Retro Simba

On a team with little pop, pitcher Don Durham qualified as somewhat of a slugger for the Cardinals. A rookie right-hander with St. Louis in 1972, Durham had as many home runs (two) as wins (two). He batted .500 (seven hits in 14 at-bats) and had a slugging percentage of .929. Durham was part of a Cardinals pitching trio, along with Bob Gibson and Rick Wise, that … [Read more...] about Don Durham had a hit-or-miss stint with Cardinals

Johnny Stuart was a rattled rookie when he made his first start in the majors for the Cardinals and failed to get an out. A year later, on the day he made his second start in the big leagues, he also made his third, and the results were much better. One hundred years ago, on July 10, 1923, Stuart started both games of a doubleheader for the Cardinals against the Braves … [Read more...] about For better or worse, Johnny Stuart finished what he started

Ken Raffensberger began his major-league career with the Cardinals, then spent a big part of it pitching against them. A left-hander who relied on pinpoint control and an assortment of breaking pitches, Raffensberger faced the Cardinals a lot _ 79 times, including 59 starts. He lost (34 times) more than he won (23 times) versus St. Louis, but when he was good he was … [Read more...] about In control: How Ken Raffensberger confounded Cardinals

When Homer Jones made a catch, he turned the football field into a dance floor, spinning and shifting with an array of flashy moves. A receiver with the 1960s New York Giants, Jones was a master at producing long gains. He did it either one of two ways _ hauling in deep passes, or using his deft footwork to add yardage after a grab. His career average of 22.3 yards per catch … [Read more...] about Why Homer Jones scared the daylights out of defenses

Pitcher Neil Allen was given a mission impossible of sorts in his first assignment with the Cardinals. Having worn out his welcome in New York, Allen felt instantly unwelcomed in St. Louis when the Cardinals acquired him and pitcher Rick Ownbey from the Mets for first baseman Keith Hernandez on June 15, 1983. When the crowd attending a game at Busch Memorial Stadium heard … [Read more...] about Neil Allen: Good start, bad finish, with Cardinals