July 7, 1922: Hornby's Walk Off Blast Buries The Dodgers In St. Louis

     On July 7, 1922, Rogers Hornsby capped off a Cardinals comeback with a ninth inning walk off shot that propelled the Birds to a 6-5 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Dodgers at Sportsman's Park. Hornsby's big blast was his 21st of the season, which matched his total of the previous season. The 26-year-old who became known as "Rajah" was on a record breaking tear as he chased both the modern day National League record, as well as the League's all time record. The modern day record (post 1900) of 24 had stood since 1915 and was owned by Gavvy Cravath of the Phillies. Hornsby's 25th came on July 19th with another walkoff in St. Louis, and the National League's all time record which was held by Chicago's Ned Williamson was broken on August 5th. Unfortunately the 27th blast came during a 2-1 loss, but it did not stop the home run swinging bat of Hornsby who would end up shattering the record with 42 homers on the season.

      The record stood until Chuck Klein of the Phillies blasted 43 in 1929. It was a short lived run as the National League's single season home run king, but it was still a season to be remembered as he topped the .400 mark for the first time as he worked on his Hall of Fame resume.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192207070.shtml

July 6, 1952: Stan's Walk Off Sparks A Doubleheader Sweep

     On July 6, 1952, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Sportsman's Park, Stan Musial led the Cardinals to a 6-5 winner with ninth inning walk off shot. Musial's bat was on the ball throughout, as "The Man" picked up a double, a single, the home run, and crossing the dish twice. The last time he crossed the dish his teammates mobbed him as the walk off hero. The Birds capped off a doubleheader sweep with a 6-4 victory in the second game that was highlighted with home runs by Dick Sisler and Del Rice. Musial crossed the dish twice in the contest as well.  

     Stan Musial hit 12 walk off home runs during his storied career, which stood as a shared record for most walk offs in a career. Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Frank Robinson hit 12 walk offs during their careers as well. Jim Thome surpassed Musial and company in 2012 when he connected with the 13th walk off shot of his career.

Check out the box scores here:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195207061.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195207062.shtml

July 5. 1977: Mike Tyson's Grand Slam Propels The Birds To Victory

   

     On July 5, 1977, second baseman Mike Tyson led the Cardinals to a 7-3 victory over the Pirates in Pittsburgh with his first, and his last grand slam of his major league career. The big blast came in the fourth inning off of John Candelaria, and opened up a 5-0 lead. Al Oliver took a Bob Forsch pitch deep in the fifth that cut the lead to 5-3, before Ted Simmons blasted a two run shot in the eighth that put the Buccos away. None of the runs scored by the Pirates were charged to Forsch, as sloppy defense led to Oliver's opportunity do damage. Forsch made quick work of his opponents thereafter, before working around a jam in the ninth, and locking down a complete game winner. 

     Arriving on the scene as an everyday player in 1973, Tyson played with the Cardinals until 1979. He was not known for his bat or his glove, and the grand slam was probably a bigger surprise to him than to anyone in the house. He joked about it after the game saying that he never hit one before, not even in little league. During his stretch with the Birds, Tyson averaged .244, and hit just 22 home runs. His best power numbers coming during that '77 campaign when parked seven in the seats. He was traded to the sCrUBS in 1979, and spent two years in the Windy City before his career came to a close. Out of those 22 home runs that Tyson hit with the Birds on Bat across his chest, the grand slam in Pittsburgh has to stand above the rest. 

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197707050.shtml 

July 4, 1945: Augie Bergamo Celebrates The Fourth With A Bang

     On July 4, 1945, Cardinals rightfielder Augie Bergamo starred in both ends of a doubleheader against the Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York. The Birds belted out 16 hits in the first game with Bergamo going 3 for 5, with an RBI, and two runs scored. His teammates Buster Adams and Ray Sanders each hit home runs, as the Cardinals sailed to victory behind a complete game effort by Red Barrett. Bergamo had the game of his life in the second contest, going 5 for 6 with two home runs, four runs scored, and eight RBIs as he led the way to a 19-2 rout. His second home run was the fifth and final home run of his career, and it was a memorable one as it came in the form of a grand slam. With Bergamo guiding the ship, the Birds picked up 20 hits in the second game, which brought their total to 36 hits on the day, and once again their starting pitcher went the distance. This time it was Bud Byerly who earned the complete game victory while Bergamo and the rest of his teammates feasted on the Giants pitching staff.

     Bergamo found his way to the big leagues because of the player shortage that came with World War II. He helped the club win the World Series in 1944, by hitting .286 during the regular season, then returned in '45 and hit .316. The club fell just three games short of the National League crown in '45, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort by Bergamo and the men who surrounded him.

     Bergamo was a product of the sandlots out of Detroit. Just 5' 9" and 160 pounds, the scouts in his hometown told him he did not have the size to make it in the major leagues. Some would think the dream would end there, but that was not the case. In 1937, the Cardinals held a tryout in Flint, Michigan, and Bergamo decided to take a shot with the club. More than 800 kids had hopes of finding their way to the Cardinals minor league system, and Augie was one of the lucky ones who was handed a contract to play when the tryout came to a close. He still had his work cut out for him He was sent to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he survived an elimination camp, that guaranteed he would be playing ball with the Cardinals Class D affiliate out of Paducah, Kentucky. His star would rise.

