Stan Musial

Stanley Frank Musial (November 21, 1920 - January 19, 2013) born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial put together one of the most consistent hitting careers of any Major League player in history highlighted by the fact that he posted the exact same number of hits both home and away (1815), had 252 home runs at home and 223 away and scored 999 runs at home and 950 away. Musial grew up in the steel and zinc-rich Donora, Pennsylvania, a small town that also produced big league talent with NFL standout Dan Towler, CFL quarterback Arnold Galiffa, high school baseball standout Buddy Griffey, father and grandfather of Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr., and of course Musial. Stan came up as a pitcher with the hopes of making the big leagues on the mound, but he also showed flashes of greatness in the field that got him noticed. And as his skills developed, he was reportedly offered a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh to play basketball, but Musial had already signed a baseball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals as a junior, though the signing was not announced until months later in order to keep his eligibility intact. Musial began his minor league career as a pitcher with Williamson in 1938 and then met former big leaguer, and future mentor Dickie Kerr who was managing the Daytona Beach Islanders. At Daytona, Kerr would help the young Musial develop posting his best year as a hurler when he went 18-5, but a severe shoulder injury playing the outfield halted Stan’s dreams of being a Major League pitcher. But thankfully, he would become one of the game’s great hitters. The injury kept the future Hall of Famers from being a “five-tool” player due to a virtual dead arm. In 1941, Stan earned a slot on the Cardinals roster after leading the Western Association with a .379 batting average and 26 home runs while adding 94 RBI. This would prove to be a brief taste of what was to come for the next 25 years.

Stan grabbed left field coming out of spring training in 1942 and helped lead the Cardinals to the National League pennant with a .315 average, ten home runs and 72 RBI. St. Louis then dispatched the New York Yankees in five games to win their fourth World Series title. The 1943 season, however, proved to be Musial’s breakout year as he led the National League in virtually every offensive category including games (157), plate appearances (700), hits (220), doubles (48), triples (20), batting average (.357), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.562) and total bases (347) while adding 81 RBI, 13 home runs and a career-high nine stolen bases. This season for the ages would earn him his first of three NL MVP awards and his first of a record 24 All-Star Game selections. Partially because Major League Baseball was relatively depleted of talent due to World War II, St. Louis was able to win three straight NL pennants (1942-1944), also capturing the 1944 World Series over the cross-town St. Louis Browns, and Musial didn’t let up. Though he would enter the war effort in 1944, losing the entered 1945 season to service in the United States Navy, Stan returned to form in 1946, having not lost a step. He won his second NL MVP award and led the Redbirds back to the Promised Land as they won the 1946 World Series over the Boston Red Sox in a hard-fought seven-game series. Stan Musial had his foot on the gas and didn’t let up for 20 years.

He led the National League in doubles eight times; batting average seven times; hits, on-base and slugging percentage and total bases six times, runs scored, triples and games played five times and twice in RBI. From 1942 to 1957, he finished in the top ten in NL MVP voting 13 out of 15 years and won three MVPs (1943, 1946, 1948). By the mid-1940s, considered league-wide as one of the greats in the game, Musial was tapped with the nickname “The Man” by Brooklyn fans as he shredded NL pitching as he tied Ty Cobb’s record with four five-hit games and was particularly rough on Dodgers hurlers. In 1948, Stan The Man led the National League with a .376 average and 131 RBI and missed the Triple Crown by one home run. (Ironically, at least one home run was lost to a rain out.) Stan Musial played his entire career with the St. Louis cardinals (1941-1944, 1946-1963) and hit .331 for his career with 3,630 hits, 1,949 runs, 725 doubles, 177 triples, 475 home runs and 1,951 RBI in 3,026 games. He won seven NL batting titles, three MVP award and was the recipient of the 1957 Lou Gehrig memorial Award. Among his many records, Stan Musial shares the record for most game-ending home runs with Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson and Babe Ruth. He was also the first player in Major League history to play 1,000 or more games at two different positions (LF & 1B). For so long the face of the Cardinal franchise, Musial went on to become the franchise vice president from 1963-1966 and embarked on numerous other business ventures in the St. Louis area including his popular Stan and Biggie’s restaurant. Stanley Frank Musial was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968. Stan Musial will forever be considered the greatest Cardinal that ever lived.