1960s Timeline

Jan. 5, 1962 - Stan Musial took a pay cut to about $70,000 today as he signed his 21st contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. “I think this will be my last year as a baseball player, and I’ll try to end up with a good year,” he said. “You can’t go on forever, you know.” Musial, who started at $65 a month in 1938 and worked up to $100,000 in 1958, signed his first Cardinal contract in 1941. But he played only 12 games for the Redbirds that year. He did not play in 1945 because

Nov. 27, 1961 - The Chicago White Sox traded Orestes (Minnie) Minoso, their Cuban outfield star, to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joe Cunningham, a first baseman-outfielder. Minoso, who will be 39 on Wednesday, has been in the majors 12 seasons and has batted under .300 only twice. The second of these under-.300 years was 1961, when he hit .280. However, he batted in 82 runs. Cunningham, 30, has been with the Cardinals 6 years. He had his best year in 1959 when he batted .345,

Aug. 23, 1961 - The Cardinals exploded for 4 runs in the 8th inning today to take an 8-7 decision from the 2nd-place Dodgers. It was the Dodgers' 9th straight loss, their longest losing streak since 1944, when they dropped 15 in a row. Consecutive home runs by Bill White (pictured) and Ken Boyer paced the Cardinals' eighth-inning rally. Don Drysdale, who has never finished a game he started in Busch Stadium, was routed, but the loss went to Ron Perranoski. #MLB #baseball #spo

Aug. 12, 1961 - Johnny Podres (pictured talking with a fan) registered his 15th victory of the season with a five-hitter today as the Dodgers defeated the Cardinals, 5-1. The Dodgers posted their 18th victory in the last 21 games and lifted their league lead to two and a half games. Wally Moon and Frank Howard drove in two runs apiece and also figured in a three-run surge in the seventh. Podres, who never before had won more than 14 games in a season, struck out 4, walked onl

Aug. 3, 1961 - The Pirates bombarded St. Louis with a major league season high of 24 hits today and buried the Cardinals, 19-0. They tied the National League modern record for the highest score in a shutout game. The 19 runs also tied the National League season high, by San Francisco on July 4. Harvey Haddix was the Pirate pitcher and gave only four hits. Roberto Clemente (pictured), Smoky Burgess, Dick Stuart and Bill Mazeroski were the big guns as the Pirates broke out of a

Sept. 17, 1961 - Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals today celebrated the 20th anniversary of his major league debut by hitting a 2-run homer as the Cards beat the Pirates, 3-0. The 40-year-old Musial, a native of Donora, Pa., received a plaque from home-town admirers before today's game. He received a watch from the Cardinals and a desk set from the Pirates. "I often think a man past 40 shouldn't be playing this young man's game," Musial said. "Words can't express how fas

July 18, 1961 - Bill White (pictured) belted a home run, two singles, two triples and a double in helping the Cardinals beat the Cubs, 8-2 and 7-5, in a twilight-night double-header today. White tied a 49-year-old major league batting record in the process. The record, held by the late Ty Cobb, was for hits in consecutive double-headers. It stands at 14. White's feat broke the National League record, which was 12. Bob Gibson of the Cards went all the way in the second game. #

July 5, 1961 - Bill White (pictured) hit 3 homers and Bob Gibson another to power the Cardinals to a 9-1 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles today. White accounted for four of the Cardinal runs and was the first visiting slugger to hit three in one game over the right-field fence. Gibson, who allowed the Dodgers only four hits, opened the scoring in the second inning with his first home run of the year. #MLB #baseball #sports #cardinals #dodgers #ladodgers