Fred Hutchinson had managed the 1957 Cardinals to an 87-67 record and second-place finish in the National League. Based on that performance, Gussie Busch was expecting the Cardinals to contend for a pennant in 1958. However, the 1958 Cardinals lost 14 of their first 17 games. Lacking both power and run production, the Cardinals entered September in the second division of the eight-team league.
“It’s apparent the club has to score more than it did this year,” Hutchinson said. “It’s a good 50 runs behind the second-poorest offensive club in the league. Both the pitching and defense have to be steadier, too.”
The Cardinals finished 72-82 and tied for fifth. They were last in the National League in runs (619), RBI (570) and home runs (111). The Cardinals also committed 151 errors, second-most in the league. Del Ennis productivity fell off sharply, 3 home runs, 47 rbi’s and was traded after season end. Al Dark was traded to the Chicago Cubs mid-season. Wally Moon suffered an elbow injury after colliding with Joe Cunningham in the outfield and missed an entire month, and as a result his hitting suffered, 7 hr’s, 38 rbi’s and a .238 ba. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1958 off-season.
On the bright side, Ken Boyer was moved back to third base as Curt Flood took over in centerfield and he responded with 23 hr’s, 90 rbi’s and a .307 ba. This started a streak of 7 consecutive seasons, 1958-1964, where Boyer would have at least 20 hr’s, 90rbi’s and would hit better than .300 in four of those seasons. Defensively, Boyer won his first gold glove award in 1958 and would win 4 more in his career. Joe Cunningham continued consistency from the 1957 season with a .312 ba and 12 hrs. Stan Musial at age 37 led the team in ba with a .337 mark, while collecting his 3,000th hit on June 13th.
Team ERA was 4.12 fifth in the National League. Sam Jones led the pitching staff in wins 14 but also lost 13, Larry Jackson was 13-13 and Wilmer Mizell was 10-14. No one else on the staff won as many as 10 games, Jim Brosnan was the closest with 8.
Bing Devine was acutely aware of Gussie Busch’s lack of patience and what disaster could befall the team when that patience ran out. He was aware moreover, that Busch wanted to make manager Fred Hutchinson the scapegoat for the poor performance of the team in 1958. Devine pleaded with Dick Meyer, Busch’s right-hand man whom Devine characterized as “one of the finest men I’ve ever known,” to exert his influence on his boss, “ but once Busch made up his mind to act, Meyer was no more able to change the baron’s mind as anyone else. And so, as general manager Bing Devine looked on hopelessly, on September 17, 1958, Gussie Busch fired Fred Hutchinson and for the last two weeks of the season had coach Stan Hack man the position. Busch then hired Solly Hemus to manage the Cardinals in 1959, even though the former Cardinal infielder had never managed before. The appointment of Hemus by Busch turned out to be unfortunate. There would be widespread and unhappiness during Hemu’s tenure. Devine could only sit back helplessly and watch.
Bing Devine recalls the firing this way. “Dick Meyer called me and said, “I’ll give you a few days to write up all your thoughts about Fred Hutchinson. I know you like him and want to keep him even though you didn’t hire him. Prepare something, set up a meeting, and come down to the brewery and give Mr. Busch all the reasons why we should keep Fred Hutchinson.”
“So I did that. We met a Grant’s Farm. I went with my prepared text, with all my points, to make sure I didn’t overlook anything. I read through them and answered a few questions.
“Mr. Busch looked at Dick and said, “now that was a fine presentation. I’m very impressed with that. Dick, do you want to tell him or should I?” Dick said “ Well you go ahead and tell him.” Mr. Busch said I’d like to have you hire Solly Hemus.”
“He had been impressed with Solly Hemus. When Solly was traded by Frank Lane from the Cardinals to Philadelphia, he had written Mr. Busch a nice letter that said, “Dear Mr. Busch, I really enjoyed playing in the Cardinal organization. You have a fine, first-class organization. I’m sorry to leave, and if I ever come back it would fulfill all my expectations. I would be gratified if I could come back.” And Mr. Busch was impressed. He knew Solly was a hell-bent-for-leather, fiery ballplayer with limited talent, and he made up his mind to hire Solly Hemus. So we hired Solly Hemus.”
Said Devine: “I was kind of hurt by the whole process of firing Hutchinson and hiring Hemus … I had made what I thought was a thorough report and the determination was made for me without my views being considered.”
On Sept. 13, Devine informed Hutchinson he would be fired during the last week of the season. When word leaked and reports appeared in the press, the Cardinals moved up the date of the dismissal, calling the press conference for Sept. 17.
At the press conference that followed on Sept. 17, 1958, a distraught Devine spoke so glowingly about Hutchinson that the reporters there said it seemed like the manager was being hired, not fired.
The Associated Press described Devine as “grim-faced” as he announced Hutchinson and his coaching staff were fired. (Coach Stan Hack agreed to remain as interim manager for the final 10 games.) Hutchinson, who attended the press conference, “appeared in good spirits,” the Associated Press reported.
Devine told The Sporting News, “We have no direct criticism, and this is most difficult when it’s a man like Hutch, who gave us full effort, was most cooperative and 100 percent in giving young players a chance.”
According to United Press International, “It appeared clear Hutch was the victim of baseball’s strange logic: If the bus breaks down, fire the driver.”
Hutchinson was 232-220 in three years (1956-58) as Cardinals manager. Three years after his firing, he managed the Reds to the 1961 pennant. Hemus went 190-192, his highest finish, 3rd in 1960, as St. Louis manager before he was fired in July 1961 and replaced by one of his coaches, Johnny Keane. Hemus was never hired to manage in the major leagues again.
Cardinal fans could only be left to wonder what might have been had the Fred Hutchinson/Bing Devine team been left in place and Hutch allowed to develop the Cardinal young stars of the future, Curt Flood, Bill White & Bob Gibson, while building a nucleus around Stan Musial, Ken Boyer, Joe Cunningham and Wally Moon. But Devine for whatever reason, traded Moon after the ’58 season, maybe the worst trade he ever made. It’s clear Hutchinson would have played Musial much different than Hemus. In 1959 Musial’s batting average fell below .300 for the first time in his career and he wouldn’t hit .300 again until 1962 prior to his retirement at the end of the 1963 season. His playing time was reduced by roughly 20 games 1959-mid 1961. What happened in mid-1961, Hemus was fired and replaced with Johnny Keane, the man Bing Devine wanted in 1959 if he had to let Hutch go.
Season Highlights:
May 13 Stan Musial collected his 3000th career hit, becoming the eighth player (and the first since Paul Waner in 1941) to reach the 3,000-hit mark. The hit, a pinch hit double came against the Cubs in Chicago.
Sam Jones was the National League strikeout leader (225) shattering the Cardinals single season record of 199 set by Dizzy Dean in 1933.
Stan Musial, Larry Jackson & Don Blasingame were named to the National League All-Star team.
