September 30, 1921: Hornsby Day at The Ballpark

     On September 30, 1921, Rogers Hornsby day was held at Sportsman's Park. The man of the hour was presented with flowers, two diamond rings, and a diamond studded pin. Mayor Henry Kiel also presented the him with $2,000 in Liberty Bonds that would be put toward a down payment on a home in the St. Louis area. Hornsby rewarded those who rewarded him with a 3 for 5 day at the plate that included a home run, two doubles, three runs scored, and three RBIs. The performance led the way to a 12-4 victory that had dimmed the hopes of a Pirates pennant in Pittsburgh. They were on the heels of the Giants, and the Birds made sure they stayed there.

     The Cardinals were in the hunt for their first pennant at that point, and they put up a fight that season to win 87 games, just three games short of the second place Pirates, and seven back of the league leading, and eventual World Series Champion New York Giants. Hornsby carried the club to those wins with a .397 average, 21 homers, and 126 RBIs. The 21st home run came on Hornsby Day. He ended up two shy of a triple crown. However, he would achieve that feat as well. In fact he would achieve it twice, with the first coming one season later, and the second coming in 1925.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN192109300.shtml

September 29, 1963: The End of an Era; Stan The Man's Career Comes To a Close

     On September 29, 1963, one of the finest eras in the history of Major League Baseball came to an end as Stan Musial stepped on the major league diamond as a player for one last time. "The Man" went out, much like he came in, as he picked up two hits, and figured into a 3-2 Cardinals victory in St. Louis. 22 years earlier Stan had picked up two hits in his major league debut that came on September 17, 1941, and had helped the Cards take that game by an identical score. He was just a 20-year-old kid that had dreams to make it in the big leagues on that day in '41. He would not only achieve those dreams, he would become one of the greatest players to ever step on a major league diamond.

 

     Before the contest began against the Cincinnati Reds there was an emotional ceremony held that featured speeches from Cardinals owner August Busch, the commissioner of baseball Ford C. Frick, NL President Warren Giles, AL President Joe Cronin, the Mayor of St. Louis Raymond Tucker, as well as Missouri Governor John Dalton. Two Cub Scouts presented Stan with the neckerchief he wore throughout the ceremony, before Musial's teammates presented him with a ring that had six diamonds in the shape of the famous six that had been worn on his back for oh so long. Gussie Busch made it be known that no man who wore those birds would ever wear that number again. Musial humbly thanked the dignitaries, the fans, and God for his good fortune, before making his away around the field in a convertible where the fans that had loved him for many years cheered and waved.

     Now it was time to play some ball. Stan's 3,026th contest started out with him striking out against the Reds ace Jim Maloney who was going for his 24th win of the season. Stan had an ace in the hole as well. That ace in the hole had the name Bob Gibson written on his birth certificate, and Gibson had won 18 games up to that point. The two pitchers were locked in a duel when Musial ripped a one out single that shot by a young rookie second baseman by the name of Pete Rose in the fourth. Maloney worked his way around the inning with no damage done. He was not so lucky when Musial stepped to the dish in the sixth with one out, and knocked in Curt Flood who had doubled to leadoff the inning. "The Man" had put the Birds up 1-0, and it would be the last time he had pleasure of doing so, as Gary Kolb was sent out to first to pinch run for the man who had spent most of his adult life wearing those two birds on that bat.

     When Musial trotted off the field 27,756 souls cheered. They had just witnessed his 1,815th hit at home, which matched his 1,815 hits on the road. Baseball's perfect split for baseball's perfect knight. He had amassed a .331 career average, which had 475 home runs, as well as 1,951 RBIs attached to it. That crowd had witnessed history. There was more history to be made.

     The Birds padded the lead with back-to-back singles off the bats of Ken Boyer and Bill White that setup a Charlie James sac fly that scored  Kolb. That second Cardinals run of the day was a very important run. Gibby looked like he was going to nail it down easily, as he sailed into the ninth with 11 strikeouts. He sat down the first two men he faced, then the tables turned. Back-to-back singles, and a wild pitch later there were men at second and third, and shortstop Leo Cardenas played the spoiler by ripping a single that brought both men into score. Free baseball. Extra innings here we come.

