(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
In June of 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals were mired in a slump and knew they needed to make a move to improve their roster.
On June 15, the team made a rare swap with their heated rivals, the Chicago Cubs, sending pitcher Ernie Broglio to the North Side of Chicago.
The return piece turned out to be quite a steal for the Cards, as super utilityman Lou Brock came back to St. Louis.
Today marks the 59-year anniversary of that famous trade.
On Twitter, Bally Sports Midwest, the TV home of the Cardinals, recalled this day in team history and one of the most famous trades of all time.
Brock went on to make six All-Star teams, win two World Series and build a Hall of Fame résumé in St. Louis. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/swm2RbPYyS
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) June 15, 2023
This would ultimately turn out to be one of the most lopsided trades in the history of baseball.
Brock helped guide the Cardinals to the World Series, where they would defeat the New York Yankees in seven games.
Brock was also a key piece of the Cardinals’ World Series runs in 1967 and 1968.
St. Louis beat the Boston Red Sox in ’67, but fell short the next year against the Detroit Tigers.
The Hall-of-Famer had a high propensity for stealing bases and ultimately broke the all-time stolen base record in 1977.
His baserunning prowess earned him the nickname “The Base Burglar.”
In addition, Brock was a six-time All-Star.
His No. 20 is featured underneath the scoreboard at Busch Stadium along with the other retired numbers.
Brock stole a total of 938 bases during his illustrious career.
He hit for a career .279 average and amassed a total of 3,023 hits.
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