St. Louis Cardinals: A Flashback Comparison to 1964

The remarkable September comeback by the St. Louis Cardinals to make the playoffs this year evokes a comparison with the 1964 team that did something similar. Some research yields a few interesting matches.

• On August 24, 1964, the Cardinals had 67 wins.
• On August 24, 2011, the Cardinals had 67 wins.

• The 1964 Cardinals were chasing the Philadelphia Phillies, whom they swept in a three game series in September.
• The 2011 Cardinals were chasing the Atlanta Braves, whom they swept in a three game series in September.

• In the last series of 1964, the Cardinals played the New York Mets, who finished with the worst record in baseball at 53-109.
• In the last series of 2011, the Cardinals played the Houston Astros, who finished with the worst record in baseball at 56-106.

• In 2011, the Cardinals lost the first game of that last series by one run.
• In 1964, the Cardinals lost the first game of that last series by one run. This game deserves further discussion. Needing to win one game to clinch the pennant, the Cardinals sent out Bob Gibson, one of the best pitchers of his day. The Mets started Al Jackson, who managed to lose 88 games for the Mets between 1962 and 1965, including two 20-loss seasons. In a classic example of what makes baseball such a great game, Jackson out-pitched Gibson 1-0.

• In 1964, a Met outfielder, George Altman, scored the winning run in that first game.
• In 2011, an Astro outfielder, Brian Bogusevic, scored the winning run in that first game.

• In 2011, Chris Carpenter, the ace of the Cardinals staff, won the last deciding game.
• In 1964, Bob Gibson, the ace of the Cardinals staff, won the last deciding game. He entered the game in the fifth inning despite pitching 8 innings just two days earlier. He came in to relieve Curt Simmons who ran into trouble by yielding two runs and two consecutive doubles.  Gibson pitched four innings in relief to get the deciding win.

• In 1964, the Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, four games to three.
• In 2011, we will see today, weather permitting, how the Cardinals playoff run will go.