July 21, 1958: Flood Comes Up Big In The 14th

     On July 21, 1958, rookie center fielder Curt Flood removed an 0 for 5 collar with a 14th inning home run that beat the Braves 5-4 at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

     The pennant bound Braves looked like they were going to roll to victory early with a three run first that sent the Cardinals starter Lindy McDaniel packing before he could record the third out of the frame. The Cardinals started pecking at the lead in the third, when McDaniel's replacement Jim Brosnan picked up a one out double, then scored on a fly ball off the bat of Joe Cunningham. Wally Moon knocked Cunningham in with two outs in the sixth, then an error by Milwaukee's starter Lew Burdette led to the game tying run in the seventh. That lead was short-lived, as Phil Paine, served up a long ball to the Braves' first baseman Joe Adcock, in the bottom of the seventh, which may have had Burdette thinking the game was his, as he sailed into the ninth, before surrendering a game tying home run to Moon, which led to extras. Burdette was still on the bump when the rookie led the 14th off with the long ball that decided things. Bill Wight, who had taken over with one out in the eighth, then proceeded to set the side down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourteenth, which sent the 20-year-old Flood trotting to the locker room an extra inning hero.

     Flood hit 10 home runs and carried a .261 average during his rookie campaign. His defense would help him stick around, as he quickly became an elite defender that had his opponents holding their breath if the ball was hit anywhere within two city blocks of the man who donned the 21 on his back. He would man center for 12 seasons in Cardinal Nation, which included seven consecutive seasons in which he was awarded the Gold Glove. He will forever be known as the man who changed the landscape in baseball by challenging the reserve clause, but we must not ever forget that Curt Flood was one of the greatest players to ever step on a major league diamond.

Check out the box score here:

July 20, 1938: The Big Cat Goes Yard Three Times

     On July 20, 1938, "The Big Cat" Johnny Mize hit three home runs against the Giants in the second game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The three home run performance helped lift the Cardinals to a 7-1 victory over the visiting Giants, with Mize being responsible for five of those runs. Mize homered off of Slick Castleman in the first and the third, then put the exclamation point on things with his third big blast off of Bill Lohrman in the eighth. Mize had hit three home runs seven days before this contest, which came in succession off of Brooklyn's Jim Turner. Unfortunately, Mize came out on the wrong end of that tilt, as the Cardinals lost 10-5 against the Dodgers. A week later he would walk away from a three home run day as a winner. The Cardinals scored seven runs in the first contest also, with Terry Moore leading the way with a three hit performance, that included a home run in what proved to be a 7-2 winner. Mize picked up two RBI's during that game, which gave him seven on the day.

     The three home runs on that July day in 1938 made Johnny Mize the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to hit three home runs in a game twice during the same season. "The Big Cat" would accomplish the feat six times during his career, which stands as a major league record. It has since been tied by Sammy Sosa, however, it has not been surpassed. Coincidentally, the only time Mize's team won on a day he hit three dingers came on that day in '38. He went 1-4-1 on those days, which may be astounding, but it also is a testament that it takes more than one man to win a ballgame.

Check out the box scores below

Game 1: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193807201.shtml

Game 2 (Mize's three home run game): http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193807202.shtml

July 19, 1922: Hornsby's Walk Off Is A Record Setter

     On July 19, 1922, Rogers Hornbsy set a National League record by hitting his 25th home run of the season. The record setter was about as clutch as they come, as the Cardinals were trailing the Boston Braves 6-4 at the time with two men on and two men out in the ninth. Frank Miller was on the mound, and Hornsby sent him to the locker room a loser with one swing of the stick. Meanwhile, Hornsby was carried off the field, as the hero of the day.

     Times were changin' in the world of baseball, as the ball began to fly like it had never flown before. There was a young slugger in New York by the name of Babe Ruth who took the baseball world by storm. In 1919, Ruth had broken the all-time record of 27, set by Ned Williamson of the Chicago White Stocking in 1884 with 29 big blasts. Ruth then went onto assault the record book with 54 homes run in 1920. Ruth continued that assault for many years, which included a career high 60 home runs in 1927. That stood as the major league record until 1961.

     Hornsby's record setting 25th surpassed Philadelphia Phillies slugger Gavvy Carath, who had hit 24 in 1915. Hornsby went onto obliterate the record by hitting 42 home runs during that 1922 season. He also hit .401 that season, and to date he is the only player to hit over .400 and hit 40 or more home runs. The 42 in '22 was a career high for the man they called Rajah. However, his career was a career that ended in Cooperstown, as well as a statue in front of the stadium in St. Louis. Chuck Klein of the Phillies hit 43 in 1929 to take over as the National League record holder.

