The 1964 Deadline Trade of Lou Brock
Cubs Swap Future Hall of Famer for Declining Cardinals Pitcher
Jul 9, 2008
On June 15, 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals were 28-31 and seven and a half games behind the first place Philadelphia Phillies. The team's left fielder, Charlie James, was hitting .240 with just 5 home runs and 12 RBI.
In the hopes of adding some pop and a whole lot of speed to the top of the Cardinals lineup, the team's brass traded starting pitchers Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz, and ultility outfielder Doug Clemens to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Lou Brock, and relief pitchers Paul Toth and Jack Spring. Although six players were involved in the deal, the heart of the trade was Brock for Broglio, who was one of the Cardinals best pitchers.
Trade Initially Seen as Better for Cubs
At the time of the trade, many observers thought the Cubs had gotten the better end of the deal. Broglio had been a top starting pitcher for half a decade, winning 18 games the year before and a career-high 21 in 1960. Brock, on the other hand, was seen as a disappointment by Cubs' management, who had hoped for better production out of the speedster than he had delivered in his first three big league seasons. In reviewing the trade, The Sporting News, which was baseball's unofficial bible in 1964, said: "The Cubs have picked the Cardinals pocket."
But Then Lou Brock Leads the Cardinals To a Pennant . . .
It is true that prior to the trade, Brock wasn't playing very well. In 52 games, he batted .251, hit two home runs and stole just 10 bases. But his arrival in St. Louis brought new life to his career and to the Redbirds offense. In his first fifteen games, Brock hit .397, stole 9 bases and scored 12 runs. After that, he didn't even think about slowing down, batting .327 in both July and August, and stealing another nineteen bases. The Cardinals also picked it up. By the end of August, the team was 71-59. However, they remained 7 1/2 games behind the dominant Phillies.
September changed everything. The Cardinals won 21 of their final 29 games, with Brock leading the way. For the month, he hit .364 with 7 home runs, 17 RBI and 30 runs scored. The Phillies collapsed, losing 12 of their final 33 games, which allowed the red hot Cardinals to catch them down the stretch. In the end, St. Louis won the National League pennant on the last day of the season by beating the New York Mets 11-5.
. . . and a World Series Title
The team went on to defeat the New York Yankees in a memorable seven game World Series, during which Brock hit .300 with two doubles, a home run, and five runs batted in. The Series marked the end of one dynasty and the beginning of another. The Yankees didn't win another pennant for twelve years, while the Cardinals took home three in just five years, and won a second World Series in 1967.
Fallout From the Lou Brock Trade
Prior to the trade, Ernie Broglio was a top notch starting pitcher in the National League. In 1960, he was 21-9 with a 2.74 ERA, and he finished third in Cy Young voting behind Vern Law and Warren Spahn. He had another great season in 1963, winning 18 while losing only 8 and posting a 2.99 earned run average.
But after the trade, Broglio quickly declined. During the remainder of the 1964 season, he was just 4-7. He was worse in 1965, winning just one game, losing seven, and finishing the season with an ERA of 6.93. The end of the line came in 1966: a 2-6 record, an earned run average close to 7.00, and finally, retirement at the age of 30.
Brock, on the other hand, played until 1979, and retired as a St. Louis Cardinal. He made six All Star teams, collected more than 3,000 hits, a finsihed his career with a then-record 938 stolen bases. In 1985, he was elected Baseball's Hall of Fame.
