April 8, 1997: Walk It Off Willie!!!

     On April 8, 1997, 38 year old Willie McGee hit a walk off home run that lifted the Cardinals to
a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos in their home opener at Busch. The walk off shot could not have come at a better time, as the Redbirds had lost six in a row to start the season. It was Willie's first walk off home run of his career. Tony LaRussa called it something right out of The Natural. The always humble McGee scoffed at the idea, saying, "That's fantasy. This is hard work for me." Hard work pays off. It certainly paid off for Willie that day. 

    Alan Benes got the nod to start in front of more than 47,000 fans that packed Busch Stadium. He received run support in the second when Gary Gaetti scored on a Roberto Mejia sac fly, only to watch the Expos tie it up 1-1 in the third when Mike Lansing knocked in a run with a single. Benes was able to work his way through the fifth before being lifted for a pinch hitter. 

    Mark Petkovsek took over on the bump in the sixth and got the job done by keeping Montreal off the board as he pitched into the ninth inning. Expos closer Ugueth Urbina had worked his way out of a bases loaded mess late in the eighth after he walked two before striking out Gaetti.  Urbina came out in the bottom of the ninth, sat Tom Lampkin down on a pop fly and struck Mejia out to end the inning. With the pitcher due up in the lineup, it was the end of the day for Petkovsek when Tony called on number 51 to pinch hit.  All it took was one pitch as Willie's bat came around and got a hold of the ball that sailed over the wall in right. His teammates mobbed him at that plate as the cheers rained down upon him. Willie and the Birds were walk off winners.

  Watch the historic blast

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199704080.shtml

April 7, 2010: Wainwright Notches His First W In Cincy

    On April 7, 2010, Adam Wainwright locked down his first win of the season with a 6-3 Cardinals victory over the Reds at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Wainwright provided the club seven strong innings of work, striking out six, walking just two, and allowing only three hits.  He would go onto win 20 games that season and finish 2nd in the Cy Young vote.

    The Redbirds were able to get on the board first with an RBI single by David Freese in the second inning that plated Colby Rasmus to make it 1-0. One inning later, Ryan Ludwick picked up an RBI single that brought Matt Holliday in to make it 2-0. The Reds had visions of striking back quickly in the bottom of the inning when Brandon Phillips led off with a single. However, Yadier Molina had other thoughts when he gunned down Phillips trying to steal second. Three batters later, Wainwright was headed back to the bench with no damage done.

    It looked like Uncle Charlie was in cruise control. He had thrown just 54 pitches through five innings and looked well on the way to a dominant victory.  However, just as quick as that thought may have crossed the mind the Reds tied things up with a two-run blast in the sixth off the bat of Orlando Cabrera.  All tied up at two, there was still work to do and the Birds went right back to work. 

    When Johnny Cueto's day came to an end in the sixth, Dusty Baker called on bullpen lefty Danny Herrera to face lefty Skip Schumaker, who promptly singled to center to lead off the seventh. Dusty went right back to the pen. Logan Ondrusek took over mound duties and walked the first man he faced. One batter later, Albert Pujols broke the 2-2 deadlock with a single into center scoring Schumaker to make it 3-2. Matt Holliday followed Albert with a two-run double that broke the lead open to 5-2 Cardinals. Before the end of the frame, David Freese knocked in another off of Arthur Rhodes who was the third reliever of the inning that ended with nine Cardinals total stepping up to the dish.

    Up 6-2 and at 95 pitches on the day, Waino handed the ball to Tony LaRussa who then handed it to Kyle McClellan in the eighth. McClellan did surrender a run after giving up a leadoff double, but he struck out two in the inning before handing it over to Dennys Reyes who struck out Joey Votto to send the game to the ninth. Ryan Franklin shut them down in the bottom of the inning and Wainwright had 1 in the W column. A very special season was on tap for the player who wears the number 50 on his back. 

    As we get ready to celebrate Opening Day here in St. Louis, it was important for me to come up with a game that featured three of the men that we have been so lucky to watch and in my humble opinion we are blessed to be able to watch again today: Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols. It's sort of a cool bonus to see bench coach Skip Schumaker have his moment in this one as well. 

    Soak all of it in today. This may very well be the last time we see this group on the diamond as players. There will be red jackets, retired numbers, statues, and so many countless stories that we tell our kids and grandkids about this group, just like your parent and grandparents have told you the stories of the Cardinals greats that took the diamond during their heyday. It is something special, and we should never forget it. 

Play Ball!

Check out the box score here: STLvsCin 4-7-2010

June 5, 1956, Atkinson Stops Topeka On No-Hitter

     On June 5, 1956,  Cardinals minor leaguer and Sioux City hurler Dick Atkinson no-hit the Topeka Hawks at Soos Park in Sioux City Iowa. Only three men reached base as Atkinson struck out nine men en route to the achievement that every pitcher dreams of, as his Soos beat the Hawks 2-0 in front of the gem tossed by the big righty.

