June 21, 1957: Rookie Sensation Von McDaniel Tosses a Two-Hitter in his First Major League Start

On June 21, 1957, in his first major league start at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Von McDaniel threw a two-hit shutout as the Cardinals cruised to a 2-0 win over the defending National League champion Brooklyn Dodgers. The 18 year old "bonus baby" had just graduated high school one month earlier and found himself starring along side his older brother Lindy on the Cardinals pitching staff. He was a bit of a rookie sensation as his career began with 19 consecutive scoreless innings and won his first four decisions on the way to posting a 7-5 record on the year. However the magic didn't last for McDaniel, he appeared in only two games in '58 and looked as if he lost his control, after being sent to the minors he tried to convert to third base but would never reach the major league level again. While his career was short he accomplished something that most of us can only dream of, he stood on the mound with the birds on the bat across his chest.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195706210.shtml

June 20, 1980: Terry Kennedy Leads The Cards To Victory

On June 20, 1980, Terry Kennedy picked up 6 ribbies with a pair of three-run home runs in a 7-5 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. With the team up 1-0 in the first Kennedy got a hold of his first bomb of the day to cap off the 4 run inning. However, the Reds fought back with three runs in the third then a two run shot by Dan Driessen in the sixth that gave Cincy a 5-4 advantage, it was an advantage that wouldn't last long. The seventh inning opened up with a pair of singles, then Kennedy went yard again, this time he gave the Redbirds a lead they would not relinquish.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198006200.shtml

You can watch a virtual game here: http://www.backtobaseball.com/playballregularseason.php?page=0&IDindex=CIN198006200&date=June+20%2C+1980 I really enjoy this website, all kinds of great games on there.

June 19, 1921: McHenry's Double Wins It In The 9th

On June 19, 1921, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth at Sportsman's Park, outfielder Austin McHenry cleared'em all with a walkoff double to beat the Boston Braves 5-4.  The 25 year old kid nicknamed "Mac" was an up and coming star, the '21 season was a breakout year for the him as he hit .350 with 17 dingers and 102 rbi's and was in the top 5 of many of the offensive categories in the National League. The following season McHenry began to have severe headaches and blurred vision. Initially it was diagnosed as a sinus infection, but further tests would reveal he had a brain tumor. McHenry left the club in July of 1922, and he went under the knife in October of that year, but the doctor was not able to remove the entire tumor and his situation quickly deteriorated. McHenry passed away on November 27, 1922. He was just 27 years old. McHenry is one of those stories that you can only think about what might have been, as he had all the promise in the world before fate intervened. While it is a sad story, it is a story worth telling. His life was short, however, it was a life of great accomplishment. When I think about McHenry while I'm out working today, I'll think about how happy he was when he knocked in those winning runs on this day in 1921.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192106190.shtml

This is a link to the 1921 National League Batting Leaders: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1921-batting-leaders.shtml  he was amongst the best.

June 18, 1987: Jack The Ripper Goes Boom In The 10th

On June 18, 1987, Jack Clark put the Cardinals in the win column with a 2 run walkoff blast in the tenth inning of an 8-6 victory over the Pirates at Busch. It was Clark's second long ball of the game. Clark led the club with 35 home runs in the '87 season.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198706180.shtml

June 17, 1969: Curt Flood Comes Through in a Pinch

On June 17, 1969,  with two out and two on in the 7th Curt Flood came into the game as a pinch hitter and smacked a double into left that scored both base runners. Flood had been in a bit of a slump which led to him riding the pine from the start but it didn't keep him from knocking in both of the Cardinals runs in the 2-0 victory over the Montreal Expos.

Check Out The Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196906170.shtml

June 16, 1931: Watkins and Frisch Win It With Back 2 Back Jacks

On June 16, 1931, George Watkins and Frankie Frisch hit back to back jacks in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel the Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the Phillies at Sportsman's Park. With one out in the inning Watkins took a 3-2 pitch deep to right to tie it up. The Phillies only needed one more pitch to lose the contest as Frisch stepped to the plate and hit a first pitch bomb that landed on the roof of the right field pavilion. The win swept the Phillies right out of town.

Check Out The Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193106160.shtml


On a sidenote, Happy Father's Day to each and every one of you and your Father's. I know for a lot of us our Father's were instrumental in helping develop a love for sports that we all cherish. If you have the opportunity today to give your dad a big ole hug and thank him for all he has done for you and your life I envy you, my father passed away when I was just 12 years old but I can still remember standing at Busch Stadium with him as a young boy watching the Cardinals play some ball. For me my love for sports began right then and there. Have a great day. Go Cards!!!

June 15, 1964: Brock For Broglio

On June 15, 1964, one of the most lopsided trades in the history of Major League Baseball was made when Cardinals General Manager Bing Devine dealt Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens, and Bobby Shantz to the Chicago Cubs, in return the Cardinals got Jack Spring, Paul Toth, and a 24 year old kid by the name of Lou Brock. On the surface it looked like the Cubs got the better end of the deal. Broglio was a former 20 game winner and it looked like they had landed a true frontline starter for their rotation. Brock had just two big league seasons under his belt at the time of the trade, he was a hot prospect with blazing speed and great baserunning skills but struggled at the plate a bit which led the Cubs organization to making the deal that sent him to St. Louis. Broglio's best days were behind him, he spent two and a half seasons in Chicago posting a 7-19 record while Brock spent the next 16 years in St. Louis and forged a career that led to Cooperstown. 4 months to the day that Brock was traded to the team the Cardinals won the World Series in 7 games over the New York Yankees, he would win another title with the team in '67. When Brock retired in 1979 he was the all time leader in stolen bases with 938 and had collected 3,023 hits in the big leagues.

MLB Network did a great piece about the trade, it's narrated by St. Louis' own Greg Amsinger:
http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=23364247