May 7, 1940: The Birds Obliterate the Dodgers With a Record Setting Performance

     On May 7, 1940, the Cardinals set franchise records by hitting seven home runs and recording 49 total bases in an 18-2 beatdown of the Brooklyn Dodgers in St. Louis. The "Big Cat" Johnny Mize and rookie second baseman Eddie Lake both hit two homers, while Don Padgett, Ducky Medwick, and Stu Martin all went yard once.

     The Cardinals catcher Don Padgett started things off with solo shot in the third. Lake and Mize both launched two run home runs in a five run third. Martin and Medick both hit solo shots, with Martin's coming in the fourth, while Medwick's came in the sixth, then Lake and Mize topped things with another couple of blasts in the eighth. Lake's second homer was another two-run shot, while Mize joined the solo shot club. Lake finished the day with five RBI's, as he knocked another runner in with a double.

     This may have been the best game of Eddie Lake's career. He was not a home run hitter by any means. In fact, he hit just 39 over the course of a decade. The two big flies that came on that day in early May were the only two he hit in a Cardinals uniform, as he spent just 79 games with the Birds on the Bat across his chest. He was a master of the game defensively, however, his bat was not up to par, which led to repeated trips to the minors.

     After spending all of 1942 with the Sacramento Solons, the Cardinals PCL affiliate, he was sold to the Boston Red Sox. He spent three years in Boston, and another five in Detroit. Nicknamed "Sparky", Lake was a role player, whos defense and speed made up for his bat, that had produced a .231 career average by the time he hung them up. While Lake's name is not one you will see on a plaque in Cooperstown, he too was a member of Cardinal Nation that made a little bit of history along the way.

     Just 2,298 fans witnessed that historic game that saw Mize, Lake, Padgett, Medwick, and Martin go deep a total of seven time. They saw the bases filled, and they saw the bases emptied as runners crossed the plate time and time again.  However, the club was not off to a great start and fans were unhappy with the decisions of Ray Blades. Just two days after this game an article in the Sporting  News  expressed exactly that and one month later the skipper was released. Mike Gonzlez would take over for short time before Billy Southworth took the reigns. That may have led to the small crowd, or it may have just been a cold and rainy day in the city. Either way it goes I am sure there were many fans that wished they had went through the gate that day. The 2,298 that did had to enjoy every second of it.

Check out the box score of the 20-hit attack here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194005070.shtml

May 6, 1959: 399 Home Runs For The Man

     On May 6, 1959, Stan Musial hit the 399th home run of his career to spark an eighth inning rally that led the Cardinals to an 8-7 win over the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The Cardinals came into the inning down 6-4 before Stan launched his solo shot that chased Philadelphia's starter Ray Semproch to the showers. The wheels fell off the Philadelphia bus from there, as Semproch's replacement, Jack Meyer loaded the bases before Joe Cunningham came up with a two-run pinch hit double that put the Birds on top 7-6. The Birds put one more on the board two batters later, which would prove crucial, as the Phillies plated a run with a Gene Freese sac fly off of Jim Brosnan in the ninth. Brosnan had pitched a scoreless eighth, then allowed a leadoff triple in the ninth, which led to Freese's opportunity. Brosnan allowed another hit before putting the Phillies to bed.

     Before the big inning the two clubs had been in a seesaw battle. With Stan's 399th long ball included, five flew over the wall that day. The Phillies right fielder Wally Post parked one in the seats in the fourth, his teammate Granny Hamner matched the feat in the fifth, then Ken Boyer hit a two run blast for the Cards in the sixth before Post hit his second of the day in the seventh. It was the fifth home run of the day that grabbed the headlines though, as the great Stan Musial was now just one big fly away from another milestone in his illustrious career. That big fly came the next day. Read about number 400 here: http://www.onthisdayincardinalnation.com/2014/05/may-7-1959-400-homers-for-stan-man.html

