The 1985 Cardinals: A 40 Year Reunion | St. Louis Cardinals

The 1985 Cardinals: A 40 Year Reunion | St. Louis Cardinals

In St. Louis, baseball is about championships, Hall of Famers, and historic moments. 1985 had a little bit of everything. It’s been 40 years since one of the most exciting teams in Cardinals history was assembled. A team that brought a brand of play that baseball hadn’t seen before. The Cardinals in 85 had a major league low 87 homers, but they hit 264, stole 314 bases, and had a bullpen by committee. The team featured the National League MVP and batting champion Willie McGee, who hit .353. Rookie of the Year sensation Vince Coleman, who stole 110 bases. John Tutor won 21 games, and the club notched 101 wins in route to a division title. It was fun. There were heroics. It was Whitey Ball, aptly named after their manager, Whitey Herszog. Willie McGee goes the opposite way. A definitive moment from the definitive shortstop of his generation into the glove app for the out. What a play. Probably one of the best teams I’ve uh I’ve ever played on that year. Everybody matured. Everybody played their best baseball. And uh it’s just a fun team, man. just fun going out there, you know, knowing that you were going to be tough to beat, you know, every day. And uh like I said, every seem like all the players had their better years, you know, at the right time at the same time. I think the bigger thing that people overlook is the fact that we had this dude named Willie McGee, not to throw Vince Coleman to the side who stole 10 and something bases that year, but we had this dude named Willie McGee that nobody paid attention to. And to this day, I don’t think people still paid attention. And uh you look back at our our 1985 season, you look back at our 1985 team and you look back at the the Willie McGee stats of 1985 and people will go, he won an MVP award in 198. Yes, he did. You know, all the ingredients were there and it was just kind of that magical year where where, you know, we hit it on all all cylinders. It didn’t hurt when a relatively unknown rookie made his mark on the National League, stealing every bag in sight in Vince Coleman. He was the spark plug. He was the guy that that made it go. Coleman stealing the pitcher, the strike, the throw, safe, and now he’s going to be out. He breaks for the plate. He’s caught in a rund down trying to get back to third base. And now he’s going to score. Nobody covers the plate. When he was going, the club was going. So it was important for us to try and make sure that he was always energized. He swings, pops it into left. Matthews on the run. He can’t get it. It goes by him. He knocks it down and Kman may circle the bases. He was a guy that was really electrifying, not only for us as a team, for fans as well because when Vince was on base, that was always the the anticipation of the stolen base. And I think that that was one of the things or or the environment that Lou Brock created uh with Cardinal baseball as well, you know. So that was a continuation. The pitching was led by John Tutor. Despite a 1 and seven start, the lefty finished second in the NL Sai Young award going 20 and one from June 3rd on. I had pitched well in a number of games in that early stretch and just not getting not gotten a win or good results out of it. But after that, it just kind of fell into place. You know, with this ballpark, with this defense, it was it was built for somebody like me who just threw the ball to the plate and, you know, had the ball put in play. Think about how good the starting rotation was of that team, how much we liked each other. The bullpen was good, the offense was exciting. You know, the the Vince, the Willie, the Aussie part of the the running Redbirds that was great, but really every aspect, the defense extraordinary. So, so just a full team. But I also think uh of of Whitey of course in the midst of that because he was the guy that brought that together. Whitey was such a good communicator and I mean you know you still have to have talent and get your own but nothing for him to sit down and say hey you know I know I got two innings out of you yesterday. Can I get an out today or you need a day off or you know just you knew your role uh before the game started. you knew what he was expecting that game and um it would just made everybody better I think to know exactly what what was going on. He could have very easily quit on me really early and he didn’t and I’m very grateful for that. He gave me a chance to kind of come come out of the you know a little bit of a funk that I was in and and finish things off. But what I I I loved Whitey. My trajectory took me to the major leagues where I kept even getting better as a major league player. you know, I’m kind of transformed from a top of the order base stealing guy into a more of a run producer in the middle