     Dick Atkinson may not be a name that is known among all of Cardinals Nation. He played for four seasons as a minor leaguer in the Cardinals organization and two more with the White Sox organization. He did not crack a major league roster, but at times he stood by the sides of men like Stan Musial and Ken Boyer. Through social media, Dick has become a friend. When he posted about this game, I dug up headlines and got to thinking how great it would be for him to relive it one more time. This is a first for me, but I am going to tell the tale just as it was told Sioux City Journal writer by John C. Kelly in the newspaper the following day:     
                                                  

     Dick Atkinson, the big righthander from Scammon, Kansas, pitched himself in the record books Tuesday night as he hurled a nearly perfect no-hitter in Soos Park, as the Soos won, 2-0.

     The same two teams square off again tonight with Ted Thiem (4-5) scheduled for the Soos and Herbert Skankman (2-2) getting the nod for the Hawks. 

     Facing only 29 batters in all, Atkinson gave up a walk in the second, Bill Bohlender was safe in the third on Gene Davis' glaring error, and a walk in the seventh, with the runner quickly erased in the game's only double play, 

     Dick had to go all out to win, in spite of his complete mastery of Hawks batters, as Marshall Bridges, the former Soos first baseman, gave up only three hits. But the Soos made their hits count.

                                                                   Score in Sixth
     
     The first run came in the sixth on a walk to Atkinson, a sacrifice and Ken Landenberger's double to right field. The final run came in the ninth on Don Catchot's single, a sacrifice bunt by Atkinson that found Catchot beating the attempted force at second, a walk to load the bases and Art Burnett's long fly to deep left center.

     Dick found the Soos going all out to preserve the no-hitter, too. , as there were any number of fine plays, with the three falling in the superlative class. In the sixth Don Catchot made a beautiful, over the shoulder catch of Bridges drive, just inches short of the centerfield fence.

     In the same inning , Burnett beat Mike Jezierski out of a hit with a gloved-hand pickup and quick throw of a finely placed bunt, and in the ninth Wally Fassler went deep to left short and came up fast to throw out Bohlender for the last serious threat. 

                                                                                                               Fans 9 Batters

     The righthander struck out nine Hawks and most of the time had the visitors popping up or grounding out, as only five balls were knocked out of the infield. After the error in the third inning he retired 11 men in a order, have up one more walk and that was the story. 

     Atkinson makes his home in Scammon, Kansas, but in the offseason he is a graduate student at Kansas State Teachers College at Pitssburg, Kansas. He is 24 years old, stands 6 feet 2 inches and is a graduate of Missouri University. He started pro ball with Omaha in 1952, and pitched a one hitter against Colorado Springs that year. 

     Today, Dick resides in Arizona. He has lived and continues to live a great life full of memories of days on the diamond and the days that have followed. I can tell in our brief interactions that those days on the diamond are days that are cherished. He told me that baseball has been a guide throughout his life and everything he has he owes to the game. That is quite the statement from a man who did what every pitcher dreams of on that day in 1956. He pitched a no-no.

Thank you, Dick for sharing the memory of that day with me, so it can be shared with others. It is a day that will be remembered. Proud to call you a friend.

Source: The Sioux City Journal published June 6, 1956

     

April 20, 1946: Brecheen and The Birds Spoil The Cubs Opener at Wrigley

     On April 20, 1946, the Cardinals spoiled the Cubs' home opener at Wrigley Field with a 2-0 win.  That same day, the Cubs raised their 1945 National League pennant before the contest and televised their first regular season game in club history.  Harry "The Cat" Brecheen was on the bump for the birds from start to finish, allowing just six hits along the way.

     Lou Klein led the game off with a single, and was driven in on a sac fly by Enos Slaughter. Cubs starter Hank Borowy pitched into the eighth, down just 1-0, but he gave up another run that inning when Dick Sisler knocked in Stan Musial, giving the Cards and Brecheen a 2-0 lead and a little room to breathe.

     While Brecheen kept the Baby Bears off the board, he had help from his defense, particularly from Marty Marion, who had five putouts and five assists, including an inning-ending out with the bases loaded in the fifth. The Cubs may have come into the day celebrating a pennant winning club being televised for the first time, but at the end of the day, the Cardinals celebrated a win. There is no way to have known it then, but on that day the Cards were on the way to a pennant of their own. 1946 was quite a year.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN194604200.shtml

Celebrate '68: Thank you, Bob Gibson... 1.12

                On September 27, 1968, Bob Gibson capped off his historical season by shutting out the Houston Astros 1-0 in front of 18,658 fans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The six-hit shutout was his 13^th shutout of the season, as well as his 28^th complete game of the campaign. Gibson’s ERA coming into his final start of the season was 1.16. After shutting the Astros down, Gibson’s ERA dropped to 1.12, which stands as the lowest earned run average during a single season in the live ball era.

