April 13, 1932: The Birds Stun The Bucs In St. Louis

     On April 13, 1932, the Cardinals pulled off a stunner at Sportsman's Park by scoring five runs in the ninth to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8. The historic comeback was capped off with a double by Frankie Frisch who knocked in the tying and winning runs.  It was a cold and blustery day at the ole ballpark, so the crowd was estimated to be a paltry 1,500 fans. Hard to say how many stayed until the end, as their Redbirds battled from behind throughout the contest. However, those who did witnessed an early season comeback that we can still celebrate today.
   
     The Pirates scored the first three runs of the contest in the second, and they would lead until the final at bat of the affair. The Birds scored two in the third, but watched the visiting Buc's take those run right back with a pair in the fifth. While things were not going well for the day's starter Wild Bill Hallahan, who had led the National League with 19 wins during the previous Championship season, the Cardinals refused to go away. The hurler watched his club inch closer on the scoreboard with a run in the sixth, then another in the seventh, before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter. The score was 5-4 when he was lifted, and the momentum seemed to be all  Cardinals. The wind was taken from the sails in the ninth, when  Jim Lindsey, Hallahan's replacement, allowed  three runs to cross the dish. With the score 8-4 it may have seemed that the coffin had been nailed shut on this one, however, it was far from over, and as you and I both know those last three outs are some tough outs to get. In fact, they were so tough that the visiting Pirates could not get them at all.

     The Bucs starter, Glenn Spencer was still on the bump in the ninth when the game winning rally began. He would go the distance that day, coming within an out of adding a win to his stat line. It jsut was not happening though. Spencer surrendered back-to-back singles to Ripper Collins and Pepper Martin, then fumbled Jimmie Wilson's sacrifice bunt, which led to a bases loaded, no one out situation. It may have been a cold day at the ballpark, but the heat was on Spencer. Charlie Gelbert made him pay immediately by knocking a single into center that scored both Collins and Martin, and sent Wilson over to third. It was 8-6; the Redbirds were coming. Ray Blades ended up hitting into a force play to retire Gelbert. However, Wilson scored the seventh Cardinals run of the day. gabby Street sent Joel Hunt into run for Blades, then watched the pinch runner be retired trying to take third on a single by Sparky Adams. Spencer needed one out, one more out that he would not get. George Watkins came to the dish and set the table for Frisch by knocking a single past Tony Piet at second base. Frisch then capped things off by ripping a double into right center that brought Watkins and Adams into score the runs that counted most. After trailing throughout the contest the Cardinals had comeback and won it. They had not given up. Therefore, they prevailed.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193204130.shtml

April 11, 1912: Harmon Blanks The Bucs On Opening Day In St. Louis

     On April 11, 1912, the Cardinals opened the season at Robison Field in St. Louis with a 7-0 win over the Pittsburg Pirates. An estimated crowd of 15,000 showed up to watch this one, and by a brass band, which played a song called rag-time violin at least six times according to the Pittsburgh Press. Once the game was underway, Bob Harmon spun a four-hit gem for the Cardinals, while his teammates hit the Pirates starter Howie Camnitz early and often. the biggest highlight of the day was a home run off the bat of Steve Evans, The sixth inning blast proved to be the only home run by a Cardinals player between 1901 and 1922.  The only two men to pick up a hit for the Bucs were Honus Wagner and Mike Donlin; they both had two apiece. Other than that, this game was all St. Louis all day long.

     Overall, the 1912 season was a disappointment. The team had high hopes after going 75-74 the year before. Some thought they would have done much better had they not been involved in a train accident during that previous season, so the hopes were high on that opening day in St. Louis. However, they could not get it going early, losing 16 of their first 21 en route to a 63-90 record, which proved to be enough to cost the skipper, Roger Bresnahan, his job. With all of that said, that season like every season that came before it and every season that has followed was a season to be remembered. There were good days as well as bad, but in the end there was baseball being played on a diamond in St. Louis.

Note: I chose to spell Pittsburgh without the H at the end because that is the way it was spelled at the time in which this baseball game was played.

P.S. Go Cards!!! It's going to be a great day folks.

April 10, 1963: Washburn Shuts'em Down In The Big Apple

    On April 10, 1963, the Cardinals shut the Mets for the second consecutive time at the Polo Grounds in New York. Ray Washburn allowed just four hits in the contest, and from the second to the eighth inning he retired 17 men in a row.

     The day before Washburn's dominant performance, Ernie Broglio had set the bar high by allowing just two hits to the New Yorkers. However, the story of this day was Washburn, who also helped score the first run of the ballgame with a sacrifice fly in the fifth that brought Curt Flood into score. The sac fly came within a foot of going over the fence.

