Cardinals History
1953- The Rules Committee re-establishes the sacrifice fly ruling which credits a batter with a RBI who flies out driving in a run without charging the hitter with a time at bat. The rule had been dropped in 1939.
Cardinal announcer Harry Caray is hit by a car in 1968 after he attempts to cross in the middle of the street. he suffered from fractures in both legs, a broken and dislocated shoulder, as well as facial lacerations. Also, he was given a ticket.
Curt Flood, in 1970, is traded by the Phillies to the Senators for three minor leaguers. The embattled outfielder had refused to go to Philadelphia after the 1969 trade from the Cardinals, citing he was not a piece of property to be sold, becoming the first player to seriously challenge the reserve clause.
In 1971, the Rangers trade Joe Grzenda to the Cardinals for Ted Kubiak.
The Cardinals traded Bob Stinson to the Houston Astros for Marty Martinez in 1971.
In 2016, the Cardinals grant free agency to Matt Holliday, Brandon Moss, and Jordan Walden.
Birthdays
- Orson Baldwin 1881 He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1908. Made his debut on September 6,1908 and played his last game on September 20,1908. His carer numbers show he was 1-3 with 6.14 ERA as a right handed pitcher.
- Bob Fisher 1886– played for the Cardinals in 1918-1919 as a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
- Johnny Keane 1911 – Keane never played in the major leagues; beginning in 1930, he was a shortstop in the Cardinals’ minor league system but suffered a head injury in 1935 after being hit by a pitch and lay in a coma for weeks. He began his managing career in 1938 in the Cardinals’ organization, working his way from Class D (then the lowest rung on the ladder, equivalent to a Rookie-level team today) to Triple-A, where he spent a decade as manager of top St. Louis farm clubs. His career win–loss record as a manager in the minor leagues was 1,357–1,166 (.538) over 17 seasons. Keane finally reached the majors in 1959, when he was named the Cardinals’ third-base coach. He replaced Solly Hemus as manager on July 6, 1961. In his 3+1⁄2 seasons as Cardinal pilot, he compiled a record of 317–249 (.560) and his crucial, positive role in mentoring young Cardinal players, especially star pitcher Bob Gibson, is chronicled in the David Halberstam book October 1964. Keane is perhaps best remembered for his change of teams following the 1964 MLB season—after the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, he unexpectedly resigned as manager of the Cardinals and was subsequently hired to manage the Yankees.
- Tom Heintzelman 1946– was in Cardinals uniform in 1973-1974, An infielder, he played in 90 Major League games over parts of four seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. He finished with a .243 lifetime batting average.
- Larry Herndon 1953 was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft.He was scouted for St. Louis by Buddy Lewis who described Herndon as “excellent speed, a good arm, spray hitter, an outstanding overall athlete.” He was initially assigned to the Cardinals’ rookie team in the Gulf Coast League. During the 1971 season, his fellow rookie and roommate was Randy Poffo, who later became known as wrestler Randy Savage. In 1972, Herndon split his time between the Gulf Coast League Redbirds, the Single-A Cedar Rapids Cardinals of the Midwest League, and the Single-A St. Petersburg Cardinals of the Florida State League. He spent the full 1973 season with the St. Petersburg Cardinals. Appearing in 141 games, he compiled a .287 batting average (.343 on-base percentage) and stole 41 bases.Then he began the 1974 season with the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League. He appeared in 132 games, compiled a .285 batting average, and stole 50 bases. He was called up to the Cardinals in September 1974. He appeared in at least 10 games as a pinch-runner and one as a late-inning replacement. The Cardinals were reportedly grooming Herndon as a replacement for Lou Brock. In his only plate appearance, he hit a single.Used principally as a pinch-runner, he also scored three runs.Herndon began the 1975 season with the Tulsa Oilers, the Cardinals Triple-A team in the American Association.[On May 9, 1975, the Cardinals traded Herndon and minor-league pitcher Tony Gonzalez to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitcher Ron Bryant.
- Brandon Dickson 1984 Dickson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, after attending Tusculum College.[In 2006, playing for the New Market Rebels in the Valley Baseball League, Dickson had a league-leading and franchise record 13 saves, and led the league in wins, going 5–0 in 26 relief appearances. He made his professional debut with the Johnson City Cardinals.His major league career shows he was 0-0 with a 5.214 ERA.
Deaths
Al Jurisich 1981
Jack Russell 1990
Bob Forsch 2011
Matty Alou 2011