one more Tigers batter reached base, it was in the ninth and he was quickly erased on a double play. To date, Brock is the only man to hit a homer, a triple, a double, and steal a base in a World Series game. The win marked the seventh consecutive complete game World Series victory for Gibson, which is a World Series record.  The records don't stop there for Gibson, his home run on that day in '68 was the second blast he had hit in the World Series. He blasted one in Game 7 of the '67 Fall Classic that led to a championship parade in downtown St. Louis. He struck out ten men in that game in '67 which not only makes him the only pitcher to strikeout 10 men and hit a homer in one World Series game, he's also the only man to do it twice.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET196810060.shtml

Unfortunately for the Cardinals and the fans in St. Louis, the Tigers won the next day then forced the series back to St. Louis. After they smoked them in Game 6, it set up a classic battle between Gibson and Mickey Lolich. The two pitchers hung zeroes on the board until the seventh when Jim Northrup picked up a two run triple after Curt Flood misjudged a ball in center. One batter later Northrup came into score. The three run inning dashed the hopes of a repeat. Both teams scored a run in the ninth and the game ended with the Tigers winning 4-1. While the series didn't have a storybook ending for the Cardinals it had quite a few great pages in the book along the way. I think that diving into the history of the club makes me appreciate all seasons, no matter how they end. Granted, there is nothing that I love more than the championship years, but in the end I can appreciate them all.

October 5, 1926: The First World Series Game Played In The Lou

On October 5, 1926, 37,708 fans packed Sportsman's Park to watch the Cardinals take on the New York Yankees in Game Three of the Fall Classic. Those fans witnessed the first World Series to be played in St. Louis in the modern era. After the teams split the first two games in New York, the Cardinals returned to St. Louis with a heroes welcome. The mayor of the city Victor Miller ordered that the workday be ended at 3 p.m. so all the fans in the city could meet at Union Station to welcome the team home. Rogers Hornsby was presented with a brand new Lincoln sedan while each player on the team received a brand new hat, a new pair of shoes, and a gold watch to commemorate their achievements. Once the teams got to playing ball, Jesse Haines proved to be too much for the Yankees. The Cardinals hurler and future Hall of Famer limited the Yankees to just 5 hits as he went the distance in a 4-0 shutout. Haines also hit a two run home run in the fourth that capped off a three run frame for the Birds. The Cards added one more to the board in the fifth after Billy Southworth and Rogers Hornsby led the inning off with back-to-back singles. Southworth moved all the way to third after Hornsby's hit then Jim Bottomley knocked him in with a groundout to second. Haines struck out just three men while going the distance for the team, he was not only assisted by his bat and his arm, the Cardinals defense behind him played spectacularly as they rolled to victory.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192610050.shtml

October 4, 1891: Ted Breitenstein Tosses The First No Hitter In The History Of The St. Louis Cardinals Organization

On October 4, 1891, in his first major league start, lefthanded pitcher Ted Breitenstein threw the first no-hitter in the history of the organization that would become known as the Cardinals. The masterpiece came in front of a home crowd at Sportsman's Park in an 8-0 win over the Louisville Colonels. The 22 year-old St. Louis native faced the minimum 27 batters, allowing just one walk to Harry Taylor who was promptly erased with a double play. This happened in the last year that the Browns were a part of the American Association. After the league folded they joined the National League at the beginning of the 1892 campaign. Breitenstein's  no-no was the first time it had been accomplished by a pitcher in his first major league start and the last no-hitter that was tossed in the American Association. Breitenstein did appear in several games as a reliever before he got a chance to start. He made the most of the chance as he pitched his way into the history books. Breitenstein pitched for 11 years in the major with limited success. In 1893, he posted a 3.18 e.r.a. which was the best in the National League, despite that fact he had a 19-24 record that season. He recorded 27 wins for the Browns in 1894 which was his highest win total while he was a member of the St. Louis club. After spending his first 6 seasons in his hometown Breitenstein was sold to the Cincinnati Reds. He spent 4 years in Cincy, topping the 20 win mark twice and he even recorded his second no-hitter as a member of the Reds in 1898. After four seasons in Cincinnati he returned to St. Louis for the 1901 season, at this point the team had taken the Cardinals name and he had come full circle. He only pitched in three games during the 1901 season, before moving on to the Southern Association where he played for 11 more years. Over the course of his 11 years in the majors, Breitenstein posted a 160-170 record, he might not have had Hall of Fame numbers but he will always be the first pitcher to record a no-hitter in the history of the Cardinals organization. It would take 33 years for another pitcher to accomplish the feat as a member of the Cardinals. To date, 10 men have tossed a no-no for the organization.

