1964 St. Louis Cardinals: Against All Odds

1964 St. Louis Cardinals: Against All Odds

1964 St. Louis Cardinals: Against All Odds

The entire story of the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals isn’t told when you just look at their 93-69 regular season record. As late as August 16 the Cardinals were 9.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League pennant race , sitting at 61-54 at the time. Team owner Gussie Busch fired General Manager Bing Devine on August 23, and the Cardinals had fallen to 11 games behind in the race.

However, the infamous “Phillie Phold” would save the Cardinals and doom the Philadelphia Phillies at the very end of the regular season. The Phillies stood at 90-60 with 12 games to go, but proceeded to go 3-9 dealing with key injuries to their players. The Cardinals won the National League pennant by 1 game over the Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds, 3 games over the San Francisco Giants, and 5 games over the Milwaukee Braves.

Left fielder Lou Brock batted .348 with 12 home runs, 146 hits, 21 doubles, 9 triples and 33 stolen bases. Center fielder Curt Flood batted .311 with 211 hits, 25 doubles and 8 stolen bases. First baseman Bill White batted .303 with 21 home runs and 102 RBI’s off 191 hits, 37 doubles and 7 stolen bases. Third baseman Ken Boyer batted .295 with 24 home runs and 119 RBI’s off 185 hits, 30 doubles and 10 triples. Shortstop Dick Groat batted .292 with 186 hits, 35 doubles and 6 triples. Catcher Tim McCarver batted .288 with 9 home runs, 134 hits and 19 doubles. Second baseman Julian Javier had 12 home runs and 65 RBI’s off 129 hits, 19 doubles and 9 stolen bases. Gold Glove Awards were won by Curt Flood and Bill White.

For a time the most intimidating force on the pitcher’s mound in baseball was Bob Gibson, who went 19-12 with 245 strikeouts and a 3.01 ERA along with 17 complete games and 2 shutouts. Curt Simmons went 18-9 with 104 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA, recording 12 complete games and 3 shutouts. Ray Sadecki went 20-11 with 119 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA, recording 9 complete games and 2 shutouts. Despite having a 3-5 record, Ernie Broglio had a 3.50 ERA and recorded 3 complete games and 1 shutout. Closer Barney Schultz had 14 saves and a 1.64 ERA. Relief pitcher Roger Craig had 5 saves and a 3.25 ERA. Ron Taylor went 8-4 with 8 saves. Mike Cuellar went 5-5 with 4 saves.

The 1964 World Series pitted the St. Louis Cardinals against the American League Champion New York Yankees, and considering the perennial star power the Yankees found and developed, they were favored over the Cardinals to win the Fall Classic.

In Game 1 on October 7 at Busch Stadium I the Cardinals won 9-5. Ken Boyer had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 1st inning. In the top of the 2nd Yankees left fielder Tom Tresh smacked a 2-run home run, and pitcher Whitey Ford followed with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 2nd Ray Sadecki had an RBI single, and then Tresh responded with an RBI double in the top of the 5th. In the bottom of the 6th right fielder Mike Shannon clubbed a 2-run home run, pinch hitting outfielder Carl Warwick had an RBI single, and Curt Flood followed with an RBI triple. In the top of the 8th Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson had an RBI single, and Flood would have his own RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. Brock followed with a 2-run double.

The Yankees would win Game 2 on October 8 by the score of 8-3. Flood had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the 3rd inning, but the Yankees seized control shortly after. In the top of the 4th third baseman Clete Boyer had a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 6th Tresh had an RBI single. In the top of the 7th Richardson had an RBI single and right fielder Mickey Mantle followed with an RBI groundout. Brock had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the 8th, but in the top of the 9th the Yankees added more runs. Shortstop Phil Linz hit a solo home run, Mantle had an RBI double, first baseman Joe Pepitone had an RBI single, and Tresh capped it off with a sacrifice fly. Tim McCarver’s RBI single in the bottom of the 9th was much too late.

Going to Yankee Stadium I for Game 3 on October 10, the Yankees won 2-1. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Clete Boyer had an RBI double. In the top of the 5th Curt Simmons had an RBI single to tie the game, but Mickey Mantle came through as the game’s hero as he hit a game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the 9th.

The momentum of the World Series shifted to the Cardinals in Game 4 on October 11, though the Yankees appeared to be on the right track early on. In the bottom of the 1st inning Richardson had an RBI double, and a pair of RBI singles by Mantle and catcher Elston Howard followed. However, momentum shifted with one swing of Ken Boyer’s bat in the top of the 6th as he clobbered a grand slam home run, giving St. Louis a 4-3 win.

The Cardinals then took Game 5 on October 12 with a 5-2 win. Bob Gibson pitched a complete game, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs, but he recorded 13 strikeouts. Brock had an RBI single in the top of the 5th inning, and Bill White followed with an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the 9th Tom Tresh clubbed a 2-run home run to tie the game, but Tim McCarver would come through for the Cardinals in the top of the 10th by crushing a 3-run home run.

Going back to Busch Stadium I for Game 6 on October 14, the Yankees beat the Cardinals 8-3. White grounded into a double play to score Curt Flood in the bottom of the 1st inning, but in the top of the 6th a pair of solo home runs by center fielder Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle got the Yankees going. In the top of the 8th Howard had an RBI single, and Joe Pepitone followed by crushing a grand slam home run. White’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the 8th and an RBI single by left fielder and first baseman Bob Skinner were not enough.

Game 7 was an exciting finale on October 15. Tim McCarver had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the 4th inning, and then stole home plate as part of a double steal with Mike Shannon. Second baseman Dal Maxvill followed with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 5th Lou Brock hit a solo home run, Dick Groat had an RBI groundout, and McCarver followed with an RBI groundout. Mantle’s colossal 3-run home run shot in the top of the 6th gave the Yankees life, but the Cardinals silenced the Yankees with a solo home run by Ken Boyer in the bottom of the 7th. Solo home runs by Clete Boyer and Phil Linz in the top of the 9th were not enough for the Yankees as the Cardinals won 7-5.

Against all odds the St. Louis Cardinals emerged as the last team standing in Major League Baseball in 1964. Bob Gibson was named the World Series Most Valuable Player as he went 2-1, pitching 27 innings and giving up 23 hits, 8 walks and 11 runs, but recording 31 strikeouts. Gibson also won the Babe Ruth Award.