It’s pretty obvious that we have a thing for position players who pitch here at Aaron Miles’ Fastball. And it was 25 years ago today that Jose Oquendo — then St. Louis Cardinals infielder, now of course Cards third base coach — truly earned his nickname as “The Secret Weapon.”
On May 14, 1988, Oquendo pitched four innings of the St. Louis Cardinals 19-inning 7-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Chris Jaffe wrote all about The Jose Oquendo Game today at The Hardball Times. It’s a terrific read, as the game itself was pretty crazy even without Oquendo’s role in it, due to the moves Cards manager Whitey Herzog needed to make:
Oh, and there was one other odd little wrinkle. Because Herzog had used so many players as pinch-hitters or in double switches or whatever, when Oquendo shifted from first base to the mound, Herzog had no one to put on first. He wasn’t just out of pitchers—he was also out of position players.
Time to stay creative. Herzog moved Duane Walker, who had been playing in left, to first. In left he put Jose DeLeon—a starting pitcher. Yes, that’s right—Herzog put a pitcher in left, and a utility player on the mound.
You see, DeLeon was the starting pitcher the day before. He threw 8.2 innings, and so was far too tired in the arm to take the hill today. So that’s why Oquendo was on the mound instead.
Of Herzog’s remaining starting pitchers, he figured DeLeon would be the best bet in the bat and in the field. Not that Herzog wanted to risk DeLeon doing anything in the field. He kept switching DeLeon with right fielder Tom Brunansky. If a lefty was at the plate, he put Brunansky in right and DeLeon in left. When a righty was up, flip them. By the end of the day, DeLeon’s defensive assignment would read like this: LF-RF-LF-RF-LF-RF-LF-RF-LF-RF-LF-RF.
And keep scrolling down when you’re done reading about the 1988 game — there’s an interesting Stan Musial/Pepper Martin tidbit that occurred on this day in 1944.
What better way for the St. Louis Cardinals to honor Stan Musial than with six hits and their sixth win on the night to honor No. 6? Perhaps there was one thing better: the pitching of Shelby Miller. The future of the Cardinals definitely triumphed over past Cardinal Kyle Lohse as the Redbirds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0.
Beyond the game, the pregame tribute to honor Stan and the No. 6 in the outfield grass were pretty amazing as well.
Here’s a look at the good, better and best of the game.
Good
Let’s start at the end. On a night when pitching ended up the story, it was good to see Mitchell Boggs get his second save of the season. It was neither pretty nor easy as he gave up both a walk and a single with one out and had to face Ryan Braun as the potential go-ahead run. But Boggs struck him out for the second out, then Rickie Weeks for the final out. Whew …
Also good to see: Trevor Rosenthal with three quick outs in the eighth.
It was good as well to see Kyle Lohse do well in his return to Busch Stadium. The fans gave him a very nice, mostly standing ovation. And his final numbers in the loss — two runs, six hits, two strikeouts, no walks — would have pleased us all during his Cardinal days.
A fortuitously timed rainout in Chicago on Wednesday means an intriguing pitching matchup tonight at Busch Stadium when the Milwaukee Brewers take on the St. Louis Cardinals.
Yes, it’s new Brewer Kyle Lohse facing Shelby Miller, the kid who made K-Lo expendable.
Lohse’s five seasons as a Cardinal were overall a success when you look at his numbers: 3.90 ERA in 136 starts and a 55-35 record. But 2009 and 2010 were not, given the exertional compartment syndrome in his forearm he was ultimately diagnosed with and underwent surgery for in 2010. (Plus it lead to that tattoo to hide his scar.) And reading this profile of him in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reminds me that, oh yeah, he was pretty much disliked by a lot of Cardinals fans in those two seasons because of how he pitched.
Not that he was necessarily a fan favorite during his good years either. Despite his success during the 2011 regular season, he was pretty bad in October with an NLDS ERA of 8.44, NLCS ERA of 6.23 and World Series ERA of 9.00. (Granted, only one start in each — but still …) And last year his 2.86 ERA and 16-3 record led the starters, of course, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who regularly gushed over him.
Opening Day at Busch Stadium is, of course, a one-of-a-kind event — and yesterday was no exception.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights of Opening Day 2013 (the pre-game, mostly), which included our favorite traditions as well as a touching remembrance of the Greatest Cardinal of Them All. Photos are courtesy of Kelly and Nicole — thank you both for sharing!
It’s always that sea of red on Opening Day. (Photo by Kelly)
After a six-game prelude, the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals season really begins today at Busch Stadium. Sure, there is a game at 3:15 p.m. against the Cincinnati Reds too — but it’s everything leading up to the first pitch by Jaime Garcia that’s so meaningful and makes today so special for every Cardinals fan.
And while today will have the usual celebrations we look forward to seeing — the Clydesdales, the Hall of Famers in their red jackets, the players’ parade in pickup trucks — one huge part of opening day will be missing.
Stan Musial.
According to Tom Ackerman of KMOX, this is the first home opener since 1945 that does not include Stan the Man. And just the thought alone is enough to make you tear up.
To celebrate Stan’s opening day legacy, here’s a look back to 2001 — the home opener on April 9 when Stan played The Star Spangled Banner before the Cardinals took on the Colorado Rockies. The introduction is from Jack Buck.
Let’s hope today is that bright and sunny (no matter what the forecast might say). Go Cardinals!
Christine Coleman is the lead St. Louis Cardinals reporter for Aaron Miles’ Fastball. Follow her on Twitter, @CColeman802, or email aaronmilesfastball@gmail.com. Also follow @AMilesFastball for the latest updates.
