A couple of American pitchers finishing out their military service in the Korean War became baseball pioneers of sorts in Japan. Leo Kiely and Phil Paine were the first to play in the major leagues in the U.S. and in professional baseball in Japan. Kiely, a left-hander with the 1951 Boston Red Sox, and Paine, a right-hander with the 1951 Boston Braves, played for teams in the … [Read more...] about G.I.s brought touch of the majors to pro ball in Japan
A prominent home run for Willie Mays vs. Cardinals
Willie Mays was the first right-handed batter to hit 400 home runs in the National League. The milestone homer came against a familiar foe, Curt Simmons of the Cardinals, and was witnessed by another 400-homer hitter, Stan Musial. On Aug. 27, 1963, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Mays capped a two-month hot streak with his 400th career home run for the … [Read more...] about A prominent home run for Willie Mays vs. Cardinals
Mike Ivie was poison to Cardinals pitching staffs
A right-handed batter with power, Mike Ivie couldn’t cope with the expectations and pressures of professional baseball. When he felt overwhelmed, he walked out on his team. He did that multiple times in stints with the Padres, Giants and Astros. He kept getting chances to return because, when he was focused rather than fearful, he hammered the ball. The Cardinals encountered … [Read more...] about Mike Ivie was poison to Cardinals pitching staffs
Flattened in Flatbush: Cardinals went winless in Brooklyn
A couple of Hoosiers made life miserable in Brooklyn for the Cardinals. In 1953, the Cardinals were 0-11 for the season against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn’s Flatbush section. The players most responsible for the Cardinals’ troubles there were pitcher Carl Erskine of Anderson, Ind., and first baseman Gil Hodges of Princeton, Ind. Dominant Dodgers The 1953 … [Read more...] about Flattened in Flatbush: Cardinals went winless in Brooklyn
How Danny Cox versus Steve Carlton became a classic
Danny Cox began the 1983 baseball season in the low level of the minors and ended it as a member of the starting rotation of the reigning World Series champion Cardinals. Matched against Steve Carlton and facing a lineup with Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt, Cox pitched 10 scoreless innings versus the Phillies in his big-league debut on Aug. 6, 1983. The stellar … [Read more...] about How Danny Cox versus Steve Carlton became a classic