of the order. And I give Whitey a lot of that credit cuz he saw in me a guy that could take a lot of pitches and still hit with two strikes. And with all that speed in front of me, that was the perfect storm. Pitching, defense, speed, all the ingredients were there for a team that shocked the baseball world with their style of play. They also had talent. Coming up, there were seven Hall of Famers that made their mark in Cardinals history. This is the 1985 Cardinals. A 40-year reunion. Outside of manager Whitey Herszog in the dugout, the Cardinals had talent on the field. Whitey Hersz Aenazi Smith are a part of baseball’s hall of fame and five other players from that team made their way to the Cardinals Hall of Fame. Bob Forch, Connie Herr, Vince Coleman, John Tutor, and the always humble Willie McGee. It’s hard for me to, you know, ride in that in the in the car around the track. I don’t It’s for the people, but it I’d rather just come out the dugout, wait, get back. you know I I you know this was my job man and this is the way I look at it was my job I did my job that’s that’s it you know I don’t need you know I don’t need the recognition I don’t need uh nothing but I understand it and it’s not about me you know when it comes to that so sometime you have to come out of your comfort zone you know for something bigger than you such a rich tradition in in Cardinal baseball and you know for me to to have a red jacket on the same is, you know, the names, you know, the Musules and Gibsons and uh, you know, it’s just it’s it it boggles boggles my mind. You know, obviously for me, you know, a kid from the farmland of of Wangster County, Pennsylvania, you know, about as far removed from the major leagues and and St. Louis tradition as you could be, you know, it’s it’s just really almost incomprehensible. The most important word that’s associated with the game of baseball is consistency. One must min minimize his negatives and maximize his positives. And see, Aussie, those are life lessons that I share with my family and my kids every day. And I’m so proud to say I learned them from you. For him, it was vindication that, you know, he that he was a big part of this organization. The fact that he would come back and people would reward him with the red jacket was was it meant everything to him. And I think from an emotional standpoint, you could see that in his speech, the way you talk about it now. You know, very proud of the fact that he was able to be a part of something that continues to be talked about today. It’s a great honor. Uh I think especially because it was a fan vote. I I loved playing here. People were always The fans were always unbelievable to me. They still are. It’s been a great place to play. Uh I think over the years for Cardinals in general, the Hall of Fame was just it’s like you said, it’s it’s it’s an honor. Coming up. And the batter is Azie Smith. Baseball fans were treated to one of the greatest moments in Cardinals history and baseball history as everyone went crazy. Go crazy, folks. Go crazy. That’s next on the 1985 Cardinals, a 40-year reunion. 1985 had dramatics from the regular season race to win the National League East to a matchup with the LA Dodgers in the league championship series. Game five of that series at Bush Stadium. One of the most dramatic home runs and calls set the stage for baseball history. We were lucky enough to have the great Jack Buck at the mic at the time who by the way thought he missed it. And they did talk about the fact that I hadn’t hit a home run left-handed. I heard that, by the way. Um, as I go here, Smith corks one down the line. It may go. Go crazy, folks. Go crazy. It’s a home run. The Cardinals have won the game by the score of 3 to2 on a home run by the Wizards. Go crazy. You live that, but you’re not hearing go crazy folks in your head when that happened. You have your own kind of vantage point of that. And my vantage point was it happened right there and I wasn’t sure if it was a home run and wow, we just won won one of the greatest games in Cardinals history and I get to go celebrate with the boys. So that’s my that’s my vantage point. Perfect timing, right on time. And that’s Aussie. You know, it happened to that that’s stuff like that happens with him. I called him a golden child. First of all, when it left the bat, we’re all looking like, “Oh my god, seriously, this is Aussie hitting.” But it was almost like the perfect swing, the perfect pitch at the perfect time. And when he hit the ball, we all jumped up in amazement. Like, you know how the dugout was, we had to lean out of the dugout. Then we kept coming out of the dugout. And then, oh my god, we could not believe what had happened. It was exciting and it was funny, you know, kind of because it was Aussie that hit it who had, you know, they had just put the stat up. He hasn’t hit a home run in 