It’s a day for hitting pitchers. Good-hitting Tim Lollar leads the way by collecting all four RBIs for his team, but his Padres lose, 6 – 4. The Cards win, 9 – 1, over the Braves as Joaquin Andujar, a poor hitter, hits a grand slam. Just before his blast, Andujar looks into the Cards’ dugout, then gestures to the RF stands.
Ozzie Smith becomes the game’s first $1 million shortstop when the infielder inks a three-year pact with the World Champion Cardinals. The ‘Wizard of Ahs’, best known for his outstanding defense, won his third consecutive Gold Glove in the offseason.
Ozzie Smith agrees to go to the Cardinals to complete the December deal that finally sends Gary Templeton to the Padres. An outside arbitrator, Tom Roberts, will determine ‘the Wizard of Oz’s’ Cardinal salary before the season starts, awarding the light-hitting Gold Glove shortstop $450,000, rather than the $750,000 he requested.
The Cardinals and Padres trade shortstops as Garry Templeton goes to San Diego along with outfielder Sixto Lezcano and Ozzie Smith and right-hander Steve Mura head for St. Louis. The trade, however, will not be finalized until Smith’s salary with his new club is determined by an outside arbitrator two months later.
Cardinals’ manager Whitey Herzog fines Garry Templeton $5,000 and suspends him indefinitely without pay for his rude behavior that includes an obscene gesture directed toward Redbird fans after they boo him in the first inning for not hustling to first base. The St. Louis shortstop, who will be traded to the Padres in the offseason for Ozzie Smith, agrees to seek psychiatric help and will be reinstated to the lineup on September 15.
The Padres become the first team in baseball history to have three players to steal more than 50 bases in a season when both Jerry Mumphrey and Ozzie Smith swipe their 50th sack in a 5-3 extra-inning loss to Cincinnati. Fellow Friar Gene Richard, who will lead the club with 61 stolen bases, reached the milestone at the end of last month.
1980 – In the 20th inning, the Padres play good hosts, giftwrapping a rally so Houston can celebrate a 3-1 victory. An error by Ozzie Smith puts Luis Pujols aboard, a late throw to second moves him up then Jerry Mumphrey muffs a fly ball from Terry Puhl to bring in the winning runs. Rookie Dave Smith, a San Diego product, pitches the final four innings for the win, ending the 6-1/2 hour marathon.
1978 – Bob Horner of the Braves edges Ozzie Smith of San Diego to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Horner batted .266 with 23 home runs in just 323 at-bats after starting the season at Arizona State University before being the first overall pick of the June draft.
On the last day of the season at Qualcomm Stadium, Ozzie Smith does his signature flip for the first time. The Padres shortstop, asked by the club to do it for Fans Appreciation Day, will continue his gymnastic prowess as a member of the Cardinals, with the somersault becoming an Opening Day tradition at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Padres’ rookie Ozzie Smith, a future Hall of Famer due to his defensive prowess at short, makes what he will rate as his best play ever when he dives to his left to field a grounder hit by Jeff Burroughs of Atlanta. Although the ball takes a bad hop and scoots behind the ‘Wizard’s’ head, he promptly sticks out his bare right hand, snagging the ball before popping to his feet to get the out at first base.
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