So, I got thinking about the 1974 St. Louis Cardinals the other day. No real reason, just kinda popped into my head while I was fiddling around, trying to remember some older baseball stuff.
Decided I’d spend a little time actually looking into it, you know, refresh my memory beyond just the big names. Fired up the old computer and started digging around. My usual process, just start searching for the team and the year.
Digging In
First thing that jumps out, obviously, is Lou Brock. Man, 118 stolen bases that year. Broke the record. I remember the buzz around that, even though I was just a kid. It was everywhere. Seemed like every night on the news they were updating his count. That was a big, big deal.
Then you had Bob Gibson still pitching. A legend, no doubt about it. Wasn’t his peak years, getting up there in age, but still, having him on the mound was something. He won 11 games. Solid.
I looked up the standings. They finished second place in the NL East. Pretty good record, 86 wins and 75 losses. But the Pirates edged them out by just a game and a half. Close race. Always tough when you’re that close but don’t quite make it to the playoffs.
What I Found (and Didn’t)
Tried to find some actual game footage or detailed play-by-plays online. It’s harder than you think for specific regular season games from back then. Lots of stats, lots of articles summarizing the season, but seeing the flow of a random Tuesday night game? Not so easy. You mostly get the highlight reels, Brock stealing bases, maybe a Gibson strikeout.
- Lou Brock’s record chase was the main story.
- Bob Gibson was still a workhorse.
- Bake McBride won Rookie of the Year, hitting over .300. Good young player on that team.
- Joe Torre was managing and playing first base. Forgot about that sometimes.
- Ted Simmons behind the plate, another really solid player.
It kinda makes you think how different following baseball was. No internet, no instant updates on your phone. You got the box score in the newspaper the next morning, maybe caught a few highlights on the 10 o’clock news if you were lucky. You had to really follow it day by day in print.
Spending that hour or so just clicking through old stats and reading recaps felt kinda… I dunno, relaxing? It’s different from the constant information overload we have now. Just looking back at a solid, interesting team that had a moment with Brock’s record but ultimately came up a little short. That was my little dive into the ’74 Cardinals. Good team, fun to revisit.
