The 1970 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 89th season in St. Louis, Missouri, and the 79th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 76–86 during the season and finished fourth in the National League East, 13 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The season was also the first of 26 seasons for AstroTurf at Busch Memorial Stadium.
Offseason October 7, 1969: Curt Flood, Byron Browne, Joe Hoerner, and Tim McCarver were traded by the Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jerry Johnson, Dick Allen, and Cookie Rojas. Curt Flood refused to report to his new team. The Cardinals sent Willie Montañez to the Phillies on April 8, 1970, and Bob Browning (minors) to the Phillies on August 30, 1970, as compensation.Curt Flood page at Baseball Reference January 17, 1970: Mike Tyson was drafted by the Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.Mike Tyson page at Baseball Reference March 31, 1970: Ramón Hernández was released by the Cardinals.Ramón Hernández page at Baseball Reference
Curt Flood Curt Flood, because of a salary dispute with Gussie Busch, was traded after the 1969 season but refused to go to the Philadelphia Phillies and on January 16, 1970, filed a civil lawsuit to challenge baseball's reserve clause. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court and, though he lost, paved the way for free agency to change the game.
Regular season Bob Gibson won a Gold Glove and the Cy Young Award this year, with a 3.12 ERA, 23 wins, and 274 strikeouts. The Cardinals won only 76 games, their lowest total since the days of the 154-game schedule. Vic Davalillo had 24 pinch hits, breaking the National League record, and tying the Major League record set by Dave Philley in 1961.George Vass, Baseball Digest, November 2004, Vol. 63, No. 11, Baseball Digest, March 1995, Vol. 54, No. 3, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Steve Carlton posted one game where he struck out 16 batters.
Third baseman Mike Shannon was limited to 52 games and soon would retire because of a kidney disease that threatened his life.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Opening Day starters Dick Allen Lou Brock José Cardenal George Culver Joe Hague Julián Javier Leron Lee Dal Maxvill Joe Torre1970 St. Louis Cardinals Roster by Baseball Almanac
Notable transactions May 19, 1970: Don Shaw was purchased by the Cardinals from the Montreal Expos.Don Shaw page at Baseball Reference May 29, 1970: Phil Gagliano was traded by the Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs for Ted Abernathy.Phil Gagliano page at Baseball Reference June 4, 1970: Bake McBride was drafted by the Cardinals in the 37th round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.Bake McBride page at Baseball Reference June 22, 1970: Chuck Hartenstein was selected off waivers by the Cardinals from the Pittsburgh Pirates.Chuck Hartenstein page at Baseball-Reference July 14, 1970: Chuck Hartenstein was sent by the Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox as part of a conditional deal.
Roster 1970 St. Louis Cardinals Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches
Player stats
= Indicates team leader
= Indicates league leader Batting
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 C 161 624 203 .325 21 100 1B 122 459 128 .279 34 101 2B 139 513 129 .251 2 42 3B 55 174 37 .213 0 22 SS 152 399 80 .201 0 28 LF 155 664 202 .304 13 57 CF 148 552 162 .293 10 74 RF 121 264 60 .227 6 23
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 139 451 122 .271 14 68 82 284 69 .243 3 24 104 245 61 .249 6 45 Vic Davalillo 111 183 57 .311 1 33 38 95 24 .253 0 6 62 79 15 .190 0 3 21 70 21 .300 0 8 Jim Beauchamp 44 58 15 .259 1 6 23 47 5 .106 0 2 Phil Gagliano 18 32 6 .188 0 2 Jim Kennedy 12 24 3 .125 0 0 Jerry DaVanon 11 18 2 .111 0 0 6 17 6 .353 0 1 Jim Campbell 13 13 3 .231 0 1 Jorge Roque 5 1 0 .000 0 0 Joe Nossek 1 1 0 .000 0 0 Bart Zeller 1 0 0 ---- 0 0
Pitching
= Indicates league leader 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 34 294.0 23* 7 3.12 274 34 253.2 10 19 3.73 193 Mike Torrez 30 179.1 8 10 4.22 100 Jerry Reuss 20 127.1 7 8 4.10 74 Tied with Gaylord Perry (San Francisco) for league lead
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 Chuck Taylor 56 124.1 6 7 3.11 64 30 106.2 6 7 6.24 59 11 56.2 3 3 4.61 23 8 31.1 1 2 3.16 14 Harry Parker 7 22.1 1 1 3.22 9 8 13.2 1 1 7.24 9
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 37 2 2 4 2.92 26 Frank Linzy 47 3 5 2 3.67 19 Tom Hilgendorf 23 0 4 3 3.92 13 Billy McCool 18 0 3 1 6.23 12 Reggie Cleveland 16 0 4 0 7.62 22 Al Hrabosky 16 2 1 0 4.74 12 Bob Chlupsa 14 0 2 0 8.82 10 11 1 0 1 2.95 8 7 2 0 1 3.18 5 6 0 0 0 8.78 9 Rich Nye 6 0 0 0 4.50 5 1 0 0 0 0.00 0
Awards and honors 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Dick Allen Bob Gibson Joe Torre
Team award winners Joe Torre and Bob Gibson, co-winners, St. Louis Baseball Man of the Year Jerry Reuss, St. Louis Cardinals Rookie of the Year
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lewis-ClarkJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
References
External links 1970 St. Louis Cardinals at Baseball Reference 1970 St. Louis Cardinals team page at www.baseball-almanac.com