Stan Musial Collects His 3,000th Hit

On May 13, 1958, Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals doubled off Moe Drabowsky of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field for his 3,000th career hit. He was 37 years old and became just the eighth player in major league history to reach the milestone, the first since Paul Waner in 1942.

Musial wasn't supposed to play that day. Manager Fred Hutchinson wanted to save the milestone for the home crowd at Busch Stadium the following night. But the Cardinals trailed and needed a bat off the bench. Hutchinson sent Musial up to pinch-hit in the sixth inning. After fouling off three pitches and taking two balls, Musial lined the sixth pitch into the left-field corner for an RBI double that scored Gene Green. The modest Tuesday afternoon crowd of 5,692 at Wrigley gave him a standing ovation.

The hit was vintage Musial. He had built his career on a crouching, coiled batting stance that pitchers found almost impossible to solve consistently. He led the National League in batting seven times, won three MVP awards, and played in 24 All-Star Games. His consistency over two decades in St. Louis was staggering. He hit .331 for his career and rarely had an off season.

Musial's 3,000th hit came in his 17th season with the Cardinals. He had served in the Navy during the 1945 season, missing an entire year of his prime, and still accumulated enough hits to reach a number that only a handful of players had touched. He would play five more seasons after the milestone, retiring in 1963 with 3,630 hits.

The Hall of Fame inducted him in 1969 on the first ballot. A statue of Musial in his trademark stance stands outside Busch Stadium. The plaque beneath it reads, "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."