July 14, 1942: Stan Musial Hits His First Walk Off Home Run

     On July 14, 1942, Stan Musial hit the first walk off home run of his storied career to lift the Cardinals to a dramatic 7-5, eleven inning victory over the Boston Braves at Sportsman's Park. The big blast capped off a comeback for the never say die Redbirds. They had found themselves down 5-0 after five, before a rally started with a three run sixth, then was topped off with a two run shot off of Whitey Kurowski's bat in the eighth. The table was set for the 21-year-old rookie who had called Donora, Pennsylvania home throughout his youth, as Howie Krist put to bed the earlier pitching woes of starter Mort Cooper, who surrendered the five tallies from earlier in the contest. Krist was locked in. He pitched four and a third, after taking over for Whitey Moore and Howie Pollett who bridged the gap until he got the ball in his hands. When he did get the ball, not one Brave picked up a hit off of him, then came Musial in the bottom of the eleventh, with a runner on base. He came out of his famous corkscrew stance, and sent the ball sailing over the screen on right field. Just like that Musial was a walk off hero. He was just getting started on that fine day; Musial hit 12 walk off home runs during the regular season, which stood as a shared record until Jim Thome surpassed it with 13 in 2012.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194207140.shtml

July 13, 1940: The Big Cat Hits For The Cycle

     On July 13, 1940, the Cardinals pulled off a pair of ninth inning walk off victories over the New York Giants in front of the fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. While both were exciting victories, the first of the two was something special, as the Cardinals first baseman Johnny Mize hit for the cycle in the contest. Mize capped off his history making performance with a ninth inning triple, then scored on an error to give the Redbirds a 7-6 victory. In the second game the Cardinals were up 3-0 after six, but watched it disappear, as the Giants scored one in the seventh, then another two in the eighth. That only set the table for the Cardinals center fielder Terry Moore to put the team in the win column for the second time of the day with bases loaded single in the ninth that brought Mickey Owen into score the game winning run. Owen went 3 for 4 in the tilt, and scored two of the Cardinals runs.

Check out the box scores for both contests here:

Game 1: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194007131.shtml

Game 2: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194007132.shtml

Here is the complete list of men who have hit for the cycle as a member of the National League club that calls St. Louis home. *Note: the club joined the National League in 1892, and before that they were members of the American Association.

• Fred Dunlap, 5/24/1886
• Tip O'Neill, 4/30/1887
• Tip O'Neil,l 5/7/1887
• Tommy Dowd, 8/16/1895
• Cliff Heathcote, 6/13/1918
• Jim Bottomley, 7/15/1927 
• Chick Hafey, 8/21/1930
• Pepper Martin, 5/5/1933
• Ducky Medwick, 6/29/35
• Johnny Mize, 7/13/1940
• Stan Musial, 7/24/1949
• Bill White, 8/14/1960
• Ken Boyer, 9/14/1961
• Ken Boyer, 6/16/1964
• Joe Torre, 6/27/1973
• Lou Brock, 5/27/1975
• Willie McGee, 6/23/1984
• Ray Lankford, 9/15/1991
• John Mabry, 5/18/1996
• Mark Grudzielanek, 4/27/2005

July 12, 1966: The National League Comes Out On Top In St. Louis

     On July 12, 1966, Tim McCarver scored the game winning run, as the National League came out on top in the All Star game 2-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The mercury on the stadium thermometer sat at 100 degrees when the first pitch was thrown in this one, and it was said that it reached 102 during the contest. The field was like an oven, in fact, when "The Old Perfessor" Casey Stengel was asked about the brand new state of the art stadium he proclaimed "it certainly holds the heat well." Vice President Hubert Humphrey threw out the first pitch, and was one of many fans who decided to steer clear of the heat by finding shelter after the contest got under way. Once the midsummer classic got underway, it proved to be a classic indeed, as it took 10 innings to decide a winner.

     The two starting pitchers in this one were Denny McLain from the Tigers and the legendary Dodger Sandy Koufax. The American League put a run on the scoreboard in the second when they made the most of a wild pitch by Koufax, which came after Brooks Robinson of the Orioles tripled with one out just two batters before. The National League came back with a run in the fourth with an RBI by Cubs third baseman Ron Santo that brought Giants slugger Willie Mays into score. While there was some offense, the pitching was dominant throughout, which led to extras on that scorcher of a day at Busch.