     Gibby's day might have been spoiled, but the efforts of Ron Taylor and Ernie Broglio out of the Cardinals bullpen insured that Musial's day would not be. They kept the Reds off the board until the 14th inning, which setup Dal Maxvill to win it in the bottom of that inning with a double. Three hours and 45 minutes had ran off the clock since the first pitch crossed the dish. When that winning run scored Musial celebrated with his teammates one more time. There stood baseball's perfect warrior, there stood baseball's perfect knight. The time had come. One of the greatest eras in the history of the game had dropped the curtain.

Stan's final box score : http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196309290.shtml

If you would like to read about Stan's first game, that also features a newspaper article from the day that followed check this out: http://onthisdayincardinalnation.blogspot.com/2014/09/september-17-1941the-storybook-begins.html
   

September 28, 1930: Dizzy Dean Makes an Impressive Debut

     On September 28, 1930, Dizzy Dean impressed in his major league debut by allowing just three hits, and struck out five, during a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Sportsman's Park. The 20-year-old product of the Texas League was had joined a club that had sown up the National League Pennant two days before, and the management was getting their first major league look at the kid who would end up immortalized not only in St. Louis. Dean did more than pitch, he also picked up his first major league hit, and scored his first major league run. Dean would win a total of 134 games with the club through 1937. The win that came on that last day of the 1930 season was the first mile marker on a road that would lead to Cooperstown.

Dizzy's first big league box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193009280.shtml

September 27, 1942: The Cardinals Take The Flag

     On September 27, 1942, with a 9-2 victory over the Cubs during the first game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park the Cardinals punched their ticket to the World Series. Ernie White led the way to the pennant clinching victory by striking out eight, and allowing just five hits, while Terry Moore led an 11-hit offensive outburst by going 3 for 5 with three RBIs, and two runs scored. The final out of the ballgame came off the bat of Clyde McCullough, and sailed into the mitt of a 21-year-old rookie by the name of Stan Musial. It was said that when that ball hit the mitt a celebration broke out at the ballpark that reverberated through the neighborhood. St. Louis was buzzing. The National League Crown had returned for the first time since 1934. The club followed up the pennant clincher by knocking off the Cubs 4-1 in the second game, as they prepared for a battle against the Yankees.

     The '42 Cardinals were a young hungry bunch that had won 43 out of their last 51 games, which led to the number 106 being featured in the win column. No team in franchise history has won more ballgames than that group of men. They had held off the Dodgers by just two games in what was great race of baseball thoroughbreds. They had another thoroughbred in front of them with the New Yankees who had won the World Series in five of the previous six seasons. While many had the Bronx Bombers picked to win it, there were many who thought that the Cardinals could get the job done, and that they did. Eight days after that pennant clinching game the Cardinals were World Champions. They had toppled the mighty Yankees in five games.

Check out the pennant clinching box score:http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194209271.shtml


   

September 26, 1983: Forsch Throws His Second No-Hitter

     On September 26, 1983, it took Bob Forsch just 96 pitches to no-hit the Montreal Expos at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The performance led the way to a 3-0 Redbird victory that will never be forgotten. It was the second time Forsch had achieved the feat with the Birds on the Bat across his chest making him the one and only pitcher in franchise history to record two no-hitters for the club.

     His first no-hitter came on April 16, 1978 against the Phillies at Busch. Many considered it to be controversial because it looked like the Phillies snuck one past Kenny Reitz at third in the eighth, but it was ruled an error by Neil Russo of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. When Reitz was asked he said he should have had it, and the call by Russo was the right one. Forsch followed up the miscue with a double play ball, then set down the last four men he faced. While the feat was celebrated it did have a cloud hung over it. That fact made the no-hitter in September of '83 one that Forsch would hold in much higher regard. There would be no cloud over this one.

