As I was perusing the news about baseball this morning I read that today, June 18th, is Lou Brock's 80th birthday. For those that are unaware, Brock was a superstar outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 60's and 70's who was MLB's all-time stolen bases leader before a guy named Rickey Henderson came around. He was one of the driving forces of three National League Pennant winners and two World Champions. He also joined the elusive 3,000 hit club and in 1985 was rightfully enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame the first year he was on the ballot.
Yet like many older baseball fans, whenever I hear the name Lou Brock the first thing that usually comes to mind was his involvement in one of the worst trades in the history of baseball. Brock wasn't originally signed by the Cardinals, he was discovered and introduced to the major leagues by the Chicago Cubs. Be forewarned Cubs fans, the rest of this post might make you sick. However as a Phillies fan who knows how the Cubs fleeced the Phils many a time over the years (Grover Cleveland Alexander, Fergie Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg), I'm going to enjoy writing this post.
The Trade: June 15, 1964
Chicago Cubs send OF Lou Brock, P Jack Spring & P Paul Tosh to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for P Ernie Broglio, P Bobby Shantz & OF Doug Clemens
A strong finish to the 1963 season led the St. Louis Cardinals to believe they were ready to contend for a pennant in 1964. There was one problem: Who would take over outfield duties for the retiring Stan Musial? Musial was a lethal line drive hitter to the very end and his bat was going to be missed.
However the Cardinals had a number of good hitters including 3B Ken Boyer (who ended up winning the N.L. MVP award in 1964), OF Curt Flood, 1B Bill White, OF Mike Shannon and C Tim McCarver. Yes that Tim McCarver, the same man who would go on to punish baseball fans with his broadcasting for many years. General Manager Bing Devine felt he could find a suitable replacement for Musial within St. Louis's deep farm system.
The problem for the Cards was he didn't. This development, along with a shoulder injury to Bill White, left the Cardinals offense sputtering in the first part of 1964. The Cardinals sported a mediocre 28-29 win/loss record with the June 15th trade deadline rapidly approaching. Devine was in his 7th season as the Card's G.M. and he realized his job was on the line if he didn't finally deliver a winner. He was willing to be bold, including trading a starting pitcher for outfield help, which was rarely done at the time.
Devine asked his manager, Johnny Keane, what he specifically was looking for in a new outfielder. Keane told him he wanted an outfielder who had speed, a guy who could steal bases and be aggressive. Speed couldn't be coached and was easy to scout. In fact, Keane already had a player in mind: Chicago Cubs OF Lou Brock.
In 1964 Lou Brock was a struggling 24 year old outfielder. In two plus seasons in Chicago, he had been a .250 hitter who struggled mightily with the sunshine in Wrigley Field. The Cubs basic philosophy was to take advantage of the "Friendly Confines" of Wrigley Field by playing for big innings with three-run homers. Stealing bases didn't really fit into that formula.
Instead the Cubs tried to mold Brock into a slap-hitting singles hitter like their previous lead-off man, Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. All they succeeded in doing was bottling up Brock's talents. Too much bad coaching made Brock afraid of making mistakes and he became a timid ballplayer.
The 1964 Cubs were desperate for starting pitching. When Chicago General Manager John Holland received a call from Bing Devine, he couldn't believe his good fortune. Devine was offering starting pitcher Ernie Broglio in exchange for Lou Brock.
Broglio was off to a bad start in 1964 with a 3-5 win/loss record, yet he had a respectable 3.50 E.R.A. Broglio had won 18 games in 1963 and was a 21 game winner in 1960. At the time he was only 28 years old and figured to have a lot of years in the major leagues ahead of him. Holland quickly agreed to the deal with Devine, they tossed in a few scrubs from each side to fill the trade out.
Initially the trade was viewed as a steal by the Cubs. Broglio was a proven winner while Brock was a floundering outfielder. Those roles were immediately reversed. Bing Devine believed Broglio was done being a big winner and he was right. He finished the 1964 season for the Cubs with a 4-7 win/loss record. After recording only three more wins over the next two seasons, Broglio was released. Ulnar nerve injury in his pitching elbow led to his quick demise.
Brock on the other hand flourished with the Cardinals. Manager Johnny Keane unshackled Brock, letting him hit as he liked and run at will. The results were spectacular. In 102 games Brock hit .348 with 12 home runs and 33 stolen bases. In Chicago that same year Brock played 52 games hitting .251 with 2 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Brock was the offensive spark the Cards had lacked that season. They overtook the Phillies (BOO!) to win the N.L. pennant and defeated the Yankees in seven games to win the World Series. Funny thing about that 1964 World Series, Brock played well (.300, two doubles, one home run, five RBI's) but didn't even attempt one steal.
He made up for it later on. With Lou Brock hitting lead-off, the Cardinals won pennants in 1967 and 1968 (They won the World Series in 1967). In each of those World Series, which both went seven games, Brock hit over .400 and stole seven bases. Superstars are supposed to shine brightest on the biggest stage and Brock has a helluva World Series resume: 21 Games, .391 avg, 16 runs scored, 34 hits, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 13 RBI's and 14 stolen bases.
Brock would continue to play for the Cardinals until 1979. He ended his career with a .293 batting average accumulating 3,023 base hits and 938 stolen bases, at the time the all-time record. He tortured the Cubs for many years. In 256 games against the Cubs he hit .334, his highest batting average against any opponent. I guess he was happy to get out of Chicago.
Happy 80th Birthday Lou!
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