     The "Big Cat" Johnny Mize took over as the franchise leader in 1940 with a 43 home run season. That record stood until Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998. Other than the players previously mentioned, only Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds hit more than 40 home runs with the Birds on the Bat across their chest. Jimmy Ballgame did it twice, and Albert did it six times. While one of the men mentioned has had their record scrutinized in recent past, each of these men thrilled fans in St. Louis. I feel lucky to have watched a few of them play, and would have loved to watch the others play as well. Especially Rogers Hornsby.

Today marks the 500th fact I have published on onthisdayincardinalnation.com. I see it as a milestone that I am proud of. I want to extend a sincere thank you to each of you for helping make this a success. You all give me a reason to do this. My interest in sports history began as nothing more than a hobby, however, I do believe it has evolved into something great. Again, I thank you all for that.

July 18, 1926: Billy Southworth Walks it Off

     On July 18, 1926, Billy Southworth led the Cardinals to a 9-7 victory over the Phillies with a walk off blast at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Cardinals had led 6-3 in this one after four innings, before the Phillies took the lead with a four run sixth. The Cardinals answered back with a run in the seventh to tie it up, which stood until the ninth, when Wayland Dean walked Rogers Hornsby to set the table for Southworth, who parked one in the seats to win it. The 33-year-old future skipper had come over to the Cardinals in mid June as a part of a trade with the New York Giants. He went onto become a key piece to that championship puzzle by hitting .317 in 99 games for the Redbirds, before hitting .345 in the Fall Classic, which included several clutch hits that brought St. Louis their first championship title in the modern era. Many years later Southworth would guide the club to two championship titles.

You can read all about the life and times of Billy Southworth here:
http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b8be8c57

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192607180.shtml

July 17, 1964: The Cardinals Win a Seesaw Battle Against the Mets In St. Louis

     On July 17, 1964, with the help of a pair of three hit days from Lou Brock and Dick Groat, the Cardinals prevailed 9-8 over the Mets at Busch in what was a true seesaw battle that had both teams fighting down to the wire.

      Both teams scored a run in the first, the Mets scored two in the second, then the Redbirds came right back with two of their own in the third when first baseman Bill White went yard. The seesaw shifted back and forth, as the Mets plated a run in the fourth, before the Cards pushed one across in the fifth. Knotted up at four headed into the sixth, the Cardinals looked to blow the door open a little with a three run inning to give them a 7-4 advantage. However, the Mets stormed right back with a three run seventh to tie it up, before Lou Brock broke up the deadlock with his third hit of the day in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI triple. Dick Groat followed that up with his third hit of the day to bring Brock into score what proved to be the game winning run, which was the third run of the day for Brock, who also stole a base. The Mets refused to go away quietly. Bob Humphreys was called upon to finish them off, but surrendered a run, before handing the ball over to Bob Gibson who recorded a one out save by retiring pinch hitter Hawk Taylor with a groundout. That was one of six saves for the man who wore the 45.

     Such a wild win, and like each and every win in 1964 it was a very important victory, as the team looked to make an improbable pennant run. They would hang around just close enough, never falling more than 11 games out of first place, before it all began to come together for the team to make a historic run. While it was all coming together for the Redbirds, it was all falling apart for the Philadelphia Phillies whose late season collapse was key in the Cardinals ride to glory. When those kind of rides happen the stars have to align perfectly. A team has to be able to come out on top in a seesaw battle such as the one that came on that July day in 1964. While wins such as that one may not be pretty, they make a team know they can win the battle as long as they keep fighting until the end. That team was full of fighters. They fought and fought some more, and eventually they celebrated as champions.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196407170.shtml

Today's fact is a special one. It is dedicated to Mrs. Jane Spavale, who celebrated her first day of life on that day in 1964 with a big win. Jane just married my friend Steve, and not only do I want to say congratulations to them both, I would also like to say Happy Birthday to Jane. Here's to many more and here's to a long and happy marriage.

Go Cards!!!

July 16, 1946: Erv Dusak Comes Through In a Pinch

     On July 16, 1946, Erv Dusak led the Cardinals to a dramatic victory with a pinch-hit three run walk off home run in the ninth to beat the Dodgers 5-4 at Sportsman's Park.