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI195905060.shtml

May 5, 1935: Dizzy Homers Then Strikes Out The Babe In Boston

     On May 5, 1935, Dizzy Dean and the Cardinals faced Babe Ruth's Braves in Boston, and beat them 7-0. It was the first time during a regular season the two legends of the game would face off, which led to a crowd of more than 30,000 packing into the stands of Braves Field.  Dean walked Ruth in the first, then in the second he launched a home run into the left field stands that flew right over Ruth's head. By the time the top of the second was over the Cardinals had Braves hurler Ed Brandt to the showers and were up 6-0. The next time The Babe came to the plate was in the fourth inning, and ole Dizzy struck him out. The day after this ballgame, Bill King, a writer for the Associated Press  wrote "with a wide grin on his face, Dizzy Dean waved his outfielders back to the fence and grooved a fast third strike on Babe Ruth today." Ruth followed the strikeout with a ground out in the sixth, before being pulled in the seventh. Dizzy had won the battle.

     The meeting between Dean and Ruth had a great buildup, as Dizzy had made a few comments the day that Ruth jumped over to the Boston Braves after spending the last 15 seasons in the Bronx. Dean said he resented the move, and that Ruth should have stayed in New York, rather than jump at a possible managerial job with the Braves. Dizzy also said that Ruth would be "just another out" for him and his brother, which stirred the proverbial pot. When sportswriters told Ruth what Dizzy said he refused to believe it. One day later, Dean retracted the statement saying he wished Ruth the best unless he was facing the Cardinals. Dean was more upset over the possibility that Bill Mckechnie would be replaced as manager of the Braves in favor of Ruth. After hearing his former skipper would be working as the club's General Manager he became more favorable of the move, and noted it would help draw more fans to National League ballparks.
   
     Ruth inked a deal with the Braves  the same day the Yankees released him. Part of the deal with the Braves was a front office position and what the famed slugger believed was going to be a shot at managing the club. However, that never came to fruition.It became apparent that Ruth would not end up manager which led to an early retirement. Ruth never did get to revenge the loss to Dean, however, he did go out in a blaze of glory with a three home run day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 25th of May. Eight days later the era of The Great Bambino came to a close.

     When this game took place Babe Ruth was 40 years old. His days had come and gone. Still yet, they were some of the greatest days the game of baseball has ever seen. Dizzy Dean was 25 years old, and was being deemed by sports writers the new face of baseball. He was coming off a 30 win campaign that ended with a World Series title. Dizzy locked down 28 more wins in '35, and another 24 in '36 before his career took a turn with injuries. He broke his toe in the All Star game in 1937, which would prove to be the beginning of the end for Dizzy's career on a major league diamond.

    While they never met on the diamond again, The Babe did get a little bit of revenge in January of  '36 by beating Dizzy on the golf course. I would imagine the conversations that they had were priceless. In the years that followed Father Time knocked on Dizzy's door just like he had Ruth's. When Ruth called it quits he dreamed of managing. That never came to be. Dean on the other hand found a broadcast booth where he entertained fans for many years. Dizzy called games for the Cardinals, Browns, Yankees, Braves, as well as a variety of National Telecasts. Dean called his last game in 1968. He spent 27 years in the booth. There is a good chance that during those 27 years he told the story on air about the day he struck out The Great Bambino.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN193505050.shtml

I really enjoyed the piece about Babe Ruth's bittersweet bow out in 1935: http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1935-baseball-history.html

It does not paint the prettiest picture, however, we must look at a much larger picture when it comes to Babe Ruth. 1935 was simply a chapter in one of the greatest baseball tales that has ever been told.
Check out Ruth's SABR bio here:http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/9dcdd01c

A special thanks goes out to Bruce over at Baseball by BSmile for the photo that was featured with the article above. He is just one of many friends I have made that share a love for the game and its rich history. Check out his Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/BaseballByBSmile?fref=ts or  find him on twitter at: https://twitter.com/BSmile Thanks again Bruce, and as you always say to me, Cheers!

May 4, 1901: The Ballpark Goes Up In Flames

     On May 4, 1901, disaster struck in St. Louis, as a discarded cigar lit the grandstands on fire at League Park. The fire broke out in the bottom of the ninth with the Cardinals looking to break up a 4-4 tie with the visiting Cincinnati Reds, however, this game would come to a sudden and dramatic end that had fans jumping over the wall, rather than the ball flying over it. Luckily, there were no major injuries. However, the ballpark was a shell of its former self, as it was assessed $30,000 in damage had been caused. Today that $30,000 would equate to nearly $850,000.

