1966 St. Louis Cardinals

1966 St. Louis Cardinals / Franchise: St. Louis Cardinals / BR Team Page

Record: 83-79, Finished 6th in National League (1966 NL)

Managed by Red Schoendienst

Coaches: Joe Becker, Bob Milliken, Joe Schultz and Dick Sisler

Ballpark: Sportsman's Park IV/Busch Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions

Game on June 19, 1966 between the Cards and Phils

The 1966 St. Louis Cardinals featured multiple future Hall of Famers, but went just 83-79 to finish 6th in the National League.

Lou Brock led the National League with 74 stolen bases, while scoring 94 runs and contributing 12 triples; Orlando Cepeda hit .303/.362/.469 with 17 home runs and a 130 OPS+. Bob Gibson went 21-12 with 20 complete games, a league-leading 5 shutouts, 225 Ks and a 2.44 ERA in 35 starts and 21-year-old Steve Carlton, in his second season, went 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 9 starts. Others contributed as well. Catcher Tim McCarver led the league with 13 triples, outfielder Curt Flood led the team with 78 RBI and Phil Gagliano (.254) served capably in a reserve role. On the mound, Al Jackson had a 2.51 ERA and 144 ERA+, despite a 13-15 record, and Joe Hoerner went 5-1 with 13 saves, a 1.54 ERA and a 236 ERA+ in 57 relief appearances. In 59 relief outings, Hal Woodeshick had a 1.92 ERA and 189 ERA+. In limited duty, Ray Sadecki posted a 2.22 mark in 24 1/3 innings and Dick Hughes had a 1.71 ERA in 21 frames. Nelson Briles, still a youngster at 22, was the foil to the aforementioned success, going 4-15 in 49 games (17 starts) - though he still had a better-than-league-average 3.21 ERA and 113 ERA+.

Most young players on the club didn't show much promise in their brief showings, though 23-year-old Jim Cosman, in his one and only appearance of the season, which also happened to be his major league debut, threw a complete game, two-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs on October 2nd. Some youngsters who would eventually have meaningful careers included Carlton, Briles, McCarver, Alex Johnson, Bobby Tolan and Ed Spiezio. Following the season, the Cardinals would move to improve the team by trading for two veterans from the American League, outfielder Roger Maris and catcher John Romano.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Curt Flood, Bob Gibson and Tim McCarver
• NL Gold Glove: Curt Flood (OF), Bob Gibson (P) and Bill White (1B)