Cardinals honor Red Schoendienst for 70 years of baseball service

Cardinals honor Red Schoendienst for 70 years of baseball service

Yup, 70 is the right number, not a misprint. He's 92. In fact, the Cardinals have actually short-changed the guy with the 70-year award because Schoendienst also spent his entire minor league career under contract to the Cards, beginning with a stint as a 19-year-old infielder for the Union City Greyhounds and the Albany Cardinals, two "D-league" teams in the massive Cardinals farm system of that era. Given that fact, he actually began his career in their own organization in 1942, and this is really his 73rd anniversary!!

The ol' redhead made his major league rookie debut on April 17, 1945. Although Schoendienst had played mostly at shortstop in the minors and would become noteworthy as a second baseman, he played left field in that first major league game because some kid named Musial hadn't returned from the service yet. Germany was not to surrender for another couple of weeks, and Japan was still battling throughout the Pacific, so Musial would miss the entire 1945 season, a circumstance which allowed a certain red-headed rookie to pick up nearly 600 plate appearances and lead the league in stolen bases.

Much later in his career, Schoendienst would spark the Milwaukee Braves to a 1957 world championship. The switch-hitting infielder finished third in the MVP balloting that year, having received more votes than Hall of Fame superstar teammates Spahn and Mathews. In fact, the 1957 MVP vote was virtually a three-way tie between Schoendienst, Musial and Hank Aaron. Impressive company.

Red would end his playing career back with the Cards, and stayed with their organization, managing the team for more than a decade, winning in the process 1000 games, two pennants and the 1967 World Series. He came back twice more during crisis times to manage the Cards on an interim basis, and has spent his post-managerial years working as an executive and ambassador in their organization.

He made the Hall of Fame in 1989.