:Stan Musial

Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, as Stanislaw Franciszek Musial, the fifth of the six children (four girls and two boys) of Lukasz Musial (originally Musiał; {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|uː|ʃ|aʊ}}) and Mary Lancos.Musial and Broeg 1964: 6 His mother was of Carpatho-Rusyn descent. His father was a Polish immigrant who always referred to his son by the Polish nickname Stasiu, pronounced "Stashu".{{cite web | url = http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Musial__Stan.html | title = Musial, Stanley Frank | publisher = Pennsylvania Center for the Book | access-date = January 22, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130131133205/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Musial__Stan.html | archive-date = January 31, 2013 }} Young Stan frequently played baseball with his brother Ed and other friends during his childhood, and considered Lefty Grove his favorite ballplayer.Lansche 1994: 6Musial and Broeg 1964: pp. 10–11 Musial also learned about baseball from his neighbor Joe Barbao, a former minor league pitcher.Musial and Broeg 1964: p. 10 When he enrolled in school, his name was formally changed to Stanley Frank Musial.

At age 15, Musial joined the Donora Zincs, a semi-professional team managed by Barbao. In his Zincs debut, he pitched six innings and struck out 13 batters, all of them adults. One of the outfielders on that team was Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Junior’s grandfather.Lansche 1994: 7 He played one season on the newly revived Donora High School baseball team, where one of his teammates was Buddy Griffey, father of MLB player Ken Griffey Sr. and grandfather to Ken Griffey Jr.Giglio 2001: 23–24{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=1825227|title=Reds star hits 500th career home run|access-date=February 28, 2009|agency=Associated Press|date=June 20, 2004|website=ESPN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026125000/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=1825227|archive-date=October 26, 2012|url-status=live}} His exploits as a rising player in Pennsylvania earned him the nickname "The Donora Greyhound".{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/musiast01.php |title=Stan Musial player page |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316040830/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/musiast01.php |archive-date=March 16, 2011 }}

Musial also played basketball and was offered an athletic scholarship in that sport by the University of Pittsburgh.Musial and Broeg 1964: p. 14 Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals had scouted Musial as a pitcher and, in 1937, offered him a professional contract after a workout with their Class D Penn State League affiliate.Lansche 1994: p. 8 Musial's father initially resisted the idea of his son pursuing a baseball career, but he reluctantly gave consent after lobbying by his son and his wife.Giglio 2001: 26–27 Musial also credited his school librarian Helen Kloz for pointing out that baseball was his dream and advising him to pursue it professionally. In what was then a common practice, the Cardinals did not file the contract with the baseball commissioner's office until June 1938. This preserved Musial's amateur eligibility, and he was still able to participate in high school sports, leading Donora High School's basketball team to a playoff appearance.Musial and Broeg 1964: 21 He then reported to the Cardinals' Class D affiliate in West Virginia, the Williamson Red Birds.Musial and Broeg 1964: 24–25Giglio 2001: 27–29

Musial's rookie year with Williamson in 1938 was a period of adjustment both on and off the field. He began gaining more in-depth knowledge about baseball strategyMusial and Broeg 1964: 27–28 while posting a 6–6 win–loss record and a 4.66 earned run average (ERA), to go along with a .258 batting average.Musial and Broeg 1964: 28 Off the field, he experienced feelings of homesickness while learning to live comfortably and independently on his $65-per-month salary ({{Inflation|US|65|1928|fmt=eq|r=-1}}). Musial finished his high school education before returning to Williamson in spring 1939. That season his numbers improved to a 9–2 record, a 4.30 ERA, and a .352 batting average.Lansche 1994: 12Musial and Broeg 1964: 31 Musial spent the 1940 season with the Cardinals' other Class D team, the Daytona Beach Islanders, where he developed a lifelong friendship with manager Dickie Kerr.Giglio 2001: 35–38 His pitching skills improved under the guidance of Kerr, who also recognized his hitting talent, playing him in the outfield between pitching starts.Vecsey 2011: 72–74 On May 25, 1940, Musial married fellow Donora resident, Lillian "Lil" Labash, in Daytona Beach, and the couple's first child followed in August.Giglio 2001: 36–37 During late August, Musial suffered a shoulder injury while playing in the outfield, and later made an early exit as the starting pitcher in a 12–5 playoff game loss.Musial and Broeg 1964: 33–35 For a while Musial considered leaving baseball entirely, complaining that he could not afford to support himself and his wife on the $16 a week pay. Kerr talked him out of it, and even took the Musials into his own home to relieve the financial burden. To repay the debt, Musial bought Kerr a $20,000 ({{Inflation|US|20000|1958|fmt=eq|r=-4}}) home in Houston in 1958.Newsweek, June 2, 1958 In 113 games in 1940 he hit .311, while compiling an 18–5 pitching record that included 176 strikeouts and 145 walks.Musial and Broeg 1964: 32Lansche 1994: 15

