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Cardinals Celebrate Opening Victory

Oct. 7, 1964 - “Hey, Roger, doggone it, we’re gonna need a bigger clubhouse if we keep on winning.” That’s what Curt Simmons said to Roger Craig this afternoon in the jam-packed Cardinal clubhouse. He had a point.

There were bunches of visitors around a dozen Cardinals, heroes all during the 9-5 victory over the Yankees. If there had been one single hero, the other players could have showered and dressed in comfort. But negotiating the narrow clubhouse under the eaves of Busch Stadium was almost impossible.

The first bunch, just to the left of the entrance, surrounded Ken Boyer, who was on the winning side in his first battle against brother Clete.

The next bunch was around Carl Warwick, a moon-faced little man with raw, new crater on his right cheekbone. Warwick broke the 4-4 tie with a pinch single in the sixth. It was his first swing in two weeks. A week ago Sunday he was hit by a line drive in practice and suffered a fractured cheekbone.

“I spent three days in the hospital,” he said. “That was the roughest time. I’d listen to the games while we beat the Phillies. Harry Caray [the announcer] said good night to me over the air every night. But it wasn’t the same as being at the park.”

Warwick worried that he might be made ineligible for the Series. But the facture healed, leaving only a scar. “I haven’t taken much practice,” he said. “I just figured [Al] Downing would throw me his best pitch — a fastball. He did.” Warwick belted a line drive to left field.

Another group was talking to aching second baseman Julian Javier. Javier tried to play today but lasted just one inning. He has been aching since a collision with Hawk Taylor of the Mets Saturday.

Ray Sadecki, the starting pitcher, received attention. Old man Barney Schultz, the reliever, received more. Curt Flood and Lou Brock sat near each other and talked about being in a World Series.

“I thought I’d be nervous, but I wasn’t,” Flood said. “I guess when you’ve been in five or six thousand games, you don’t get nervous. Anything you do more than once loses its excitement. I guess if you died more than once, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Actually, I think the fans are more nervous than the regulars.”

“My last nervous game was last Friday against the Mets,” said Brock, “and we lost it 1-0. I’m not nervous anymore.”



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