Dizzy Dean and Albert Pujols Share a Birthday

January 16 belongs to two of the most celebrated hitters and entertainers in Cardinals history, born seventy years apart.

Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean arrived on January 16, 1910, in Lucas, Arkansas. He became the ace of the St. Louis Cardinals' Gas House Gang and, in 1934, won 30 games with a 2.66 ERA and 195 strikeouts. No National League pitcher has won 30 since. Dean took home the NL MVP that year and led the Cardinals to a World Series title over the Detroit Tigers. Arm injuries cut his career short, but his personality carried him into a second life as a beloved television broadcaster. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1953.

Albert Pujols was born on this date in 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He moved to Missouri as a teenager and debuted with the Cardinals in 2001, winning NL Rookie of the Year unanimously after hitting .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBI. Over his first eleven seasons in St. Louis, Pujols averaged more than 40 home runs and 120 RBI per year, won three NL MVP awards, and led the Cardinals to two World Series championships. He finished his career in 2022 with 703 home runs, fourth on the all-time list.

This date also produced Jimmy Collins, born in 1870 in Niagara Falls, New York. Collins became the first great defensive third baseman in professional baseball and served as player-manager of the Boston Americans when they won the first World Series in 1903. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945.