June 15, 1964: The Cubs Send The Birds Brock for Broglio

     On June 15, 1964, one of the most lopsided trades in the history of Major League Baseball was made when Cardinals General Manager Bing Devine dealt Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens, and Bobby Shantz to the Chicago Cubs, in return the Cardinals got Jack Spring, Paul Toth, and a 24 year old kid by the name of Lou Brock. On the surface it looked like the Cubs got the better end of the deal. Broglio was a former 20 game winner, and it looked like they had landed a true frontline starter for their rotation. Brock had just two big league seasons under his belt at the time of the trade, he was a hot prospect with blazing speed and great baserunning skills but struggled at the plate a bit, which led the Cubs organization to making the deal that sent him to St. Louis. Broglio's best days were behind him.  He spent just two and a half seasons in Chicago, and was hampered by a sore arm that led to a 7-19 record, which led to an early retirement. Brock spent the next 16 years in St. Louis and forged a career that led to Cooperstown. Four months to the day that Brock was traded to the team the Cardinals won the World Series in seven games over the New York Yankees, and he helped the club win another title in '67. When Brock retired in 1979 he was the all time leader in stolen bases with 938 and had collected 3,023 hits in the big leagues. Brock found his spot in Cooperstown, New York in 1985. 

MLB Network did a great piece about the trade. It is narrated by St. Louis' own Greg Amsinger:
http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=23364247

June 15, 1949: Nippy Jones Knocks In Six For The Birds

     On June 15, 1949, a 9-5 win over the Dodgers in St. Louis brought an eight-game winning streak to a screeching halt for the club from Brooklyn who were sitting alone atop the National League Standings. The Cardinals offensive attack was led by first baseman Nippy Jones who drove in six runs with a home run, a double, and two singles. While Jones fell just a triple short of the cycle, his teammate Marty Marion was a home run away from achieving the feat before the game was put in the books. The game also featured what would have been called a web gem today, as Stan "The Man" Musial made a spectacular diving catch to cap off the Dodgers half of the fourth inning.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194906150.shtml

     Jones' given name was Vernal. He said he got his nickname from his Dad who enjoyed to take a little nip off a bottle here and there. When friends and family would see father and son coming along, they would say "There goes Nip and Little Nipper." He joked with a name like Vernal he needed a good nickname. Jones gained notoriety as a member of the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, for being hit on the shoe in the tenth inning while trailing the Yankees 5-4  in Game 4 of the World Series in Milwaukee. Initially it was called a ball, then an argument ensued, and Nippy pointed out some shoe polish on the ball, which led to him being awarded first base. The Braves rallied and won the game on a towering walk off by Eddie Mathews, then went onto win the series. It was the second World Series title that Jones would be a part of, as he was also crowned a World Series Champion in 1946, as a member of the Cardinals. Jones came up in '46, and played in just 16 games for the National League Champions, before striking out in his only at bat during the Fall Classic. He wore the Birds on the Bat across his chest during six different seasons, with the '48 and '49 campaigns being his best.

Check out the career numbers of Nippy Jones here:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesni01.shtml

June 14, 1917: The Cardinals Pull Off a Triple Steal

   On June 14, 1917, the Cardinals pulled off a rare triple steal during a four run fifth inning at Robison Field in St. Louis. The feat happened with Walton Cruise at first, Tim Long at second, and Dots Miller on third, when everyone went, and Miller stole home. The four runs scored in the inning put the Birds up 4-2 over the visiting Dodgers, but they watched it disappear as the Brooklyn squad tied it up with a run in the sixth and another in the seventh. Rogers Hornsby broke up the deadlock with a longball in the bottom of the seventh that proved to be a game winning shot, as reliever Lee Meadows held the Dodgers off the board the rest of the way.

     To my knowledge this is the only time a triple steal has been pulled off in the history of the Cardinals. I have researched it quite bit without finding another. With that said, there are no comprehensive lists that I can determine it for certain, and I do welcome any corrections as long as they can be determined factually. I did find an instance where the Cardinals were the victim of a triple steal, which happened on August 29, 1955, as Jackie Robinson swiped home plate with base runners in trail. That game in 1917 was quite a game as Dots Miller and the boys stole their way into the history books. 

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN191706140.shtml

June 13, 1914: Griner Whitewashes The Trolley Dodgers

     On June 13, 1914, Dan Griner pitched a five hit gem in Brooklyn, as he led the Cardinals to a 6-0 win over the Dodgers. On the offensive side of the ball, Griner was assisted by every bat that was in the lineup besides leftfielder Ted Cather and himself. He was also assisted by six errors by the home squad. The Dodgers starter Raleigh Aitchison was on the bump for each of the Cardinals runs as he gave his club seven innings of work, although he was charged with just two of the six runs scored. With the way Griner was pitching the defensive lapses hardly mattered, since all he needed was a run to win the contest.