     The ballpark that sat at Vandeventer and Natural Bridge was the home of the team from 1893 to 1920. It was a largely wooden structure, as were many ballparks of the day, so they were susceptible to fire. The fire on that day in 1901 was the second time the park had burned. The first time came on April 16, 1898 when Chris Von der Ahe owned the club. The 1898 fire was far more disastrous, as panic struck, which led to at least 100 injuries and 1 death.

     As mentioned before all of those in attendance escaped the 1901 blaze without injury. Although, the owner of the Reds, John T. Brush was nearly trapped in Stanley Robison's private box. Brush suffered from rheumatism, which left him without the use of his legs. While the fans were jumping over the wall onto the field, Mr. Brush had to make his way up the stairs as the structure burned around him. Considering the magnitude of this blaze it was a miracle that no one was injured.

     As the fans, players, and owners made their way to safety the fire department arrived and battled the flames. They had a battle on their hands with it being a windy day in St. Louis. Before the firefighters could get control of the blaze flames had spread across the street to a racetrack known as the Jockey Club. Meanwhile, a row of streetcars had gathered outside of the park in anticipation of the game's end. As the ballpark burned it was said the cars were forced to drive through a wall of flames, scorching the operators of the cars. The Jockey Club was saved, however, the ballpark was almost completely destroyed by the time the firemen could douse the flames.

     When the blaze of 1898 happened Chris Von der Ahe did not have insurance, which led him to
scrambling to rebuild the park on the same day that the fire happened. All of the Cardinals players pitched in on that effort, so they could play a game the next day. On the other hand, Stanley Robison did carry insurance, which would help get the park rebuilt at a rapid rate.

     The Cardinals played one game at Sportsman's Park on May 5th, which had housed the Cardinals from 1882 to 1892. The park had been converted into a fairgrounds that featured a track, and was a year away from being converted back to a ballpark to house the American League Browns. This led to a diamond being laid out quickly inside of the track, which was hardly big enough for a baseball diamond. This led to a special set of ground rules, as a great deal of the crowd of more than 6,000 were put behind ropes in the outfield. One of the ground rules was that any ball hit into the crowd would be ruled a double, so what would normally a routine fly ball ended up in the crowd ended up a double. The Sporting News said the general opinion of that game being played under those conditions was a mistake. However the show must go on, so by the time it was in the books the Reds won 7-5, before the Cardinals embarked on a road trip that lasted nearly a month.

    The road trip gave Robison ample time to rebuild a structure that could at least be used for games. The team returned to St. Louis on June 3, 1901 to play in the park that had looked like it may have been completely lost just a few weeks before. There was still a ways to go until the park was complete, however, it was usable. The building commissioner in the city would only grant permits to rebuild if the club used fire retardant materials, and put a distance between the three new structures that were built in order to avoid the spreading of flames if another fire struck the park.  An article in the Sporting News said that those in charge of the club in 1898 ordered lumbered while the fire was still burning, so they wanted to make sure to not repeat the mistakes that had been made after the first rebuild.

     The days of wooden ballparks went to the wayside as time marched on, as steel and concrete became the material of choice for modern ballparks. Sportsman's Park was rebuilt an opened in 1902  for the American League's Browns. Stanley Robison eventually did invest in steel and concrete for the grandstands, before he passed away in 1911. His niece Helene Britton took over the club, and ran it until it was sold in 1917 to a group of investors that included Sam Breadon. Just three years later, with the ballpark in need of major renovations, Breadon and company made arrangements with the Browns to share the site at Grand and Dodier.

     The park that was known as League Park became nothing more than a memory as time marched on. However, there had been 27 years of baseball played there and it would be a memory that is still preserved in the tales that came within its confines. Including the tales of the fires that became a part of the history of the club that has proven time and time again they can be knocked down, but they will get back up.

The site where League Park stood is now the home of Beaumont High School. If you would like to read more about the park check this out: http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/88929e79  The park was also known as The New Sportsman's Park, Robison Field, and Cardinal Field.

