Osborne Earl Smith is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz",Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball,winning the National League Gold Glove Award for defensive play at shortstop for 13 consecutive seasons. A 15-time All-Star,Smith accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his career,and won the National League Silver Slugger Award as the best hitter at shortstop in 1987. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002. He was also elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014.
Lawrence Robert Bowa is an American former professional baseball shortstop,manager,and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB),who played for the Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago Cubs,and New York Mets. Bowa went on to manage the San Diego Padres and Phillies,and is currently a senior advisor to the general manager of the Phillies.
Luis Ernesto Salazar Garcia is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player,coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1992 as a third baseman and outfielder for the San Diego Padres,Chicago White Sox (1985–86),Detroit Tigers (1988),and the Chicago Cubs (1989–92).
The Yuma Desert Rats were a professional baseball team based in Yuma,Arizona,in the United States. From the 2005 season to the 2011 season,they were known as the Yuma Scorpions and played their home games at Desert Sun Stadium at the Ray Kroc Complex,former spring training home of the San Diego Padres.
Robert Andrew Meacham is an American former professional baseball shortstop,who spent his entire six-year big league playing career with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since retiring from active play,Meacham has managed and coached for several organizations in the majors and minors.
JoséManuel Oquendo Contreras,nicknamed "the Secret Weapon",is a Puerto Rican former infielder and current coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He currently serves as Minor League Infield Coordinator of the St. Louis Cardinals,an organization with whom he has been affiliated since 1985. He managed the Puerto Rico national team in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics. During his playing career,Oquendo proved highly versatile defensively:he played primarily second base and shortstop,but also frequently in the outfield,and made at least one appearance at every position during his MLB playing career. Oquendo has the second-highest career fielding percentage for second basemen at .9919 (99.19%),behind only Plácido Polanco's career mark of .9927 (99.27%).
Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons (1974–1985). He played for five MLB teams and won a Gold Glove during his career.
Gordon Craig Reynolds is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who was an inaugural member of the Seattle Mariners. He began his professional career in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and played for over a decade with the Houston Astros. Reynolds batted left-handed and threw right.
Frank Gerald DaVanon is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball,primarily as an infielder.
Joseph Henry Lefebvre is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played all or parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees (1980),San Diego Padres (1981–83) and Philadelphia Phillies,primarily as an outfielder. He currently serves as senior advisor for scouting for the San Francisco Giants.
The Arizona Winter League was an independent professional winter baseball league. Arizona Winter League games were all played at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma,Arizona. The league was founded in 2007. It disbanded in 2013 due to parent league,the Golden Baseball League/North American League,folding,but was restarted in 2016,only to fold again following the 2018 season.
The St. Louis Cardinals 1996 season was the team's 115th season in St. Louis,Missouri and the 105th season in the National League. It was Tony La Russa's first season managing the club,after leaving the Oakland Athletics. During the first year of the William DeWitt,Jr. era,the Cardinals went 88–74 during the season and won their first-ever National League Central title by six games over the Houston Astros. They beat the San Diego Padres in the NLDS,but fell in 7 games to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS after being up 3–1. DeWitt,along with Drew Bauer and Fred Hanser had bought the Cardinals from Anheuser-Busch during the 1995-96 offseason.
The 1990 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 109th season in St. Louis,Missouri and its 99th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 70–92 during the season and finished in sixth place of the National League East division,25 games behind the NL East champion Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first time the Cardinals had finished in last place since 1918. This was the most recent season the Cardinals finished in last place until 2023.
The St. Louis Cardinals' 1982 season was the team's 101st season in St. Louis,Missouri and the 91st season in the National League. Making up for the previous season's near-miss,the Cardinals went 92–70 during the season and won their first-ever National League East title by three games over the Philadelphia Phillies. They achieved their first postseason appearance since 1968 and defeated the National League West champion Atlanta Braves in three straight games to claim the NL pennant. From there,they went on to win the World Series in seven games over the American League champion Milwaukee Brewers. It was the Cardinals' first World Championship since 1967,and their last until they opened the current Busch Stadium in 2006.
The 1982 San Diego Padres season was the 14th in franchise history. The Padres finished with a record of 81 wins and 81 losses (.500),good for fourth place in the National League West,eight games behind the division champion Atlanta Braves.
The 1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 56th playing of the game,annually played between the All-Stars of the National League and the All-Stars of the American League. The game was played on July 16,1985,in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis,Minnesota,home of the Minnesota Twins.
Alan Ray Olmsted is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in 5 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980.
The Fullerton Flyers were a professional baseball team based in Fullerton,California,in the United States. They were an independent franchise,not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. The team played from 2005 to 2010 and their home stadium was at "The Station" at Goodwin Field,which is also the home field for the Cal State Fullerton Titans.
The St. Louis Cardinals,a professional baseball franchise based in St. Louis,Missouri,compete in the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). In 1953,the Anheuser-Busch (AB) brewery bought the Cardinals,and August "Gussie" Busch became team president. Busch's influence is still seen today as three of the Cardinals' home stadia are or were named some form of Busch Stadium. Three World Series titles in the 1960s and 1980s,contrasted with missing the playoffs for the entirety of the 1950s and 1970s checkered the team's success distinctly by decades. However,the team still remained generally competitive in each of those decades - they did not see a last place finish until 1990,which had been the first since 1918. With Busch's tenure as owner,the Cardinals also won six NL pennants.
On June 23,1984,the Chicago Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a Major League Baseball contest that saw Willie McGee hit for the cycle,but Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs—in the ninth and tenth innings—to propel the Cubs to a 12–11 victory. The Cubs overcame deficits of 7–1,9–3,and 11–9 as Sandberg hit a pair of game-tying home runs in late-inning action,both off ex-Cubs ace Bruce Sutter. NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas,who called the game with Tony Kubek,is remembered for saying "Do you believe it?!" when Sandberg hit the second home run. The game is known as The Sandberg Game.
