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

September 30, 1961: A 7 Run Sixth Puts The Phillies Away

On September 30, 1961, behind 5 RBIs by Ken Boyer the Cardinals cruised to a 12-2 victory over the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Curt Flood led the game off with a double and scored the first run of the game when Bill White picked up a double of his own. The Cardinals catcher Glen Oliver added another run with a solo shot in the top of the fourth, then the Phillies got that run back after Ray Washburn gave up back-to-back hits in the bottom of the inning before Clay Dalrymple picked up an RBI on a groundout. Flood tripled in the fifth, it didn't turn into a run but the Cardinals center fielder was having himself a good ole day at the ballpark. Washburn settled in after the hiccup inning and the Cardinals added some much needed breathing room in the sixth as they struck for 7 runs in the inning. Stan The Man led the inning off with a single, the Ken Boyer took the Philadelphia starter John Buzhardt deep and the Birds were on the verge of a crooked number. Glen Oliver followed Boyer and he picked up his second hit of the day, a double off of Buzhardt, which ended the pitcher's day but it didn't end the Phillies pain. Dallas Green took over on the bump and he issued a walk outfielder Doug Clemens right out of the gate. Shortstop Jerry Buchek got in on the fun by picking up an rbi with a single. Then the Cardinals starter, Washburn hit into a fielder's choice that eliminated Clemens at third and recorded the first out of the inning. Curt Flood kept the line moving with a single to left to load the bases. Then the next man up was Julian Javier, he hit a hot shot to short that looked like it should have been at least one out, instead it turned into an E6 and another Cardinals runner scored. The door had blown wide open, the score was 6-1 after Javier got on after the error and more runs were on the way. Bill White hit into the second fielder's choice of the inning, albeit a productive fielder's choice as Washburn came into score. Stan The Man capped off the monster inning with a single that brought both Flood and Javier into score. The club had started the inning with a slim 2-1 lead and walked out of it pummeling the Phillies 9-1. With Dallas Green still pitching for the Phillies in the eighth, the Cardinals struck for three more runs. Flood picked up his fourth hit of the contest with a one out single before Javier put him one second base with his first hit of the day. After Green walked Bill White, he picked up an out, then Ken Boyer struck again with a bases clearing double that was a proverbial nail in the coffin. Boyer's double opened the Cardinals lead to 12-1. Washburn gave up another run in the ninth but he was able to go the distance as the Cardinals completed the beatdown in Philly. There were three stars to this game in this one; Boyer with his 5 RBIs, Flood with a 4 for 4 performance that was just a home run shy of the cycle, and the complete game 7 strikeout performance by Washburn. While the Cards were out of the race at that point in the '61 season they went out on a positive note, the next day was the last of the regular season and Bob Gibson pitched a complete game shutout in a 2-0 win to cap it off.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196109300.shtml

September 29, 1963: Stan The Man Musial's Career Comes To A Close

On September 29, 1963, an era in Cardinals baseball came to a close as Stan The Man Musial played in his last major league game. Musial ended his career much like it began, with two hits in a 3-2 victory at Sportsman's Park. 22 years earlier Musial was a 20 year old kid that had dreams of making it in the big leagues, he would not only achieve that dream he would reach legendary status. Before the contest against the Reds, there was a pregame ceremony to honor The Man. After a variety of speeches the always humble Stan thanked everyone and acknowledged it was a day he would not forget. His teammates presented him with a ring that had six diamonds in it shaped like his #6. Before the two teams took the field the owner of the club Gussie Busch made it be known that no other player would ever wear that #6 in a Cardinals uniform. The game that was set to take place had a couple of great pitchers ready to square off as Cincinatti sent 23 game winner Jim Maloney to the hill while the Cardinals countered with Bob Gibson who had 18 wins under his belt. Musial went down on strikes in his first at bat then in the fourth he ripped a single up the middle that got past a rookie second baseman by the name of Pete Rose. In the sixth Musial picked up his second single of the day that brought Curt Flood into score the first Cardinal run. It was the 3,630th hit f his career and his 1,815th at home. After that second hit the great Stan Musial was lifted from the game as Gary Kolb would come into pinch run for him. Ken Boyer and Bill White put together back-to-back singles before a Charlie James sac fly brought Kolb into score what would prove to be a very important run. With Gibson still on the mound in the ninth the Reds tied things up, it spoiled an 11 strikeout performance for the Cardinals hurler but it didn't spoil Musial's 3,026th game played. 3 hours and 45 minutes after the first pitch shortstop Dal Maxvill hit a walk off double to give Stan and the Birds a victory. After the game Musial said "Everyone was pulling for a home run, but I'm a singles hitter, so it seemed appropriate that I should go out with a pair of'em." While his playing days ended on that late September day in 1963 his legacy will live forever, generations to come will dream of the days when Musial came strolling to the plate at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. There are so many great things you could say about Stan, one of those things is he not only showed people how to play ball, he showed people how they should live. He did it the right way on the field and in life. Hats off to the one and only Stan The Man Musial.

This is a video of Musial's last at bat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-MkfzSy4p8

Here's the final box score of Stan's career: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196309290.shtml