September 21, 1934: The Dean Brothers Steal The Show In Brooklyn

On September 21, 1934, Dizzy and Daffy Dean put on an absolute dominant show in both ends of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. With Dizzy on the mound in the first game he turned in a 3 hitter behind a 17 hit attack that led to a 13-0 shutout. The Cardinals offense was led by Ripper Collins in that first game, the first baseman went 4 for 5 which included 2 doubles and his 34th home run of the season. Dizzy went 7 innings before he gave up a hit, he said he didn't realize he had held the Dodgers hitless so long and if he did he might have beared down in the last couple of innings to complete the no-hitter, nonetheless it was a masterful performance by the Cardinals ace and secured his 27th win of that championship season. His brother Paul a.k.a. Daffy outdid his older brother, he pitched the third no-hitter in the history of the franchise. With two outs in the first, Daffy walked Len Koenecke then set down the next 25 men in a row. To cap off the feat, Daffy scored the first run of the ballgame for the Birds after picking up a double in the sixth. He finished the masterpiece off with a groundout off the bat of Ralph Boyle in the bottom of the ninth, then the fans in the stands at Ebbets stormed the field and celebrated the victory with the 21 year-old rookie. It was his 18th win of that '34 season. After the game Dizzy joked that he could have done better. He said "If Paul would have told me he was gonna pitch a  no-hitter, I'd of thowed one too." Another great day in Cardinal Nation.

The three hits were the fewest  ever managed by one team in a doubleheader, it was a record that stood until 1992 when Boston Red Sox hurler Matt Young tossed a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians  but still manged to lose the game 2-1, Young's performance was followed by a two-hit performance by Roger Clemens in a 3-0 win for the Sox.

Check out the box scores
Dizzy's Gem: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO193409211.shtml
Daffy's No-No: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO193409212.shtml

September 20, 1928: George Harper Becomes The First Member of the St. Louis Cardinals to Go Deep Three Times in One Contest

On September 20, 1928, in an 8-5 win over the Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York, outfielder George Harper became the first man in the history of the Cardinals organization to hit three home runs in one game. Harper accomplished the feat in the first game of a doubleheader that had pennant implications on the line as the Giants came into the day trailing the Cardinals by just two games as both teams were fighting for the National League crown. Harper began his history making day with a solo shot off of Rube Benton in the second that put the Cardinals on the board first. He continued his assault on the baseball with a three run shot off of Benton in the sixth that opened up a 5-0 lead. The Giants did most of their damage with home runs off the bats of catcher Shanty Hogan and second baseman Bill Terry and by the time the top of the eighth rolled around the Cards were clinging to a narrow 6-5 lead, then Harper hit his third long ball of the day. This time it was a two-run shot off of Jack Scott that gave the Redbirds a little breathing room. The Cardinals starter Bill Sherdel pitched two scoreless innings to cap off the victory while locking down his 19th win of the season. The Giants took the second game by the score of 7-4, but the day ended just like it started with the Cardinals two games in front for the lead in the National League. Nine days later they would clinch the National League Pennant as they held on to the two game edge on their way to a World Series appearance. The home runs by Harper were the 15th, 16th, and 17th for him in a Redbird uniform and the last three of that season for the 36 year old well traveled outfielder. He spent just one season with the Birds, in that one year he made history with three swings of the bat as he sent the ball over the wall in New York.

