Since winning their last pennant in 1968, the Cardinals had entered an up-and-down period where they would finish above .500, get their hopes up, and then finish below .500 the next year. In 1977, they finished 3rd with just 83 wins, but with reason to think 1978 would be even better. Bob Forsch had finally come into his own, winning 20 games; Ted Simmons was a star behind the plate, and youngsters Garry Templeton and Keith Hernandez had started to break out. Despite high hopes, 1978 wound up being one of the most dismal years in the team's 97 year history. If not for a 24-game stretch in August that saw them go 18-6 they likely would have lost 100 games for just the first time since losing 105 in 1908. Their 69-93 finish placed them 5th, 21 games behind the Phillies and just 3 games in front of the God awful Mets. Why did they fall so far? Hitting and errors - not necessarily the kind the show up in box scores - in the field and on the base paths. In the easier-to-quantify former category, almost all the starters saw decreases (sometimes substantial) in their offensive numbers, and their team batting average went from .270 in 1977 to .249 in 1978, home runs from 96 to 79, and runs scored from 737 to just 600. At the helm, Vern Rapp had a reputation as an old-school disciplinarian who was having difficulties communicating with the new type of '70s player, particularly in the area of hairstyles. However, the flap over facial hair which led to the departures of Al Hrabosky and Bake McBride was due to policies put in place by owner Gussie Busch, not Rapp. In fact, most "incidents" between Rapp and his players seem, when taken in context, to not have been anything much at all. In any event, Rapp was fired after the team limped to a 6-11 start, and was replaced by fan-favorite former Cardinal Ken Boyer.
In the minors, Leon Durham was at AA Arkansas and Tommy Herr was at AAA Springfield.
Cardinal coaches were Sonny Ruberto at 1st, Jack Krol at 3rd, Mo Mozzali with the hitters, Claude Osteen with the pitchers, and Dave Ricketts in the bullpen. Krol managed the team for 2 games after Rapp was fired, and before Boyer came aboard.
Opening Day Roster:
John Denny, SP:
In his 4th full year in the Cardinals' rotation, John had his best season yet - he led the team with 14 victories, his 2.96 ERA was second to Pete Vuckovich among starters and he notched 103 strikeouts. On May 6, he shut out the Padres on 2 hits,
and on May 24, the did the same to the Expos. He'd go on to win the 1983 N.L. Cy Young award after posting 19 victories for the pennant-winning Phillies.
Bob Forsch, SP:
Bob was in the Cards' rotation from 1974 through 1988, and was a true St. Louis favorite. He saw the low times, and contributed to the championship team of 1982, and their pennant winners in 1985 and 1987. He won 20 games in 1977, for what would wind up being the only time in his career. 1978 was a disappointing campaign, as he posted just an 11-17 record with only 114 strikeouts and a 3.70 ERA. However, on April 16, the former minor league 3rd baseman who turned to pitching because he couldn't hit, spun a 5-0 no hitter against Phillies. Two walks and a fielding error by Ken Reitz prevented a perfect game.
Dave Hamilton, RP:
Dave came to the Cardinals in 1978 feeling as if he had been overworked by the White Sox the year before. He had played for Vern Rapp in the Venezuelan Winter League, and was confident Rapp knew how to handle pitchers. He made only 13 relief appearances, spanning 13.1 innings, and posted a 6.43 ERA, before being purchased by the Pirates on May 28.
John Urrea, RP:
A pleasant surprise as a rookie in 1977, John was used mainly out of the bullpen in 1978, but did contribute 12 starts along the way. Not as effective as the previous year, he posted just a a 4-9 record with a 5.38 ERA. He was sent to Springfield on July 21 when the Cardinals acquired Wayne Garrett, and was recalled in September.
Mark Littell, CL:
An effective closer with Kansas City in 1976 and 1977, Mark is unfairly best-remembered by some as the pitcher who surrendered Chris Chambliss' pennant-winning walk-off home run in the 1976 ALCS. With St. Louis in 1978, he threw 106.1 innings across 72 games. He earned 11 saves, had 130 strikeouts (against only 59 walks), and his ERA of 2.79 was among the best on the team. He'd do even better in in the closer role for the Cardinals in 1979.
Pete Falcone, SP:
Pete was used primarily as a starter in 1978, although he did make a number of relief appearances as well. Neither role worked out particularly well, as he finished the year with a 2-7 record and a 5.26 ERA. In 75 innings, he struck out just 28 batters, while walking 48. His best performance was an 8-inning start against the Mets at Shea on May 29 in which he gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, but still couldn't record the victory as the Cards needed 10 innings to win 6-2. Pete claimed credit for Bob Forsch's no-hitter on April 16, attributing his teammate's accomplishment to his own recitation of Hail Marys and Our Fathers on the bench.