     Then came the game winning rally, which started when the Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver, picked up a lead off single off of Washington's Pete Reichart. The Senators hurler was able to get the next man out, but McCarver moved over to second in the process, before Maury Wills of the Dodgers came up with the game winning single that brought McCarver into score the run that counted the most. The National League had laid claim to the victory in the midsummer classic for the fourth time in a row.

     Despite the loss, Brooks Robinson took home the MVP award, as he played all 10 innings at the hot corner that day, and went 3 for 4 with the lone run scored for his squad. That squad wanted to erase the National League dominance that had put them on the wrong side of the scoreboard in the previous three seasons. It was said that Robinson would have traded all of the accolades and awards to simply win the ballgame. However, it just did not work out that way, as the home crowd enjoyed watching the National Leaguers come out on top.

Note: Besides McCarver, Bob Gibson and Curt Flood represented the Cardinals during the contest. Gibson did not pitch, and Flood did not get a it in his lone plate appearance.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NLS/NLS196607120.shtml

July 11, 1950: Red Calls His All Star Shot

     On July 11, 1950, Red Schoendienst led the National League to a 4-3 victory , with a 14th inning blast that sailed into the upper deck of the left field stands at at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Enos Slaughter also represented the Redbirds in the contest, and drove in the first run of the game with a second inning triple that brought Jackie Robinson into score. Slaughter then scored himself after Hank Sauer from the Chicago Cubs knocked him in with a sac fly. The American Leaguers cut the 2-0 lead in half with a run in the third, then took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on an RBI by Ted Williams. The game sailed into the ninth with the American League on top, however, Pittsburgh's Ralph Kiner led the inning off with a solo shot that would eventually send the game into extra innings. It was the first time in the history of the midsummer classic the game would go into overtime. With the score still knotted up in the 14th, Red started telling former teammate Walker Cooper that he was going to park one in the upper deck. More or less joking when he said it, Schoendienst was not known for his power, in fact he hit just seven home runs during that whole season, but on that day that joke became a reality, as Ted Gray of the Detroit Tigers served up the ball that Red was looking for, and with one swing of the stick he became an All Star hero.

Other than Schoendienst and Slaughter, Marty Marion and Stan Musial represented the Cardinals at the All Star game in 1950. If you would like to check out the roster of greats check this out: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1950as.shtml

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS195007110.shtml

Note: the baseball almanac link also provides a box score, but baseball reference is far more detailed.

July 10, 1987: The Ripper Walks It Off at Busch

     On July 10, 1987, Jack Clark played the hero with a thirteenth inning walk off home run to beat the Giants in front of more than 43,000 fans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. It was the third walk off win in a row for the Cardinals, as well as their ninth victory in a row, which proved to be a season high.  Clark drove in the first run of the contest in the first, before a seesaw battle ensued that had the clubs tied up 4-4 after seven innings. Once extra innings rolled around the Giants looked like they may take the game, as second baseman Chis Speier hit a one out solo shot in the top of the twelfth off of Pat Perry to give his club a short lived 5-4 lead. The never say die Redbirds came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning when Willie McGee knocked in Tommy Herr with a double. The eventual winner of the ballgame, Lee Tunnell, took over in the top of the thirteenth, set the side down 1-2-3, and set the table for the walk off heroics by Jack The Ripper. Momentarily it looked like the Giants may escape that thirteenth inning unscathed, as Craig Lefferts picked up two quick outs, before walking Herr. Then came Clark; then came That's a Winner!!!

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198707100.shtml

Have a great day Cardinal Nation.

July 9, 1940: The All Star Game Comes To St. Louis

     On July 9, 1940, the All Star game was held in St. Louis for the first time, and with the help of a three run first inning home run from Boston Bees outfielder Max West the National League prevailed by the score of 4-0.

