June 7, 1970: Simba's First Home Run Sparks A Cardinals Rally

     On June 7, 1970, down 7-1 to the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium after four innings, the Cardinals began an epic comeback that ended with the Birds on top by the score of 10-7. The comeback began in the sixth inning when a 20-year-old catcher by the name of Ted Simmons belted the first home run of his career. The two run shot off of Roberto Rodriguez closed the gap to 7-3, but the San Diego hurler looked to settle down quickly as retired the next three men. However, the seventh inning proved to be the difference maker, as the Cardinals exploded for seven runs in the frame to turn the tables on the team from the West Coast.

     Pinch hitting for Bob Gibson, Vic Davalillo led the frame off with a single. Lou Brock followed him with a single to right, that moved Davalillo over to third, before Jose Cardenal picked up the third single in a row. The single by Cardenal scored Davalillo, moved Brock to third, and ended the day for Roberto Rodriguez. With the score sitting at 7-4 San Diego, Ron Herbal took over pitching duties for the Friars, and he would end up being charged with the loss, as he walked the bases full, gave up a two RBI double to Joe Torre, then watched Ted Simmons knock in the game tying run.

     That all came before there was even an out recorded in the inning, which came in the form of a double play ball. With the score knotted at seven all the visitors needed was one out to get out of the frame tied, but that one out did not come soon enough to the delight of the crowd at Busch. Herbal put Julian Javier on with an intentional pass before hitting the showers, and handing the ball off to Dave Roberts. Red Schoendienst called his shortstop Dal Maxvill back from the batters box, and sent Leron Lee into hit for him . The move paid off as he broke the deadlock with a two RBI double to give the Birds a 9-7 lead. One of the runs scored off of that double was charged to Herbal, which led to him adding a loss to his stats totals. Although, no Padres pitcher could get the job done in that frame.

     Before the seventh run outburst concluded the Cardinals batting order had come full circle, and Davalillo had another chance to inflict damage to the efforts of the opponent. And that he did, by rapping a single that scored Lee and gave the Cardinals a three run cushion. Roberts gave up another single to Lou Brock, before handing it over to the fourth Padres pitcher of the inning, Al Santorini who was able to pick up the third Cardinals out. Frank Linzy took over on the mound for the Cards in the eighth, and got the job done until he put himself into a jam in the ninth with two men on and one out. Ted Abernathy bailed Linzy out by coming in and locking down a save in what was a truly wild game in St. Louis.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197006070.shtml

June 6, 1933: Another Riot In The Grand Ole Tale of Dizzy Dean

     On June 6, 1933, the Cardinals and the Reds celebrated "Ladies Day" in Cincinnati with a near riot before the ballgame, which included a fight with none other than good ole Dizzy Dean. The Cardinals hurler apparently got under the skin of Reds pitcher Paul Derringer so much that fists began to fly. One of the funnier accounts of the story said "The big Cincinnati pitcher then uncorked a right hand swing that may or may not have landed on Dean's eye." Before the game was in the books there were ejections, bottles flying, and police escorts for the umpires who were calling what turned out to be a 6-2 victory for the boys who wore the Birds on the Bat.

     Derringer had worn those same Birds on the Bat on Opening Day, but was shipped to Cincy as part of a package deal that brought Leo Durocher to the club. Before that trade was made, he had an outstanding 18-8 rookie season in '31, and was a huge part of the club that won a the National League Pennant, before winning the World Series. Dizzy Dean arrived in '32, and put together an 18 win season of his own, while Derringer's record fell to 11-14. It was said that the two players never did get along, and after the trade happened it that became very evident, as the two clubs were set to meet on that day in early June.  Derringer had said that Dean had been "riding the life out of me," and he could not take it anymore. The two players met midfield as the  two teams practiced before the game where Derringer asked Dean if he meant everything he was saying about him, and when Dean said he meant every word, Derringer swung. As mentioned before some said a fist landed on Dean's eye, while Dean himself refuted the claim, and he even asked the reporters if they seen any damage. The two pitchers were ejected before the game began, as the show went on, and quite a show it was.

