Historically Speaking: All St. Louis, All the Time

As a Royals fan, I am required hate the St. Louis Cardinals. Even Kansas Citians, however, can't deny the lengthy history of baseball tradition just east on I-70, and to find five notes for the same team that all happened on the same day is impressive. It's quite possible that there are many dates in which notable Boston and/or New York baseball milestones have been achieved on the same day, but there are so many mentions of Clubs Red Sock and Yankee, that they get glossed over. Anyway, five St. Louis baseball tidbits, just beyond the jump.

* We go back to 1875 to kick things off today, and we'll do so noting the first recorded shutout in Major League Baseball, a 1-0 Chicago victory over St. Louis.

* Today in 1926, Walter Johnson recorded win number 400, a victory he earned at the expense of the St. Louis Browns. Johnson played all 21 years of his big-league career in a Washington Senators uniform. Good thing he was on their roster that whole time because it would've been awkward for him to don Sens garb as a member of a different club.

* Forty years later, the St. Louis Cardinals played their first game at Busch Memorial, and commemorated the stadium's opening with a 4-3, extra-innings win over Atlanta.

* Fast forward to 1998 and discover that Mark McGwire hit a 527-foot home run on May 12, the longest ever recorded at Busch Stadium.

* I gotta believe that that jack contributed to a win, because Cardinals skipper Tony LaRussa logged his 1500th managerial victory on that day.

In the vein of keepin' it real, your Sports Illustrated quote of the day came from the mouth of...



...the late Atlanta Braves announcer Skip Caray, who, by the by, started his career at St. Louis University. But it was for a Braves contest in 1990 when the son of the legendary Harry (Editor's Note: He's actually Harry, Jr., which might make it the only acceptable time to willingly go by the name "Skip.") attempted to put a positive spin on a scarce turnout by Braves fans. "It's a partial sellout," he said.

There you go, St. Louis. Don't ever say I didn't give yas nothin'.