Check put the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1192809201.shtml

You can check out Harper's career numbers here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpege02.shtml

September 19, 1980: Hendrick Completes The Rally

On September 19, 1980, the Cardinals pulled off an exciting comeback 9-8 win over the Expos at Busch. It was a tight battle between the clubs until the top of the seventh inning when Expo catcher Gary Carter hit a grand slam that opened up a 7-2 lead for the club from Montreal. The Cards came out in the bottom of the seventh and cut the lead to 7-6 on six singles and a groundout before the Birds tied it up on a throwing error by backup third baseman Ken Macha. The Cardinals momentum didn't last long, Ellis Valentine brought in the go ahead run with a sac fly in the top of the ninth and once again it was looking like the Expos might get out of there with a W. The men on that Cardinals bench had other ideas. Garry Templeton began the ninth with a quick groundout before Keith Hernandez and Ted Simmons hit back-to-back singles that put the winning run at first base. With George Hendrick coming to the dish Bobby Bonds was sent in to pinch run for Simmons as the Birds had victory on the horizon. Hendrick found himself in an 0-2 hole after fouling off the first three pitches, then he got the pitch he was waiting for and smashed a double into the left center gap that brought Hernandez and Bonds flying into score to win  it in walkoff fashion. While the Cardinals had found themselves out of the race late in the '80 season they still played to win and on this day they were the spoiler. The Expos were in the middle of a heated race between them and the Phillies for the National League East title. They would lose that race by one game which eliminated them from the playoffs. The Phillies went onto win the World Series while the Expos club could only wonder what might have been.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198009190.shtml

September 18, 1968: 24 Hours After Watching The Birds Get No-Hit Ray Washburn Returns The Favor

On September 18, 1968, less than 24 hours after being no-hit by San Francisco Giants hurler Gaylord Perry, Ray Washburn returned the favor by no-hitting the Giants in a 2-0 Cardinals victory. It was the first time in the history of the game that two teams no-hit each other on back-to-back days. Washburn, a  30 year old seasoned veteran worked around two first inning walks by striking out Willie Mays and Dick Dietz to get out of the jam. It was the only time in the game that Washburn allowed a man to reach second base, he did walk three more men while striking out seven men on his way to becoming the fifth pitcher in the history of the organization to record a no-hitter. Washburn was provided with all the run support he would need with an rbi double of the bat of Mike Shannon in the seventh, then Curt Flood picked up a ribbie with a single in the eighth for a little insurance. It took 138 pitches to complete the no-hit bid, he recorded the last three outs of the game with a pair of groundouts by Ron Hunt and Willie Mays before he got Willie McCovey to hit a soft liner to Curt Flood to complete the feat, it was only the second ball of the day that left the infield. The day before Perry outdueled Bob Gibson and needed just 101 pitches to complete his no-hitter. Gibby scattered 4 hits with one of those being a first inning homer off the bat of Ron Hunt that the Cardinals couldn't get past as Perry shut down the Cardinals lineup. While the Giants were flying high after Perry's no-hitter, Washburn brought them right back down to earth as he matched the performance with a no-hitter of his own.


Only one other time had there been no-hitters tossed at a ballpark in consecutive days. It happened in 1917 when the St. Louis Browns no-hit the Chicago White Sox at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, but it happened over three games. The first no-no was tossed by Ed Koob on May 5th then the second no-no was tossed by Robert Groom in the second game of a doubleheader the next day.

Here's the box score from Washburn's no-no: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196809180.shtml