     The big blow came off of Yankees hurler Red Ruffing. From there the National League skipper, Bill McKechnie, who once called St. Louis home, trotted out pitcher after pitcher to shut down the American league lineup. McKechnie was the manager of the Reds at the time, and sent his own hurler Paul Derringer out to start the game. After two innings, Derringer's teammate Bucky Walters took the ball in the next two, then came Whit Wyatt of the Brooklyn Dodgers who pitched two innings of his own. Larry French of the Cubs followed Wyatt with two scoreless frames, then the legendary Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants picked up the save.

     The hero of the day, Max West, was put in the lineup on a hunch by Bill McKechnie. He chose West over the seasoned veteran Mel Ott, who would score the final National League run of the ballgame in the eighth after picking up a lead off walk. It was West's lone trip to the All Star game. He was just 23 years of age at the time. He spent a total of seven years on a big league diamond. That big fly at the 1940 All Star game, was perhaps his true moment in the sun, which will make his name one to be remembered as long as baseball tales are told. 32,373 souls witnessed that moment in the ole ballpark that sat at Grand and Dodier.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NLS/NLS194007090.shtml

Couple of side notes: There were three representatives from the clubs that called St. Louis home. Terry Moore and Johnny Mize both started for the National League, and browns first baseman George McQuinn was on the roster for the American Leaguer, however, he did not play. Simply being among the best is an honor within itself. Sportsman's Park hosted three All Star games. After the 1940 midsummer classic, the Browns played the host in 1948, then in 1957 it returned to the park for the final time. The game would return to St. Louis at the House that Gussie Built in 1966, then as many of you remember it came back to town in 2009. Last but not least, the Boston Bees were known as the Braves before 1936, then following that 1940 season they took the Braves moniker back.

July 8, 1967: Javier's Inside-The-Park Shot Wins It In Extras

     On July 8, 1967, Julian Javier led the Cardinals to a 6-4 victory over the Phillies with a three run inside-the-park home run in the top of the twelfth inning at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. It was the fourth hit of the day for the Redbird second baseman, who also knocked in the first run of the day with a double in the third.

     Bob Gibson got the start in this one, and with the help of an Orlando Cepeda two run homer in the sixth was provided with a 3-1 lead. He surrendered a run in the bottom of that frame, but looked like he was going to pick up a complete game winner, until Philadelphia's right fielder Johnny Callison removed an 0 for 5 collar in the bottom of the ninth with a lead off home run to knot it up. Gibby picked up the first two outs in the bottom of the tenth, before handing the ball over to the bullpen. Joe Hoener picked up the last out of that inning, then the first two in the bottom of the eleventh, then handed the ball over to Nelson Briles, who induced Cookie Rojas into a ground out to end the inning. That was the only out Briles would pick up, however, it would be enough to get him a win, as Javier came up with the heroics in the twelfth.

     The table was set for Javier after reliever Dick Hall was victimized by an error that put Lou Brock on base, then he surrendered a single to Eddie Bressoud, who was taking his first at bat of the day after being put into the game as a defensive replacement in the tenth. Then came Hoolie. He laced one into center, then watched it get past Johnny Briggs, as he turned on the jets and flew around the bases before the outfielder could recover.

     The inside the parker looked to slam a nail in the Phillies coffin, however, there were three more outs to go. Ron Willis took the ball in the bottom of the twelfth, and was rocked right out of the game after the first batter he faced, Phil Linz, took him deep to lead off the inning. Willis handed the ball over to Al Jackson, who got the job done, although he did allow a one out single, before turning out the lights in the City of Brotherly Love.

     Javier was not known for hitting home runs. In fact, he was not really known for his bat either. Often referred to as a "light hitter" because of his .257 career average, Javier had quite the year in '67, hitting .281, which is one point shy of his career high that he reached in 1969. Javier hit 78 home runs over 12 years in the big leagues. 14 of those came during that 1967 season, which included the inside-the-park shot on that day in early July. It was the only inside-the-park shot of his career. Javier's time in St. Louis included three pennant winning ballclubs, and two of those pennant winners went onto win the World Series. One of those World Series championships came after he helped the club win 101 games during that '67 campaign.

If you would like to learn more about Julian Javier check out his SABR bio here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b8bf06ec

Check out the box score here: