Toporcer Wears Eyeglasses on the Field
The Cardinals begin the 1925 season by winning their home opener 12-3. The Cardinals score 11 runs in the first inning and defeat Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pete Donohue. Donohue had just shut them out a week earlier on the road.
Also, the Cardinals had the luxury of using some of the well respected players on a daily basis. Chick Hafey is a regular in right field and Les Bell the regular third baseman. Both were picked up near the end of last season. George (SPECS) Toporcer joins the team and becomes the first major league player to wear glasses on the field.
Owner Explodes;Rickey Out-Hornsby In
On May 23, the Cardinals were 13-25 and Breadon was ready to explode. He decided to join the team in Pittsburgh and give them some news firsthand. The news came as manager Rickey was out and player Rogers Hornsby in as manager He offered Branch Rickey the opportunity to stay on as the GM. Rickey liked being the manager wasn’t very good at it, according to some of the players so he relented and moved into the front office on a permanent basis.
Hornsby has Success as Manager
Under Hornsby, the team went 64-51 and finished in fourth place. Again, the Cardinals had a Triple Crown winner as Hornsby batted .403, hit 39 home runs and knocked in 143 runs. Jim Bottomley was the runner up with a healthy .367 batting average. He also swatted three grand slams during the season.
The most regular starting lineupwas: Catcher – Bob O’Farrell 1B Jim Bottomley 2B Rogers Hornsby 3B Les Bell
SS Specs Toporcer LF Ray Blades CF Heinie Mueller and Ralph Shinner
RF Chick Hafey Pitchers: Leo Dickerman Jesse Haines Art Reinhart Flint Rhem
Bill Sherdel Allen Sothoron Closer Eddie Dyer
Rogers Hornsby had a huge salary of $33,333.00.