ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Matrix Midwest) - One hundred years ago, the Cardinals captured the hearts of St. Louisans when they won the franchise’s first World Series title.
The championship and the events surrounding it are the subject of an exhibit at the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum at Ballpark Village.
That Redbirds team, put together by the legendary general manager, Branch Rickey, was made up of different characters.
A team of personalities
“The Cardinals of 1926 were an interesting mixture of personalities,” said Terry Lemons, author of The Year St. Louis Became a Baseball Town. “You had a very strong-willed manager, second baseman in Rogers Hornsby. He demanded a lot from his players. There were frequent, often public beratings in front of newspaper reporters if somebody screwed up, mixed in with this were a couple of heavy drinkers in Grover Cleveland Alexander and the most winning pitcher on the team that year, Flint Rehm.”
Alexander, a future Hall of Famer, was a midseason signing who had a big impact.
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“I would say probably the biggest deal was that we signed Grover Cleveland Alexander. He was a veteran pitcher, but he was definitely what you would call an elderly pitcher, who was significantly older than the other guys on the team. He’d been through World War I, had some PTSD, had some arm damage, but still just managed to just dominate,” said Amy Berra, curator at the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Redbirds were also anchored by shortstop Tommy Thevenow, catcher and National League MVP Bob O’Farrell and first baseman ‘Sunny’ Jim Bottomley.
Tight pennant race
The team was involved in a tight pennant race, clinching the flag during the season’s final weekend after spending the last month on the road.
“It was a long September, but you think about it, how they had to travel, it was by train, so they would almost frontload all of their games at Sportsman’s Park, and then just be gone. And September, it was quite a month. It was up and down, and it was almost as exciting as 2011, where it went to the very final day,” Berra said.
That pennant victory set off a wild celebration in St. Louis, with mayhem in the streets.
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“It was just a complete rowdy party that went all night,” Berra said.
More than a championship series
Up next was a World Series matchup with the mighty Yankees, and it was not just a series between two baseball teams.
“In 1926, St. Louis really had a chip on its shoulder. It was trying hard to compete economically with neighboring cities like Chicago. But it also just wanted some respect. The town was trying to build industry. It had a lot of factories going on, but it wanted to keep up with cities like New York and others across the nation, and it was looking for a source of civic pride,” Lemons said.
The World Series was filled with legendary moments, including a record-setting performance from Babe Ruth in Game 4 at Sportsman’s Park.
“He blasted three home runs, one bounced off the roof, one cleared the roof completely and bounced off Grand Blvd, shattering the window of a car dealership across the street. And a third home run may have been the hardest one he hit all day. That went up into centerfield and is generally regarded at that point as the longest homerun ever hit in Sportsman’s Park,” Lemons said.
Birth of a reputation
Game 4 also gave Cardinals fans a new reputation that they retain today.
“It was a turning point for St. Louis Cardinals’ fans. They were regarded as hooligans and not good sportsmen by the East Coast media. After Babe Ruth’s second and third home runs, he got standing ovations from the outfield crowds in St. Louis. It was the first time that the culture of the Cardinals fans embraced this concept of cheering an opposing player who did well,” Lemons said.
The dramatic finish
It all came down to a winner-take-all Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. In the seventh inning, with the Cardinals leading 3-2, the Yankees loaded the bases against ace and future Hall of Famer Jesse Haines, who developed a blister on his pitching hand. Hornsby decided to make a pitching change.
“And that point there’s this fog hanging over Yankee Stadium and the call goes out to the distant bullpen in left field, and they awakened Alexander from a nap,” Lemons said.
Alexander was allegedly hungover after drinking all night to celebrate his complete game victory in Game 6. He faced slugger Tony Lazzeri, and people back in St. Louis listened to the dramatic moment on a relatively new medium, radio.
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“The streets of St. Louis were filled with people listening to this game and it was an incredibly tense scene. And really, it was a signature moment. It was a golden pitch that Alexander threw. And the curve on it was incredible, and Lazzeri just completely missed it. And when he struck Lazzeri out, a cheer went up through the St. Louis streets,” Lemons said.
Alexander then cruised through a scoreless eighth. In the 9th, with the score still 3-2, Alexander walked Ruth with two outs. On the first pitch to the next hitter, Bob Meusel, Ruth took off for second.
“O’Farrell fires it to Hornsby, Hornsby tags Ruth, that’s the end of the game. They walk off the field champions,” Berra said.
Citywide celebration
As soon as Hornsby tagged out Ruth, St. Louis went wild.
“St. Louis exploded in sound. The whole city shook, factory whistles blew, crowds in downtown who had been packing the streets were cheering. It turned into one giant Mardi Gras style party in St. Louis, and it started the moment the game ended and it lasted well until midnight,” Lemons said.
The party got a little bit out of hand.
“Somebody unfortunately lost their life because they were standing on the running boards of the cars as the guys were driving by and would fall off,” Berra said.
The celebrations also extended across the country.
“The celebrations that day stretched across a dozen states. There were large gatherings outside of newspaper offices watching the scores coming in. Across Missouri, there were parades, spontaneous celebrations in towns both big and small,” Lemons said.
The World Series win did not just set off celebrations. It also started a love affair between a city and a team.
“The 1926 season and the World Series was a transformative moment for the St. Louis Cardinals, but it was also a transformative moment for the City of St. Louis and for baseball fans. And that’s because the Cardinals really captured the spirit of St. Louis, of the city, of the fans. And they turned into America’s team,” Lemons said.
The Redbirds would soon, in part to being the only MLB team west of the Mississippi River for several decades, their extensive radio network, and due to success on the field, develop a large fan base across the nation.
The 1926 Cardinals exhibit will be at the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum through early 2027. To buy tickets, click here.
For more on The Year St. Louis Became a Baseball Town, click here.
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