      The Cardinals came into the contest looking for a four game sweep, however, the Dodgers were looking to salvage one, and they came very close to doing so, as they held a 4-2 edge headed into the final frame. The starters, Howie Pollett for the Birds, and Joe Hatten for the Dodgers, both took the mound in that final inning. Pollett may have thought he would not be winning his tenth game of the season on that fine day, however, he had a surprise in store, as Hatten did not record an out before the Rebirds were victorious.

     The wheels began to fall off the Dodgers bus when Hatten hit Marty Marion, then surrendered a single to catcher Clyde Cluttz. The Cardinals skipper, Eddie Dyer, was hardly thinking that one would find its way to the seats like it did, so he called on Joffre Cross to pinch run for Cluttz, then called on Erv Dusak to pinch hit for Pollett. Dusak fell behind 0 and 2 after fouling one off, then took a strike, before taking a swing that sent the ball sailing into the stands in left. While I was not able to find an account of how Dusak was treated as he came into score the game winner, one can imagine it was a scene that he would preserve in his mind's eye for the rest of his days on earth. He was the hero of the day.

     A versatile player, Dusak spent a great deal of time in the outfield. He also played a little bit of second, third, and one game at short as well. He was one of those guys who would trot out to whatever position was needed if he was penciled in. If he wasn't penciled in from the get go he could also come up with a big hit off the bench, as he did on that day against the Dodgers. Another phenomenal thing Dusak did later in his career was try his hand at pitching. He appeared in just 23 games from the mound, posting an 0-3 record, with a save to boot. While he was hardly successful, the fact he was able to take the ball when called upon speaks volumes about how talented of an athlete he was.

     Most of Dusak's production came over the course of a three year stretch, which started during that '46 season. In each of those three seasons he had more than 300 plate appearances for the Redbirds. He played nine seasons, and in the other six he never recorded more than 44 plate appearances. Therefore, some may look at Dusak's career numbers, and shrug him off as a mediocre player from baseball's past. He was a career .243 hitter that hit just 24 home runs. However, he was also a piece to a championship puzzle in '46, and he even played in four games in the World Series.

     Truly an example of a role player who made a difference, and on that day in mid July it was a big difference. Just goes to show that we never know who will play the hero. It could be the superstar. It could be a pitcher that may make just a handful of big league starts. It could be a bench player who will do whatever it takes to preserve his spot on a big league roster. We never know who will step up on any given day. Great teams have a wide variety of heroes. Erv Dusak surely played the role of the hero for a great team on that day in '46.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194607160.shtml

July 15, 1967: Gibby Breaks His Leg

     On July 15, 1967, a line drive off of Roberto Clemente's bat broke Bob Gibson's right leg during a 6-4 loss to the Pirates at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Gibby fell to the ground writhing in pain, then cam to his feet, and after being examined he was allowed to continue. He faced three more batters, walked the first, retired the second, then walked Don Clendenon, before collapsing again.

      As the game continued an evaluation began, which led to x-rays at a local hospital where it was revealed that Gibson had broken his fibula, the smaller bone in the lower leg. It was a devastating blow to the team that had their sights set on a pennant. Gibby had won 21 games the year before, and was the anchor of a what proved to be a very talented pitching staff, who had to rally together and go on without their leader. They did exactly that.

     The Redbird ace was ruled out for 4 to 6 weeks. The man who filled the shoes of Gibson in the rotation took the loss that day against the Bucs. That man was Nelson Briles. Briles turned into a bit of an ace himself down the stretch, winning nine consecutive games to end the season. Other than Briles, a 29-year-old rookie by the name Dick Hughes stepped in while Gibson was in a cast. The two posted a combined 7-2 record while Gibby recovered. A kid named Steve Carlton also stepped up, and won five games during that stretch. The team stared adversity straight in the eye and proved that they could pass the test.

     Gibby returned to the bump on September 7th, and won three more games for the club that won 101 games and the pennant that had set their sights on when the seasoned opened in April. In a way the injury was a blessing in disguise, as Gibson came back well-rested, then went onto carry the team through the World Series, winning three games, which included the one the mattered most: Game 7. He was the World Series MVP, and the pain and agony of being injured on that day in mid July was a distant memory. He was a champion once again, and in the end he had quite the tale to tell, as a man who faced three more batters after breaking his leg. Bob Gibson was a badass... excuse me, he still is a badass.

Take this quiz to see how well you know Bob Gibson: http://stltoday.secondstreetapp.com/How-well-do-you-know-Bob-Gibson/ One of the answers is a gimme, because it is included in this story.