September 17, 1941: Stan The Man Musial Makes His Major League Debut

On September 17, 1941, a 20 year old kid by the name of Stan Musial made his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Boston Braves at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Cardinals had taken the first game by the score of 6-1 and were looking for a doubleheader sweep as they were in a heated pennant race with the league leading Dodgers. Musial, just called up from Rochester went 2 for 4 and put the Cards on the board with a two RBI double in the third inning. The Braves tied things up in the seventh after Cardinals second baseman Creepy Crespi committed and error that enabled Frank Demaree to reach first. Eddie Moore followed him with a triple that scored the first Braves run. Then Gene Moore plated the tying run with a single into right. With the score still knotted at 2 in the bottom of the ninth, Cardinals left fielder Estel Crabtree parked one in the seats to make Musial's debut a memorable one. Musial would play in 12 games with the Birds in '41, he showed he had what it took to be in the big leagues by carrying a .426 average over those 12 games. The Cardinals fell just 2 1/2 games short of winning the National League pennant but it was the beginning of one of the finest eras in Cardinals baseball, as The Man had arrived. He would go onto have one of the most storied careers in the history of the game. When he was first inked to a deal by the team in 1938, he was projected to be a pitcher, only to have arm problems change that course. It's a good thing those arm problems happened as he became the most prolific hitter in the history of the franchise and is at or near the top of many all time offensive categories, not only for the team but for all of major league baseball. Stan topped the .300 mark 17 times and won 7 batting titles with his famous corkscrew stance that produced 3,630 hits, 1,951 RBIs, and 475 home runs. Musial took the first of three MVP awards home in '43, then captured the other two in '46 and '48. In that MVP season of 1948, Musial fell just one home run short of capturing the triple crown. He helped lead the Cardinals to three World Series titles and appeared in a record 24 All Star games, that's a record he shares with Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. He earned his nickname "The Man" in '46 as he wreaked havoc on the Dodgers fans in Brooklyn, when they saw him strolling to the dish there was a collective "Uh oh. Here comes The Man.", as he was well on the way to becoming a legend. There is no athlete past or present that I admire more than Stan The Man Musial, he is one of the biggest reasons that I started this page and every time I get to bring you a Stan fact is a great day for me.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194109172.shtml

This is an absolute great video that highlights Musial's career: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsouyeY60CU

September 16, 1924: Bottomley Breaks The RBI Record With a 6 for 6 Performance

On September 16, 1924, Jim Bottomley hit his way straight into the record books with a 6 for 6 performance that led to a record setting 12 RBIs in a 17-3 rout over the Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. To call Bottomley a one man wrecking crew might be the understatement of the 20th century. Bottomley's day at the dsh went as follows; he started things off with a two RBI single in the first, then doubled in another run in the second, hit a grand slam in the  fourth, blasted a two run shot in sixth, and singled in two more runs in the seventh before breaking the RBI record with an RBI single in the ninth. The RBI record was matched by Mark Whiten when he went yard four times in one contest in 1993. Bottomley recorded a total of  13 bases in the contest and crossed the plate three times on his way to establishing the new mark. Before Bottomley's 12 RBI day the record had stood at 11, it had been set by Wilbert Robinson in 1892, Robinson was the Dodgers manager when Bottomley broke the record.


Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO192409160.shtml

September 15, 1950: Munger's Complete Game Victory in Relief

On September 15, 1950, Cardinals starter Cloyd Boyer hurt his arm in pregame warmups which led the Cardinals skipper Eddie Dyer to call on Red Munger who turned in a complete game performance in a 6-2 win over the Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Despite the fact that Munger went the distance he was not credited with the start but did get credit for the complete game. He might be the only pitcher that pitched a complete game but technically didn't start for the club that day. The game had drama from the start as the Dodgers skipper Burt Shotton played it under protest after a call at the plate gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. The incident occurred when umpire Dusty Boggess called third baseman Tommy Glaviano safe at the plate, after a Red Schoendienst double brought him into score. The Brooklyn catcher Bruce Edwards immediately argued the call, he thought that Glaviano didn't touch the plate and the run should not count. While the argument was going on, Glaviano slid into the dish once again and the ump signaled him safe. This sent the Dodgers manager onto the field to consult with the crew chief Babe Pinelli who signaled Glaviano out. This sent the Cardinals bench into a frenzy and suddenly it was the Redbirds arguing with the umps, along with manager Eddie Dyer, Stan Musial, and Enos Slaughter argued that the catcher would have had to tag Glaviano at the original decision to call the runner safe was held up, pretty crazy start to a ballgame. After all the drama Munger scattered 9 hits with one of those hits being a home run off the bat of Dick Snider. While the Brooklyn hurler Don Newcombe was victimized by two sixth inning errors by Pee Wee Reese that led to three Cardinal runs, it was an inning they couldn't overcome as the Cardinals rolled to victory.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO195009150.shtml