Musial was assigned to the Class AA Columbus Red Birds to begin 1941, though manager Burt Shotton and Musial himself quickly realized that the previous year's injury had considerably weakened his arm.Musial and Broeg 1964: 37–38 He was reassigned to the Class C Springfield Cardinals as a full-time outfielder, and he later credited manager Ollie Vanek for displaying confidence in his hitting ability.Musial and Broeg 1964: 40 During 87 games with Springfield, Musial hit a league-leading .379 before being promoted to the Rochester Red Wings of the International League.Lansche 1994: 16–17 He was noted for his unique batting stance, a crouch in which his back was seemingly square to the pitcher. This stance was later described by pitcher Ted Lyons as "a kid peeking around the corner to see if the cops were coming". According to a 1950 description by author Tom Meany, "The bent knees and the crouch give him the appearance of a coiled spring, although most pitchers think of him as a coiled rattlesnake."Meany, Tom, "Baseball's Greatest Hitters: Stan Musial", Baseball Digest, June 1950, p. 64. Musial continued to play well in Rochester—in one three-game stretch, he had 11 hits. He was called up to the Cardinals for the last two weeks of the 1941 season.Musial and Broeg 1964: 43–44

File:Musial statue.JPG captures his signature batting stance.|alt=A bronze statue of baseball great Stan Musial]]

Musial made his major league debut during the second game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park on September 17, 1941.Lansche 1994: 24–25 The Cardinals were in the midst of a pennant race with the Brooklyn Dodgers; in 12 games, Musial collected 20 hits for a .426 batting average.Lansche 1994: 19, 27 Despite Musial's late contributions, the Cardinals finished two and one-half games behind the 100-game-winning Dodgers.{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1941/Y_1941.htm |title=The 1941 Season |access-date=March 22, 2009 |publisher=Retrosheet|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911193007/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1941/Y_1941.htm |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |url-status=live }}

Cardinals manager Billy Southworth used Musial as a left fielder to begin 1942, sometimes lifting him for a pinch-hitter against left-handed pitching.Musial and Broeg 1964: 54–55 Musial was hitting .315 by late June,Musial and Broeg 1964: 56 as the Cardinals resumed battling the Dodgers for first place in the National League (NL).Musial and Broeg 1964: 56–57 The Cardinals took sole possession of first place on September 13, and when Musial caught a fly ball to end the first game of a doubleheader on September 27 they clinched the pennant with their 105th win.Lansche 1994: 38 He finished the season with a .315 batting average and 72 runs batted in (RBI) in 140 games. Musial received national publicity when he was named by St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports editor J. Roy Stockton as his choice for Rookie of the Year in a Saturday Evening Post article.Lansche 1994: 40

The Cardinals played the American League champion New York Yankees in the 1942 World Series.Schoor 1990: 187 Representing the winning run at home plate in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 at Sportsman's Park, Musial grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game.Schoor 1990: 188 Musial's first hit of the Series was an RBI single that provided the margin of victory in Game 2, allowing the Cardinals to tie the Series.Lansche 1994: 41 Over the next three games at Yankee Stadium, Musial had three more hits as the Cardinals defeated the Yankees in the Series four games to one.Schoor 1990: 190 Musial batted .222 for the Series, with two runs scored.Schoor 1990: 403 Musial's 1943 season started with a brief contract holdout in spring training.Musial and Broeg 1964: 74–76 He made the National League All-Star team for the first time as a starting left fielder and got a double in the All-Star Game on July 13. He finished the season leading the major leagues in hitting with a .357 batting average and led the NL in hits (220), doubles (48), triples (20), total bases (347), on-base percentage (.425), and slugging percentage (.562).Giglio 2001: 86 This performance earned him his first NL Most Valuable Player Award, ahead of teammate and catcher Walker Cooper (.318 batting average). After romping to another NL pennant by 18 games, the Cardinals again faced the Yankees in the 1943 World Series.Giglio 2001: 87 Musial had a single in the Cardinals' Game 1 loss, and scored a run in a Game 2 win. The Cardinals did not win another game in the Series, but the loser's bonus share paid to each Cardinals player ($4,321.99, {{Inflation|US|4321.99|1943|fmt=eq|r=-2}}) still amounted to nearly two-thirds of Musial's regular season salary.Giglio 2001: 88

United States involvement in World War II began to impinge on Musial's baseball career in 1944, as he underwent a physical examination in prelude to possible service in the armed forces.Giglio 2001: 89 He ultimately remained with the Cardinals for the entire season, posting a .347 batting average with 197 hits.Lansche 1994: 60{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmusis101.htm |title=Stan Musial |access-date=February 24, 2009 |publisher=Retrosheet|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907141912/http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmusis101.htm |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=live }} The Cardinals claimed the NL pennant for the third consecutive season, and faced St. Louis's other major league team, the Browns, in the 1944 World Series.Lansche 1994: 63–64 The Browns took a 2–1 lead, while Musial hit .250 with no RBI.Giglio 2001: 93 He broke out in Game 4 with a two-run home run, single, double, and a walk as part of a 5–1 Cardinals win. The Cardinals went on to defeat the Browns in six games, and Musial posted a .304 batting average for the Series.Giglio 2001: 93–94Schoor 1990: 404