     When it comes to the pitchers that have come and gone in the history of the Cardinals organization, Griner will never be a name that is widely recognized. His career began with the Birds in 1912. After going 3-4 in seven starts, he found a regular spot in the rotation the following season. To call the 1913 season a rough one for Griner would be an understatement. In fact, that season in Cardinals baseball was a particularly rough one, as they won just 51 games while losing 99 which was good for last place. Griner led the National League with 22 losses that for the club during that abysmal season in which he carried an E.R.A. over five. While Griner failed to post a winning record in 1914, he did bring his E.R.A. down to a respectable 2.51 as he put together a 9-13 record for the team who looked to be turning things around as they went 81-72 during the 1914 campaign. However, the team would still fall short of true contention for a number of years.

    After going 5-11 in 1915, Griner's career with the Redbirds came to a close after four appearances during the 1916 season. It looked like his days on a big league diamond were over, but he did return in 1918 for those same Dodgers that he shutout in 1914. He went just 1-5 in Brooklyn, however, the one win is a win that might have been the best of his career. It came on May 6th of that season, as he nearly laid claim to a no-hitter, only to watch it disappear with two outs in the ninth in Brooklyn.

     Griner put together a 27-50 record during his five years in St. Louis, and while those are hardly numbers to be wowed by, I look at him as part of a family tree that  has been growing since the St. Louis Brown Stockings joined the American Association in 1882, and 100 years ago today him and his teammates trotted off the field with smiles on their faces after he helped lead them to victory.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO191406130.shtml

June 12, 1984: Ricky Horton Gets The Job Done In His First Major League Start

     On June 12, 1984, with his family in the stands at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Cardinals rookie Rick Horton made his first major league start. Inserted into the rotation because of an injury to Bob Forsch, the 24-year-old hurler helped lead the Birds to a 7-2 victory over the Phillies. Horton was impressive as he went five strong, while allowing just two runs on a day that the offense provided him plenty of run support. Neil Allen took over for Horton in the sixth and was impressive as well, as he did not allow a hit the rest of the way. The offensive highlights included three hits by Ken Oberkfell, and a 2 for 5 performance by George Hendrick that included three ribbies, and a home run. Primarily a reliever throughout his career, Horton made a career high 18 starts during that rookie campaign.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI198406120.shtml

On that same day St. Louis' own Kyle McClellan was born. The Hazelwood West grad was a key contributor in the 2011 Championship club, as he posted 12 wins for the team who made an extraordinary run at an 11th title.

June 12, 1927: Les Bell Comes Through With a Walk Off Blast

     On June 12, 1927, trailing 4-3, with one out, and a man on in the bottom of the ninth at Sportsman's Park, Cardinals third baseman Les Bell stepped to the plate and hit a walk off shot that propelled the Birds to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Phillies. That one swing of the bat instantly ruined the day of each of the men on that Phillies roster, but none bigger than that of Johnny Mokan. The leftfielder had picked up five hits in five trips to the plate, knocking in two, while only crossing the dish once. The June of '27 was the best month of the year for the defending World Series Champions, as they went 17-9. The club finished with 92 wins, which made them the first 90 win team since 1889 when they were the American Association's Browns. Despite improving their record by three games, the Cardinals fell short in repeating as National League Champions, as they finished three games behind the Pirates. With that said, they were a part of what was a Golden Era in Cardinal Baseball.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192706120.shtml
 

June 11, 1989: The Wizard Has The First Five Hit Game of His Career

     On June 11, 1989, Ozzie Smith picked up five hits in six trips to the plate during a 10-7 win over the Cubs in Chicago. It was the first five hit day for the future Hall of Famer who first stepped on a major league diamond in 1978. The victory was highlighted by an eight run seventh inning that saw Smith pick up two hits as the Cardinals batted around. Tom Brunansky and Pedro Guerrero also picked up two hits in the frame.The first hit for Brunansky was a two run homer, and the second was an RBI single. Brunansky led the way in the RBIs department with three on the day, while The Wizard, and Tony Pena each had two. Ozzie had one more five hit day during his illustrious career, which came on June 17, 1993, and once again he victimized the Cubs on their home turf with a 5 for 5 day that included three doubles, and six RBIs, as the Birds pulled off an 11-10 victory.

Today I am going to include the box score for both of Ozzie's 5 hit games:

6/11/89: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198906110.shtml

6/17/93: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN199306170.shtml