July 22, 2005: Eckstein Wins It With a Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!!!

     On July 22, 2005, David Eckstein led the Cardinals to victory by dropping down a perfect bunt in the to squeeze in the winning run in the bottom of the eleventh, to bear the Cubs 2-1 at Busch. The inning started with a leadoff triple by pinch hitter John Mabry. Luna took over at third, then scored uncontested when Eckstein dropped down the bunt. It was the second squeeze play winner for Eckstein that month. He had accomplished the feat on July 6th as well. At first glance, some would never guess that the man who stood 5' 6" could make it in the major leagues. However, he not only made it, he was a two champion, and the MVP of the 2006 World Series. I know that Cardinal Nation will always hold a special place in their heart for the scraptastic player who wore the 22.

     On that same day William Ashcraft celebrated the first Redbird winner of his life. He was born a fan the day before this contest was played. He started things off right with what I consider a true thriller. I actually remember that game quite well. It was a great one, and it was fun to watch Eckstein play. Happy Birthday William. I hope you had a great birthday, and I hope you get to enjoy tons and tons of great Cardinals baseball for years to come.

You can read the game account here: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20050722_CHC@STL

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200507220.shtml

July 22, 1934: Dazzy Strikes Out His 2,000th Victim

     On July 22, 1934, the Cardinals took two from the Braves in Boston. The Birds took the first game by the score of 5-4, then came right back and took the second one by the score of 4-2. It was a day of significance for Dazzy Vance, as the 43-year-old veteran of the diamond struck out the 2,000th batter of his career. The victim was Wally Berger in the sixth inning of the contest. Berger hit a home run in both contests, so he was more than a formidable opponent. Vance went the distance in this game, which was the last time he would accomplish that feat in his Hall of Fame career. Vance struck out 45 more batters before he hung up the cleats after appearing in 442 ballgames over a 16 year span. He only spent 47 of those 442 games with the Birds on the Bat across his chest, which obviously came during the twilight of his career. With that said, that season was a special one for the man they called Dazzy, as he would go on to celebrate as a champion at season's end. He even appeared in a game in the Fall Classic and struck out three Detroit Tigers. It had to be one of the greatest moments of his life standing on baseball's biggest stage.

     Vance spent more than a decade in the minor leagues before getting his shot at the age of 31. To say he made the most of that shot would be a vast understatement. He posted double-digits in the win column 10 times, and led the National League twice in wins as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. His finest season came in 1924 when he led the league with 28 wins. You can read all about the life and times of Dazzy here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5c1fec75

Check out the box scores below here

Game 1: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN193407221.shtml

Game 2: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN193407222.shtml

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!!!