1968 St. Louis Cardinals season
| 1968 St. Louis Cardinals |
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| 1968 Information | ||
| Owner(s) | August "Gussie" Busch | |
| Manager(s) | Red Schoendienst | |
| Local television | KSD-TV | |
| Local radio | KMOX (Harry Caray, Jack Buck) |
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| Previous season Next season | ||
The 1968 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 87th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 77th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 97-65 during the season, winning their second consecutive NL pennant, this time by nine games over the San Francisco Giants. They lost in 7 games to the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 World Series. The Cardinals would not return to postseason until 1982.
Following the season, it was announced that the National League, along with the American League, would be split into two divisions for the 1969 season in order to accommodate the admittance of two new franchises to each league. The Cardinals were assigned to the new National League East division.
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[edit] Offseason
- Prior to 1968 season: Luis Meléndez was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cardinals.[1]
- February 8, 1968: Jimy Williams and Pat Corrales were traded by the Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Edwards.[2]
[edit] Regular season
Pitcher Bob Gibson won both the MVP Award and the Cy Young Award this year, with a 1.12 ERA, 22 wins, and 268 strikeouts. From June 2 to July 30, Gibson allowed only two earned runs in ninety-two innings pitched.[3] For the season, opposing batters only had a batting average of .184, and an on base percentage of .233 against Gibson. Gibson also won a Gold Glove this year, as did shortstop Dal Maxvill and outfielder Curt Flood.
[edit] Season standings
| National League | W | L | GB | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 97 | 65 | -- | .599 |
| San Francisco Giants | 88 | 74 | 9 | .543 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 78 | 13 | .519 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 83 | 79 | 14 | .512 |
| Atlanta Braves | 81 | 81 | 16 | .500 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 80 | 82 | 17 | .494 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 76 | 86 | 21 | .469 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 76 | 86 | 21 | .469 |
| New York Mets | 73 | 89 | 24 | .451 |
| Houston Astros | 72 | 90 | 25 | .444 |
[edit] Opening Day lineup
[edit] Notable transactions
- June 7, 1968: Bob Forsch was drafted by the Cardinals in the 26th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft.[4]
- June 14, 1968: Ramón Hernández was purchased by the Cardinals from the Chicago Cubs.[5]
[edit] Roster
| 1968 St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters
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Manager
Coaches |
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[edit] Player stats
[edit] Batting
[edit] Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | Julián Javier | 139 | 519 | 135 | .260 | 4 | 52 |
| SS | Dal Maxvill | 119 | 459 | 116 | .253 | 1 | 24 |
| LF | Lou Brock | 159 | 660 | 184 | .279 | 6 | 51 |
| RF | Roger Maris | 100 | 310 | 79 | .255 | 5 | 45 |
[edit] Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Edwards | 84 | 230 | 55 | .239 | 3 | 29 |
| Dick Schofield | 69 | 127 | 28 | .220 | 1 | 8 |
[edit] Pitching
[edit] Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Gibson | 34 | 304.2 | 22 | 9 | 1.12 | 268 |
| Nelson Briles | 33 | 243.1 | 19 | 11 | 2.81 | 141 |
| Steve Carlton | 34 | 231.1 | 13 | 11 | 2.99 | 162 |
[edit] Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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[edit] Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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| Hal Gilson | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4.57 | 19 |
[edit] 1968 World Series
AL Detroit Tigers (4) vs. NL St. Louis Cardinals (3)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardinals - 4, Tigers – 0 | October 2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 54,692 | 2:29 |
| 2 | Tigers – 8, Cardinals - 1 | October 3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 54,692 | 2:41 |
| 3 | Cardinals – 7, Tigers - 3 | October 5 | Tiger Stadium | 53,634 | 3:17 |
| 4 | Cardinals – 10, Tigers - 1 | October 6 | Tiger Stadium | 53,634 | 2:34 |
| 5 | Tigers – 5, Cardinals – 3 | October 7 | Tiger Stadium | 53,634 | 2:43 |
| 6 | Tigers – 13, Cardinals - 1 | October 9 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 54,692 | 2:26 |
| 7 | Tigers – 4, Cardinals - 1 | October 10 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 54,692 | 2:07 |
[edit] Awards and honors
- Red Schoendienst, Associated Press NL Manager of the Year
[edit] Major League Baseball records
- Bob Gibson, major league record, lowest ERA in one season for a pitcher with more than 300 innings pitched (1.12) [3]
[edit] League leaders
[edit] Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Tulsa[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Luis Meléndez page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Jimy Williams page at Baseball Reference
- ^ a b Baseball’s Top 100: The Game’s Greatest Records, p. 25, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
- ^ Bob Forsch page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Ramón Hernández page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Stolen Bases Single Season National League Leaders by Baseball Almanac
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
[edit] External links
| Preceded by St. Louis Cardinals 1967 |
National League Championship Season 1968 |
Succeeded by New York Mets 1969 |
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