Central STL News

Dozens of former players, coaches, and executives from the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals gathered at Busch Stadium to mark the 40th anniversary of their National League pennant win. The reunion highlighted the team’s legacy and its impact on both fans and Major League Baseball.

The 1985 Cardinals, managed by Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog, were known for their speed and defense rather than power hitting. They finished the season with 101 wins, hitting only 87 home runs—the fewest in MLB that year—but maintained a .264 team batting average and stole 314 bases.

“We’d have what we called a Cardinals rally back then,” said right-handed pitcher Danny Cox, who posted an 18-9 record with a 2.88 ERA in 1985. “Vince [Coleman] or Willie [McGee] would walk, steal second, steal third and then we’d drive them in with a ground ball. That was a Cardinals rally.”

Willie McGee won the National League MVP award that season after batting .353 with 216 hits, 18 triples, and 82 RBIs. Vince Coleman was named NL Rookie of the Year after stealing 110 bases. Tommy Herr drove in 110 runs despite hitting just eight home runs. Ozzie Smith and McGee also won Gold Gloves for their defensive play.

“Ozzie used to tell me, ‘All you have to worry about are balls in right-center; I’ll get everything else hit on my side,” McGee joked recently.

In the National League Championship Series (NLCS), key moments included late-inning home runs by Smith (Game 5) and Jack Clark (Game 6), helping St. Louis defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During an appearance on FanDuel Sports Network with reporter Jim Hayes, Smith recited Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck’s famous call word for word -- just as thousands of St. Louisans can do upon request -- from his epic NLCS homer:

Smith corks one into right … down the line … it may gooooo!

Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!

It’s a home run! And the Cardinals have won the game … by the score … of 3-2… on a home run by The Wizard!

Go crazy!

The World Series against Kansas City brought disappointment for St. Louis fans when a controversial call by umpire Don Denkinger contributed to their Game 6 loss; they eventually lost Game 7 as well.

"If it happened now, they'd review it and overturn it," Denkinger told MLB.com in 2014.

“If Don had been standing where I had been standing, he couldn’t have missed the call,” said Herr, who had a close view from a few feet away as the second baseman. “The runner was going one way, [Denkinger] was shifting this way, Todd was going this way, and the throw was coming from that way. [Denkinger] got a little discombobulated. I was stationary, and it was obvious.”

Added Terry Pendelton: “I’ll never forget Whitey saying, ‘I have one regret in baseball is not pulling my team off the field and making them get it right.’ It was a tough thing to swallow, and it still is.”

Years later Herzog invited Denkinger to a Cardinals reunion dinner despite lingering controversy over his call during Game 6.

“That did provide us some measure of peace,” Herr said of Herzog’s caring and selfless gesture toward the ump.

In addition to commemorating past achievements on Friday night at Busch Stadium—a venue synonymous with Cardinal history—three new members were inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame: Édgar Rentería; left-handed reliever/TV commentator Al Hrabosky; and World Series-winning executive Walt Jocketty (inducted posthumously).

“Thank you to Tony La Russa for showing me how to be a winner,” said Rentería during his induction speech.

Hrabosky reflected emotionally on friendships formed during his playing career while Joe Jocketty read from his late father Walt’s prepared remarks before adding:

“He’ll always be right here where he belongs -- Baseball Heaven,” Joey said of his father’s spot in the Cardinals Hall of Fame.