April 18, 1985 Vince Coleman goes 1 for 3 with two stolen bases in his big league debut. He finishes the year with 110 stolen bases and wins the Rookie of the Year Award and helps the Cardinals make the World Series.
1985 – In an effort to add some much-needed power to a lineup essentially composed of speedsters, the St. Louis Cardinals trade OF/1B David Green, SS Jose Uribe (who is still known as “Jose Gonzalez”), P Dave LaPoint, and OF/1B Gary Rajsich to the San Francisco Giants for slugging OF/1B Jack Clark.
1984 – St. Louis sends slugger George Hendrick and a minor leaguer to the Pirates for P John Tudor and C Brian Harper. Tudor, at 12-11, was the ace of the Bucs’ staff, which set a record by having the National League’s best ERA even though the team finished last. The 35-year-old Hendrick will play just a half season in the Iron City before going to California.
In a game that will be best remembered for Ryne Sandberg’s two late-inning game-tying home runs, Willie McGee hits for the cycle in St. Louis’ 12-11 loss in 11 innings to the Cubs. With his triple in the second inning, a fourth-frame single, a sixth inning home run, and an RBI double in the tenth, the Cardinals center fielder drives in six runs in the Wrigley Field contest.
1984 – Fredbird, the mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals, tackles Enos Cabell in pre-game warmups. Cabell aggravates a knee injury. Heated words are exchanged between the two clubs but Houston gets revenge in the twelfth when Mark Bailey triples off Bruce Sutter to key a 4-3 victory.
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.
Cardinal Bob Forsch pitches his second career no-hitter, beating the Expos at Busch Stadium, 3-0. The 33 year-old Redbird right-hander first accomplished the feat against Philadelphia in 1978.
1983 – In one of the worst trades in franchise history, the St. Louis Cardinals send first baseman Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets in exchange for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. The deal is motivated by Hernandez’s penchant for cocaine, which he will overcome in New York.
Pitchers Joaquin Andujar and Bruce Sutter combined to beat Milwaukee 6-3 in Game 7 as the St. Louis Cardinals won the 1982 World Series. Cardinals C Darrell Porter was named MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series for his postseason batting, reaching base 19 times in 10 games. The Brewers defeated Baltimore on…
On his 29th birthday, Keith Hernandez hits a game-tying two-run single off Bob McClure in Game 7 of the Fall Classic, in the Redbirds’ eventual 6-3 victory over the Brewers at Busch Stadium. The batter and pitcher, who lived in homes 100 feet from one another growing up in Pacifica, California, were teammates in Little League and Terra Nova High School baseball team.
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