The National Baseball Hall of Fame Remembers Red Schoendienst
“It’s the biggest honor, because it’s the last one. There’s nothing that can come along and top it." - Red Schoendienst, on his Hall of Fame election in 1989
Red Schoendienst’s Hall of Fame plaque (elected, 1989)
Albert Fred Schoendienst, “Red”
St. Louis, N.L., 1945-1956, 1961-1963
New York, N.L., 1956-57
Milwaukee, N.L., 1957-1960
Roommate Stan Musial credited him with “Greatest pair of hands I’ve ever seen”. Sleek, far-ranging second baseman for 18 seasons. Led N.L. fielding and hit .300 or better seven times. When elected in 1989 had worn major league uniform 45 consecutive seasons as player, coach and manager, piloting Redbirds to World Series in 1967 and 1968. 14th inning homer won 1950 All-Star Game for N.L.
Red Schoendienst Bio
Born: Feb. 2, 1923, at Germantown, Ill.
Died: June 6, 2018, at Town and Country, Mo.
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 170
Threw: Right
Batted: Both
Credited by roommate Stan Musial as having “the greatest pair of hands I’ve ever seen,” Albert “Red” Schoendienst forged a 19-year career as a slick second baseman with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves, earning 10 All-Star selections. Schoendienst led the National League in fielding percentage six times and hit .300 or better on seven occasions. In 1945, as a rookie, he led the league in stolen bases. Schoendienst has spent more than seven decades in uniform, as a player, coach, manager and Spring Training coach. As a manager, he twice piloted the Cardinals to the World Series, winning in 1967.
Remembering Red Schoendienst
“Red Schoendienst’s love of the Hall of Fame was matched only by his commitment to the Cardinals, and his passion for the game itself. He returned to Cooperstown for Hall of Fame Weekend for decades after his election, his wonderful smile and laugh brightening the Museum on each visit. He will be forever missed by his Hall of Fame family.”
– Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman, Baseball Hall of Fame
“Gentleman Red Schoendienst was a star second baseman and ambassador, devoting his life to the game he loved. The 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series-winner will be remembered for clutch hitting, impenetrable defense and for spending more than 70 years in baseball, including 19 as a player and 14 as Cardinals manager. He was especially beloved in St. Louis, where ‘This Old Redbird,’ as he called himself, wore a Cardinals uniform longer than anyone else in the franchise’s history. In 1942, with only a quarter in his pocket, Red hitched a ride on a milk truck from his hometown in Illinois to St. Louis for a try-out with the Cardinals. Forty-seven years later, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Rest in Peace, Redbird.”
– Jeff Idelson, Hall of Fame President
Quotes about Red Schoendienst
Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, upon Red Schoendienst’s election to the Hall of Fame: “I played against Schoendienst for 15 years. (He) was the best all-around second baseman I ever saw.”
Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter: “Red was an amazing worker. He loved baseball. He loved to be out there just hitting fungoes. He was a special person."
On the web: Click here to view Red Schoendienst’s Hall of Fame plaque and a video tribute, and here to read his obituary.