When “The Man” was a unicorn
Nearly 80 years before Major League Baseball finds a unicorn in Shohei Ohtani, the St. Louis Cardinals believe they have a unicorn of their own rising through the minors.
This player is a hard-hitting outfielder, just like Ohtani before he becomes a designated hitter.
This fella also is a pitcher, again just like Ohtani.
Unlike Ohtani, though, who is 23 years old in 2018 when he joins the Los Angeles Angels straight out of five seasons playing in the Japanese Pacific League, this other fella – a pitcher-outfielder out of western Pennsylvania – is playing the 1940 season in relative obscurity for the Daytona Beach Islanders in the Class D Florida State League.
As a pitcher, this 19-year-old Cardinals prospect starts the 1940 season going 18-5 with a 2.62 earned-run average over 223 innings.
He also is a .300 hitter.
Ah, what to do with such a talent? Pitch him? Hit him? Who knows?
Well, turns out the decision is made 83 years ago today both for the Cardinals and their unicorn as the prized prospect tries to make a shoestring catch in the outfield and falls hard on his left shoulder. Of course, that would be his pitching shoulder.
And, just like that, the Cardinals’ farm system loses a top pitching prospect and gains a full-time outfielder.
No worries.
A year later, the now 20-year-old outfielder continues hitting well over .300 through two more levels of the Cardinals’ system on his way to finishing the 1941 season in the majors.
There, in a brief September audition with St. Louis, the onetime unicorn hits .426 over 12 games.
By the following spring, he is playing everyday in the majors – and stays there for 22 seasons before retiring after the 1963 season with a National League record for hits with 3,630, along with 475 home runs, 1,951 runs batted in and a .331 career batting average.
He also is selected for the All-Star Game in each season he plays in the majors and wins three Most Valuable Player awards with the first coming during his rookie season in 1942.
Along his way to the Hall of Fame, the onetime unicorn also picks up the nickname of “The Man.”
Quite fitting for the player from Donora, Pa., the onetime unicorn whose real name is Stan Musial.