            The game played at Busch that September evening was looked at by many as a tune up for Gibson as the Cardinals were set to take on the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. Gibson looked at it like he looked at every other game he started… he came to win. He was a fierce competitor in start number one, and he was the same fierce competitor in start 34.

            Houston skipper Harry “The Hat” Walker called on Larry Dierker to face Gibson. Dierker did a formidable job keeping the Birds off the board until the fifth when he opened the inning with a walk to Julian Javier. Dierker struck the next man out before Gibson sacrificed Javier to second with a bunt. Javier took third on a single by Lou Brock, then scored when Curt Flood singled him in. Brock was thrown out at home trying to score on the same play to end the inning, but the damage was done, Gibson had the run he would need, and he was on the way to victory.

            Houston scattered a few hits along the way, however, they could not figure out a way to get a runner home. Gibson was doing what Gibson did that season, which was set men down. He sailed into the ninth with nine strikeouts under his belt. He struck out ten and eleven to begin the inning, then finished the game off with getting Rusty Staub to hit a pop fly to Javier at second base. Gibson walked off the mound a 22-game winner and the owner of an ERA of 1.12 that has not been matched since.

            In the history of Major League Baseball only three pitchers have posted a season ERA that was below Gibson’s mark of 1.12.  Tim O’Keefe posted a 0.86 ERA as a member of the National League’s Troy Trojans in 1880, Mordecai Brown posted a 1.04 ERA as a member of the Chicago Cubs in 1904, and Dutch Leonard posted a 0.96 ERA as a member of the Boston Red Sox in 1914. All three of those pitchers accomplished their feats during the dead ball era, making Gibson’s 1.12 an accomplishment like no other.

            That year, “The Year of The Pitcher”, had a plethora of pitching stars. Denny McLain, who Gibson would face off against during the World Series won 31 games, making him the last hurler to win 30 or more. Cleveland’s Luis Tiant posted a 1.60 ERA to earn the American League’s earned run pitching title. Juan Marichal of the Giants led the National League with 26 wins. There were so many accomplishments by pitchers during that season that it looks absolutely ridiculous. 49 starting pitchers had an earned run average below 3.00 on the season and seven starters had an ERA under 2.00.

The dominance in pitching in 1968 caused Major League Baseball to bring changes to the game. The league lowered the mound from 15 to 10 inches in an effort to generate offense. Many in Cardinals Nation credit Bob Gibson for the mound being lowered, however, the fact of the matter is Gibson was one of many men who were responsible for the league choosing to make the change. Gibson simply led the pack.

            Both Gibson and McLain took home MVP and Cy Young honors in their respective leagues. As mentioned before they would face off in the World Series. Gibson opened the series up by breaking a Fall Classic record striking out 17 men, and Gibby then went out and won game four, in a series that would go seven. Gibson started the seventh game and was beaten by Mickey Lolich. The World Series loss was a hard pill to swallow for that pennant winning club. Especially for Bob Gibson who carried that team so far.   

            As we take one more look back at this Celebrate ’68 series I am going to recap the numbers that Gibson posted during that 1968 season: In 34 starts Gibson won 22 games and lost 9. He completed 28 of his 34 starts and recorded 13 shutouts. In 304.2 innings he faced 1,161 men innings and struck out 268 of them. He was an All Star, a Gold Glove winner, the Cy Young winner, and the Most Valuable Player in the National League.  With a wicked fastball and a slider that would send men packing, Gibson put together a year that is celebrated 50 years later and will likely be talked about 50 years from now. For the magic number of 1.12 will live forever and as it lives on Bob Gibson’s name will be right next to it.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196809270.shtml

Sources included: baseball-reference.com, The Southeast Missourian, The Schenectady Gazette, The Victoria Advocate, The Free Lance-Star, The Dispatch, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Pittsburgh Press, Newsday, as well as a wide variety of that I have utilized throughout this season.

I would like to thank each and every one of you that have taken the time to read these blogs. You doing so has made every minute that I have spent doing this well worth it. I would also like to thank Dan McLaughlin for showing support throughout the season. It has been fun to say the least.

I have always known the number 1.12. I have always appreciated and admired what Gibson accomplished that season and throughout his career as a Cardinal. With that said, by looking back at the ’68 season like we have done together here this year has made me appreciate it in a way that I could have never done without it. Therefore, I want to thank one more person in closing.

Thank you, Bob Gibson.