Musial enlisted in the United States Navy on January 23, 1945, during World War II. He was initially assigned to non-combat duty at the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge.Lansche 1994: 66 In June 1945, he was assigned to Special Services in Hawaii, and was assigned to a ferry launch unit to bring back damaged ship crews entering Pearl Harbor where he was able to play baseball every afternoon in the naval base's eight-team league.Lansche 1994: 67 After being granted emergency leave to see his ailing father in January 1946, he was briefly assigned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard before his honorable discharge from the Navy as a Seaman Second Class in March 1946.{{Cite web |url=http://www.baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/musial_stan.htm |title=Baseball in Wartime. Stan Musial |access-date=July 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710024612/http://www.baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/musial_stan.htm |archive-date=July 10, 2013 |url-status=live }} In 2007, Musial received the Navy Memorial's Lone Sailor Award, which honors Navy veterans who have excelled in civilian life.{{Cite web |url=https://www.navymemorial.org/previous-lone-sailor-award-recipients |title=Lone Sailor Award Recipients |publisher=United States Navy Memorial |access-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-date=November 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115204414/https://www.navymemorial.org/previous-lone-sailor-award-recipients/ |url-status=live }}

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|quote="Every time Stan came up they chanted, 'Here comes the man!'"

|source=—Cardinals traveling secretary Leo Ward relates Dodger fans' nickname for Musial to sportswriter Bob Broeg

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Rejoining the Cardinals under new manager Eddie Dyer, Musial posted a .388 batting average by the middle of May 1946.Lansche 1994: 69, 72 He also became close friends with new teammate Red Schoendienst, who had joined the Cardinals during Musial's absence in 1945.Giglio 2001: 123 During the season, Musial (who was under contract to the Cardinals for $13,500 in 1946) was offered a five-year, $125,000 contract, plus a $50,000 bonus, to join the Mexican League.Musial and Broeg 1964: 90 He declined the offer, and after manager Dyer spoke to club owner Sam Breadon, Musial was given a $5,000 raise later in 1946.Lansche 1994: 73

It was also during the 1946 season that Musial acquired his nickname of Stan the Man.Lansche 1994: 75 During the June 23 game against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriter Bob Broeg heard Dodger fans chanting whenever Musial came to bat, but could not understand the words.{{cite web |title=The 1946 St. Louis Cardinals Regular Season Game Log |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/VSLN01946.htm |publisher=Retrosheet |access-date=May 31, 2009}} Later that day over dinner, Broeg asked Cardinals traveling secretary Leo Ward if he had understood what the Dodger fans had been chanting. Ward said, "Every time Stan came up they chanted, 'Here comes the man!'" "'That man,' you mean", Broeg said. "No, the man", replied Ward. Broeg mentioned this story in his Post-Dispatch column, and Musial was thereafter known as Stan "The Man".

File:Stan Musial.png, September 1948]]

In June 1946, Dyer began to use Musial as a first baseman.Musial and Broeg 1964: 91–92 The Cardinals finished the season tied with the Dodgers,Lansche 1994: 77 prompting a three-game playoff for the pennant. Musial's Game 1 triple and Game 2 double contributed to the Cardinals' two-games-to-none series victory.Lansche 1994: 78–79 Facing the Boston Red Sox, the Cardinals won the 1946 World Series four games to three,Schoor 1990: 204 as Musial had six hits and four RBI.Schoor 1990: 207, 405 He batted .365 for the season and won his second NL MVP Award, receiving 22 out of a possible 24 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Brooklyn's Dixie Walker (.319 batting average).Lansche 1994: 84

Musial began the 1947 season by hitting .146 in April.Lansche 1994: 90 On May 9, team doctor Dr. Robert Hyland confirmed a previous diagnosis of appendicitis, while discovering that Musial was concurrently suffering from tonsillitis.Lansche 1994: 89 He received treatment, but did not have either his appendix or tonsils surgically removed until after the season ended.Lansche 1994: 89, 93 Despite his health woes, he finished the year with a batting average of .312.Broeg 1981: 116

Fully recovered from his ailments, Musial recorded his 1,000th career hit on April 25, 1948.Lansche 1994: 93–94 After a May 7 St. Louis Globe-Democrat article criticized baseball players for appearing in cigarette advertisements, he made a personal decision to never again appear in such ads.Lansche 1994: 94 By June 24, his batting average was .408, prompting Brooklyn pitcher Preacher Roe to comically announce his new method for retiring Musial: "Walk him on four pitches and pick him off first."Lansche 1994: 95–96 Given a mid-season pay raise by new Cardinals owner Robert E. Hannegan for his outstanding performance, Musial hit a home run in the All-Star Game.Lansche 1994: 96 On September 22, he registered five hits in a game for the fourth time in the season, tying a mark set by Ty Cobb in 1922.Lansche 1994: 97

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|quote="He missed tying for the top in homers by one rained out home run. If it had counted, he would have won the Triple Crown that year...and in addition have been the only player of this century to lead the league in runs, hits, double, triples, and slugging percentage. What a year!"

|source=—Sportswriter Bob Broeg, on Musial's 1948 season{{cite web |last=Goold |first=Derrick |title=The search for The Man's lost homer |url=http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/article_f4410375-cde4-5c41-87ee-91a9b680f2f2.html |date=April 2, 2008 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |access-date=September 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825155102/http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/article_f4410375-cde4-5c41-87ee-91a9b680f2f2.html |archive-date=August 25, 2012 |url-status=live }}

