Willie Mays will forever be remembered as one of baseball's best, and Cardinals fans of that era may have even more vivid memories of his greatness.
When the "Say Hey Kid" came to 狐狸视频, he certainly was great.
Baseball's oldest living Hall of Famer until his death Tuesday at the age of 93, some of Mays' better performances came against the Cardinals here.
He swiped a career-best four bases on his 25th birthday, May 6, 1956, in 狐狸视频, his legs allowing the New York Giants to a steal a win in the nightcap of a doubleheader that day.
One of his three career three-homer games came in 狐狸视频.
Three of his 16 career games with five or more RBIs came here, his highest total at any visiting park.
His 1.076 OPS at Sportsman's Park/Busch Stadium I was his second-best at any ballpark where he played more than 60 games.
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During one stretch, he recorded hits in 13 straight appearances here between 1956 and 1957.
His OPS vs. the Cardinals in 狐狸视频 (1.017) was far better than he fared vs. the Redbirds at home (.901).
Below is a collection of Post-Dispatch coverage from some of those great Mays games in 狐狸视频.
By Bob Broeg
From the Post-Dispatch's Monday, May 07, 1956, edition recapping Mays' three-steal game:
Just when a fella gets enthusiastic enough to rush out and price World Series tickets, wonderful Willie Mays and the doggoned New York Giants have to remind him that it's not only a six-month season, but a nine-inning game.
If the Cardinals didn't have to play the ninth inning, they'd be far in front in the National League, rather than a close third in a six-club scramble. On the other hand, so slender is the margin between victory and defeat in this multiple hassle that without Ellis Kinder the Redbirds would be:
Well, if you want it just the way Manager Fred Hutchinson snapped it off, they'd be "dead."
Hutch was annoyed and discouraged, understandably so, after yesterday's Busch Stadium doubleheader in which the Cardinals took the league lead on Stan Musial's eighth-inning homer in the twinbill opener, 5 to 4, then blew the nightcap in the ninth by the same score.
"Pitching, my foot," the former hurler growled. "Just two complete games in 16!"
Is It a Complex?
Mr. Hutchinson, it is apparent, is torn between two conflicting desires that just had clashed in the final frame of a game that knocked the Redbirds off the pinnacle. Instinctively, the manager would like to rush the reliable 41-year-old Kinder to the rescue on a preventive basis, but he knows there's a limit to even the most resilient arm. And, besides, he's eager to develop a start-and-finish habit among younger front-line hurlers who could be whomping up a first-rate last-inning complex.
Take Vinegar Bend Mizell, for instance. Three times before yesterday he'd gone into the ninth and then staggered. With Mays leading off the ninth, there was, therefore, a good reason to wonder whether Kinder's ancient right arm again could succeed where the tiring young left one might fail. And, moreover, if Wonderful Willie so much as bunted safely, it would be as good as a ground-rule double, the way Mays automatically had swiped bases off the slow-winding southpaw.
But, as mentioned, Kinder had saved one game in the 90-degree temperature and there was that strong desire to get the young'uns to finish what they started. So Mizell pitched to Mays, Willie singled and, sure enough, took off for second base and stole it for the third time in the second game. That's nothing, though. One time the swift, strong-armed Giant center fielder stole both second and third, giving him four thefts, one short of the National League record.
With Mizell watching one way and trying to pitch another 鈥 nice if you can do it, look at second and hurl home 鈥 Daryl Spencer whacked a game-tying double. Now Kinder came on, but, unfortunately, the old gerit hadn't been allowed any margin for error. As a result, following a sacrifice bunt, Dusty Rhodes' single drove home the deciding run.
Sorry Windup for 25,466.
So there was a sorry wind-up to an exciting six hours of baseball for a 25,466 crowd that had seen Musial dissolve a 4-all tie with his fifth homer in the eighth inning of the first game and Ken Boyer apparently give the Cardinals another close-to-the-vest triumph with his fifth circuit smash in the sixth frame of the nightcap.
The 狐狸视频 standouts in the see-saw twin bill, in which the Giants collected 23 hits to the Cards' 18, with the Redbirds drawing nine walks to the visitors' four, were Wally Moon and Rip Repulski. Moon had five blows in eight official trips, driving in four, and Repulski four for seven and an RBI.
The Ripper, setting a hot hitting pace since he returned to the regular lineup, took a two-run extra-base hit away from Mays with a leaping catch against the left field concrete in the third inning of the opener, in which Harvey Haddix again failed. And in the second contest Repulski collared Spencer's drive to the left-center field wall In a near-collision with Bill Vlrdon.
And Hutch Was Booed.
So Hutchinson was booed for the first time in his first month as Redbird manager when he sent up Solly Hemus to pinch-bat for Repulski in the home half of the nightcap ninth. The strong-jawed skipper doesn't play to the stands, though. He just had seen fast-firing right-handed Steve Ridzik handle Boyer with sidearmed pitching and, in addition, he said he thought Hemus might work the wild Ridzik for a leadoff walk. Hutch's thought apparently wasn't backed by ball-and-strike control, however, for Solly took one pitch off the plate, then hit the next one up on the infield.
Two base-runners later Hoyt Wilhelm hauled his knuckler from the New York bullpen, retired the side and halted a premature notion about running out and pricing World Series tickets. Shucks, we gotta first get another Kinder or a new eight-inning rule for Mizell and the rest of a staff that wears long pants, but suffers from short breath.
鈥
From the Post-Dispatch's Redbird Notes in that same edition:
Willie Mays not only stole four bases in one game on his twenty-fifth birthday, but robbed Red Schoendienst of an extra base hit with a sensational catch, though his strong arm also gave the Cards a run with a wild throw. 鈥 "I guess 26,000 people will think I can't throw," said unhappy Bill Sarni, Redbird catcher, but Mays stole each time on Mizell's slow, exaggerated delivery. Willie, by the way, has been thrown out only three times in 32 tries the last two seasons.
One of Mays' three career three-homer games came in 狐狸视频, a 6-4 San Francisco win on Sunday, June 2, 1963.
Below are excerpts from Neal Russo's coverage in the following day's Post-Dispatch:
For only the second time on this home stand, the bullpen faltered. Bob (Side-Saddle) Humphreys, after stopping the mighty Giants for two innings, was tagged for Mays's home run that hit the middle of the scoreboard, then an opposite-field home run by the next batter, Orlando Cepeda. Mays, who hit his first four-bagger of the day, off starter Ernie Broglio, got No. 3 off Bobby Shantz in the ninth.
"You can't expect the relievers to stop them every time, and if they could, we'd be starting them," said Cardinals manager Johnny Keane.
On Saturday, August 7, 1965, Mays homered twice, driving in five in one of his last few games at Busch Stadium I. He earned his second MVP award for his work that season.
Here's an excerpt from Neal Russo's coverage in the following day's Post-Dispatch:
The San Francisco Giants are sneaky fellows. They came to town with fewer runs than all National League clubs except the Mets and the Astros, but led by Willie Mays' two home runs and five runs batted in, they bombarded the Cardinals yesterday, 10-4.
Mays could hardly prefer the new downtown ballpark to Busch Stadium. He is batting (.471) on 16 for 34 this season at the Cardinals' old park. He has five home runs and 12 RBIs here. By contrast, Mays has not had a hit in his 13 times at bat against the Cardinals at Candlestick Park.
Editor's note: After a strong series finale the following day that included another homer, Mays finished .500 for the season at Busch I in 1965. He tallied a then-NL record 17 home runs in August.