Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry of the New York Mets both made history on September 21, 1987. As the Mets won 7-1 over the Chicago Cubs, Strawberry stole two bases to make himself and Johnson the first set of teammates to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.
Johnson, meanwhile, slammed his 36th homer of the season to break a 53-year-old National League record of most single season home runs by a switch hitter. The previous record had been set by Cardinals’ first baseman Ripper Collins in 1934, but the Major League record was still held by Mickey Mantle, who hit 54 homers in 1961.
On August 25, 1936, the Boston Braves established a Major League record by hitting seven doubles in a single inning against the Cardinals. Taking place in the first inning, the attack of doubles led the Braves to a 20-3 victory at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
In case you missed it, the Chicago Cubs obliterated the St. Louis Cardinals a couple nights ago. I didn’t watch the entirety of the game, but I did check in on it periodically on the restaurant’s television, where we indulged in tacos the other night. Seeing the score go from 4-0 to 7-2 to 9-2 was a fairly surprising–and amusing–sight. This morning, I found even more amusement upon the discover of this short poem by Stuart Shea on Bardball.com.
~
Even Cubbie achievements
Can cause Cubbie blues.
They scored 17 runs–
Did they win or lose?
A couple days ago, I received an email from Dorian (thanks, Dorian!) linking me to the infographic you see below. With it, he asks, “Do you think Branch Rickey deserves his place here?”
Yes, I do.
As a player, his career never amounted to much. Nevertheless, the name Branch Rickey resonates far and wide, especially in association with the name Jackie Robinson. And while the breaking of the color barrier blazed the trail to integration, both in baseball and throughout America, Rickey’s contributions do not stop there. We can also thank Rickey for drafting Roberto Clemente in the 1950s. Clemente went on to become Major League Baseball’s first Latino player to win a World Series as a starting player, to win the World Series MVP award, and to win the National League MVP award. Clemente also became the first Latino player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In addition to these integral changes, Branch Rickey also created baseball’s minor league farm system while serving as president of the St. Louis Cardinals. This innovation allowed him to develop players within the organization to get them ready for Major League competition. St. Louis became one of baseball’s best teams during this period, and before long, teams throughout Major League Baseball adopted his system. It revolutionized the game as people knew it.
When he moved on to Brooklyn, Rickey also created the first full-time spring training facility, which allowed the Dodgers to train and analyze prospective players in one place. This system also went on to get adopted by teams throughout baseball.
One could argue that all these changes would have occurred in baseball eventually, with or without Rickey. And yes, I agree that they were all bound to happen. But change always has to start somewhere, and in the world of baseball, Branch Rickey served as the catalyst for these revolutionary developments.
On March 20, 1934, female golfer and Olympic track and field gold medalist Babe Didrikson pitched the first inning of the Philadelphia A’s spring training game against the Dodgers. In the outing, Didrikson gave up no hits and only one walk at McCurdy Field. Didrikson would also make appearances for the Indians and the Cardinals.
On October 4, 1906, the Cubs set a Major League mark for most wins in a season by collecting their 116th win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Their final record was 116-36, giving them a .763 winning percentage. In the 1906 World Series, however, the Cubs were upset by their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox, losing four games to two.
1906 Chicago Cubs (Photo source: TheDeadballEra.com)
In a doubleheader at Ebbets Field on 21 September 1934, brothers Dizzy Dean and Paul Dean dominated the Dodgers, each starting a game on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the first game, Dizzy Dean pitched a two-hit shutout, blanking the Dodgers 13-0. Not to be outdone, his rookie younger brother, Paul, followed up in game two with a no-hitter, as the Cardinals defeated Brooklyn 3-0. This performance made Paul Dean only the fifth pitcher in Major League history to throw a no-hitter in his rookie season.
Paul and Dizzy Dean, 22 March 1934 (Photo Source: Baseball-Fever.com)
On August 29, 1948, Jackie Robinson hit for the cycle, and did so in reverse order. He started off the feat with a home run in the top of the first, tripled in the fourth inning, doubled in the sixth, and singled in the eighth. Through all this, Robinson drove in two RBIs, scored three times, and stole a base. With his help, the Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the Cardinals, 12-7, at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
On June 10, 1944, at the age of 15 years, 316 days, Joe Nuxhall became the youngest player to ever appear in a Major League game. As a result of the player shortages during World War II, Nuxhall was called up by the Cincinnati Reds organization to fill in for one game. The St. Louis Cardinals were already winning 13-0 in the ninth inning at Crosley Field when the left-handed pitcher was called into the contest. Nuxhall retired the first batter he faced on a groundout, but was unable to get out of the inning, giving up five walks, two hits, a wild pitch, and five runs.
Nuxhall (MLB.com)
Nuxhall spent the rest of the season in the minor leagues, but he eventually made his way back up to the Reds organization in 1952. Upon his retirement as a player in 1967, Nuxhall became a radio broadcaster for the Reds, a career he continued until his death in 2007.