1.12

Celebrate '68: The Dodgers Beat Gibby Thanks To An Error

                On September 22, 1968, Bob Gibson tossed his 27^th complete game of the year, but ended up on the losing end of a 3-2 Dodgers victory over the Cardinals in Los Angeles. The loss by the Cards put Gibson’s record at 21-9, while his ERA rose from 1.13 to 1.16. Gibby had one more start in front of him, and in that start, he would reach what many of us consider a magic number: 1.12.

            The Dodgers called on future Hall of Famer Don Sutton to face Gibson. 23-year-old Sutton was in control that day. He surrendered a hit to Dal Maxvill in the third, then held the Cardinals hitless until the eighth. Meanwhile, Gibson kept the Dodgers off the board until the sixth when Paul Popovich knocked in Tom Haller to make it 1-0. Willie Crawford made it 2-0 Dodgers with a solo shot in the seventh and Gibson found himself in a hole.

            Gibson and company were not in the hole long. Sutton’s run of dominance over the Redbird lineup wore off in the top of the eighth. Although, he did retire the first two men he faced in the frame. Dal Maxvill and Gibson began the rally with a pair of singles. Lou Brock followed suit with a single to right that brought Maxvill into score and moved Gibson over to third. Sutton then balked, Gibson scored, Lou moved to second and the game was knotted up 2-2.

            The tied ballgame did not last long. Gibson began the bottom of the eighth by issuing a walk to Bill Sudakis. Wes Parker moved Sudakis over to second with a sac bunt before disaster struck… Popovich came to the plate having already knocked in the run in the sixth. He was just a .218 hitter, who likely had one job, which was to move Sudakis over to third. Popovich hit a flyball to Joe Hague in right that looked like it would do exactly that. However, Hague threw a wild one into third trying to get Sudakis out and once the runner saw the ball get away, he made the dash to home. The score was 3-2. Gibson struck the last man he faced in the inning out and headed to the dugout back in a hole.

            Sutton gave up a single to Orlando Cepeda in the top of the ninth, which ended his day. Jim Brewer came on in relief and set the next three men down in a row. After looking at this entire season, it would be easy to say that this loss was perhaps the most heartbreaking loss that Gibson had to endure that season. With that said, the Cardinals had clenched the pennant, he and his teammates would be going onto represent the National League in the World Series, and Gibson would go out one more time during the regular season and drop that number down to 1.12.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196809220.shtml

Sources included: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The St. Joseph Gazette, The Schenectady Gazette, and Baseballreference.com

Celebrate '68: Gibson Tosses His 26 Complete Game; Perry No-Hits The Cards

                On September 17, 1968, Giants hurler Gaylord Perry spoiled Bob Gibson’s 26^th complete game of the season by no-hitting the Cardinals at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Gibson allowed just four hits in the contest. Perry’s effort was one for the record books, though, and it led to the historical 1-0 no-hit win.

The first of Gibson’s four hits allowed came just three pitches into the game. Gibby threw a fastball inside to Ron Hunt sending who sent it over the wall in left. Little did Gibson know that, along with Perry’s tremendous display, that one pitch moved his record to 21-8.

            After walking Mike Shannon in the second inning, Perry was masterful. The future Hall of Famer said that he first started thinking about a potential no-no in the fifth inning.  Ironically,  he had a scare in the fifth when, according to him, Perry served up a “fat pitch” to Orlando Cepeda. That fat one ended up being a pop up to Willie McCovey. The closest the Cardinals came to getting a hit was in the sixth. Dal Maxvill started that inning by ripping one up the middle. Perry fell off the mound, snagged the ball, then threw Maxie out at first. Two batters later, Bobby Tolan scorched one in between first and second only to watch Willie McCovey get to it just in time to throw it to Perry who covered first.

            The day was Perry’s. He went into the eighth having only given up the one walk. He retired the first two he faced in that inning and gave up his second walk of the game to Phil Gagliano. Moments later, Perry recorded his eighth strikeout of the game.

            Perry went into the ninth having to face Lou Brock, Bobby Tolan, and Curt Flood. He sat Brock and Tolan down on groundouts, then caught Curt Flood looking for his ninth strikeout of the game. Gaylord Perry had joined a coveted list of men with the words no-hitter on their resumes. It was the only no-no of Perry’s Hall of Fame career.

            Gibson, who would not add his name to that coveted list until 1973, still pitched one helluva ballgame that day in San Fran. He was simply outdone by his counterpart. Gibson gave up 11 hits in his previous start and managed to walk away with a 5-4 victory. That’s just how baseball goes. At the end of this day, Gibson’s ERA sat at 1.13, which is where it sat before the contest began. He had struck out 10 men and walked just two. The disappointment of this one would not last long, because Gibson knew his number would be called on again, and five days later that was the case… See ya then, folks. 

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196809170.shtml

Sources included:  The Pittsburgh Press, The Schenectady Gazette, The Southeast Missourian, and Baseballreference.com