     The 21-year-old Bergamo made his presence known in Paducah by winning the Kitty League batting title with a .358 average in 1938. His star kept rising, as he shifted to the Class B affiliate out of Columbus, Georgia where he hit .345 in 1939, before moving onto the Rochester Red Wings out of New York in 1940. Over the next several seasons Bergamo played with the Rochester club and the Columbus club before he got his chance at the big league level. He made the most of that chance, and for two seasons he helped bring smiles to many faces while he wore the Bird on the Bat in St. Louis.

     After the War ended Bergamo was sent back to the minor leagues where he played until 1951. His tale might not be a storybook tale  from baseball's past, but he did achieve his dream of playing in the big leagues, and on the 4th of July in 1945 that scrappy little outfielder had one helluva day in Cardinal Nation.

Happy Fourth of July to all of you, and thank you to our service men and women who preserve our freedoms. Be safe out there.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1194507042.shtml

July 3, 1967: Gibby And Company Brawl With The Reds At Busch

     On July 3, 1967, with more than 34,000 in the seats at Busch Stadium the Cardinals exploded for seven runs in the first inning of a contest versus the Cincinnati Reds. The offensive explosion would be the secondary story in this one, as brawl in the top of the fifth inning brought cops, billy clubs, and chaos into the mix in the blink of an eye.

     The Reds starter Milt Pappas only retired one batter, and gave up three runs before he got the hook. He handed the ball over to reliever Don Nottebart who inherited a bases loaded situation that Dal Maxvill unloaded with a double, before the shortstop came into score on a throwing error. Nottebart gave up a single to the Birds hurler Bob Gibson, before Lou Brock reached on a fielders choice. The speedster, then decided to steal second, but was gunned down by Don Pavletich. That was the precursor to the melee that was about to follow.

     As you could imagine, Brock trying to steal with a seven run lead might not have sat well in the visiting clubhouse, and in the fourth inning Nottebart drilled him in an apparent act of retaliation. Gibson, who was no stranger to retaliation, knew that he would send a message when he came to the bump, and that message came when he sailed one over Tony Perez's head. When Perez popped up he had a few choice words for the Cardinals hurler. Gibby was not one to back down to anybody, and he shouted a few choice words of his own at Perez before the catcher came charging at him.

     In the beginning it started as a typical baseball fight with a little bit of pushing and shoving. In the end, it was far from it. Trying to play the role of peacemaker Orlando Cepeda got between Perez and Gibson, only exchanging punches with Pete Rose, before the dust seemed to be settling. Then came Cincinnati reliever Bob Lee running in from the bullpen who stirred it right back up, as all hell broke loose. More than a dozen police officers stormed onto the field, and started swinging billy clubs at anyone who was throwing punches. It took the officers 12 minutes to get control of the situation, that had started with a message pitch.

     The only injury reported was to one of the officers who had suffered a dislocated jaw. The players had bumps and bruises, and only Bob Lee was ejected. The seven runs would prove to be all the Cardinals would score in the tilt that saw them prevail by the score of 7-3. All three of the Cincinnati runs came in the eighth, with a late rally that was sparked by an Art Shamsky home run. The Reds plated two more runs before Gibby's day on the bump came to a close, as he handed the ball over to Nelson Briles, who recorded the last four outs of the contest.

     The win put the Cardinals in a first place tie with the Chicago Cubs who ended up third, while the Birds took home the National League Crown. The Reds were in a tailspin at the time. They had lost eight of their last nine, and were on their way to a fourth place finish.

     Gibson reflected on this game in 1981, when Joe Torre brought him onboard with the Mets organization to help teach his young pitchers attitude. If anyone could teach attitude his name was Bob Gibson. The Cardinals legend would knock down any batter in the league if given a reason. Some said that he would knock down his own mother if it meant his team would win. Gibby laughed about the melee with the Reds, saying that when Perez barked, he told him to bring it, and Perez obliged. The next thing he knew he was punching anyone that got in front of him, and he might have even punched a teammate or two. When Torre heard the talk that Gibson would knock down his own mother, he chuckled when he said that he doubted he would do that "unless she dug in and took a hell of a rip." Moral of the story: Don't mess with Bob Gibson.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196707030.shtml

July 2, 1942: Johnny Beazley Dominates The Buccos

     On July 2, 1942, Cardinals starter Johnny Beazley picked up his seventh win of the season with a complete game effort during a 3-1 win over the Pirates at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

     The Cardinals hurler scattered five hits in the contest, and held off a late rally, as the Buccos plated their lone run in the ninth. The Cardinals catcher Ken O'Dea came up with the biggest hit of the day. He had scored the first run on a Creepy Crespi single in the fourth, before he singled to right in the eighth, that brought Terry Moore and Stan Musial into score two very important runs. Only one of those two runs were charged, as Pittsburgh's catcher Babe Phelps dropped the ball as Musial came across the dish. At the end of the day, Beazley's five hit performance was the one that made headlines, as he had tossed a true gem in front of the fans in St. Louis.