     Wild Bill Hallahan, and Sylvester Johnson allowed just four hits to the Reds batters, while the Cardinals offense exploded for 16 hits as they rolled to victory. The offensive outburst was led by Ducky Medwick who went 4 for 5, with a home run, and three ribbies. With that said, the game was hardly the news of the day, as "Ladies Day" turned into an absolute raucous blast. The Cardinals rightfielder George Watkins was tossed in the fifth after arguing a call, then things seemed to settle down until the ninth when the acting manager of the Reds, Jewel Ens was tossed for arguing a call. Once he was tossed, bottles began to be tossed. One bottle hit Cardinals second baseman Burgess Whitehead, and fans in the stands began to duck for cover as they came pouring out of the upper deck at Redland Field. After Johnson recorded the last out that locked down a Cardinals win, the crowd continued to throw things, and berate the umpires as police escorted them off the field. Ladies Day had been a complete success.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN193306060.shtml

June 5, 1962: Home Run 450 Turns Out To Be One More Walk Off For The Man

     On  June 5, 1962,  Stan Musial blasted the 450th home run of his career with a walk off bomb in the bottom of the eleventh inning at Busch to lead the Cardinals to 10-9 comeback win over the visiting Reds. It was quite the week for the future Hall of Famer, as he watched his daughter Gerry graduate from Villa Duchesne High School, his son Dick graduating from Notre Dame, and he also received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. The game was an up and down battle that had every emotion in it from anger to jubilation as the Cardinals found their way to the win column.

     The club was in the midst of an eight game losing streak coming into this contest, and it looked like it was going to be a nine game streak before the day was over. They had fell in a 9-1 hole before they were set to bat in the bottom of the sixth. That is when the tide turned, as the team cut the lead to 9-4 before the inning was over. The comeback continued in the bottom of the seventh, as Bill White rocked a three run shot to cut the lead to 9-7. Musial followed White with a single, moved over to second on a wild pitch, then watched his teammate Ken Boyer hit a game tying home run. It was a whole new ballgame.

     Before the comeback began reliever Ray Sadecki got under the skin of the Cardinals skipper Johnny Keane by virtually imploding on the mound in what turned out to be a five run frame for the Reds. Sadecki began the inning by serving up a long ball, then committed two errors, before serving up his second long ball of the inning, which was a three run bomb by Frank Robinson. Keane called it the poorest performance he had ever seen on a major league diamond, and because of that he levied what was considered a heavy fine of $250 on the hurler. By today's standards that would be nearly $2,000, and this was long before the big paydays that would come to players years later. Sadecki asked to to be traded after the incident, but cooler heads would prevail, and he would be a key piece to the 1964 Championship club.

     After the Birds made it a new ballgame, Lindy McDaniel took over on the bump for the Birds in the eighth, and held court through the eleventh to give the club a chance to win. It was a chance that would not be wasted, as Musial watched Bill White groundout to start the bottom of the inning, before he stepped to the dish and connected with the walk off shot.

     The 450th bomb of Stan Musial's career was not only a walk off game winner. It was the last walk off in the career of  The Man. Musial hit a total of 12 walk off shots in the career that covered three different decades. His first walk off bomb came on July 14, 1942, and more than 20 years later when the Hall of Fame resume had been written he was doing it again. There is nothing like watching your team win a ballgame with a walk off bomb. As someone who never got to watch "The Man" play, I can only imagine how great it was to watch him do it.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196206050.shtml

If you would like to check out some of Stan's home run stats check this out:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.cgi?id=musiast01&t=b

June 4,1924: Howard Freigau Lights Up The Phillies

     On June 4, 1924, Howard Freigau led the way in a 12-5 Cardinals win over the  Phillies at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. The Redbirds third baseman rapped out 4 hits in 5 trips to the plate, stole four bases, and knocked in five of the Cardinals runs, while crossing the dish once himself. The '24 season is not a celebrated season, as the club posted a 65-89 record. However, there were days like this one when the sun shined bright for the boys who wore the Birds on the Bat.

      Freigau made his debut with the Birds in September of 1922. He played in just three games that season, before taking over at shortstop in 1923. He hit .269 that season, then flirted with .300 in '24, as he fell just one point short of the mark. Freigau was traded to the Cubs after just appearing in nine games in 1925. That '25 season proved to be his best as he hit .307 and knocked in 71 runs. However, what the Cardinals got in return for the young utility player was a 30 year old catcher by the name of Bob O'Farrell who put together an MVP season in 1926 and was key in bringing St. Louis its first World Series title in the modern era.

     Freigau could play any of the infield positions, which made him a valuable member of a major league roster. After three seasons in The Windy City, Freigau spent time in a  Brooklyn Robins uniform, as well as the uniform of the Boston Braves. The last time he held a bat at the major league level was for the Braves at the end of the '28 season. That did not mean his days on the diamond were over though. He spent time in the American Association, as well as the Southern Association where he was able to play the game until he was tragically killed in 1932.

     The incident that took Freigau's life was one that will make you shake your head in disbelief. According to Bury My Heart at Cooperstown, Salacious, Sad,  and Surreal Deaths in The History of Baseball by Frank Russo and Gene Racz, Freigau was was playing for the Knoxville Smokies in '32, and after a long hot day he decided to take a late night swim. It was a decision that would cost him his life, as he unknowingly dove into the shallow end of a pool head first and broke his neck and drowned. He was only 29 at the time.

