Yesterday was a big day for the St. Louis Cardinals.
While their season is over after they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies, yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the day they won their ninth World Series title in franchise history.
But there were other reasons to celebrate as well.
It was also a former Cardinal great’s birthday.
Keith Hernandez, who played a key role in the Cards’ run to the World Series in 1982, turned 69 years old yesterday.
On Twitter, Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave a shoutout to the Cardinals Hall-of-Famer, wishing him a happy birthday, but also pointing out how rare it must be for a player to win a World Series title on his birthday.
Former #STLCards great @keithhernandez turns 69 today. Just realized today is also the day STL won it all in 1982. That must be a rarity: a player having a birthday on the day his team wins Game 7 of the World Series.
And he had a huge hit in the game.https://t.co/HclXZX0FYk
— Benjamin Hochman (@hochman) October 20, 2022
Cards Celebrate Hernandez
There can be no better way to celebrate a birthday than to win a World Series.
Also worth noting is that Hernandez had a key hit during that Game 7, helping lead the Cardinals to a comeback win over the Milwaukee Brewers and their first World Series title since 1967.
Hernandez came up with the Cardinals in 1974 and won a share of the National League MVP Award in 1979.
Hernandez was also a five-time All-Star during his career.
He won a batting title, two Silver Slugger Awards, 11 Gold Gloves, and two World Series rings.
St. Louis traded Hernandez to the New York Mets in 1983, where he would win his second ring as a part of the ’86 Mets.
Hernandez was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2021.
He also finished his career with a 60.3 WAR, 162 home runs, 2,182 hits, and a .296 batting average in 7,370 career at-bats.
He hit .297 with 12 home runs and 94 RBI in the Cardinals’ 1982 championship season.
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