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Musial finished the 1948 season leading the major leagues in batting average (.376), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18), total bases (429), and slugging percentage (.702).Giglio 2001: 167 Winning the NL batting title by a 43-point margin, with an on-base percentage lead of 27 points and a 138-point slugging percentage margin—the latter being the largest gap since Rogers Hornsby's 1925 season—Musial became the first player to win three NL MVP awards. If a home run he hit during a rained out game had been counted in his season totals, he would have won the Triple Crown by leading the NL in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.Broeg 1981: 121

Anticipating life after his baseball career, Musial began the first of several business partnerships with Julius "Biggie" Garagnani in January 1949, opening "Stan Musial & Biggie's" restaurant.{{cite magazine |title=That Man |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933898-6,00.html |date=September 5, 1949 |magazine=TIME |access-date=August 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205061930/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933898-6,00.html |archive-date=December 5, 2008 |url-status=dead }}Lansche 1994: 101 He approached the 1949 season with the intent to try to hit more home runs, stating he had hit 39 the previous season "without trying".Giglio 2001: 174 His new focus on hitting for power backfired, as pitchers began using the outside part of the plate to induce him to ground out to the first or second baseman. Musial soon stopped focusing on hitting home runs and resumed his consistent offensive production by the end of May. He received his sixth consecutive All-Star player selection and finished the season leading the NL in hits (207) while playing in every game.Giglio 2001: 180 However, the Cardinals, with 96 wins, finished one game behind the Dodgers.Giglio 2001: 179

In the late 1940s, when baseball was slowly becoming integrated, Musial—along with his roommate Red Schoendienst—would be lauded by newcomers such as Dodgers' pitcher Don Newcombe for their tolerance. "They never...had the need to sit in the dugout and call a black guy a bunch of names", Newcombe said, "because he was trying to change the game and make it what it should have been in the first place, a game for all people."

Musial began the 1950s by posting a .350 batting average before participating in the 1950 All-Star Game, where in fan balloting he was the NL's number two choice.Giglio 2001: 187 He had the longest hitting streak of his career during the 1950 season—a 30-game stretch that ended on July 27. With the Cardinals falling 14 games out of first place by September, manager Dyer used him at first base and all three outfield positions.Lansche 1994: 112–113 New Cardinals manager Marty Marion led the team to a third-place finish in 1951, while Musial led the National League with a .355 batting average, 355 total bases, 124 runs and 12 triples. He finished second in NL MVP voting for the third year in a row and was named The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year.Lansche 1994: 116

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|quote="No man has ever been a perfect ballplayer. Stan Musial, however, is the closest to being perfect in the game today.... He plays as hard when his club is away out in front of a game as he does when they're just a run or two behind."

|source=—Ty Cobb, on Musial in a 1952 Life magazine article

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National media attention inadvertently turned to Musial a month before the 1952 season began, after Ty Cobb wrote an article regarding modern baseball players that was published in Life magazine.Lansche 1994: 118 Cobb singled out Musial and Phil Rizzuto as the only players "who can be mentioned in the same breath with the oldtime greats". Cobb went on to refer to Musial as "a better player than Joe DiMaggio was in his prime." In response, Musial displayed his characteristic modesty, saying, "Cobb is baseball's greatest. I don't want to contradict him, but I can't say that I was ever as good as Joe DiMaggio."

The only major league pitching appearance of Musial's career occurred as a publicity stunt during the last Cardinals home game of the 1952 season.Giglio 2001: 231Lansche 1994: 119 Manager Eddie Stanky had a reluctant Musial pitch to Frank Baumholtz, the runner-up to Musial for the best batting average in the NL that season. With Baumholtz batting right-handed for the first time in his career, Musial's first pitch was hit so hard it ricocheted off the shin of third baseman Solly Hemus and into the left field corner. The play was ruled an error, and Musial was embarrassed enough by his complicity in the gimmick to avoid pitching again for the remainder of his career.

The Cardinals franchise was up for sale in early 1953, and Musial and Schoendienst advised their friend and fellow duck-hunter Gussie Busch to consider buying the team.Giglio 2001: 184 Busch used the resources of the Anheuser-Busch company to purchase the Cardinals, keeping Musial in St. Louis by averting the possibility of a move by the team to another city.Lansche 1994: 121 The 1953 season marked Musial's 10th NL All-Star selection, and the 12th consecutive time he finished a major league season with a batting average above .300.Giglio 2001: 194 Musial accomplished another historical feat on May 2, 1954, in a doubleheader in St. Louis against the New York Giants: he hit three home runs in the first contest, then added two more in the second to become the first major leaguer to hit five home runs in a doubleheader.Giglio 2001: 195 In addition to his five home runs, he also hit a single in the first game, setting a new record of 21 total bases for a doubleheader. The only player besides Musial to hit five home runs in a doubleheader is Nate Colbert, who achieved the feat in 1972. Oddly enough, as a young child, Colbert was in attendance as Musial set his record.Lansche 1994: 131

Musial made his 12th NL All-Star appearance in 1955 as a reserve player, when Cincinnati's Ted Kluszewski outpolled him by 150,000 votes to get on the starting lineup at first base.Lansche 1994: 136 Musial entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fourth inning, and played left field as the game entered extra innings.Lansche 1994: 137 Leading off the bottom of the 12th, he hit a home run to give the NL a 6–5 victory.