Tomorrow, April 8, marks the annual return of baseball to St. Louis as the Cardinals take on the Cincinnati Reds in a 3:15 p.m. game. Opening Day 2013 will feature a pre-game ceremony that will pay tribute to Stan Musial.
Following is a schedule of official activities and information from the Cardinals to help you enjoy what has become an unofficial holiday for Cardinal Nation. You can join the social media conversation on Twitter by using the hashtags #OpeningDaySTL and #6.
Opening Day Ceremony
Opening Day marks the first time the Cardinals family will be together at Busch Stadium for a game since the passing of Stan Musial earlier this year. On Opening Day and throughout the 2013 season, the Cardinals will honor the legacy of the team’s greatest player who personified the Cardinal Way. The team is wearing a jersey patch throughout the season and will host a full tribute to Musial on Friday, April 12, when they dedicate a plaque in his honor.
On Monday, Stan’s four children will unveil an outfield wall marker as part of the Opening Day ceremony that begins at 2:30 p.m. with the Budweiser Clydesdales.
The ceremony will feature all four of the team’s Commissioner’s Trophies from each of those World Championship teams (’67, ’82, ’06 and ’11) as well as the introduction of the Cardinals Hall of Famers and 2013 Cardinals via a Ford motorcade.
Here’s a rarity: we’re all looking forward to Monday. Yes, the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals season is now waiting for us at the end of this weekend (although how many complaints will there be throughout Monday that the game doesn’t start until 9 p.m. Central Time? The perils of starting on the road, and out West …)
When the Cardinals take the field in Phoenix, they’ll be debuting the patch they will wear all season to honor Stan Musial. Unlike most memorial patches, as it says in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “there is no black, a nod to Musial’s always-sunny disposition. It features a red border and Musial’s number 6, in red, with his signature through the number. The background of the patch is the color of the jersey — gray for road games, white for home, and cream-colored when the Cardinals wear their new alternate jersey.”
The lineup taking the field Monday night is pretty easy to predict, even with David Freese on the disabled list — you could have developed this even without looking at the Cards website.
1. CF: Jon Jay
2. RF: Carlos Beltran
3. LF: Matt Holliday
4. 1B: Allen Craig
5. C: Yadier Molina
6. 3B: Matt Carpenter
7. 2B: Daniel Descalso
8. SS: Pete Kozma
9. SP: Adam Wainwright
For more on Opening Day lineups and how interesting they can sometimes be, check this out at Viva El Birdos. (Warning: names such as Adam Kennedy, Khalil Greene and Troy Glaus are mentioned … and Brian Barden. Remember him?)
It will be a few more days before Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltran are back at the St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp in Jupiter, Fla.
Puerto Rico’s 4-3 exciting win over Team USA last night means that they’re in the World Baseball Classic finals in San Francisco, along with the Dominican Republic, Japan and the Netherlands. And last night’s game really was exciting.
Puerto Rico had a 4-0 lead in the sixth before the U.S. scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth, with one on a two-out bases-loaded walk. At that point, J.C. Romero was brought in and he retired the final four batters he faced. (Yes, really. J.C. Romero.)
Yadi was, not surprisingly, Yadi as you can see in this clip when Jimmy Rollins tried to steal in the sixth inning. The video also gives you a hint of the atmosphere during these games, with the horns and the enthusiasm from the crowd (and Yadi’s own reaction). It’s comforting that no one ever seems to learn you can’t run on Yadi. Please continue to try, though …
Shelby Miller (center) and Edward Mujica smile and listen on as Joe Kelly tells jokes. (Courtesy of Post-Dispatch)
Cardinals fans have witnessed many a best friendship form between players on their favorite baseball team.
Whether it was Red and Stan, or That Guy Who Used To Play First and Yadi, or the foursome of David Freese, Daniel Descalso, Jon Jay and Allen Craig, we’ve seen some great ones.
Never have any of them duked it out on the field though. And that’s what we may be seeing from one group of best buds! Soon.
Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller. Best Friends. Fighting it out for the coveted fifth position on the Cardinals starting rotation. The loser either heads to the bullpen or back to Triple-A Memphis.
Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller are roommates and best friends, and come November they will serve as best man at each other’s wedding just seven days a part.
…
Kelly allowed three hits and one run in four solid innings and Miller allowed three runs in 2 2-3 innings Thursday in St. Louis’ 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. » Continue reading “BFFs Duel It Out For Fifth Spot”
We all know that Stan Musial made an impact throughout the entire city of St. Louis — and beyond too, as the eulogy by Bob Costas on Saturday reminded us. And that impact extended to the city’s other sports teams, as the Blues formally paid tribute to Stan The Man last night. (“Formally” because they had already honored him on the night he passed away, Jan. 19, by winning their season opener 6-0.)
During their warmups, all players wore Blues jerseys with the No. 6 and “Musial” on the back. All the jerseys will be auctioned to support both Cardinals Care and the Blues 14 Fund.
Such a cool sight (the photo is from the Blues website), and such a terrific tribute. Stan’s grandson, Brian Schwarze, also dropped the ceremonial first puck.
And how’s this for yet another unintentionally amazing honor? The first goal for the Blues was scored by their real No. 6, Wade Redden. The Blues won 5-4 in overtime. (You can keep up with the Blues on our Aerys site Backes to the Future.)
There honestly is no other sports city like St. Louis — just like there was no one else like Stan Musial.
It’s pretty obvious that we have a thing for position players who pitch here at Aaron Miles’ Fastball. And it was 25 years ago today that Jose Oquendo — then St. Louis Cardinals infielder, now of course Cards third base coach — truly earned his nickname as “The Secret Weapon.”