     Dick Groat ended up getting a hold of one that cleared the fence to start off the eighth to make it 2-0. By the end of that frame the Cardinals tacked on another run when Gene Oliver ripped a single to bring Ken Boyer into score. In the ninth, Bill White knocked in the fourth and final Redbird run of the day, before Washburn finished what he had started.

     The Cardinals hopped on a plane and headed for St. Louis after the contest was played. However, the plane that they had hopped on ended up having an issue with its heating system. The pilot told the club over a speaker that if they stayed in the air the temperature in the plane would drop to zero. This led to a three-hour delay in Washington D.C., which eventually led to the club having to board another plane (The illustration to the right appeared in the Post Dispatch one day later). The club did reach home safely shortly thereafter, then got ready for the home opener. Curt Simmons got the call for that contest, which was played on April 13th, and he matched the performances of Broglio and Washburn by going the distance and helping lead the way to the third consecutive shutout to start the season.

     The Cardinals went 93-69 during that 1963 campaign. They had stormed down the stretch , going 19-1 from August 30th to September 15th. They were just one game back on that mid-September day. It seemed they were poised to make a run, and hopes were high it would happen with it being the last season that Stan Musial would lace up the cleats. Unfortunately, it did not work out that way. The club stumbled losing eight of their last ten, which led to a second place finish, six games behind the league leading Dodgers. While the club did not make the run they and everyone else had hoped for, the season was memorable, and it began in historic fashion, as the pitching staff tossed up zeroes in three consecutive ballgames.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN196304100.shtml

April 8, 1970: Gibby and Allen Lift The Birds On Opening Day

     On April 8, 1970, the Redbirds opened up the season with a comeback win over the Expos in Montreal. The heroes of the day were Bob Gibson, who struck out nine through eight, and Dick Allen, who in his regular season debut with the club went 3 for 5, with a home run and two doubles.

     It was a cold and blustery day north of the border, as an early morning snow threatened to blanket the field at Jarry Park. By 7:30 a.m. the snow had turned to rain, and shortly thereafter the skies cleared, as a crowd of more than 20,000 prepared for a day at the ole ballgame. That crowd in Montreal knew their team would have their hands full with Gibby standing on the mound for the Redbirds. However, they had hope that Bill Stoneman would be able to get the job done, and Stoneman delivered with a nine pitch first inning to start things off. Gibson stumbled early, falling behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first, despite striking out the side. The first man he faced, Marv Staehle, reached on a single, then he walked Rusty Staub, before watching Ron Fairly knock in the first run of the day with a single. Gibson then picked up his first strikeout, before Coco LaBoy singled to bring Staub around to score. Down 2-0, Gibson struck out the next two men in succession, which was a sign of things to come for the home team.

    Gibson and company watched the tide turn in the fourth, as Dick Allen ripped a double to open the inning. Allen would come around to score on a two out single by Joe Hague, and just like that the score sat at 2-1. Stoneman proved to be a formidable foe, as he pitched his way into the eighth before serving one up to Allen that landed 420 feet from where it started. The score was 2-2, as the Redbirds began to march toward victory.

      The Expos were trying to salvage the contest with Stoneman still on the bump in the ninth, It just was not happening on that day. He gave up a single to Leron Lee to start things off, Hague moved him over with a bunt, before Julian Javier punched a single into left that brought in the go ahead run. Moments later the phone rang in the Montreal bullpen and Stoneman handed the ball off to Carroll Sembera. That is when the floodgates opened. Sembera gave up a double to every other batter he faced, starting with Dal Maxvill, followed by Lou Brock, then capped off by none other than Dick Allen. Quite the Cardinals debut for Allen. By the time Senbera handed the ball to Dan McGinn the score was 7-2. McGinn picked up the final out of that fateful ninth, before watching St. Louis' Chuck Taylor pitch a scoreless ninth. The Redbirds were victorious.

