April 30, 1936: Johnny Mize Hits His First Big Fly

     On April 30, 1936, Johnny Mize hit his first career home run during a 3-2 victory over the New York Giants at Sportsman's Park. Paul Dean also locked down his first victory of the year despite giving up 11 hits, which included 4 hits to Giants outfielder Jo Jo Moore who knocked in both of the Giants runs.

     Mize helped the Birds get on the board in the second inning after he followed up a Charlie Gelbert walk with a double. Leo Durocher then came up big with a two out double that brought both runners into score. Al Smith had gotten the start for the Giants and the southpaw gave them six inning before being pulled. He handed the ball over to Harry Gumbert who served Mize up his first career home run in the seventh. the long ball gave the Birds a 3-1 advantage that would prove to be crucial in the victory.  Moore tried to rally the Giants in the ninth by knocking in his second run of the day. The rally died with the tying run on the basepaths, as Dean  struck out Mark Koenig to end the ballgame.

     While Dean locked down his first victory of the year, the '36 season proved to be a tough one for Dizzy's brother. He posted a 5-5 record as he struggled with injury. Dean had won 19 games a season for two seasons in a row before that '36 season, and had showed all the promise of a great career. Unfortunately, the promise would go unfulfilled, as he won just 12 games over 7 years after winning 38 total in his first two years in the league. Even with that fact, Paul will forever be remembered as one of the greats who played ball with the Gashouse Gang.

     Mize hit 359 home runs in a career that spanned over 15 years. 158 of those came in a Cardinals uniform. 25 of them came against the Cardinals after he was traded in 1941. He teed off on the Brooklyn Dodgers more than any other team, as he hit 51 dingers against them, while the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs came in a close second and third.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193604300.shtml

You can check out Mize's career home run log here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.cgi?id=mizejo01&t=b

April 29, 1989: The Secret Weapon Strikes In The Eleventh

     On April 29, 1989, Jose Oquendo came up with the hit of the day, when he connected on a two-out walk off single in the bottom of the eleventh at Busch to give the Cardinals 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. This contest featured great pitching, as well as a game being played under protest, before Oquendo ended it with his clutch hit.

     Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers, while rookie hurler Ken Hill got the call for St. Louis. Valenzuela went seven strong for the L.A. club, while the rookie gave the Birds eight strong innings. Both hurlers scattered 4 hits and walked a man before being pulled. Valenzuela struck out one, and Hill sat down five men via the K. When the game landed in the hands of the bullpens the duel continued.

      In the tenth a commotion ensued that caused the Dodgers to play the game under protest. It all started when the Cardinals were threatening with two men on and no one out in the inning. Whitey Herzog called on Willie McGee to pinch hit. McGee who had been nursing a rib injury still posed a serious threat. The Dodgers pitching coach Ron Perranoski made a quick trip to the mound to talk over the approach that reliever Alejandro Pena would take with McGee. Perranoski came out of the dugout again during the at bat and got booted for arguing.

     While the argument was going on the manager of the L.A. club Tommy Lasorda made a mound visit. Under the rules, it was the second trip to the mound. Pena would be able to finish the pitching to McGee, but then he would have to be replaced. While Lasorda chose to play under protest, the situation did not burn them in the inning. McGee lined out, and Ray Searage relieved Pena. Searage got Tom Pagnozzi (who had pinch hit for Todd Worrell) to hit a pop fly, and the threat had been eliminated.

     Ken Dayley came into pitch for Hill in the ninth. He struck out a man, before allowing a double to Jeff Hamilton. Dayley gave way to Todd Worrell after he put on Eddie Murray on with an intentional walk. Worell set the next two men down in succession, then set the three men he faced in the top of the tenth down in order as well.

     After the proverbial dust seemed to have settled after the tenth inning commotion with the Dodgers, and Worrell was out of the game, the ball was handed to Cris Carpenter who would be the eventual winner. Carpenter was able to retire two men before giving up a single Jeff Hamilton. The hurler shook it off and got Eddie Murray to ground out to set up for the exciting eleventh inning finish.

     With Searage still pitching for the Dodgers,Vince Coleman led the eleventh with a double. Ozzie Smith moved him to third with a sacrifice, before Terry Pendleton was put on intentionally to set up the double play. This ended the day for Searage who handed the ball to Tim Crews in hopes that he could work out of his jam. That proved to be a false hope. Crews loaded the bases by walking Pedro Guerrero. He was able to get Tom Brunansky to fly out, which simply set up for the 2 out late inning heroics Oquendo would later say "You can't be looking for any particular pitch in a situation like that. You just want to see a good ball and hit it." He did exactly that after falling being 0 and 2, Searge dropped one down and in, Oquendo laced a single into right, Coleman came trotting home, and the Redbirds were winners.

     Jose Oquendo enjoyed quite the year in '89. Known as "The Secret Weapon", he had been a super utility player that could do it all. In '89 he became an everyday second baseman who batted .291. He also led all National League second baseman in fielding percentage, putouts, assists, and double plays, as he stood along side the "Wizard of Oz" in the middle infield.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198904290.shtml

April 28, 1963: Boyer's 2 Big Blasts Lead The Charge In L.A.