Eric Rasmussen, SP:
Eric made 10 starts, going 2-5, with a 4.18 ERA before being traded to the Padres for George Hendrick on May 26. His best performance for the Cardinals was in Ken Boyer's first game as manager, April 29, when he spun a 4-hit shutout against the Dodgers. After being traded, he won 7 straight starts for the Padres during a time when Hendrick struggled at the plate for St. Louis, making the deal look like a mistake to Cardinals fans.
Buddy Schultz, RP:
Buddy was the Cards' work-horse left-handed reliever in 1978 (after Hamilton's departure he was the only lefty in the pen). He pitched 83 innings across 62 appearances, earning 6 saves to go with 70 strikeouts against only 36 walks, and posting a 2-4 record with a 3.80 ERA. His longest outing of the year came on May 15 in San Diego - he threw 6 innings of scoreless, 1-hit ball. The Cards eventually lost the game in the 14th. At the plate, his only hit in 5 total at-bats was a triple against the Giants on July 16.
Pete Vuckovich, RP:
Pete spent 1977 working almost exclusively out of the pen for the expansion Blue Jays. When he was obtained by St. Louis, it was expected he'd serve the same role with the cards. Through the end of May, he had put together a 2.73 ERA and 0-4 record in pure relief work. Given the opportunity to start in Houston on June 3, he threw a complete game, 2-1 victory. With that, he was in the rotation to stay. He authored a 3-hit shutout in Los Angeles on July 23 and a 4-hit shutout against the Phillies on August 8. As a starter, he went 11-8 and dropped his ERA to 2.54. He would later find fame as hated Yankee slugger Clu Heywood in MAJOR LEAGUE.
Ted Simmons, C:
One of the finest catchers of his generation, the Hall of Famer was in his 8th year as St. Louis' starting catcher in 1978. He led the team with 22 HR and 80 RBI, and was second in hitting by one point to George Hendrick. He was hitting over .300 through late July but a cold stretch dropped him to .287 by season's end. He was selected as the Cardinals' lone all star.
Steve Swisher, C:
Acquired with Jerry Morales from the Cubs in a pre-season deal for the Cards' back-up catcher Dave Rader and Hector Cruz, Nick's dad was Simmons' back-up in 1978. In 115 at-bats, he hit a respectable .278 with a HR and 10 RBI. On August 5 against the Mets, he went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and a double, and was credited with driving in the eventual game-winning run in the Cardinals' 5-3 win.
Keith Hernandez, IF:
Handed the St. Louis first base job when Joe Torre was traded to the Mets before the 1975 season, it had taken Keith a couple years to get comfortable. But with a break-out season in 1977, he established himself as one of the finest young first basemen in the game. In 1978, he won a Gold Glove and on offense hit 11 HR, had 64 RBI, and stole 13 bases.
Roger Freed, IF:
Roger had been up and down with the Orioles, Phillies, Reds and Expos for seven years before arriving in St. Louis in 1977. He won the American Association's MVP in 1976 at Denver with 42 HR, 102 RBI and a .309 batting average. His manager? Vern Rapp. He had high hopes that with Rapp at the helm in St. Louis he might finally become a regular, or at least platoon player. Rapp did indicate he would consider platooning him in left with Lou Brock, but Boyer's arrival ended that plan. With Keith Hernandez at first, and the outfield jobs set, Roger was used as a reserve and pinch hitter. In 92 at-bats he hit 2 HR, had 20 RBI and batted .239.
Mike Phillips, IF:
Mike served as the Cardinals' primary middle-infield reserve during 1978. In 76 games, he hit .268, with 1 HR and 28 RBI. He was occasionally used in a platoon role at second base - his left-handed bat replacing Mike Tyson's right. His 3-run HR in the 12th inning at Wrigley Field on September 15 was the deciding factor in the Cardinals' 6-2 win.
Ken Reitz, IF:
The Cardinals' starting 3rd baseman from 1973-1975, Ken spent 1976 with the Giants before returning to his old job in St. Louis in 1977. In 1978, he batted .246 with 10 HR and 75 RBI (second among National League third basemen to Ron Cey). With his glove, he led all NL third basemen in fielding.
Gary Sutherland, IF:
The 13-year veteran came to camp in 1978 as a non-roster invitee and was able to secure a spot on the 24-man roster heading north. After appearing in only 10 games and getting just one hit in 6 pinch-hit at-bats, he was released on May 26. His final major league action came on May 19 in Chicago when he pinch-hit for Buddy Schultz.
