Description: UBER-RARE 9/29/1974 TICKET STUB FOR CARDINALS-CUBS GAME WHERE FUTURE HALL OF FAMER LOU BROCK SET THE STILL-STANDING – AND NOW 50 YEAR OLD – ALL-TIME NATIONAL LEAGUE SEASON RECORD FOR STOLEN BASES WITH HIS #118 STEAL OF 1974. Brock's fourth-inning steal came with future Cy Young Award winner Steve Stone on the mound for the Cubs. Lou's 118th stolen base of 1974 followed his line single to left that scored Ken Reitz and increased the Cardinals' lead to 3-1, in a game St. Louis would win 7-3 behind the pitching of John Curtis and a three-run homer by Jose Cruz. This final home game of 1974 at Wrigley Field had other surprising aspects not anticipated by the 17,722 fans visiting the Friendly Confines on a glorious Sunday afternoon in the 43rd year of Phil Wrigley's ownership, as the Cubs wrapped-up another dismal season. Unknown probably even to Billy Williams himself, the Cubs longtime left fielder and future Hall of Famer was playing his last home game as Cub. His final moments at Wrigley Field saw him grounding into an eighth-inning double play before being replaced in left field by Gene Hiser. (Incidentally, both Billy and fellow HOF member Lou Brock had been rookies on the 1961 Cubs, with Billy becoming NL Rookie of the Year and Lou showing promise as a September call-up, before Lou spent two rough years with Chicago before the famous trade that saw him achieve immediate stardom in St. Louis.) Meanwhile, also on this date, Cubs field announcer Pat Pieper was completing his 59th and last season at the mic. This also was his 71st year with the ballclub, in a career that began in 1904 with Pat working the stands as a peanut vendor at old West Side Park in Chicago. Even as late as 1970, Pieper still maintained his traditional spot on the field just inside the edge of the backstop behind home plate, where he kept a supply of new baseballs for the umpires. As he approached age 90, Pat relocated to the press box and began the practice of introducing each batter throughout the game. For some reason, as the crowd thinned-out before the Cubs ninth on this final home date of '74, I began to notice that Pat was still on duty announcing each hitter. At the time, I marveled at the dedication he was showing near the bitter end of another Cubs season. In case you're interested, these were his final words: "The batter, Steve Swisher." However, it was only today while doing this write-up that I learned Pat's final words on that day may in fact have been pre-recorded. Pat had been hospitalized earlier that September and died at age 88 on October 22, 1974. With his remarkable 70-plus years of big-league employment, Pat Pieper deserves special recognition in the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.
Price: 229.99 USD
Location: Pleasant Valley, New York
End Time: 2024-11-15T02:25:51.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Sport: Baseball
Player: LOU BROCK & BILLY WILLIAMS
Year: 1974
Original/Reproduction: Original
Grade: Very Good
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Team-Baseball: St Louis Cardinals & Chicago Cubs
Vintage: Yes
Event/Tournament: LOU BROCK SETS CURRENT NL STOLEN BASE RECORD