Optimism
Fortunes are going up as the 1930 Cardinals play good baseball and have several players putting together career years. It wasn’t until September 16 that they move into first place tie with the Dodgers when they shutout Brooklyn 1-0. Lefty Bill Hallahan retires the first 20 batters he face and allows five hits in a complete game victory.
Clinch Pennant
Ten days later, they clinch the pennant at Sportsman’s Park with a 10-5 win over Pittsburgh. George Watkins is impressive in his first season with a .373 batting average and ends second in the batting race.
Dizzy Dean Debuts on Final Day
Dizzy Dean makes his debut on the final day of the season and tosses a three-hitter (BOXSCORE) against the Pirates for a 3-1 win. He also connects on a single and steals home in the third inning.
Eleven Players Bat over .300
The team has a 92-62 record and snatches their third NL pennant with eleven players batting over .300 for the season. They advance to the World Series to face the Philadelphia Athletics.
The starters for the 1930 Cardinals
(games played in parentheses)
C Jimmie Wilson (99), 1B Jim Bottomley (124), 2B Frankie Frisch (123), 3B Sparky Adams (104), SS Charlie Gelbert (139), LF Chick Hafey (116), CF Taylor Douthit (154), RF George Watkins (84).
Home Run Champ
Chick Hafey (26 home runs) was the “Home Run Champion” for the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals. The “RBI Champion” was Frankie Frisch (114 RBI), and the “Hit King” was Taylor Douthit (201 hits).
Offense Sleeps in World series
The Cardinals led the National League in runs scored and averaged six runs per game in the regular season, but could manage only two runs per game in this World Series and lost in six games.