Red Schoendienst
One of the most popular figures in St. Louis baseball history, Red Schoendienst was in a Cardinals' uniform in seven decades, starting during World War II. As a player, he was a gritty second baseman with a strong arm and a good bat. He overcame great adversity when he rebounded from tuberculosis in 1960, after the illness forced him to miss all but five games the previous season. As a manager, Schoendienst led the Redbirds to two World Series and one World Series title, skippering the team in four different decades. His 14th-inning home run won the 1950 All-Star Game for the National League. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989.
Played For
St. Louis Cardinals (1945-1956)
New York Giants (1956-1957)
Milwaukee Braves (1957-1960)
St. Louis Cardinals (1961-1963)
Managed
St. Louis Cardinals (1965-1990)
All-Time Rankings
Red Schoendienst ranks #21 among the Top 50 all-time at 2B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1953
Schoendienst was in his ninth year with the Cardinals, and he finished second in the NL batting race, hitting .342 to Carl Furillo's .344. He scored 107 runs, collected 193 hits, 35 doubles, five triples and 60 walks. He drove in 79 runs from the #2 spot in the order and set a career-high with 15 home runs. He was elected to the All-Star team for the seventh time.
Where He Played
Led NL second basemen in fielding seven times, and in 1956 his .9934 fielding average set a record. In 1950, Schoendienst went 57 straight games without an error, and 323 chances - a record.
Born
Albert Fred Schoendienst was born on February 2, 1923, in Germantown, IL.
Batted: Both
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 2B
Primary Team: SLN
Major League Debut
April 17, 1945
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1945
Red Schoendienst
Whitey Lockman
Del Rice
Billy Pierce
Art Houtteman
Sal Maglie
Joe Astroth
Herm Wehmeier
Pete Gray
Similar Players
Derek Jeter
Related Players
Ryne Sandberg finally broke Schoendienst's 30-year old fielding record, in 1986.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1969 |
BBWAA |
65 |
19.1% |
1970 |
BBWAA |
97 |
32.3% |
1971 |
BBWAA |
123 |
34.2% |
1972 |
BBWAA |
104 |
26.3% |
1973 |
BBWAA |
96 |
25.3% |
1974 |
BBWAA |
110 |
30.1% |
1975 |
BBWAA |
94 |
26.0% |
1976 |
BBWAA |
129 |
33.2% |
1977 |
BBWAA |
105 |
27.4% |
1978 |
BBWAA |
130 |
34.3% |
1979 |
BBWAA |
159 |
36.8% |
1980 |
BBWAA |
164 |
42.6% |
1981 |
BBWAA |
166 |
41.4% |
1982 |
BBWAA |
135 |
32.5% |
1983 |
BBWAA |
146 |
39.0% |
1989 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1946 World Series
1957 World Series
1958 World Series
Batting Feats
- July 8, 1951: Switch HR same game...
Notes
Was third in 1957 NL MVP voting, behind Hank Aaron and Stan Musial... Schoendienst was a .303 batter as a pinch-hitter over his career. His lifetime batting average was .289.
Hitting Streaks
28 games (1954)
23 games (1957)
All-Star Selections
1946 NL
1948 NL
1949 NL
1950 NL
1951 NL
1952 NL
1953 NL
1954 NL
1955 NL
1957 NL
Replaced
Emil Verban
Replaced By
Chuck Cottier, Julian Javier
Best Strength as a Player
Range at second base, and he was also excellent at the hit-and-run. He was a prototypical #2 hitter.
Largest Weakness as a Player
He had very little home run power, though for some reason he belted 15 longballs in 1953, which was more than twice as many as he had hit before that. It was his finest offensive season.
Learn More about Red Schoendienst
Search Amazon.com for Books about Red Schoendienst ⇒
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