     Beazley won 21 games that season for the Cardinals, before he won two games in the Fall Classic, as he helped the bring another World Series title to St. Louis. Only one other pitcher had more wins in the National League that season, and that pitcher was Beazley's teammate Mort Cooper who won 22. His career was short. He like most of the ballplayers of his era, he served his country during World War II. He was assigned to a morale unit that helped keep troops spirits high with the great game that is played on a diamond. Somewhere along the way, he hurt his throwing arm, and he ended up never being the same.

     When he returned in '46, he had moderate success with a 7-5 record. He tossed just one inning in the World Series that season, as the club celebrated another title. The club sold him to the Boston Braves in '47. He won just two games for them that season, and only appeared in a handful of games before he retired at the age of 31 in 1949. The brightest spot of his career will forever be that 1942 season, as the 21 game winner helped bring another Championship to the city that lies just west of the Mississippi.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194207020.shtml

You can read more about Beazley's life and career here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/82e225d5

July 1, 1979: Terry Kennedy Delivers Big In a Doubleheader Sweep

     On July 1, 1979, after being forced into action because of an injury to Ted Simmons, rookie catcher Terry Kennedy played the hero during both games of a doubleheader against the Phillies at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Kennedy hit his first major league home run, which just happened to be a grand slam during the first contest that had the Cardinals come out on top 13-7. Then he knocked in the game winner during the second game, with a pinch hit walk off single in the ninth that was won by the score of 2-1. Reliever Mark Littell recorded the win  in both contests.

       The first game was a true seesaw battle, with the Phillies scoring four runs in the first, before the Birds could knot things up with three runs in the third, and another in the sixth. The seesaw battle continued with the Phillies taking a 6-4 lead with two runs scored in the seventh, before the Cardinals grabbed their first lead of the day with three runs in the bottom of that frame. Philadelphia's shortstop, Larry Bowa led the eighth off with a triple, then scored on a groundout. The score was 7-7, and Philadelphia's skipper called on Tug McGraw to preserve the tie. However, the wheels fell off of the bus for the hurler.

     McGraw recorded one out, hit a batter, gave up a double, then issued an intentional walk to load them up for centerfielder Tony Scott. While McGraw was able to retire Scott with a popup that was caught in foul territory, he followed it up with back-to-back walks. The first one was issued to the hard hitting Keith Hernandez which pushed in the go ahead run, then McGraw walked the Cardinals hurler Mark Littell, to give the Birds a 9-7 lead. While the wheels had loosened in rapid fashion, they had still not fallen completely off the bus. Then came Terry Kennedy, who with one swing of the bat, sent the wheels flying, with the grand slam that gave the Birds the 13-7 lead, that Littell held onto in the ninth.

     The tale of the second game was far different than that of the first. Both starters were strong. The Cardinals hurler, Roy Thomas scattered three hits through seven innings. The Phillies plated a run against him in the sixth, on a Mike Schmidt RBI single that brought Pete Rose trotting in from second. On the other side of the diamond Randy Lerch was tossing a gem of his own for the Phils. He allowed just five hits through eight, but one of those five hits was an eighth inning solo shot off the bat of Kenny Reitz that made it a whole new ballgame with the score tied up at one.

      Littell got the call in the pen after Will McEnaney recorded two outs in the eighth. McEnaney served up back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. He did induce Bowa into a double play, but he walked Pete Rose which was enough for Ken Boyer to make the call. For the second time that day Littell did not disappoint, as he got the job done by retiring Schmidt to end the threat.

      After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the eighth, Lerch trotted back out to the mound for the Phillies in the ninth. He only faced a batter, which ended up being a free pass to Hernandez, before the Phillies made a call to the pen for Ron Reed. The reliever walked George Hendrick, then recorded two quick outs. One more out and this one would be going into extras. That out wasn't gonna happen, as Boyer pulled back Steve Swisher, who had got the start behind the dish, and he put the bat in the hands of Terry Kennedy who dropped one into center that brought Hernandez into score the winning run.

     It was quite the day for the 23-year-old catcher who just wanted to find a permanent spot on the big league roster. The organization recognized his talent, however, Simmons owned the backstop, which left the team with a decision to make. They tried him in the outfield during the 1980 season, before trading him in December of the same year. Kennedy went onto have a decent career at the major league level, which included four All Star appearances. His road through the big leagues began in St. Louis, took him through San Diego, Baltimore, and San Francisco. He appeared in two different World Series, with the first coming in 1984 with the Padres, and the second coming in 1989 with the Giants. His playing career came to an end in 1991. Long before that day came, Kennedy played the hero not once, but twice on the same day in Cardinal Nation. It was quite the day indeed.

Check out the box scores here:
Game 1: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197907011.shtml
Game 2: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197907012.shtml

Terry Kennedy's career numbers: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kennete02.shtml