     On April 28, 1963, Ken Boyer led the way in a 15 hit attack with two home runs in a 9-5 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The victory capped off a series sweep, and extended the Cardinals winning streak at Dodger Stadium to seven straight games. The Cardinals enjoyed great success in L.A., since the start of the '62 season they had won more games there than any other stadium they had visited. Unfortunately the streak would come to an end the next time the team headed to Chavez Ravine. Boyer knocked 24 balls out of the yard during that '63 season, and he led the team with 111 RBIs. On that day in L.A. he most definitely made his presence known .

If you haven't already, check out this page: https://www.facebook.com/kenboyerbook The author, Kevin McCann, is currently working on a book about Boyer's life that I am proud to have contributed to. Give his page a "like".

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196304280.shtml

Check out Ken Boyer's career numbers here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/boyerke01.shtml

April 27, 1933: The Bats Come Alive In The Ninth

     On April 27, 1933, the Cardinals found themselves trailing the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 headed into the bottom of the ninth, before the bats came alive and the team scored 3 runs on their way to victory. Dizzy Dean gave the Birds eight strong innings of 4-hit ball, but was victimized by errors that put the team in the 2-0 hole. In the bottom of the eighth, the Cardinals skipper Gabby Street called on Tex Carleton to pinch hit for Dean. Carleton did not do any damage with his bat, but he did pitch a scoreless ninth and would go on to earn the W.  Larry Benton, who had gotten the start for the Reds had pitched a gem of his own, until he saw it all unravel in the ninth. Benton gave up consecutive singles to Ripper Collins, Rogers Hornsby, and Ducky Medwick before the Reds skipper Donie Bush took the ball out of his hands. He called on Benny Frey to put the fire out, however, Frey did not bring a big enough bucket of water, or he might have just brought a bucket and forgot the water altogether. The reliever proceeded to give up a single to Pepper Martin to close the Cardinals gap to 2-1, then he issued a free pass to the Redbirds catcher Jimmie Wilson that tied it up. Street called on Ethan Allen to pinch hit for Carleton, and Allen did his job by hitting a sac fly that brought the winning run across the plate.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193304270.shtml

April 26, 1969: The Birds Bury The Phillies With a Six Run Ninth

     On April 26, 1969, tied 4-4 with two outs in the top of the ninth at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia, the Cardinals exploded for 6 runs on their way to a 10-4 victory over the Phillies. The huge inning was sparked by a solo shot by Lou Brock. The long ball was followed by singles off the bats of Curt Flood and Bill White, then the Moon Man Mike Shannon added to the lead with an RBI single that brought Flood trotting into score the sixth Cardinals run of the contest. The hit parade was not done just yet. Vada Pinson singled to load the bases, then Tim McCarver clear'em all with a Grand Slam that gave the Cardinals the commanding 10-4 lead. The Birds were down 3-1 earlier in the contest before Shannon connected on a three run shot in the eighth that gave them 4-3 edge. The lead was short lived though, because in the bottom of the eighth Richie Allen parked one over the wall to tie it. Allen's homer simply set up for an exciting finish by the Cards who called in Joe Hoerner after the offensive explosion to close out the game. Hoerner made quick work of the Phillies with a 1-2-3 inning that added a Big Red W to the win column.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196904260.shtml

April 25, 1951: Poholsky Earns His First W

     On April 25, 1951, rookie hurler Tom Poholsky earned his first major league win in convincing fashion by allowing just two hits in a 4-0 victory over the Pirates at Sportsman's Park. The two hits allowed by the young righty were both singles, before the kid set down the last 19 men he faced. Peanut's Lowery, Don Richmond, and Solly Hemus all had an RBI in the contest, as well as Enos Slaughter who picked up the biggest ribbie of the game with a solo shot in the sixth inning. The Cardinals organization had high hopes for Poholsky as he had just came up from Rochester as a highly touted prospect. However, his career was not what you would call a storybook as he posted a 30-45 record over 5 seasons with the Birds, before being shipped to the Cubs via trade. While there is no storybook ending to the career of Tom Poholsky, there was a storybook ending on that day at Sportsman's Park as he hurled his way into the rich history of Cardinals baseball.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195104250.shtml

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Poholsky called St. Louis home until he passed away in 2001. You can check out his stats here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/poholto01.shtml

April 24, 1982: 12 Straight Wins For The Birds

     On April 24, 1982, the Cardinals rattled off their twelfth consecutive win with a 7-4 victory over the Phillies in Philadelphia. Much to the dismay of Cardinal Nation, the streak came to an end the next day with former Redbird and future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton leading Philadelphia to an 8-4 victory. The 12 game winning streak fell just two short of the franchise record of 14 that had been set by Dizzy Dean and the Gashouse Gang in '34, but much like the Gashouse Gang, the '82 gang went onto win the World Series.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI198204240.shtml