The 1982 Cardinals are most remembered for their blistering foot speed and impervious defense. After all, the World Champs stole 200 bases and featured Gold Glove-caliber defenders at every infield position. Heck, the book I wrote about the team is called Runnin’ Redbirds. But the Cards may not have won the NL East that year had it not for an historic run of pitching down the stretch. The ’82 Cardinals pitching staff allowed two earned runs or fewer over 11 consecutive games in mid September. Since 1969, only four other teams have equaled the Cards’ streak of pitching excellence.1
Cardinals versus Phillies, September 13-15
The first-place Cardinals held a half-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East as the two teams began a three-game series at Veterans Stadium on September 13. In the opener, Steve Carlton supplied all the run support he needed with a solo home run, earning his 20th win of the season as the Phils blanked the Cards, 2-0. With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Philadelphia had leapfrogged St. Louis atop the division.
The Cards and Phils played to the same final score the following night, but the outcome was reversed. Rookie John Stuper and All-Star fireman Bruce Sutter combined on a five-hit shutout. The key moment that night was Sutter’s eighth-inning strikeout of Mike Schmidt with the bases loaded. Darrell Porter’s two-run homer off Mike Krukow accounted for the only games’s only runs.
In the rubber game, Joaquín Andújar flummoxed the Phillies, tossing a complete-game three-hitter as the Cards rolled to a decisive 8-0 victory. The volatile righty improved his record to 13-10 while lowering his ERA to 2.54. St. Louis now led Philadelphia by a game and a half.
Cardinals versus Mets, September 17-19
The Cardinals then made the short jaunt from Philadelphia to New York for a five-game set against the woeful Mets. Because of rainouts earlier in the season, the series included back-to-back doubleheaders. For those keeping score at home, that’s five games in three days! The gauntlet would test each team’s pitching mettle.
Cards starters Bob Forsch, Steve Mura, and John Stuper each won their respective starts, but the other two games had to be covered by the bullpen. No problem. Journeyman Eric Rasmussen threw seven innings of two-run ball, 43-year-old Jim Kaat tossed three frames as a de facto opener, and rookie Jeff Lahti pitched six stellar innings in relief. The Cards allowed only six runs in the series, winning all five contests. Just like that, the Cards had extended their division lead to four and a half games, their widest margin since early June.
Cardinals versus Phillies, September 20-21
The wearied Cardinals returned home and began a two-gamer against the Phillies on September 20. St. Louis won the opener, defeating erstwhile Redbird John Denny. Andújar tossed his fifth shutout and ninth complete game on the season to earn the win. In the second game, Carlton—the eventual Cy Young Award winner—struck out 14 and yielded just two runs. Rasmussen, on the other hand, ceded five runs, four of which were unearned because of two errors. St. Louis lost the game, 5-2, but their streak of allowing two or fewer earned runs remained intact.
Cardinals versus Pirates, September 22-23
On September 22, it was Dave LaPoint’s turn to get in on the action. Making his first start in 18 days, the southpaw limited the Pirates to one run in eight innings. Sutter pitched the ninth, nailing down his 35th save. “Someday, somebody’s going to wake up and see that we have some pitchers who know what to do,” said LaPoint after the game. “Maybe after the World Series, when we’re still sneaking up on people, maybe then they’ll notice us.”
The Cardinals’ pitching streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer had reached 11 games. It would not reach 12. The Bucs touched Forsch and the bullpen for five runs the following night. By then, however, the NL East was firmly in the Cards’ grasp. The team’s pitching staff, backed by a terrific defense, had carried the team when it mattered most. It allowed just 11 earned runs over 11 games, nine of which were victories. Although Whiteyball was centered around speed and defense, it turned out the ’82 Cardinals’ pitching wasn’t too shabby either. Yes, Dave LaPoint, we did notice.
Interested in reading about the Cardinals’ entire magical 1982 season? Check out my book, Runnin’ Redbirds, published in 2023 by McFarland Books.
- The 2010 San Francisco Giants have the longest streak at 13 games. The 2022 Houston Astros, 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers, and 1991 New York Mets equaled the Cards’ streak of 11 games. ↩︎
