June 7, 1921, Hornsby and The Birds Pound The Dodgers

     On June 7, 1921, the Cardinals pounded the defending N.L. champion Brooklyn Dodgers to the tune of 14-5 in front of a sparse crowd at Sportsman's Park. Things did not start well for the Cardinals starting pitcher Marv Goodwin, as he surrendered two runs in the first inning before being yanked with two outs. His successor Lou North cleaned up the mess, then watched the Cardinals put seven runs on the board in the bottom of the first. The Dodgers starter Leon Cadore did not even record an out, giving up five runs before he got the hook. The big star of the day was Rogers Hornsby, who hit a pair of home runs and a triple. The Cardinals plated their other runs with a tally in the third, then six more in the fifth. North held the Dodgers at bay until the eighth when they put two runs on the board. They scored on him again in the ninth, but it was too little too late, as Hornsby and his comrades celebrated a huge victory.

      The 1921 club won 87 games, which was the best record for the team since the 1889 campaign. They showed flashes of greatness that season, and no one man shined brighter than the 25-year-old Rogers Hornsby. He was monster who tore the cover off the ball with a .397 average, which was good for the league lead. He also led the league with 126 RBI's, 18 triples 44 doubles, 235 hits, and 131 runs scored. His 21 home runs ranked second in the National League. The 87 wins ended up placing the Birds in third, seven games out of first place, which was owned by the New York Giants. While that 1921 club did not win the flag, they did excite the fans regularly and could compete with the best of them. The first five years of the 1920's were crucial seasons for the team that would win it all in 1926, as the foundation was laid for the team that would become no stranger to the top spot in the National League.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192106070.shtml

     The ad/bat featured with today's article was found in an issue of The Sporting News that appeared on the newsstands within a week of this game being played. The Louisville Mascot Bat was a pretty neat item to own. Several players endorsed the bat that had a decal with a picture of them on the end. Unfortunately, most of these bats were used like they were bats. The decals ended up being worn off, so there are not a lot to be found that are in very good condition. The bat in the photo sold for a little more than $400 in 2011. Definitely a cool collectible to say the least. I would imagine a bat like this one in perfect condition may be able to fetch as much as a $1,000. While there may not be a perfect one out there, this could be a neat project for an aspiring sports artist to pursue by painting vintage bats with a decal of a famous player from yesteryear. As a collector myself I would love to own one that's for sure.