May 3, 1931: The Birds Win With an Extra-Inning Squeeze Play

      On May 3, 1931, Cardinals shortstop Charlie Gelbert squeezed in the winning run with a bunt in the bottom of 11th in a 5-4 win over the Cubs at Sportsman's Park. The winning run was the first Redbird run since they had scored four in the first and ran the Cubs starting pitcher Donie Busch before he even recorded an out. Jakie May took over for the Baby Bears and did an admirable job by going six innings while allowing just two hits, before lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh. Sheriff Blake took over for May and did not skip a beat, as he only allowed one hit until what the Chicago Tribune called "a fatal rally in the eleventh." Before that fatal rally took place Gabby Hartnett took the Cardinals starter Flint Rhem deep in the fifth with a two-run shot, then in the seventh the Cubs capitalized on an error and a key hit to plate two more and tie the ballgame. That only set the stage for the fatal rally. The rally began with Frankie Frisch singling to open the 11th. Frisch moved over to third on a Jim Bottomley single, and moments later Gelbert executed the bunt perfectly to win it. The 35,892 on hand had broke an attendance record as they witnessed the red hot Cards sweep the Cubs right out of town.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193105030.shtml

May 2, 1882: The Organization Starts Things Off With a Winner

     On May 2, 1882, the first game in the history of the Cardinals organization was played. The club was then known as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, and those Brown Stockings started things off right with a 9-7 victory over the Louisville Eclipse in front of a home crowd. While an actual game account is hard to come by, I did locate a blurb in The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette that had an inning-by-inning box score, which at the very least painted a picture of that game. The Brown Stocking surged out the gate, scoring six runs in the first four innings, and found themselves with a comfortable 9-2 lead before the Louisville club began a comeback by scoring a run in the seventh, then two more in the eighth, and two more in the ninth, before the Brown Stockings held on for victory #1.

     The 1882 club went 37-43.  Here is what the first lineup looked like: Jack Gleason 3B, Bill Gleason SS, Oscar Walker CF, Charlie Comiskey 1B, Bill Smiley 2B, Sleeper Sullivan C, Ned Cuthbert LF, Jumbo McGinnis P, George Seward RF. McGinnis was the club's first 20 game winner, as he posted a 25-18 record on the season. The man they called Jumbo started 45 of the Brown Stockings and completed 43 of them. Bill Gleason led the team with a .288 average, as well as 11 doubles, and 6 triples. The club's first home run hitter was Oscar Walker who hit 7 in that inaugural season.

     Regardless of personal stats, every man on that roster was a part of something special. They laid the foundation. It was the foundation for the team we know and love, and it was the foundation for a nation: Cardinal Nation. I'm glad I'm a member.

The game was played by a far different set of rules in 1882. I have looked into 19th century baseball and it is interesting to say the least. This is an absolutely great website that can give you insight into the game and how it all began: http://www.19cbaseball.com/

Take a look at the first club's stats:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1882.shtml

May 1, 1934: Ripper Comes Through In The Clutch

     On May 1, 1934, Ripper Collins powered the Cardinals past the Reds with two late inning blasts that led the club to a 3-2 victory in St. Louis. If anyone ever tells you there is no such thing as clutch tell them to take a look at this game. The Birds had their backs against the wall down 1-0 in the ninth when Collins finally got to and parked one in the seats to tie it up and send it to extras. The wind was taken out of the Cardinals sails in the top of the 11th, as the Reds pushed a run in. Once again their backs were against the wall, and once again Collins would come through with a long ball to tie it up. He was followed by a double by Bill Delancey, then Burgess Whitehead knocked him in with a game winning single.

     Collins hit 35 home runs for the Cardinals in that Championship season, which led the National League. He provided a punch to a lineup that would forever be immortalized as the Gashouse Gang. Collins spent six years in the Mound City, and was a part of two World Championship winners with his first coming in his rookie year in 1931. At the end of his six seasons in St. Louis, Collins had carried a .297 average, hit 106 home runs, and knocked in 516 runs. Following the '36 season he was dealt to Chicago in a package deal that brought the club Lon Warneke.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193405010.shtml