Garry Templeton, IF:
In 1977, his first full season as a major leaguer, Garry posted very impressive numbers and displayed skills which marked him as a certain star. In 1978 he hit a bit of a sophomore slump. Almost all his offensive stats took a dip (he was hitting only .224 in late June), and he committed key fielding and base-running errors. On the plus side, this son of a former Negro Leaguer stole what turned out to be a career high 34 bases.
Mike Tyson, IF:
The Cardinals' starting second baseman from 1973 through 1978, Mike (no, not THAT Mike Tyson) hit just .233 in 1978. He was occasionally platooned with Mike Phillips, but still started 115 games at second.
Lou Brock, OF:
In his penultimate season, Lou was the Cardinals' left fielder, at least nominally, for the 15th straight year. As the year wore on, and for most of September, he was spelled by Mumphrey, Scott and even Ted Simmons for a couple dozen games. In all, he started just 70 games. He resented the fact that some people thought of him as just a base stealer, and was bound and determined to reach the 3,000 hit plateau, which he did in 1979. He realized that, at 39, he had slowed a bit and indicated he'd be running less for the good of the club (his 17 steals were his lowest since his rookie year in 1962).
Dane Iorg, OF:
Dane got into 19 games as an outfield reserve before being shipped to Springfield on June 8. While down on the farm, in just 89 games, he led the AA with 24 HR, 88 RBI and a .378 average. Recalled in September, he got into another 16 games, many as the starting right fielder. When he was sent down in June, he was hitting just .139, but in 16 games in September he raised that to .271.
Jim Dwyer, OF:
After several seasons spent bouncing between the bigs and AAA, Jim had acquired a reputation as someone who could tear it up in the minors, but had a hard time producing at the next level. In 1978 with the Cardinals, he muddled along as a seldom-used outfield reserve until being sent to the Giants on June 15 to complete a deal from 1977 where the Cardinals acquired Frank Riccelli. He was devastated, to the point of tears, by the deal - particularly because he was a essentially a "throw in". When asked what he would do first upon arriving in San Francisco, he said he'd buy long underwear.
Jerry Morales, OF:
In 1977 with the Cubs, Jerry had hit .290 with 11 HR and 69 RBI. The Cards acquired him to help add some pop to their line-up and the expectation was he'd be their right fielder. He began the year playing mostly center, but after the arrival of George Hendrick in May, he did take up residence in right. On offense, all of his numbers were down (he hit just .239) which only added to the Cardinals offensive woes in 1978. At one point, he endured a 1-for-28 slump.
Jerry Mumphrey, OF:
Going into the year, the expectation was that Jerry would platoon with Tony Scott in center. In actuality, the switch-hitter would be an all-purpose outfield reserve and platoon player, as well as have plenty of opportunities to pinch hit. In 125 games, he hit .262 with 37 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
Tony Scott, OF:
With Mumphrey, Tony was slated to be part of a center field platoon in 1978. The arrival of George Hendrick relegated him instead to the role of reserve outfielder, occasional platoon starter, and pinch-hitter. He hit only .228 with 14 RBI which, as much as anything else, explains why he wasn't given a bigger role.
In-Season Moves:
George Frazier, RP:
Summoned from Springfield on May 23, George made his major league debut May 25 working 2 innings of relief against the Expos. He made 7 more appearances before being shipped back to Springfield on July 6. He was recalled in September, and got into an additional 6 games before the season ended.
George Hendrick, OF:
George was obtained from the Padres in exchange for Eric Rasmussen on May 26. He was the Cardinals' regular center fielder from then on for the rest of year, but also saw some starts in right. It took him some time to get going (he was hitting only .206 on July 2), but hecame around and contributed 17 HRs, 67 RBI and a .288 average. He was granted permission to miss the last few games of the season in order to attend the funeral of his friend, Lyman Bostock.
Silvio Martinez, SP:
Silvio was called up from Springfield when Dave Hamilton was sold to Pittsburgh on May 28. He was immediately plugged into the starting rotation, and stayed there for the remainder of the year. In 22 starts, he posted a respectable record of 9-8. In his first major league start on May 30 in Shea, he one-hit the Mets, 8-2. The only hit being a Steve Henderson HR to lead off the 7th. On July 8, he beat the Pirates 4-0 on another 1-hitter, the only hit being a 1-out first inning single by Omar Moreno.
Bob Coluccio, OF:
Bob was acquired from the Astros for minor leaguer Frank Riccelli on June 8 when Dane Iorg was sent to Springfield. He was used very sparingly as an outfield reserve, seeing action in just 5 games before being sent to Springfield himself on August 4 in exchange for Tom Bruno. The veteran's final major league appearance was as a pinch-hitter on July 28 in San Diego.
