April 6, 2001: Vina Goes 5 for 5 and Pujols Hits His First Dinger

     On April 6, 2001, Fernando Vina went 5 for 5 which included a triple, and three ribbies as the Cardinals knocked off the Diamondbacks 12-9 on Opening Day in Arizona. The big inning for the Birds came in the fifth when they broke a 2-2 tie by scoring eight runs in the frame. One inning before the offensive explosion a 21-year-old rookie by the name of Albert Pujols hit the first home run of his career, it was a 2 run shot that gave the Cardinals their first lead of the day. Pujols parked 445 balls in the seats while wearing the Birds on the Bat.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI200104060.shtml
   

April 5, 1974: The Birds Win a Wild Season Opener

     On April 5, 1974, a single off the bat of Ted Sizemore capped off a 6-5, 10 inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium on Opening Day. The Cardinals came into the bottom of the frame trailing 5-4 after Willie Stargell singled in Richie Hebner in the top half of the inning. Hebner had one helluva day as he had hit a pair of home runs off of Bob Gibson earlier in the ballgame, before picking up a double in the tenth that led to the go ahead run. Hebner's day would be spoiled in what turned out to be a wild finish at the ole ballpark.

     Bake McBride opened up the bottom of the 10th with a bunt single off of Dave Guisti. The speedster darted to third when Kenny Reitz picked up a single, then was knocked in by Tim McCarver, who snuck one by second baseman Rennie Stennett to tie the ballgame. Following McCarver's ribbie Jose Cruz came into pinch hit for Al Hrabosky and found his way to first base with a bunt single to load the bases. The bunt single by Cruz ended Guisti's day, and Ramon Hernandez took over pitching duties for the Bucco's. The first man Hernandez had to face was Lou Brock who was hoping to send the fans home happy.

     Unfortunately for Brock, he hit into a bizarre double play that will leave you scratching your head. It started with a liner into right that was trapped by Gene Clines. The baserunners not knowing if it was caught or not held up, and an alert Clines fired the ball to the plate to force Jim Dwyer who had come into run for Reitz. The Pirates catcher Mike Ryan then fired the ball to Hebener at third base to force McCarver, then Hebner threw it to second where Stennett put a tag on McCarver rather than step on the bag. If he would have stepped on the bag it would have been a triple play with Brock standing at first while Cruz was trying to get to second in time to avoid being forced. With the triple play disaster averted Sizemore shot a single into left to give the Birds their first win of the campaign.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197404050.shtml

April 4, 1988: Joe Magrane Goes Deep on Opening Day

     On April 4, 1988, Joe Magrane became just the second Cardinals pitcher to hit a home run on Opening Day. The only other time it was accomplished was by Jack Powell in 1901. Magrane's big blast was a three-run shot that came in the fourth inning and propelled the Birds to a 4-1 lead. Unfortunately for Magrane and the Birds, errors would haunt them as the Reds came back to tie it, then win the game with an RBI from Kal Daniels in the 12th inning. Daniels had also hit a solo shot earlier in the ballgame. While most days I would pick a fact that involves a win over a loss, I was surprised to learn that only Magrane and Powell were the only two Cardinals pitchers to accomplish the Opening Day feat. When Powell did it on 1901 the team lost 8-7, so maybe it is best for a pitcher to simply pitch the ballgame on Opening Day rather than breakout the boomstick.

Check out the box score along with the play by play:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198804040.shtml

April 3, 1969: Welcome Back Bill White

     On April 3, 1969, Bing Devine sent utility infielder Jerry Buchek and catcher Jim Hutto to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for first baseman Bill White. It was the second go around for White with the Cardinals organization. White played in just 49 games that season, primarily as a pinch hitter, before calling it a career.

     He had been acquired by the club in 1959 in a swap with the San Francisco Giants and would go onto enjoy his best years in the Gateway City, which included  the 1964 Championship run. In October of  '65, White along with Bob Uecker, and Dick Groat were sent to Philadelphia  in exchange for Art Mahaffey, Alex Johnson, and Pat Corrales. None of the players involved in that deal panned out for the Birds, however, White was also in a downturn when it came to his career. He hit .258 in his 3 years in Philly before being sent back to the Cardinals.

     In 8 years with the Cardinals, White hit .298 and parked 140 balls in the seats. He is also 1 of 18 Cardinals to hit for the cycle, a feat he accomplished in 1960. After his playing career came to a close he spent 18 years behind the mic, before taking a job as President of the National League in 1989. It was a post he held until 1994.

Check out Bill White's numbers here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitebi03.shtml

April 2, 1937: The Gashouse Gang and The Battle of Tampa

     On April 2, 1937, Dizzy Dean, Ducky Medwick, and the Gashouse Gang got into a fight with two reporters at a hotel in Tampa, Florida. The fight started over something that Jack Miley of the New York Daily News had written about Dean's wife Pat wearing the pants in their family. It all went down when the team arrived at the hotel after a spring training loss against the Reds. With Dean and the rest of the boys still in uniform coming into the hotel, Dean's wife pointed the reporter out to husband. Dizzy approached him, and let him know that he didn't appreciate the article. As words continued to exchange, one man pushed another, then cleats, bats, and fists began to fly as the Gashouse Gang fought what was dubbed the "Battle of Tampa."