     Before that fateful day came Freigau had hit .272 in a big league career that stretched over seven seasons, and before that part of his life as a professional baseball player began he had been an all around athlete that excelled in basketball at Ohio State. The way is life ended is unfortunate, but everything that came before it is what matters the most, and 90 years ago today was a great day in the life of Howard Freigau. In the end, it is much more important to remember how a person lived their life, rather than how their life came to a close.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI192406040.shtml

You can look at Friegau's numbers here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freigho01.shtml

June 3, 1984: LaPoint Earns His First Complete Game Shutout

     On June 3, 1984, Cardinals starting pitcher Dave LaPoint locked down his first complete game shutout as he blanked the Mets 1-0 at Shea Stadium in New York. The Cardinals hurler was assisted by an RBI single off the bat of Ken Oberkfell in the fourth that scored George Hendrick. The Mets starter, Mike Torrez gave up 10 hits in the contest. However, his defense bailed him out time and time again, while his offense failed to get to LaPoint. The '84 season was LaPoint's third full season at the big league level. He had posted a 9-3 record for the Birds during the Championship season of 1982, and started Game Four of the Fall Classic. He followed up the '82 campaign with back-to-back 12 wins seasons before being dealt to the San Francisco Giants in a package deal that brought Jack Clark to town.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN198406030.shtml

     While looking at the game summaries from that day I could not help but notice that John Tudor pitched the Pirates to a 4-0 victory, which locked down his first complete game shutout as a member of the National League. Tudor had spent the first five years of career in Boston, before the Pirates swung a deal for him in the Winter of '83. The Pirates saw great potential in the 30-year-old who had posted 13 wins twice in his career. Both of those 13 win seasons had at least 10 losses attached to the other side of the stat column as he had not realized his true potential just yet. After going 12-11 for the Buccos during that '84 campaign, a deal was made that made him a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1985, Tudor posted a 21-6 record for the National League Champion Cardinals, and finished second in the Cy Young balloting. He never came close to the 20 win plateau again, but was a solid pitcher on a staff that also claimed the National League Crown in 1987.

June 2, 1926: The Birds Hand The Cubs a Crushing Defeat In Wrigleyville

     On June 2, 1926, the Cardinals handed the Cubs a 14-6 defeat at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rogers Hornsby led the way in the 15 hit attack that was unleashed with a 2 for 4 day that included a home run, and five RBIs. Hornsby also walked in the contest, and crossed the dish three times before the game was put in the books. The Cardinals victimized a trio of Cubs pitchers, which included starter George Milstead, and relievers Sheriff Blake, and Johnny Welch. The boys who wore the Birds on the Bat came into that contest seven games out of first place, and were ranked fifth in the division. With the help of some losses within the division, the club jumped up to just 4 1/2 games out the next day by blanking the Phillies 4-0. The team moved up and down in the standings following that day, getting as close as a half game, while never falling more than five games out. They fought, battled, and clawed their way into a first place tie on August 19th, and took over first place the next day for the first time since the sixth game of the season. This was 118 games into the 154 game schedule. The team had heated up when it mattered the most as they posted a 36-19 record over their last two months of the season as they made their charge toward the National League Pennant, and an eventual World Series Crown.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN192606020.shtml

June 1, 1981: Templeton Goes Off At The Plate One Day After Requesting A Trade

     On June 1,1981, Garry Templeton's bat led the way in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Expos at Busch. Batting in the two-hole, the 25-year-old shortstop went 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. Just one day earlier Templeton had asked to be traded. He had been struggling at the dish a bit, so Cards skipper Whitey Herzog moved him out if his usual leadoff spot, and was shuffling the deck a bit trying to get him to work through his struggles. Templeton objected to the move, and he let reporters know it. However, he denied that it was the reason he requested the trade. The reason that was given was he wanted to be closer to his family on the West Coast. He even suggested that the club swap him to San Diego for a 26-year-old shortstop in San Diego by the name of Ozzie Smith. When the Whitey Herzog heard that Templeton was talking trade, he said "It'll be a cold summer day in St. Louis before he even thinks about trading his .307 lifetime hitter." While the White Rat thought that at the time, things changed in August of that year when Templeton flipped off the cowd at Busch. It was the beginning of the end for the man who had represented the Cardinals during two All Star games. In December of that same year, Templeton's suggestion to trade him for the shortstop that was playing in San Diego became a reality, and as they say... The rest is history.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198106010.shtml