File:Stan Musial - St. Louis Cardinals - 1957.jpg

The 1956 season marked another milestone for Musial, when he broke Mel Ott's NL record for extra-base hits on August 12.Musial and Broeg 1964: 180 Earlier that season, Cardinals general manager "Trader Frank" Lane began negotiations to trade him for Philadelphia pitcher Robin Roberts.Lansche 1994: 141–143 When Cardinals owner Gussie Busch learned of the possible move, he made it clear that Musial was not available for any trade.Lansche 1994: 143 Instead, Lane dealt Musial's close friend Schoendienst to the New York Giants; an upset Musial made no immediate comment to the press.Lansche 1994: 143–144

On June 11, 1957, Musial tied the NL record for consecutive games played with his 822nd, a streak that began on the last day of the 1951 season.Lansche 1994: 147–148 Despite ballot stuffing by Cincinnati Reds fans, he was selected and played in the All-Star Game held at Sportsman's Park.Lansche 1994: 149 When he overextended his swing while batting during a game on August 23, Musial fractured a bone in his left shoulder socket and tore muscles over his collarbone.Lansche 1994: 151 He was unable to play again until September 8, ending his consecutive games-played streak at 895. He finished 1957 as Sports Illustrated{{'}}s "Sportsman of the Year".{{cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/12/23/for-1957-the-editors-of-sports-illustrated-choose-stan-musial |title=For 1957 The Editors of Sports Illustrated Choose Stan Musial |last=O'Neil |first=Paul |date=December 23, 1957 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}

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|quote="Line drive! Into left field! Hit number three thousand! A run has scored! Musial around first, on his way to second with a double. Holy Cow! He came through!"

|source=—Harry Caray's radio play-by-play call of Musial's 3,000th major league hitGiglio 2001: 207

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Musial signed one of the first $100,000 contracts in NL history on January 29, 1958. (According to Baseball Almanac, Hank Greenberg was the first with Pittsburgh in 1947.)Lansche 1994: 155 He quickly demonstrated a return on the investment by sharing with Willie Mays the inaugural (and for the only time in Musial's career) NL Player of the Month in May (no such award was given in April until 1969) batting .374, with 4 HR, and 16 RBI. Also that month, as he was approaching the 3,000-hit milestone in his major league career, he expressed a desire to record the hit in St. Louis.Lansche 1994: 156–157 He ultimately reached the mark with a pinch-hit, sixth inning RBI double at Chicago's Wrigley Field on May 13.Reidenbaugh 1993: 214Lansche 1994: 157–158 The eighth major league player to reach 3,000 hits, and the first to reach the milestone with an extra-base hit, Musial was greeted at St. Louis Union Station that evening by roughly 1,000 fans.Lansche 1994: 158–159 Finishing the season in sixth place, the Cardinals embarked on an exhibition tour of Japan, winning 14 of 16 games against top players from the Central and Pacific Japanese Leagues.Lansche 1994: 162–163

Taking a new approach to preparation for the 1959 season, Musial was given permission to report late to spring training so that he might conserve his energy for the duration of the year.Lansche 1994: 165–166 Musial, at {{convert|6|ft|cm}} tall, had maintained a weight of around {{convert|175|lb|kg}} throughout his career. He reported to spring training approximately {{convert|10|lb|kg}} overweight and in substandard physical condition.Giglio 2001: 213Lansche 1994: 166 He began the season with one hit in 15 at-bats. Despite his early offensive struggles, he single-handedly spoiled potential no-hitters on April 16 and 19. A game-winning home run on May 7 made him the first major league player ever with 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. As he continued to hit at a relatively low pace, his playing time was limited by Cardinals manager Solly Hemus at various points during the season.Lansche 1994: 167 Seeking more revenue for the players' pension fund, Major League Baseball held two All-Star games in a season for the first time through 1962.Lansche 1994: 168 Musial made his 16th All-Star appearance (16th season)Sportsdata. Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game. "There were two games a year from 1959 to 1962" ... "all players who were named to the AL or NL roster were credited with one appearance per season". Retrieved April 10, 2015 [http://www.sportsdatallc.com/2012/07/09/midsummer-classics-celebrating-mlbs-all-star-game] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330031638/http://www.sportsdatallc.com/2012/07/09/midsummer-classics-celebrating-mlbs-all-star-game/ |date=March 30, 2015 }} and pinch-hit in both contests, flying out in the July 7 game and drawing a walk in the August 3 game. He finished the season with 115 regular game appearances, a .255 batting average, 37 runs, and a slugging percentage of .428.