      Allen would spend just one season with the Birds, hitting .279 with 34 home runs. As a huge fan of the man, I wish his time in the Lou was much longer. Gibson was poised for another great season right out of the gate that season, and he ended up with 23 wins, which was not only a career high, he also led the league in wins. Unfortunately, no other pitcher on that staff in 1970 got the job done like Gibby did. In fact, only one other hurler cracked double digits in wins, which was Steve Carlton who posted a 10-19 record. Another aspect that hurt that club in 1970 was a shaky lineup,full of question mark, which the famous artist Amadee poked a little bit of fun at with the illustration to the right. In the end the club went 76-86. With that said, the year did have its great moments, and that opening day had quite a few great moments as well. It was one to remember.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197004080.shtml

April 5, 1989: DeLeon and McGee Lead the Way To Victory In New york

     On April 5, 1989, Jose DeLeon hurled the Redbirds to a 3-1 win over the Mets at Shea Stadium in New York with the help of a two RBI day from Willie McGee. The win was a much needed one for that Cardinals club, as they had not won a game at Shea in their last 11 appearances at the stadium. On top of that, DeLeon had not won a game there in his last nine appearances. However it all changed that day, as the hurler gave the club a strong eight, while McGee parked a long ball in the seats in the fourth to tie the game 1-1. Pedro Guerrero brought Willie into score on a groundout in the sixth, then McGee came through again with an RBI in the seventh to give the team a little insurance. Meanwhile, DeLeon got the job done, as he sailed though the eighth inning. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth, then watched Ken Dayley and Todd Worrell close the contest out.

     That '89 season ended with the Cardinals third in the National League East. They finished with an 89-76 record. DeLeon claimed 16 of those wins. Only Joe Magrane had more with 18 wins. With that said, the tide was turning against the club as the end of the Herzog era was on the horizon. However, the 1980's as a whole were something else. I grew up during that time, and those teams that Whitey managed got me hooked to that great sport that is played on a diamond. Those teams like many of the other great Cardinals teams that took to the field in St. Louis will be revered as long as the sun rises and sets over ballparks across this great land.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN198904050.shtml

April 4, 1998, Big Mac Makes History Right Out Of The Gate

     On April 4, 1998, Mark McGwire became just the second player in the history of Major League Baseball to homer in the first four games of the season. The sixth inning three-run blast was a difference maker in the contest, as it led the way to an 8-6 victory over the Padres at Busch. The man they called Big Mac joined elite company on that April day, by matching the feat that Willie Mays had accomplished in 1971. He was setting the pace early for what would be a historic season that ended with McGwire as the king of swing, as he belted a record 70 home runs by season's end. While the records that were broken and the home runs that were hit by McGwire have been questioned because of the use of performance enhancers, I do believe that season was something to be remembered. St. Louis and the entire nation alike were electrified, as we sat and watched Mark McGwire chase history. I personally remember those days fondly, and always will.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199804040.shtml

April 3, 2006: The Cardinals Thrash The Phillies In Philly

     On April 3, 2006, the road to a championship began with a 13-5 Cardinals season opening win over the Phillies in Philadelphia. The game featured Chris Carpenter on the bump from the start, as well as two home runs by Albert Pujols. Jim Edmonds drove in the first run of the contest with an RBI double in the first, then sat and watched Albert lift his first long ball into the seats with a big blast in the third. The Birds then exploded with eight runs in the fourth, which began with an Aaron Miles triple, and ended with a grand slam off the bat of Scott Rolen to make the score 10-0.  Miles was making his regular season debut with the club, and he along with the rest of the Birds were flyin' towards victory. And little did they know, they were also flyin' towards a Championship.

     The Fightin' Phils finally got to Carpenter in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot by Pat Burrell, however, the Redbirds were in the driver's seat in this one. David Eckstein got the run back with a sac fly in the fifth, before Albert connected with his second big fly of the day. The three run shot made the score 13-1, and the Cardinals were well on their way to victory. With that said, the Phillies would not just lay down. Chase Utley drove in a run in the bottom of the fifth, then Ryan Howard did his best Pujols imitation by taking on deep to lead off the sixth. Carp walked the next man, then handed the ball off to Randy Flores who watched another run cross the plate before the sixth was in the books.

     Flores handed the ball off to Josh Hancock after allowing a one out single in the seventh, before Burrell knocked in the fourth and final Phillies run of the day with a double. Hancock settled quickly, picked up the next two outs, then watched Adam Wainwright toss the eighth, before Brad Thompson finished things off in the ninth. Win number one of what would turn out to be an 83 win team was in the books.

     This club like each club on opening day had questions that would be answered, as well as adversity that would be faced. They would go through valleys and peaks. The peaks seems to have come early in that '06 season, as they were on fire from the start, then seemed to be drowning near the end. They had to overcome injuries, as well as players that did not perform up to expectations. In the end they took advantage of what was a weak Central Division and took first by 1 1/2 games over the Astros. With just 83 wins most probably did not believe in the team. However, the men in the locker room believed in themselves, and once the playoffs began the regular season was a thing of the past. It was time to make a run, and make a run they did. For the first time since 1982, the St. Louis Cardinals would be World Champions.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI200604030.shtml