Led by legendary pitcher Christy Mathewson, the Giants lost to the Cardinals on May 24, 1909. It was the first time in five years that the New York team suffered a defeat at the hands of the Redbirds, having beat them 24 consecutive times prior to this game.
The New York Mets made their National League debut on April 11, 1962 in St. Louis. The game finally took place after being rained out the previous night. The Mets lost to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, 11-4. Gil Hodges and Charlie Neal did, at least, provide a positive side for the Mets, hitting the first two home runs in the new franchise’s history.
While I root against the Cardinals on principle, it is difficult to deny the Wizard. I found his speech quite eloquent, and I love how he took apart a baseball and to create his metaphors.
Bob Gibson of the Cardinals became a twenty-game winner for the first time on October 3, 1965, as he won game number 20 for the season against the Astros in Houston. Gibson pitched a complete game to lead St. Louis to a 5-2 victory that day. He went on to be a twenty-game winner four times in the next five seasons.
I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it.
~Rogers Hornsby
On July 24, 1909, Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn Superbas struck out 16 Cardinal batters as Brooklyn defeated St. Louis, 1-0. Rucker asserted that he actually collected 17 K’s that day, but a careless official scorer forgot to record one of them. The southpaw finished the year second in the National League with 200 strikeouts (some sources say 201 strikeouts), in spite of Brooklyn’s dismal 55-98 season record.
In a blowout against the Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park on June 22, 1925, Max Carey of the Pittsburgh Pirates collected two hits in both the first and the eighth innings. Collecting two hits in one inning twice in one game is a feat that would not be accomplished again until 1975, when Rennie Stennett, also with the Pirates, would do so in the first and fifth innings. Carey’s performance helped the Pirates on their way to a 24-6 victory.
In his first-ever Major League start, Hank Gornicki of the Cardinals threw a one-hitter to defeat Philadelphia at Shibe Park, 6-1 on May 3, 1941. The thirty-year-old rookie gave up the lone hit to rookie outfielder Stanley Benjamin. Unfortunately, in spite of his impressive beginning, Gornicki would only go on to win fifteen games in his career.
Four years after his last game played on the field, Stan Musial accepted the position of general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals on January 23, 1967. He became the first GM to win the World Series in his first season in the position, but then proceeded to quit the job after only ten months.
In spite of a 99-63 record for the season, on October 17, 1964, the New York Yankees fired manager Yogi Berra. The Yankees had lost the 1964 World Series to the Cardinals in seven games.
