John Lackey was a big guy (6-foot-6) with a big presence on the mound who often came up big in the biggest games. Ten years ago, on July 31, 2014, the Cardinals acquired Lackey from the Red Sox for outfielder Allen Craig and pitcher Joe Kelly. The Red Sox also sent the Cardinals a minor-league pitcher, Corey Littrell, and $1.75 million cash. Just nine months earlier with the … [Read more...] about How John Lackey helped Cardinals sharpen their edge
Behind the scenes: How Jerry Walker helped Cardinals
A right-handed pitcher and protege of Cardinals ace Harry Brecheen, Jerry Walker became the right-hand man to Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty. Walker was involved with professional baseball most of his adult life. At 18, he went from high school to the majors with the Orioles and was nurtured by Brecheen, the pitching coach who’d been a World Series standout with … [Read more...] about Behind the scenes: How Jerry Walker helped Cardinals
How Vicente Palacios shouldered his way to success
On Sept. 4, 1987, Vicente Palacios stood on a big-league mound for the first time, a 24-year-old Pirates rookie from Mexico making his debut at Houston’s Astrodome. It must have felt to him like standing atop Mount Everest. He’d been rejected by two other organizations, White Sox and Brewers, making him wonder whether he’d lost his chance of ever reaching the majors, but here … [Read more...] about How Vicente Palacios shouldered his way to success
Dave Williams started out on right track with Cardinals
A hurdler in track, Dave Williams used those skills on the football field to spring above defenders and catch passes in a crowd. The NFL St. Louis Cardinals projected him to be the deep threat who would replace longtime standout Sonny Randle. Williams came through for St. Louis in his first three seasons, but couldn’t sustain the success. He was 78 when he died on June … [Read more...] about Dave Williams started out on right track with Cardinals
Ironman: 2 complete games, 2 wins, in 1 day for Herman Bell
Cardinals rookie Herman Bell seemed an unlikely candidate to accomplish one of the franchise’s most remarkable pitching feats. One hundred years ago, on July 19, 1924, Bell pitched two complete games in a doubleheader and won both against the Braves at St. Louis. Before joining the Cardinals, Bell primarily had been working as a cowpoke on a cattle ranch and pitching on … [Read more...] about Ironman: 2 complete games, 2 wins, in 1 day for Herman Bell