During the 1959 season, John F. Kennedy approached Musial about supporting Kennedy's campaign for President, citing their close ages. Musial campaigned for Kennedy later that year and became a supporter of the Democratic Party.{{cite web|url=http://blog.aarp.org/2013/01/20/stan-musial-10-fascinating-facts-about-stan-the-man/|title=Musial campaigns for Kennedy|date=January 20, 2013|access-date=October 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602091632/http://blog.aarp.org/2013/01/20/stan-musial-10-fascinating-facts-about-stan-the-man/|archive-date=June 2, 2015|url-status=live}}

On June 30, 1959, Musial was the batter in one of the oddest plays in baseball history. In a game between the Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, he was at the plate with a count of 3–1. Bob Anderson's next pitch was errant, evading catcher Sammy Taylor and rolling all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore called ball four, even as Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial had foul tipped the ball. Because the ball was still in play and Delmore was embroiled in an argument with the catcher and pitcher, Musial kept running in attempt to make second base. Seeing that Musial was trying for second, Alvin Dark ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball. The ball wound up in the hands of field announcer Pat Pieper, but Dark ended up getting it back anyway. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new ball and gave it to Taylor. Anderson finally noticed that Musial was trying for second, took the new ball, and threw it to second baseman Tony Taylor. Anderson's throw flew over Taylor's head into the outfield. Dark, at the same time that Anderson threw the new ball, threw the original ball to shortstop Ernie Banks. Musial did not see Dark's throw and only noticed Anderson's ball fly over the second baseman's head, so he tried to go to third base. On his way there, he was tagged by Banks, and after a delay he was ruled out.{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tTtSAAAAIBAJ&pg=4767,261477&dq=bob+anderson+stan+musial&hl=en |title=Musial Is First in History Put Out By 2 Baseballs! |access-date=October 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025205640/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tTtSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_3YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4767,261477&dq=bob+anderson+stan+musial&hl=en |archive-date=October 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}

Based on his 1959 performance, Musial accepted a pay cut in 1960 from his previous $100,000 salary to $80,000.Vecsey 2011: 230 He was eager to prove that his mediocre performance was the result of improper physical conditioning, and he enlisted the help of Walter Eberhardt, Saint Louis University's director of physical education.Musial and Broeg 1964: 211 In June 1960, newspaper articles began speculating that Musial would soon retire, yet he finished the season with a .275 batting average.Lansche 1994: 171 He addressed the speculation in September, confirming that he would play again in 1961. His .288 batting average that season reaffirmed his decision.Lansche 1994: 173 In 1962, Musial posted a .330 batting average, good for third in the batting race, with 19 homers and 82 RBI. As a pinch-hitter, he had 14 base hits in 19 at-bats (.737).Broeg 1981: 167 Along the way, he established new NL career marks for hits and RBI.{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Larry|title=Stan The Man becomes NL's all-time hits leader|website=ESPN|date=November 19, 2003|url=http://a.espncdn.com/classic/s/moment010519musialhitrecord.html|access-date=December 14, 2020}} That same year on July 8, the 41-year-old Musial became the oldest player ever to hit three home runs in one game.{{cite news|last=Hummel|first=Rick|title=Stan Musial's career through the years|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=January 19, 2013|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/stan-musials-career-through-the-years/article_0965847f-f3f8-593c-95bb-c698fad6c25e.html|access-date=December 14, 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528202841/https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/stan-musials-career-through-the-years/article_0965847f-f3f8-593c-95bb-c698fad6c25e.html|url-status=live}}

{{MLBBioRet

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|Image_alt=A depiction of Stan Musial's number six, with the number six colored red against a dark green background, similar to how it appeared on the outfield wall of Busch Stadium in the late 2000s.

|Name = Stan Musial

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|Team = St. Louis Cardinals

|Year = 1963

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The Cardinals began 1963 by winning 10 of their first 15 games, as Musial posted a .237 batting average.Lansche 1994: 190 He set a new major league record for career extra-base hits on May 8 and improved his batting average to .277 by the end of the month.Lansche 1994: 191 Making his 20th All-Star appearance and 24th All-Star Game appearance on July 9, 1963, he pinch-hit in the fifth inning. Asked by general manager Bing Devine on July 26 what his plans were, Musial said that he would retire at season's end.Lansche 1994: 191–192 He waited until the Cardinals team picnic on August 12 to publicly announce his decision, hopeful he could retire on a winning note.Lansche 1994: 192

Musial became a grandfather for the first time in the early hours of September 10; later that day, he hit a home run in his first at-bat.Lansche 1994: 193 After sweeping a doubleheader on September 15, the Cardinals had won 19 of their last 20 games, and were one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers then swept the Cardinals in a three-game series in St. Louis and clinched the NL pennant on September 25.Lansche 1994: 193–194 Musial's last game, on September 29, 1963, was preceded by an hour-long retirement ceremony.Lansche 1994: 196 Speakers at the event included baseball commissioner Ford Frick, Cardinals broadcaster Harry Caray, and Cardinals owner Gussie Busch, who announced that Musial's uniform number "6" would be retired by the team. During the game, Musial recorded a single in the fourth inning, then hit a single to right field that scored teammate Curt Flood in the sixth. Cardinals manager Johnny Keane brought in Gary Kolb as a pinch-runner for Musial, bringing his major league career to an end. Just as he had recorded two base hits in his major league debut, Musial finished his last game with two hits, as well. Musial finished with the all-time National League hits record{{cite web|title= Musial, Stan|publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/musial-stan|access-date=December 10, 2021}} and second to only Ty Cobb on the all-time Major League list. Musial's last career hit was out of reach of Cincinnati Reds second baseman Pete Rose, who would go on to break Cobb's record to become baseball's all-time hit king.{{cite magazine|last=Jaffe|first=Jay|title=Stan Musial by the numbers|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=January 20, 2013|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2013/01/20/stan-musial-by-the-numbers|access-date=March 14, 2022}}