     Irving Kupcinet from the Chicago Daily Times came to the defense of his fellow sportswriter, while most of the Cardinals roster came to the defense of Dean. The only two Cardinals that refrained from joining in the festivities were Pepper Martin and Leo Durocher. When it was all said and done, property had been damaged, Miley had a cut on his head from the spike of a cleat, and Kupcinet walked away with a black eye. Kupcinet refused to let it go, he challenged Dean to a one on one fight. According to Pittsburgh Press, Kupcinet said "You yellow bellied hen pecked husband you wouldn't fight a baby. I'll fight you any place, any time, you just name it."  Kupcinet was was an athlete as well, he had played quarterback for North Dakota, then the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was one who could hold his own. In the days that followed, it was reported that Dean wanted no part of that battle.

     Following the incident, the Cardinals skipper Frankie Frisch condemned the actions of Dean and the rest of the men involved. However, Kupcinet continued to bash the Cardinals through his newspaper, while Dean, who always had a gift for gab, defended his actions. In the end they both had to get over it. Some more recent publications said that the players involved issued an apology, although, I was not able to find any newspaper articles that mentioned a formal apology. However, I did find an article that was printed more than a year after the incident that had Dean refusing to talk with Martin McCarthy who was the boss of Kupcinet at the Chicago Daily Times. Dean, who had been traded to the Cubs almost a month before that article was printed eventually came around and talked with McCarthy who was considered to have grabbed a scoop from the former Cardinal. As the water flowed under the bridge, time moved on, and one more tale had been told from the days of the Gashouse Gang.

Go Cards!!!

April 1, 1987: The Cards Send Van Slyke and Company To Pittsburgh For Tony Pena

     On April 1, 1987, Dal Maxvill sent outfielder Andy Van Slyke, catcher Mike LaValliere, and a minor league pitcher by the name of Mike Dunne to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for three time All Star catcher Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April Fools joke, while Pena openly wept when he was informed of the deal.

     In hindsight the deal might not have been the best ever made in the history of the Cardinals organization, as Van Slyke lived up to his true potential in Pittsburgh. At the time of the trade Van Slyke was 26-years-old and had played 521 games, hitting .259, with 41 homers. He had fell short of expectations, but many thought he had the tools to become an All Star caliber player, which he did in Pittsburgh, as he went to the mid summer classic three times representing the Buccos.

     Pena had a rough year in '87, just three games into his stay with the Cardinals he broke his thumb, and went onto hit just .214, however, he found his stride near the end of the season and helped the Cardinals win the National League East. Pena then went onto hit .381 in the NLCS, which was key in helping the Cardinals reach the World Series.

     Pena caught more than 140 games in each of the next two seasons that he wore the Birds on the Bat. In 1989 he returned to the All Star game as one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball. Following that '89 campaign Pena was granted his release from the club and inked a deal with the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile in the Steel City, Van Slyke developed into a star. He wore the Pirates uniform until the end of the '94 season. In his 8 years in Pittsburgh, Van Slyke hit .283 and knocked 117 home runs out of the yard. Comparatively, Pena hit just .253 in his three years with the Birds and parked 19 balls in the seats.

     The other players involved: Mike Dunne and Mike LaValliere had some success. Dunne won 13 games for the Pirates during the '87 season, but arm issues kept him from finding great success. LaValliere and Van Slyke helped the Pirates reach the NLCS for three consecutive years from '90-'92. However, that is as far as they got. LaVallier spent 7 seasons with the Pirates and hit .278 in that time. While this trade might not have been the best one ever made for the Birds it was a trade that wrote another chapter in the rich history of the organization.

If you would like to look over the numbers of each of the ballplayers involved in the deal you can check them out here.
Tony Pena: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/penato01.shtml
Andy Van Slyke: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vanslan01.shtml
Mike LaValliere: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lavalmi01.shtml
Mike Dunne: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dunnemi01.shtml

   

March 31, 1998: Grand Slam For Big Mac On Opening Day

     On March 31, 1998, Mark McGwire became the first Cardinal to hit a grand slam on Opening Day as he helped spark the Birds to a 6-0 victory over the Dodgers in St. Louis. This marked the first home run of the historic '98 season for McGwire who surpassed Roger Maris' record of of 61 bombs on his way to 70 which set the single season record that had stood since 1961. The crowd of 47,972 stood for a 2 minute and 46 second ovation following the round tripper before Big Mac stood at the top step of the dugout and took a curtain call. Only two other Cardinals players have since joined McGwire in the opening day grand slam club: Scott Rolen in 2006 and Yadier Molina in 2010.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199803310.shtml