Red Schoendienst

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Schoendienst's journey began in Germantown, Illinois, where he dropped out of school at age 16 to join the Civilian Conservation Corps. A nail injury to his left eye while working on a fence threatened his career, forcing him to switch from right-handed to switch-hitting to combat breaking balls against right-handed pitchers. In 1942, after a tryout, Cardinals scout Joe Mathes signed him for $75 a month despite the eye concerns. His minor league dominance in Rochester, where he batted .337 and won the International League MVP Award, paved his way to the majors. A trade on June 14, 1956, sent him to the New York Giants in a deal unpopular with fans and his best friend Stan Musial. He later moved to the Milwaukee Braves, helping them win their only title in Milwaukee in 1957. After being diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1958–59 and undergoing a partial pneumonectomy, he defied medical predictions to return in 1960 before rejoining the Cardinals as a player-coach.

In Their Own Story

The lights hummed over Busch Memorial Stadium in October 1967. Red Schoendienst stood near second base, hands on hips, watching Bob Gibson warm up. The crowd roared for the pennant race that had been tight all summer. He remembered the smell of the dirt from his own playing days decades prior. Tonight was different; he wasn't fielding a ground ball, but steering a ship toward glory. Under his direction, St. Louis defeated the Boston Red Sox to capture the 1967 World Series, marking his fourth title and third as a Cardinal. Two years later, the Cardinals repeated as National League champions in 1968, though they fell to the Detroit Tigers in seven games. Schoendienst's leadership was so impactful he received Manager of the Year honors for both campaigns. Even after his managerial tenure ended in 1976, he remained a fixture in the organization, winning a fifth World Series title as a coach in 1982.

Reader's Guide

Red Schoendienst spent 19 seasons as a player, compiling a .289 batting average with 2,449 hits and 84 home runs across 2,216 games. His defensive prowess earned him the nickname from Alvin Dark as 'the finest second baseman in the game.' As a manager, he compiled a 1,041–955 record over twelve full seasons and two interim stints. He led the Cardinals to three World Series appearances (winning once) and two National League pennants during his tenure from 1965 to 1976. The team finished second three times in a four-year span but failed to reach the postseason again after 1968. Schoendienst served as a coach for the Oakland Athletics before returning to St. Louis, where he completed his 73rd consecutive season with the Cardinals organization in 2017.

Did You Know?

• Schoendienst switched to becoming a switch-hitter after an eye injury made it difficult for him to read breaking balls batting right-handed.
• Despite being told he would never play again after undergoing a partial pneumonectomy for tuberculosis in 1959, he returned to the Braves in 1960.
• At the time of his death, Schoendienst had served 67 of his 76 years in baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
• He was the last living member of the 1946 World Series-winning Cardinals team.