St. Louis Cardinals - The Depression Era (1930-1939)

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1930

1933

1937

Decade

101

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Titles:

Top Cardinals Players of the Thirties

1930 - NL Champs (Lost to A's)

1931 - World Champs (Beat A's)

Pitchers:

1934 - World Champs (Beat Tigers)

Dizzy Dean (39.42) - 97

Wild Bill Hallahan (14.69) - 57

Ballpark:

Lon Warneke (5.39) - 30

Sportsman's Park

Tex Carleton (8.59) - 29

Bob Weiland (7.55) - 29

Team Name:

Paul Dean (10.66) - 26

Cardinals

Curt Davis (5.23) - 23

Paul Derringer (5.02) - 21

Owners:

Pop Haines (11.22) - 20

Sam Breadon

Burleigh Grimes (7.04) - 19

Bill Walker (6.11) - 19

General Managers:

Syl Johnson (6.14) - 16

Branch Rickey

Si Johnson (2.64) - 8

Managers:

Catchers:

Gabby Street (1929-1933)

Spud Davis (6.23) - 24

Frankie Frisch (1933-1938)

Jimmie Wilson (1.88) - 20

Mike Gonzalez (1938)

Mickey Owen (1.3) - 14

Ray Blades (1939)

Don Padgett (5.38) - 14

Gus Mancuso (3.62) - 10

Hall of Famers:

Bill DeLancey (4.64) - 8

Branch Rickey

Pop Haines

First Basemen:

Dizzy Dean

Ripper Collins (19.5) - 42

Burleigh Grimes

Johnny Mize (26.2) - 39

Dazzy Vance

Jim Bottomley (4.81) - 20

Jim Bottomley

Johnny Mize

Second Basemen:

Frankie Frisch

Frankie Frisch (16.05) - 63

Leo Durocher

Stu Martin (4.42) - 15

Chick Hafey

Ducky Medwick

ShortStop:

Enos Slaughter

Chalrie Gelbert (7.89) - 24

Leo Durocher (1.65) - 19

MVP

Jimmy Brown (4.59) - 18

Frankie Frisch (1931)

Dizzy Dean (1934)

Third Base:

Ducky Medwick (1937)

Pepper Martin (16.19) - 68

No Hitters:

Outfield:

Paul Dean (1934)

Ducky Medwick (38.73) - 67

Terry Moore (7.41) - 46

Notable Events:

George Watkins (8.48) - 36

Ernie Orsatti (2.21) - 23

1930 - Twenty year old Dizzy Dean is signed as a free agent and pitches a

Chick Hafey (7.89) - 16

three hitter in his only appearance with the club. He is not a part of the two

Enos Slaughter (5.33) - 16

Cards pennant runs in '30 and '31 as he's farmed out to Houston for the 1931

season, but comes up for good in 1932

Notable Events:

1930 - Eighteen year old Ducky Medwick is signed as a free agent and is

1933 - St. Louis gets exasperated with Paul Derringer's inconsistency

farmed out to the minors. He will join the Cardinals big league team in 1932

and deals him to the Reds for shortstop Leo Durocher. In the long run it

and go on to be one of the top hitters in the game and a Hall of Famer.

was a terrible deal for the Cards as Derringer gains his consistency

and becomes one of the top ptichers in the majors for a number of

1930 - Wild Bill Hallahan joins the starting rotation and wins fifteen games.

years with the Reds. In the short term, it was a great deal for the Cards

He had been signed by the Cardinals as a twenty one year old in 1924 and

as the fiery Durocher becomes a key member of the Gas House gang

spent the rest of the Twenties knocking around between the Cards farm

that wins the World Series the following year. He fits in perfectly with

system and the Cards bullpen before emerging in 1930.

the likes of fellow infielders Pepper Martin, Frankie Frisch.and Ripper

Collins (who was more of a free spirit than a pepperpot).

1930 The Cardinals win the pennant but lose to the A's in the World Series.

St. Louis does it with hitting as they bludgeon the opposition.

1934 - After two years of retooling as their Hall of Famers and pitchers

All eight starters hit over .300. Their three Hall of Famers, Frisch,

who led them to their titles in '30 and '31 got old, the Cards are back

Bottomley and Hafey are all still going strong.

winning the pennant and beating the Tigers in the World Series.

This group is known as the Gas House Gang as they are a bunch

1931 - Paul Derringer comes up as a twenty four year old rookie and

of fiery hard nosed types combined with a bunch of free spirits.

wins eighteen games. He had been signed four years earlier by

Future Hall of Fame outfielder Ducky Medwick, who is only twenty

St. Louis into their farm system.

two, and first baseman Ripper Collins are the big sticks on the club.

Meanwhile, Dizzy Dean, who is only twenty four, goes 30-7 and his

1931 - St. Louis wins it's fourth pennant in six years and beats the A's

brother Paul, a twenty one year old rookie, wins nineteen. Definitely

for their second World Series title in those six years. This time they do it

one of baseball's most entertaining all time teams.

with pitching. Their three Hall of Famers (Frisch, Hafey, Bottomley) numbers fall

badly, altho' they still hit over .300. Pepper Martin is the only other player in the

1935 - Despite winning one more game than they did in 1935, the

starting lineup to bat over .300. Depite the decline in hitting, the Cards gain

Cardinals finish second to the Cubs.

nine games in the standings as the aforementioned Derringer and Hallahan

have big years and thirty seven year olds Burleigh Grimes and

1936 - St. Louis finishes second again, this time to the Giants

Pop Haines pitch exceptionally well to offset the hitters' decline.

1936 - Future Hall of Fame first baseman Johnny Mize comes up as

1932 - Twenty year old centerfielder Terry Moore is signed and sent

a twenty three year old rookie. Mize had been originally signed by

to the minors. He will come up to the Cardinas in 1935 and have a

the Cards in 1930 as a seventeen year old. However, St. Louis sold

productive career as one of the top centerfielders in the game.

him to the Reds in 1934 only to buy him back the following year.

1932 - The pitching collapses and St. Louis plummets to sixth place

1937 - Ducky Medwick is the MVP and wins the triple crown, but

as they drop a whopping twenty nine games in the standings.Burleigh

the Cardinals only finish fourth as the Gas House Gang's three

Grimes, 37, a 17 game winner in '31 was dealt to the Cubs before the season

year run as a contender is over.

for Hack Wilson. Haines, Rhem, Johnson and Derringer dropped from a

combined 52 wins down to 23. In Derringer's case, he couldn't find home plate.

1937 - Dizzy Dean injures himself in the All-Star game and is

The others got hurt. Youngsters Dizzy Dean, 22, and Tex Carleton, 25, were

finished as a star pitcher

brought up and combined for 28 wins but couldn't offset the carnage.

1938 - Frankie Frisch retires as a player and is let go as a

1933 - Frankie Frisch takes over as player-manager. His fiery

manager. The Gas House Gang is officially done and dusted..

leadership sets the tone for the club moving forward.

1938 - Enos Slaughter, who would have fit right in with the

Gas House Gang, is a twenty two year old rookie.