{{Quote box

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At the time of his retirement, Musial held or shared 17 major league records, 29 NL records, and nine All-Star Game records.Eisenbath 1999: 251 Among those records, he ranked as the major league career leader in extra-base hits (1,377) and total bases (6,134).Lansche 1994: 197 He also held NL career marks in categories such as hits (3,630), games played (3,026), doubles (725), and RBI (1,951). He finished his career with 475 home runs despite never having led the NL in the category. Jerry Lansche speculates Musial would likely have become the second player, after Babe Ruth, with 2,000 RBI, and would have exceeded 500 career home runs had he not served in the military.{{cite book | title=Playing for Their Nation: Baseball and the American Military during World War II | publisher=University of Nebraska Press | author=Bullock, Steven R. | page=128 | year=2004 | isbn=0-8032-1337-9}} His lowest full season RBI output before the war was 72 (in 1942) and as he needed only 49 RBI to reach 2,000 for his full career, he certainly would have exceeded 2,000 RBI by playing without injury in 1945. His home run production is a different story and it is highly unlikely he would have reached 500. He did not hit more than 13 home runs in any season before he entered the navy and did not hit as many as 25 (the number he would have needed to become a 500 career homer club member) until 1948, 3 years after returning to baseball from World War II. Amazingly, his career hit total was exactly evenly split between 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road. Steven R. Bullock speculates that it is possible that without military service Musial might have continued playing to attempt to exceed Ty Cobb's career hit record of 4,191.{{r|bullock2004}} Musial recorded 8 five-hit games and 59 four-hit games in his 22-year MLB career. He had two 3-home run games, on May 2, 1954 and July 8, 1962.{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/PX_musis101.htm|title=Top Performances for Stan Musial|publisher=Retrosheet|access-date=September 25, 2022}}

As a pinch-hitter, he recorded a .276 batting average (37-for-134) in that role in his career.{{cite web|url=https://baseball-reference.com/players/m/musiast01-bat.shtml|title=Stan Musial Situational Batting Data at Baseball Reference|website=baseball-reference.com|accessdate= January 27, 2024}}

He was the first major league player to appear in more than 1,000 games at two different positions, registering 1,896 games in the outfield and 1,016 at first base.Lansche 1994: 198 Since Musial's retirement in 1963, Tony Gwynn has been the only player to finish his career with a higher lifetime batting average. Hank Aaron has been the only player to surpass his record of 6,134 total bases.{{cite web|title=Career Leaders & Records for Total Bases|website=Baseball-Reference.com|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/TB_career.shtml|access-date=December 6, 2021}}

In Musial's 3,026 major league appearances, he was never ejected from a game.Lansche 1994: 14 Speaking about his quiet reputation within the sport's history, sportscaster Bob Costas said, "He didn't hit a homer in his last at-bat; he hit a single. He didn't hit in 56 straight games. He married his high school sweetheart and stayed married to her. ... All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being."{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Larry |title=Musial was gentleman killer |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Musial_Stan.html |year=2007 |website=ESPN |access-date=November 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712093843/http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Musial_Stan.html |archive-date=July 12, 2011 |url-status=live }}

File:Visit of Stan Musial, Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the St. Louis Cardinals, and family (cropped).jpg, his wife, Lillian, and daughter, Janet, in the Oval Office in 1962]]

Musial was named a vice president of the St. Louis Cardinals in September 1963, and he remained in that position until after the 1966 season.Lansche 1994: p. 199 From February 1964 to January 1967, he also served as President Lyndon B. Johnson's physical fitness adviser, a part-time position created to promote better fitness among American citizens.Giglio 2001: pp. 275–78 Before the 1967 season began, the Cardinals named Musial the team's general manager, and he oversaw the club's World Series championship that year. He won the allegiance of Cardinals players by making fair offers from the outset of player-contract negotiations and creating an in-stadium babysitting service so players' wives could attend games.Giglio 2001: p. 285

Musial met Lillian Susan Labash, the daughter of a local grocer, in Donora when both were 15, and married her in St. Paul's Catholic Church in Daytona Beach, Florida on May 25, 1940. They had four children: son Richard, and daughters Gerry, Janet, and Jeanie.Musial and Broeg 1964: 229 Lillian Musial died at 91, on May 3, 2012; their marriage had lasted for almost 72 years.{{cite web |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120504&content_id=30375446&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl#disqus_thread |title=Lilian Musial: The Woman behind The Man |first=Jenifer |last=Langosch |work=MLB.com |date=May 4, 2012 |access-date=May 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510162156/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120504&content_id=30375446&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl#disqus_thread |archive-date=May 10, 2012 }} {{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120503&content_id=30342762&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb |title=Stan Musial's Wife, Lillian, Dies at 91 |access-date=May 4, 2012 |last=Roberts |first=Quinn |date=May 3, 2012 |work=MLB.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505122220/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120503&content_id=30342762&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb |archive-date=May 5, 2012 |url-status=live }}

Musial was noted for his harmonica playing, which included his rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".{{cite web |url=http://baseballhall.org/news/history/take-me-out-ball-game |title=Take Me Out to the Ball Game |access-date=July 9, 2010 |last=Wiles |first=Tim |date=May 18, 2010 |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918005652/http://baseballhall.org/news/history/take-me-out-ball-game |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |url-status=live }} Throughout the 1990s, he frequently played the harmonica at public gatherings, such as the annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony and various charity events.Giglio 2001: pp. 298–99 He appeared on the television show Hee Haw in 1985,{{cite web |url=https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2013-01-19/cardinal-nation-mourns-the-passing-of-stan-the-man |title=Cardinal Nation mourns the passing of Stan the Man |first=Mary Delach |last=Leonard |work=St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU) |date=January 19, 2013 |access-date=November 22, 2020 |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924071843/https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2013-01-19/cardinal-nation-mourns-the-passing-of-stan-the-man |url-status=live }} and in 1994 recorded 18 songs that were sold in tandem with a harmonica-playing instruction booklet.