Here are Breitenstein's career numbers: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/breitte01.shtml

October 3, 1934: Dizzy and The Gang Take Game One Of The World Series

On October 3, 1934, with just two days of rest Dizzy Dean pitched a complete game in an 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game One of the World Series. It was the third time in 5 days that Dean would go the distance for the Birds. He picked up his 29th win two days before the regular season came to an end. Then grabbed his 30th victory on the last day of the season, which also clinched the pennant for the Cardinals. Just a few days after that pennant clincher Dean was ready to roll again and so were his teammates. The Tigers sent General Crowder to the mound to face Dean, unfortunately for Crowder his teammates behind him committed 5 errors in the first three innings. The infield was usually a strength for the Tigers club, they had Big Hank Greenberg at first, Charlie Gehringer at second, Billy Rogell at short, while Marv Owen stood at third. The Tigers infield was described as the 18-carat part of the ballclub which was just not the case on that day in Detroit. Every one of those infielders named made errors in those first three innings and Owen made two to bring the number to 5. Crowder went 5 full innings, he pitched his ass off, striking out 6, only to have  the defensive miscues give the Cardinals a 4-1 advantage after five. Only one of those four runs could be charged to Crowder which was a home run off the bat of Ducky Medwick in the fifth. The long ball by Medwick was his third hit of the day and it was a long one that sailed into some temporary bleachers in left and he wasn't done just yet. The Tigers used two pitchers in a four run Cardinals sixth that essentially put Detroit away. Medwick picked up his fourth hit of the day in that sixth inning. Dean finished the day with 8 strikeouts while allowing the three earned runs. He admitted he took his foot off the gas pedal in the eighth when he served up a solo shot to Hank Greenberg. From there he was lights out as the Cardinals sailed to the Game One victory. While they were riding a high after the huge victory, they knew there was work to do if they wanted to achieve their goal. It was a goal that would take 7 games to achieve.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET193410030.shtml

October 2, 1968: Bob Gibson Strikes Out 17 in Game One of The Fall Classic

On October 2, 1968, Bob Gibson set a World Series record by striking out 17 Detroit Tigers batters in in a 4-0 win in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. Gibson was set to face 31 game-winner Denny McLain in the game that had instant classic written on it before either pitcher took the bump. McLain pitched just 5 innings and allowed 3 runs, the Detroit hurler was victimized by three errors and his own wildness while Gibson was well in control and on his way to making history. Through the first three innings Gibby mowed down 7, he would later say that he wasn't feeling his strongest but he had great control. McLain looked strong until the fourth, suddenly he lost control and walked Roger Maris on four straight pitches. He then retired Orlando Cepeda on a popup before walking Tim McCarver on four straight pitches. Mike Shannon shot a single into left, scoring Maris. Then the ball got past Willie Horton and Shannon took second while McCarver moved over to third. Julian Javier delivered with a single that scored both the runners and the Birds had a 3-0 lead while their ace was looking like a strikeout machine. Lou Brock connected with a solo shot in the seventh which accounted for the final run of the game. Brock had stolen a base in the third, then smashed his home run deep to right center more than 400 feet away from the dish. Gibson held the Tigers to just 5 hits, their only true threat came in the sixth when Dick McAuliffe singled and Al Kaline doubled. With men on second and third and two out Gibby struckout Norm Cash to get out of the jam. The only other Tigers hits were a single from Mickey Stanley in the first, a single by Don Wert in the third, then another single by Stanley to lead off the ninth. Gibson was one strikeout shy of Sandy Koufax's record of 15 as he headed into the ninth, Koufax set the mark in 1963, just 5 years later Gibson was about to obliterate it. After giving up the lead off single to Stanley, Gibson tied the record with a strikeout of Al Kaline. His next victim was Norm Cash, Gibson didn't even realize that he had broken the record, he was so locked in that he didn't even know why the crowd was giving him a standing ovation. "Tim came out in front of the plate and wouldn't go back" Gibson said "I didn't know what to make of it, so I looked at the scoreboard, then I knew." There it was flashing NEW WORLD SERIES RECORD 16 Ks!!! Then Willie Horton came to the plate and took the count to 2 and 2 before Gibson fired his 144th pitch over the dish that caught Horton looking. It was an absolute epic moment as the crowd of 54,692 cheered the great Bob Gibson as he had just delivered one of the greatest performances in World Series history.

You can watch the entire game here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR7mFvbd1XM or you can watch a great highlight video here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=19999453

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196810020.shtml

October 1, 1987: The Cardinals Clinch The N.L. East

On October 1, 1987, with 48,763 in the stands at Busch, the Cardinals clinched the National League East Pennant with an 8-2 win over the Montreal Expos. Danny Cox delivered a playoff worthy performance as he allowed just 5 hits while Dan Driessen came up big with 3 RBIs. The win helped the Cardinals avoid the defending champion New York Mets who had at least a dozen players in the stands at Busch as they were set to begin a three game set against the Birds the following night. In late July, the Cardinals were up by 10 games in the standings, as the end of the season approached the Mets had closed that gap and if the Cardinals would have lost that game against Montreal a sweep could have forced a one game playoff to decide the winner of the division. It was something that every player on that Cardinals roster wanted to avoid, so they went out there and got the job done. The Expos tallied a run in the first on an RBI from Tim Wallach then Tony Pena knocked in a run in the third to knot things up at 1. Driessen, who was only playing for an injured Jack Clark, plated two runs with a double in the fourth. It was all Cardinals from there. They added 5 more runs in the seventh with Driessen picking up his third ribbie of the day with a sac fly. With one out in the ninth, Cox did give up a big fly to Tim Wallach before setting the next two men down to secure the division title. With some of the Mets players in the stands it made it that much more sweet of a victory for a lot of the Cardinals players who had been trading barbs with the Mets players. "That was a great way to win" Ozzie Smith said "They died a slow death and had to watch."

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198710010.shtml