     The Cardinals came into that game simply looking to finish the year strong. It had been a disappointment for the defending champions. They had stayed in the race until mid September, before skidding to fourth place finish. Forsch was simply trying to right the ship. He came into the contest 8-12, and had been struggling to put together a strong outing. That was about to change, for that one night the disappointing season by the team, and Forsch alike would be forgotten, and this night would forever be remembered.

     Only two men reached against the virtually untouchable Forsch, and they both came in the second inning. He had set down the first five men he faced. The fifth man was Tim Raines, and that second inning at bat was the only at bat that looked like it might turn into an Expo hit, as he crushed one that Willie McGee had to recover on the warning track. Forsch then sailed one in on Gary Carter that caught the backstop, and sent him trotting down to first. The hit batsman was followed with a hotshot to third that went through the legs of Ken Oberkfell, but this error was a no doubter, and would not leave the same taint as the error in '78. Forsch shook off the misfortune, and retired the next 22 men in a row. He was provided with the tuns he needed in the fifth, then finished off one of the finest gems of them all; a no-hitter.

    Bob's second no-no came one year after his brother Ken had achieved the feat in Houston, which made them the only two brothers in the history of the game to do so. When the last out were recorded on that day in '83, Bob became just the 20th player in the history of Major League Baseball to throw two no-hitters in his career. Today he is just one of 32 men to achieve that feat. Out of those men one of them stand above the rest in Cardinal Nation, and his name is Bob Forsch.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198309260.shtml

September 25, 1934: Dizzy Wins His 28th

     On September 25, 1934, Dizzy Dean won his 28th game of the season, and helped the Cardinals move one step closer to a National League pennant with a complete game performance in Pittsburgh. Dean was given a 3-0 lead early with RBIs from Ducky Medwick, Ripper Collins, and Spud Davis. The cushion looked to be all Dean would need for a W. He allowed just six hits in the contest, but one of them was a big fly in the ninth that came off the bat of  the Buccos shortstop Arky Vaughan. The two run shot might have had the crowd come alive with hopes of a comeback, but Dean shook off the misfortune, and locked down the victory. One of the many things that could be considered spectacular about Dizzy Dean and his 30 win season is the fact that he locked down the last three wins, which included this one over a five day stretch, and he went the distance in each of those contests. To top it off the last two games were shutouts.

     The New York Giants had lost 4-0 to the Phillies at the Polo Ground that same day Dean won his 28th, which put the Cardinals just one game behind in the standings. With just a handful of games left all of the mathematical scenarios were put together, and there was talk of what to do in case of an unprecedented tie, which would have led to a one game playoff. That scenario never played out. The Giants lost their last three, while the Cards lost just one game out of their last five. Dean's dominance continued into the postseason, as he and his brother Paul each claimed two wins apiece during the seven game Fall Classic.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193409250.shtml

   

September 24, 1900: Cy Young Outduels Rube Waddell In St. Louis

     On September 24, 1900, a pitching duel for the ages took place at Robison Field in St. Louis as Cy Young outdueled Rube Waddell during a 1-0 Cardinals win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both pitchers allowed four hits in the contest,  and they picked up an error as well. The error committed by the Pirates came in the seventh when the Cardinals shortstop shot one right at the Pirates shortstop Bones Ely who could not get a handle on it. Wallace grabbed second base on a sac fly, and Dan McGann knocked him with a single to left. That run was all Young needed to defeat Waddell and the visitors, in what was a Hall of Fame battle at the turn of the century.

      Young won 45 games of his 511 wins as a member of the Cardinals. Waddell won 193 games during his career. While Waddell never did wear the uniform of the National League club that called St. Louis home, he did don the uniform of the American League's St. Louis Browns during the last three years of his storied career, going 33-29 during that stretch. While he wrote the last chapters of his Hall of Fame career in St. Louis, the best pages had been written well before he got there. His finest season came in 1905 with the Philadelphia Athletics when he won the pitching Triple Crown by leading the A.L. in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts.

     The story in the picture was published in the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette the following day. I consider it to be a true gem.