1,200 at bats left-handed or something and he hits one out. So there was there so this confluence of uh weird things that happened all at once that erupted after that. I was on the bench then and and you know uh it turned out to be one of the the bigger moments that I was involved with was Cardinal Bixo. I went to a card show one time and this little kid by the name of Slate who by the way has graduated in from college now but at the time he could barely look over the table. So he puts his cards up there and he and I signed a card and his mom says it do it for him. Do it for him. So Slate gets there and he says Smith corks one down the line. May go crazy folks, go crazy. It’s a home run by the Wizard. The Cardinals win the game by the score of 3 to2 on a home run by the Wizard. It’s those type of memories or those type of moments that I think it reinforces the impact that that you have on people’s lives. Coming up, the Cardinals weren’t done. Jack Clark makes his presence felt with a home run that still resonates for fans today. That’s next on the 1985 Cardinals. A 40-year reunion. After Azie did his thing in game five, there was still a game to be won in Los Angeles in game six to send the Cardinals to the World Series. Slugger Jack Clark, who earlier in the game had struck out against Tom Deenfer, wanted one more chance to atone for his earlier K against the Dodgers righty. And he got it with St. Louis trailing 5 to four in the ninth with two outs. And how do you like this situation? The tying and possible winning runs are in scoring position with two out and Jack Clark coming up. But lo and behold, here comes Jack. up until this day. I still don’t know why Tommy Lord allowed him to pitch to Jack when Andy Van Slike and myself were hidden behind Jack and neither one of us have done anything in that series. I don’t believe but uh to this day I couldn’t believe he allowed it to happen and uh for it to happen and Jack get the opportunity we just felt there’s going to be something special done there. No doubt about it. Meanwhile in reading was sort of talking about walking and pitch to that blank blank van slight. That’s what he just muttered in the dugout. I think it was a rhetorical question. Do I walk in and fix it that so and so? He’s not going to walk him. It is Jack Clark and Tom Neenure going headto head and the ball game on the line and the crowd on its feet one way or another. What a way to end. I just threw it out to Bob Forch because Jack, as most people probably don’t know, Jack was maybe the best bunter on the team. Oddly, he did that several times during the year. He’d bunt for a hit and which is odd to think of Jack Clark doing that. And I said, I wonder if Jack would consider bunting here. And Bob Force turned to me said and said, “What are you, stupid?” And at the end of the word stupid, the ball gets hit into the bleachers in left field. And I guess that answered his question. Yes, I was. just so that we can cover the situation for you. Aie Smith at second, but Willie McGee at third has never tried to steal home this year. I don’t recall Jack sitting down till his next at bat. I just recall him pacing up and down the dugout. Just up and down the dugout like just give me another chance. Just you could just see it just wherever he You could just see just give me another chance. And he got that chance. And when he got that chance, bam, game over. swinging and a long one into left field. Adios. Goodbye. And maybe that’s a winner. A three-run homer by Clark. And the Cardinals lead by the score of 7 to five. And they may go to the World Series on that one, folks. And Lord got the answer to his rhetorical question. Something about should I walk this guy and pitch to that so and so. Well, he didn’t walk it. And then you see Pete Guerrero turned to the bleaches, throw his glove down, you know, like uh and Pete is, you know, he’s a great teammate, a great friend, but it looks like a little league throw his glove down like, you know, like he’s just mad. We had a name for Jack at the time and he had a name for us. Well, when he hit that ball, he you see he bellies out towards the dugout and throws the bag and says, “Take that.” He he called us his name for us, which he was we were just the plural of his name. But anyhow, and he ran the bases and um I was out in the bullpin and of course I got to come in and we got the safe and went on to the World Series. And so it was a it was a big time for me. That was the moment that we all knew that, you know, we had a had a chance to get to the series and once we took the lead said, “Let’s go, guys. Let’s go.” that particular home run I I say unequivocally in my career that was the that was the highlight like one play of my career like to be a part of that was so exciting you know just uh his reaction and and uh you know we knew that one got us to the World Series that