The 1978
St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 97th season in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
and its 87th season in the
National League. The Cardinals went 69-93 during the season and finished fifth in the
National League East, 21 games behind the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
.
Offseason
* October 25, 1977: The Cardinals traded a player to be named later to the
San Francisco Giants for
Frank Riccelli. The Cardinals completed the deal by sending
Jim Dwyer to the Giants on June 15, 1978.
[Frank Riccelli page at Baseball Reference]
/ref>
* December 8, 1977: Dave Rader and Héctor Cruz were traded by the Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
for Jerry Morales, Steve Swisher, and cash.
* February 2, 1978: Ken Rudolph Kenneth Victor Rudolph (born December 29, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. A catcher, he appeared in 328 Major League games played between – for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Or ...
was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals.
* March 15, 1978: Rick Bosetti
Richard Alan Bosetti (born August 5, 1953) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Oakland Athletics.
B ...
was traded by the Cardinals to the Toronto Blue Jays for Tom Bruno
Thomas Michael Bruno (born January 26, 1953) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He batted right-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He played parts of four seasons in the majors from until for the Kansas Ci ...
and cash.
Regular season
In late April, the Cardinals fired manager Vern Rapp
Vernon Fred "Vern" Rapp (May 11, 1928 – December 31, 2015) was a Major League Baseball manager and coach. A career minor league catcher and a successful skipper in the minors, Rapp had two brief tours of duty as a big league manager.
Minor Leag ...
, who had started at 7-11. He was briefly replaced by coach Jack Krol
John Thomas Krol (July 5, 1936 – May 30, 1994) was an American coach and manager in Major League Baseball.
Primarily a second baseman and shortstop, the right-handed hitting and throwing Krol never reached the Major Leagues during his playing ...
for two games (1-1) before giving the job on a permanent basis to their former MVP third-baseman Ken Boyer
Kenton Lloyd "Ken" Boyer (May 20, 1931 – September 7, 1982) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman, coach and manager who played with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers for 15 ...
, who went 61-81 the rest of the way.
On June 16, Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
made history by pitching a no-hitter against the Cardinals. It would be the only no-hitter of his career.
First baseman Keith Hernandez won a Gold Glove
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...
.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Opening Day starters
* Lou Brock
* John Denny
* Keith Hernandez
* Jerry Morales
*Ken Reitz
Kenneth John Reitz (June 24, 1951March 31, 2021) was an American baseball third baseman who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed " Zamboni", he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and ...
* Tony Scott
*Ted Simmons
Ted Lyle Simmons (born August 9, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980), the Milwau ...
* Garry Templeton
*Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
Notable transactions
* May 26, 1978: Eric Rasmussen was traded by the Cardinals to the San Diego Padres for George Hendrick.
* June 8, 1978: Frank Riccelli was traded by the Cardinals to the Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
for Bob Coluccio
Robert Pasquali Coluccio (born October 2, 1951) is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), between 1973 and 1978, for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Card ...
.[
* July 18, 1978: ]John Tamargo
John Felix Tamargo (born November 7, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and coach and long-time minor league manager. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors from until . He currently serves as the Latin America Field Coo ...
was traded by the Cardinals to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later. The Giants completed the deal by sending Rob Dressler
Robert Alan Dressler (born February 2, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners.
Dressler was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round (19th ove ...
to the Cardinals on July 24.
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''
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
League leaders
* Garry Templeton, National League leader, Triples
Farm system
[Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007]
References
External links
1978 St. Louis Cardinals at Baseball Reference1978 St. Louis Cardinals team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
{{St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals seasons
Saint Louis Cardinals season
St Louis