Roy Thomas, RP:
Acquired by the Cardinals on waivers from Houston on June 23, Roy worked out of the bullpen for the rest of season in St. Louis. In 16 appearances, he earned 3 saves to go with a 1-1 record.
John Tamargo, C:
For the third straight season, John earned a brief call-up with the Cardinals. This time, he came to St. Louis from Springfield on June 29. After appearing in only 6 games, he was traded to the Giants for a player to be named later on July 18.
Aurelio Lopez, RP:
Aurelio was brought up from Springfield on July 16. In 25 appearances, including 4 spot starts, he put together a record of 4-2, with 46 strikeouts and a 4.29 ERA. He would go on to earn the nickname "Senor Smoke" with the 1984 Detroit Tigers.
Ken Oberkfell, IF:
Ken was summoned from Springfield on July 18, and was used sparingly as an infield reserve the rest of the way.
Wayne Garrett, IF:
Purchased from the Expos on July 21, Wayne was used primarily as a pinch-hitter and reserve 3rd baseman for the rest of the season. This veteran of the 1969 Miracle Mets made his final major league appearance on September 26 in New York - he started at 3rd and went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Tom Bruno, RP:
Called up from Springfield on August 4 in exchange for Bob Coluccio, Tom made 15 relief appearances and 3 spot starts. In this limited action, he posted a 4-3 record with a 1.99 ERA, struck out 33 hitters while walking only 17, and earned a save.
Jim Lentine, OF:
A September call-up, Jim made his major league debut on the 3rd against the Reds as a pinch-hitter for Pete Falcone (he grounded out). He got into 8 games in all before the season came to an end.
Dan O'Brien, RP:
Called up in September, Dan made his major league debut in the second game of a double-header against the Phillies on the 4th - in an inning of mop-up relief, he gave up 3 runs on 5 hits. He made another 4 relief appearances and 2 spot starts before the season ended.
Terry Kennedy, C:
Summoned in September, Terry made his major league debut in the second game of a double-header on the 4th against the Phillies as a pinch-hitter. The future 3-time All Star started 9 games behind the plate down the stretch.
Mike Ramsey, IF:
Called up in September, Mike made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter in the first game of a double-header against the Phillies on the 4th. He got into another 11 games before the year was out.
Rob Dressler, SP:
Acquired July 24 to complete the July 18 deal which sent Tamargo to the Giants, Rob worked in Springfield until being called up in September. He started 2 games and relieved in a third. He posted a record of 0-1 but did have a nice 2.10 ERA over 13 innings.
Bob Forsch celebrates his April 16 no-hitter
Other 1978 Cardinals Stuff:
Busch Stadium
250 Stadium Plaza
St. Louis, MO
Cardinals' Coaches:
Owner - Gussie Busch
General Manager - John Claiborne
Minor League Affiliates:
Rookie: Calgary Cardinals (Pioneer League)
37-32, 3rd of 8
Manager: John Lewis
Future Star: N/A (no players ever made MLB)
Rookie: Johnson City Cardinals (Appalachian League)
37-33, 2nd of 6
Manager: Nick Leyva
Future Star: Luis DeLeon
A: St. Petersburg Cardinals (Florida State League)
84-56, 1st of 5
Manager: Hal Lanier
Future Star: Tito Landrum
A: Gastonia Cardinals (Western Carolinas League)
69-71, 5th of 6
Manager: Carlton Keller
Future Star: Jim Gott
AA: Arkansas Travelers (Texas League)
77-55, 1st of 4
Manager: Thomas Thompson
Future Star: Leon Durham
AAA: Springfield Redbirds (American Association)
70-66, 3rd of 4
Manager: Jimy Williams
Future Star: Tom Herr
Sonny Ruberto
Summary of Roster Moves:
May 23 - Frazier from Springfield (active roster to 25)
May 26 - Sutherland released (active roster to 24)
May 26 - Rasmussen to Padres for Hendrick
June 8 - Coluccio from Astros, Iorg to Springfield
June 15 - Dwyer to Giants, Oberkfell from Springfield
June 23 - Thomas on waivers from Astros (active roster to 25)
June 25 - Oberkfell to Springfield (active roster to 24)
June 29 - Tamargo from Springfield (active roster to 25)
July 6 - Frazier to Springfield (active roster to 24)
July 17 - Lopez from Springfield (active roster to 25)
July 18 - Tamargo to Giants, Oberkfell from Springfield
July 21 - Garrett from Expos, Urrea to Springfield
August 4 - Coluccio to Springfield, Bruno from Springfield
September Call-Ups: Dressler, Frazier, O'Brien, Urrea, Kennedy, Ramsey, Iorg and Lentine
Claude Osteen
Mo Mozzali
Jack Krol
Dave Ricketts
