1997 St. Louis Cardinals season
Encyclopedia
The St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 1997 season
1997 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Florida Marlins over Cleveland Indians ; Liván Hernández, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Marquis Grissom**American League Division Series*National League Championship Series MVP: Liván Hernández...

was the team's 116th season in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 and the 106th season in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

. The Cardinals went 73-89 during the season and finished 4th in the National League Central
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...

 division.

Offseason

  • December 4, 1996: Willie McGee
    Willie McGee
    Willie Dean McGee is a retired professional baseball player who won two batting titles and was named Major League Baseball's National League MVP. McGee primarily played center and right field, winning three Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence. McGee spent the majority of his 18-year career...

     was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals.
  • December 6, 1996: Tom Pagnozzi was signed as a Free Agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Roster

1997 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers

Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders

Manager

Coaches
(Pitching)
(Bullpen)
(Hitting)
(Third Base)
(Bench)
(First Base)

Transactions

  • June 3, 1997: 1997 Major League Baseball Draft
    1997 Major League Baseball Draft
    The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997...

    • Rick Ankiel
      Rick Ankiel
      Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....

       was drafted by the Cardinals in the 2nd round. Player signed August 28, 1997.
    • Xavier Nady
      Xavier Nady
      Xavier Clifford Nady VI is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman, who is a free agent.-Amateur career:The St. Louis Cardinals originally drafted Nady in the 4th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft after he was named Northern California Player of the Year in his senior...

       was drafted by the Cardinals in the 4th round, but did not sign.
    • José Rodríguez
      José Rodríguez (pitcher)
      José Ilich Rodríguez is a former professional baseball pitcher. Rodríguez pitched 12 games in Major League Baseball, 6 in 2000 for the St. Louis Cardinals and 6 in 2002 for the Cardinals and Minnesota Twins....

       was drafted by the Cardinals in the 24th round. Player signed July 15, 1997.
  • June 13, 1997: Danny Jackson
    Danny Jackson
    Danny Lynn Jackson was a pitcher with a 15-year career from to . He played for the Kansas City Royals of the American League and the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, St...

    , Mark Sweeney
    Mark Sweeney
    Mark Patrick Sweeney is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He is best known for his skill as a pinch hitter, where he ranks second in career pinch hits with 175 and first in career pinch hit runs batted in with 102....

     and Rich Batchelor
    Rich Batchelor
    Richard Anthony Batchelor , is a retired professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from -. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres. He also pitched for the Yakult Swallows in .-External links:...

     were traded by the Cardinals to the San Diego Padres
    San Diego Padres
    The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

     for Scott Livingstone
    Scott Livingstone
    Scott Louis Livingstone is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991–98, for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and Montreal Expos....

    , Phil Plantier
    Phil Plantier
    Phillip Alan Plantier is a former Major League Baseball player who played in the major leagues primarily as an outfielder from -. Plantier is most often remembered for his rookie season performance....

    , and Fernando Valenzuela
    Fernando Valenzuela
    Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...

    .
  • July 29, 1997: Mike Gallego
    Mike Gallego
    Michael Anthony Gallego is the Oakland Athletics third base and infield coach, and a former Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Athletics, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals from 1985 to 1997.-Baseball career:Gallego was the A's starting second baseman during their three-year...

     was released by the Cardinals.

The Trade

The beginning came on July 31, when the Cardinals acquired Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...

 from the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

 in exchange for relief pitcher T.J. Mathews and minor league pitchers Eric Ludwick
Eric Ludwick
Eric David Ludwick is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from -. He played for the Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Marlins, and Toronto Blue Jays...

 and Blake Stein
Blake Stein
William Blake Stein is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals from -....

. McGwire could have been a free agent at the end of the season.

McGwire had 34 home runs and 81 RBIs with Oakland at the time of the trade, which reunited him with former Athletics manager Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa
Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball manager and infielder, best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals...

. The Cardinals were considered to have little chance of keeping him with the club beyond the final two months of the season. But general manager Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty is the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He was previously the General Manager of the St...

's deal figured to inject some excitement into a dull close to the season, since the Cardinals were far out of the race. They had begun their free fall in early July when left fielder Ron Gant
Ron Gant
Ronald Edwin "Ron" Gant is a former American Major League outfielder and second baseman earlier on who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds , St...

 had failed to make a routine catch which would have given the Cardinals a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

. Not only did the Pirates rally for that victory, but they also ended up sweeping the four-game series, knocking the Cardinals out of first place, and sending them reeling.

McGwire hadn't expected to stay with Oakland, but he also didn't think he would end up with the Cardinals.

McGwire's Impact

The team was in the throes of a slump when their new first baseman arrived. On August 10, the Cardinals had lost 11 of the their last 14 games. They had scored a total of 58 runs scored in their 21 previous games at that point.

McGwire struggled to hit anything at first but had four home runs with his new team in less than two weeks, including two in an August 13 game that featured a 455-foot dinger, one of the longest in Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...

 history.

September Booms

On September 3, the same day pitcher Alan Benes
Alan Benes
Alan Paul Benes, , was a Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for three teams over the course of eight seasons....

 underwent rotate cuff surgery, McGwire hit the first Busch Stadium home run that was measured at more than 500 feet-504 feet, to be exact-hit on a pitch from Jaime Navarro
Jaime Navarro
Jaime Navarro Cintrón is a former Puerto Rican baseball player. Navarro was a 6 foot, four inch tall right-handed pitcher in the major leagues from to , playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians...

 of the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

.

A week later, he hit his 16th homer since joining the Cardinals but his 50th overall for the season, making him only the second man in baseball history-Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

 did it twice-to reach the 50-homer mark in successive seasons

McGwire's biggest blasts might have come on September 17. That afternoon, the Cardinals announced they had signed him to a three-year, $28.5 million contract with an option for a fourth season at $11 million. He announced at the news conference that part of the deal included the formation of a charitable foundation to fight sexual and physical abuse of children, a fight strengthened by his donation of $1 million a year. McGwire choked up and wiped away tears as he talked of that cause, something close to his heart because of a close friend who had suffered such abuse.

He had decided to stay in St. Louis, McGwire said, because of the overwhelming affection shown him by Cardinals fans. never did he feel it so much as when he stepped to the plate for his first at bat after signing his contract that day. With Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

 pitcher Ramon Hernandez
Ramón Hernández
Ramón José Hernández Marin is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who plays for the Colorado Rockies. Previously, he played with the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres , Baltimore Orioles , and Cincinnati Reds .-Career:Hernández is a career .263 hitter with 144 home runs, 651 RBI, and 455...

 on the mound at Busch, the crowd of 27,157 fans stood for a standing ovation at the announcement of McGwire's name. No one stopped cheering as Martinez threw ball one, then ball two,strike one and ball three. They all remained on their feet and screaming as Martinez fired the fifth pitch of the at bat, which McGwire hit 517 feet for the then-longest home run in stadium history, an upper-deck shot over the left-field scoreboard. it was McGwire's fifth homer of more than 500 feet in that one season and his 18th homer since joining the Cardinals only 48 days earlier.

With two homers on the second-to-last day of the season and one more in the season finale. McGwire ended with 24 homers in the Cardinals uniform and 58 overall for the season. That was a single-season for a right-handed batter and fueled a winter of speculation that he might be the chosen one to break Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...

's hallowed record.

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI

Starting pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO

Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO

Relief pitchers

Player G W L SV ERA SO

Awards and honors

  • St. Louis Baseball Man of the Year: Ray Lankford
  • Mark McGwire, Major League record, 1st player to lead the Major Leagues in Home Runs but not lead the American League or National League in home runs

Farm system

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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