1966 St. Louis Cardinals season

Offseason

• October 20, 1965: Ken Boyer was traded by the Cardinals to the New York Mets for Charley Smith and Al Jackson.
• October 27, 1965: Dick Groat, Bob Uecker and Bill White were traded by the Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies for Pat Corrales, Art Mahaffey, and Alex Johnson.
• November 29, 1965: Nate Colbert was drafted from the Cardinals by the Houston Astros in the 1965 rule 5 draft.
• November 29, 1965: 1965 first-year draft
  • Jimy Williams was drafted by the Cardinals from the Boston Red Sox.
  • Willie Montañez was drafted from the Cardinals by the California Angels.

Regular season

This season marked the final time the Cardinals played in Sportsman's Park/Busch Stadium I, as they played their final home game at that ballpark on May 8, losing to the San Francisco Giants, 10–5. Busch sought to replace the increasingly inadequate Busch Stadium (formerly Sportsman's Park) with a modern facility in a better location. The result was a new multi-purpose, $25 million concrete stadium, also named for Busch's father – Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch II.

The Cardinals moved into Busch II four days later, and defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4–3 in 12 innings. On July 12, the Cardinals hosted the 1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at their new stadium, in 105 degree heat and humidity, with the NL defeating the AL, 2–1 in ten innings. Busch Memorial Stadium was where the Cardinals would play baseball until the end of 2005.

Later derided as a facsimile of the bland, cookie-cutter "multi-purpose stadia" built in multiple locations of the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, Busch Memorial achieved a measure of popularity among St. Louis fans in a way that its cousins in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati did not, perhaps due in part to the success of the teams which played there, and perhaps also due to the distinctive roof arches added by architect Edward Durrell Stone — unique touches meant to echo the city's new iconic monument (completed at nearly the same time), the Gateway Arch.

Pitcher Bob Gibson and outfielder Curt Flood won Gold Gloves this year.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

• May 5, 1966: Willie Montañez was returned to the Cardinals by the California Angels.
• May 8, 1966: Ray Sadecki was traded by the Cardinals to the San Francisco Giants for Orlando Cepeda.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen Bases

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Awards and records

All-Star Game

• Tim McCarver, Catcher, Reserve

• Curt Flood, Outfield, Reserve

• Bob Gibson, Pitcher, Injured (did not play)

• Tim McCarver, National League leader, Triples, (13). McCarver became the second catcher in the history of the National League to lead the league in triples.

Farm system

Eugene affiliation shared with Philadelphia Phillies

References

References

1. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithch04.shtml Charley Smith page at Baseball Reference]
2. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/g/groatdi01.shtml Dick Groat page at Baseball Reference]
3. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/colbena01.shtml Nate Colbert page at Baseball Reference]
4. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/w/williji03.shtml Jimy Williams page at Baseball Reference]
5. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/montawi01.shtml Willie Montañez page at Baseball Reference]
6. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cepedor01.shtml Orlando Cepeda page at Baseball Reference]
7. ''Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures'', 2008 Edition, p.96, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, {{ISBN. 978-0-451-22363-0
8. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007