Durocher was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in mid-1933. Upon joining the Cardinals he was assigned uniform number 2, which he wore for the rest of his career, as player, coach and manager. That team, whose famous nickname “Gashouse Gang” was supposedly inspired by Leo, were a far more appropriate match for him; in St. Louis, Durocher’s characteristics as a fiery player and vicious bench jockey were given full rein. Durocher remained with the Cardinals through the 1937 season, captaining the team and winning the 1934 World Series (their third title in nine years) before being traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Primarily a shortstop, Durocher played through 1945, though his last year as a regular was 1939; after that year he never played more than 42 games in a season. He was known as a solid fielder but a poor hitter. In 5,350 career at bats, he batted .247, hit 24 home runs and had 567 runs batted in. He was named to the NL’s All-Star team three times, once with St. Louis and twice with the Dodgers. In 1938 he made history of a sort by making the final out in Johnny Vander Meer’s second consecutive no-hitter.
cardinals stats
Durocher was not an offense-first type player but he was known as a fierce competitor and a player you wuld rather have on your team than against you.
He made his debut at age 20 on Oct. 2, 1925 and played for 20 years in the major leagues. During his years in St. Louis (1933-1937) he played in 683 games and hit .255 with 100 doubles, 20 triples, 15 home runs, 294 RBI’s and hit into 80 double plays.
Books about Durocher include “Nice Guys Finish Last” and “The Lip”