May 7, 1959: 400 Homers For Stan The Man

     On May 7, 1959, Stan "The Man" Musial knocked his 400th ball out of the yard. The historic home run not only made Musial the sixth player to reach the plateau, it also won the game as it came in the form of a walkoff blast that propelled the Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium.

Musial had 75 more home runs left in his bat before his career came to a close. 252 of his 475 home runs came in St. Louis. He victimized the Giants more than any other ballclub by knocking 89 balls out of the yard while facing them. The team that  helped provide Stan with his nickname, the Dodgers followed with 74, then came those baby bears from Chicago's North side. Cubs outfielders turned their heads and watch the ball fly over the wall 67 times when Stan swung that bat, which included that big blast on this day in '59.

Stats of a legend: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/musiast01.shtml

Check out the historic box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195905070.shtml

May 6, 1977: Sparks Fly at Busch

     On May 6, 1977, "The Mad Hungarian" combined with Pete Falcone in a three-hitter in a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros at Busch. Sparks flew in the bottom of the ninth when closer Al Hrabosky plunked Houston's Cesar Cedeno to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Cedeno charged the Cardinals hurler and the benches cleared. It took ten minutes for the dust to settle that ended with ejections of Houston's Joaquin Andujar, and St. Louis' Roger Freed, before Hrabosky earned the save.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197705060.shtml

May 5, 1933, Pepper Martin Hits For The Cycle

     On May 5, 1933, Pepper Martin hit for the cycle at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. His historic performance led the charge in a 5-3 victory over the Phillies. Martin came into the big leagues with a bang in 1931 for the club who would go onto win the World Series. He hit .300 during his rookie season, before rockin a .500 average during the World Series. The 1932 season saw Martin's average dip to .238 before bouncing back with a .316 average. He also led the league with 122 runs scored, as well as 26 stolen bases during that '33 campaign.

Check out Martin's stats here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martipe01.shtml

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI193305050.shtml

May 4, 1922: A Wild Ninth Inning Ends With A Cardinals Victory

     On May 4, 1922, in a game versus the Reds at Sportsman's Park, the Cardinals watched a 3-1 lead turn into a 7-3 deficit in the top of the ninth inning, as the club from Cincy plated six runs in the frame. The implosion was forgotten in the bottom half of the inning when the Birds scored five runs to win the game 8-7. The rally began with a one out bases loaded single off the bat of  Joe Schulte. Eddie Ainsmith picked up another single to load the bases again, and Jack Fournier drew back-to-back walks that pushed in the tying run. Rogers Hornsby followed them with a long drive to right that capped off the ninth inning heroics. The reported attendance was 4,000 people. I'm sure many of them began making their way home after watching the lead disappear in the ninth. Those who stayed witnessed an epic comeback that they would not soon forget.

     Hornsby won the Triple Crown in 1922 with a .401 average, 152 RBIs, and 42 home runs. In 1924 he led the league with a .424 average which has not been matched since. He followed it up with another with his second Triple Crown in 1925 with a .403 average, 143 RBIs, and 39 homers. The only other Cardinal to accomplish the feat was Ducky Medwick who did it in 1937. Stan The Man Musial almost joined Hornsby and Medwick , but fell one home run short of taking the Crown in his MVP season of 1948. Frankie Frisch was asked about Hornsby once and he responded with "He's the only guy who could hit .350 in the dark."

Stats of a legend: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hornsro01.shtml

May 3, 1934, Medwick Slams The Cards To Victory

     On May 3, 1934, a Ducky Medwick fourth inning grand slam against Philadelphia's Phil Collins highlighted an 8-7 victory over the Phillies at Sportsman's Park. The big blast proved to the difference maker as the club from Philly made a late surge before being put to bed by Jesse Haines who earned the save. The '34 season started off with a bang with the Cardinals blowing out the Pirates 7-1. However, they lost five in a row after the Opening Day victory, before claiming their second victory of the season. The team lost another couple of games and had a record of 2-7 before they beat the Cubs on April 29th. The rough start became a thing of the past as the club got hot and rattled off seven wins in a row starting off with the victory in Chicago. Medwick's grand slam performance came in the fifth game of that seven game winning streak. The seven game winning streak proved to be the longest streak of the season. It would be matched two more times during the season that the Gashouse Gang were crowned Champions.

Check out the box score here:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193405030.shtml

May 2, 1954: Stan The Man Blasts 5 Homeruns In One Day

     On May 2, 1954, Stan The Man Musial set a major league record by blasting 5 home runs during a doubleheader against the Giants at Busch Stadium. In the first contest, The Man blasted a solo shot in the third, a two run shot in the fifth, and a three run shot in the eighth. The first two came against Johnny Antonelli, and the third came with Jim Hearn on the mound. Musial also singled in the contest as he finished the first game 4 for 4 with six RBIs. The Cardinals fell to the Giants 9-7 in the second tilt, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort by The Man who blasted two more against reliever Hoyt Wilhelm. The fourth Musial blast was was a two run shot in the fifth, then he capped off the record setting performance with a solo shot to lead of the seventh. Stan's final home run of the day smacked into a taxicab on Grand Avenue. The driver, Joe Caparo, was listening on the radio, and returned the historic ball to Musial. In return, The Man signed a ball for him. At the end of the day Musial had not only set a new record for home runs in a doubleheader, he had also set a record for total bases with 21, and the bat that he had used was sent to Cooperstown.

      The 5 home runs in a doubleheader was matched by San Diego's Nate Colbert in 1972. Colbert surpassed the 21 total bases mark by one, and still holds that record today. To date, Colbert is the only other player to join Stan in the 5 home runs in a doubleheader club. A native St. Louisan, Colbert was sitting in the stands the day The Man set the mark, and nearly 20 years later he joined his childhood hero in a club that includes just him and the one the only Stan The Man Musial.

Not one, but two historic box scores On This Day In Cardinal Nation:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195405021.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195405022.shtml

May 1, 1954: Stan The Man on The Saturday Evening Post

     On May 1, 1954, Stan The Man Musial appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. The painting done by John Falter depicted the Cardinals legend signing autographs for a group of youngsters. Two of the children were native St. Louisans by the names of Bill Fassett and Michael Lane. Fassett appeared on the cover twice, once as the redhead, then again with black hair. Between the two of them, they received 40 autographs from the pen of Musial, and were excited about the possibility of reaping a great rewards when they sold them to classmates in school. Some fans quickly pointed out what they believed to be an error, as Musial was signing the autographs with his right hand. However, they were mistaken. While Musial hit from the left side, and threw from the left side, he used his right hand to write. When asked about it, Musial said "(Fans) seem to think I should be left handed all the way, and I remind them I am, except in writing and thinking." The original copy of the magazine was presented to the Commissioner of Baseball Ford C. Frick where it hung in his office. (Makes me wonder where that copy is today)