Hall of Famer was also part of memorable trade
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who fought through a number of medical conditions in recent years, died Sunday. He was 81.
Brock will be remembered for many accomplishments. He was the National League’s alltime leader in stolen bases with 938. He had 3,023 hits. He was a firstballot electee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
But he might be known mostly as the centerpiece of possibly the greatest baseball trade ever. On June 15, 1964, the Cardinals acquired Brock, a raw, 24yearold outfielder, from the Chicago Cubs in a trade that cost them popular righthander Ernie Broglio, who had been an 18game winner for them the prior season although he was 35 in 1964 and perhaps injured.
The trade was not well received by the Cardinals’ players. “We thought it was the worst trade
ever,” said Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. Brock had batted .263, .258 and .251 in his 21⁄2 years with the Cubs.
Brock would hit .348 the rest of the 1964 season and steal 33 bases as the Cardinals rallied to win the National League pennant on the last day of the regular season and went on to beat the New York Yankees in a sevengame World Series to bring St. Louis its first World Series title since 1946.
Brock hit .300 in that World Series and then, showing he was at his best when the lights were brightest, batted .414 with seven stolen bases in the 1967 World Series, which the Cardinals won in seven games from Boston. He also hit .464 with seven more steals and a record 13 hits in the 1968 World Series loss against Detroit.
Brock played the game almost like no one else. From 1965, Brock began a stretch of 12 seasons in which he averaged 65 steals and 99 runs, featuring his recordsetting season in 1974 when he set the then majorleague stolenbase record of 118 while finishing second in voting for National League Most Valuable Player.
In 1977, Brock passed Ty Cobb’s alltime stolenbase mark of 892. His records were broken by Rickey Henderson, with 130 for the A’s in 1982 and 1,406 for his career.
Brock considered base stealing a philosophic, as much as a physical action. “First base is useless,” he said in 1974. “And most of the time, it is useless to stay there.
“On the other hand, second base is really the safest place on the field. When I steal second, I practically eliminate the double play. And I can score on any ball hit past the infield.”
In 2015, Brock had his left leg amputated below the knee due to diabetes. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer that can’t be fully cured, in 2017.