year and it was such a special year and to have it topped off with with a hit like that you know we felt like there was no stopping us after that coming up A play that still stings in the hearts of Cardinals fans and the players even 40 years later. That’s next on the 1985 Cardinals, a 40-year reunion. After the Cardinals had beaten the Dodgers to capture the National League Championship, it was off to face the Kansas City Royals in the I70 series. St. Louis went into game six with a chance to capture a world championship. It was a night and a call that forever changed the course of baseball history. The Don Dener call. A call for some that still stings today with the Cardinals leading one to nothing in the ninth. A blown call at first base set the tone for what was a nightmare for the Redbirds and their fans. The way the play turned out, Jack kind of came across and backhanded, then had to throw to Todd, who was running the other way towards the bag, and then the runners coming from home plate. So it was like a confluence of different angles that Denkiner was in in foul territory kind of kind of drifting towards home plate and he you know he was seeing movement going three different ways and just he just lost lost concept of the play and didn’t call it right. I was standing there stationary watching it and I’m going what? How could he that he was out? I mean how could you call him safe? And of course I went right up and got, you know, pled my case right into his face and he kind of chewed me off like I didn’t know what I was talking about, but I did. He was out. It was a call that came 20 years too early, you know. You know, 20 years later, 25 years later would have 30 years later, whatever would have been uh it would have been a replay. It would have been overturned. But uh but it wasn’t. Yes, it does stick with me uh when it’s mentioned. I think back at that and and uh how tough it was for us to even go out for game seven mentally uh was a tough thing. I think part of the the whole problem with the Dinkener play was the fact that he didn’t ask anybody else for help. That was the reason that Whitey got thrown out of the game was he said just ask somebody. If they’ have just they’d asked somebody and somebody would have said hey you know you got it right that would have been the end of it. But when he decided that no, I’m not going to ask that that changed things totally. The passage of time has made it made it harder for me. I wear my 85 World Series ring. Uh very very special to me. U do I wish it was a 85 World Championship ring. I do. For some there’s the element of human error in the call. And with that the human spirit. He came to our bank room, stood up there in front of everybody with Whitey Herzog in the audience and you knew something was going to go. So Whitey P, you know, gave him a gift and it was a brail watch and he he handled it like a champ, man. I I have all the respect in the world for that guy, man. You know, for how he handled that situation and how he stood up and manned up, man. And And that’s Hey, can’t win them all, man. I mean, I wanted to win just as bad as anybody, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Coming up, the 1985 players gathered for another get together. A team that still holds a special place in the hearts of Cardinals fans. That’s next on the 1985 Cardinals, a 40-year reunion. As time goes by, the 1985 Cardinals still hold a special place in the hearts of Cardinals fans. the winning, the dramatic moments, the heartache. With it all, it was a special time to be a fan, and a special time to wear the birds on the bat. Let me just say this, for me, uh, every time I come back, it’s like I never left. That’s how good the people in St. Louis treat me and welcome me, and it’s it is a pleasure. It’s good to see everybody. It’s, uh, good to catch up on what they’re doing, what’s going on, and u just fun. That’s the one thing that you miss the most. You miss the camaraderie with the guys. There’s nothing like the bus rides, the flights. All of those things are the things that you miss the most because it’s at the at those times we’re able to to kind of get away from the competition of it and just enjoy each other’s company. It was fun for the fans as well. A team that will never be forgotten. It’s 40 years later and the memories still remain. From Whitey to Vince to Azie to Willie to Tommy to John to Jack. It was a season to remember. This has been the 1985 Cardinals, a 40-year reunion.

They are one of the most beloved teams in St. Louis Cardinals history. The ’85 Cards ran their way into fans hearts, and used Whitey Ball to bring home an N.L. Championship behind a pair of dramatic homers. But in the World Series the fairy tale season hit a heart breaking road block. The players from that team reflect on it all in this new offering in the Cardinals Originals library.