Lou Brock

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Brock's journey began in El Dorado, Arkansas, growing up as a sharecropper's son who never felt poor because he believed if you don't have something, you don't miss it. Though he didn't play organized baseball until the 11th grade, he learned from listening to Harry Caray describe major league hitters. After attending Southern University and winning a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship in his junior year, he signed with the Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1960. His career transformed when Cardinals manager Johnny Keane insisted on acquiring him in a June 15, 1964, trade for pitcher Ernie Broglio. Many at the time viewed it as a heist for Chicago, but Brock immediately moved to left field and batted .348 with 33 steals over the remainder of that season, helping the Cardinals—who were in fifth place with a 28-30 record on the day of the trade, 6.5 games behind the Phillies—capture the National League pennant and win the World Series in seven games against the New York Yankees.

In Their Own Story

On September 10, 1974, at age 35, Brock tied Maury Wills' single-season record of 104 steals with a first-inning swipe against the Philadelphia Phillies. In the seventh inning, he stole second again to break the record, finishing the year with 118 stolen bases, a new major league mark. Just three years later, on August 29, 1977, he broke another long-standing barrier by surpassing Ty Cobb's career record of 892 stolen bases against the San Diego Padres. This record had been considered unbreakable for decades, akin to Babe Ruth's home run total. Brock held this title until Rickey Henderson surpassed it in 1991. His agility was unique; in 1972, he pioneered the "rolling start" instead of using a traditional lead, maximizing his speed on the basepaths while also leading the league in singles in 1972 and doubles and triples in 1968.

Reader's Guide

Brock's career statistics reflect an extraordinary blend of consistency and explosiveness. He batted over .300 in seven full seasons, with additional strong years finishing at .297, .298, and .299. In 1967, he became the first player to steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs in a single season, later setting a World Series record with seven steals against the Boston Red Sox while hitting .414. He was the runner-up for the National League MVP award in 1974, finishing second to Steve Garvey after his record-breaking steal season. His defensive prowess and speed led the Cardinals to consecutive pennants in 1967 and 1968, though they lost the 1968 World Series to Detroit in seven games, where Brock posted a .464 batting average. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1985 and later inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

Did You Know?

• Rickey Henderson was the first player in MLB history to steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season (1986).
• He broke Ty Cobb's career stolen base record of 892 on August 29, 1977, a mark many thought unbreakable.
• In his rookie season of 1962, Brock became one of only four players to hit a home run into the center-field bleachers at the old Polo Grounds since its 1923 reconstruction.
• Brock led the National League in stolen bases eight times within a nine-year span between 1966 and 1974.
• He pioneered the "rolling start" technique for stealing bases in 1972 rather than using the traditional method of maximizing his lead.