Even though Musial left Donora after high school, he retained close ties to the town throughout the rest of his life. He maintained membership in local social clubs, and regularly sent a local doctor boxes of autographed baseballs, with the town's mayor using some for United Way fundraising.{{cite news |url=http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/musial-put-donora-on-the-map-but-town-is-fading/article_1b11dae0-328c-5329-8cab-7fbb3e07afe5.html |title=Musial put Donora on the map, but town is fading away |first=Tom |last=Timmermann |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=January 25, 2013 |access-date=July 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130182323/http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/musial-put-donora-on-the-map-but-town-is-fading/article_1b11dae0-328c-5329-8cab-7fbb3e07afe5.html |archive-date=November 30, 2017 |url-status=live }} Musial also gave free meals at the restaurant he owned in St. Louis to any customers who presented valid ID proving they were Donora residents.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17121018/hall-fame-donora-pa-home-man-kid |title=Welcome to Donora, Pa.: The unlikely intersection of The Kid and Stan The Man |first=Jim |last=Caple |website=ESPN |date=July 22, 2016 |access-date=July 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723165409/http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/17121018/hall-fame-donora-pa-home-man-kid |archive-date=July 23, 2016 |url-status=live }}

During his playing years, Musial believed in racial equality and supported Jackie Robinson's right to play. After learning about the harmful effect of smoking in the 1950s, he refused to endorse tobacco products.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/musialfromstasht0000gigl|title=Musial: from Stash to Stan the Man|last=Giglio|first=James N.|date=2001|publisher=University of Missouri Press|location=Columbia, Missouri}}

{{Quote box

|quote="Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."

|source=—Quote inscribed on the base of Musial's statue, attributed to former commissioner Ford FrickLansche 1994: 200

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On August 4, 1968, a statue of Musial was erected outside of Busch Memorial Stadium on the northeast grounds of the St. Louis stadium.Lansche 1994: pp. 199–200 The statue was moved from its original location to the west side of the new Busch Stadium for its first season in 2006. Musial's statue is inscribed with a quote attributed to former baseball commissioner Ford Frick: "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight." In 1968, Musial received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports|access-date=August 29, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215023909/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports|url-status=live}}

Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in {{bhofy|1969}}, when he was named on 93.2% of the ballots.Lansche 1994: 200–201 He was ranked tenth on The Sporting News{{'}} list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players published in 1998.{{cite magazine|title=The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players|magazine=The Sporting News|date=April 26, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416222917/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-10.html |archive-date=April 16, 2005 |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-26.html}} He was also one of the 30 players selected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, added by a special committee after he finished 11th in fan voting among outfielders.{{cite web|title=The All-Century Team|work=MLB.com|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|access-date=February 15, 2007|archive-date=January 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119065808/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|url-status=live}}

In 2022, as part of their SN Rushmore project, The Sporting News named Musial on their "St. Louis Mount Rushmore of Sports", along with fellow Cardinals Bob Gibson and Albert Pujols, and St. Louis Blues hockey player Brett Hull.{{cite news |last1=Fagan |first1=Ryan |title=St. Louis' GOAT Mountain of sports: Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Brett Hull and Bob Gibson voted best of the best |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/st-louis-stan-musial-albert-pujols-brett-hull-and-bob-gibson/zdobrgzwoe4e60whrb1u5iui |work=The Sporting News |date=July 26, 2022}} That same year, MLB.com writers voted Musial as being the greatest player in Cardinals franchise history:

{{blockquote|Musial is one of the game's undisputed greats, and he played his entire 22-year career with the Cardinals. The outfielder and first baseman won three MVP Awards and finished second four other times. Musial won seven batting titles and led the league in runs five times, hits six times, doubles eight times, triples five times, RBIs twice, total bases six times and OPS seven times. He was a 24-time All-Star and a three-time World Series winner. He hit a career .331/.417/.559 and accumulated 128.3 WAR. Musial's No. 6 was the first number the Cardinals retired, and he became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1969.{{cite web |title=Every MLB team's greatest player ever |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/every-mlb-team-s-greatest-player |website=MLB.com |date=January 8, 2022}}}}

On June 14, 1973, Musial was the first inductee into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame, housed at St. Mary's College in Orchard Lake, Michigan. In 1989, he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.{{cite web |url=http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/stan-musial.html |title=St. Louis Walk of Fame – Stan Musial |access-date=December 13, 2009 |publisher=St. Louis Walk of Fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415000042/http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/stan-musial.html |archive-date=April 15, 2010 |url-status=dead }} Five years later, a baseball field was named after him in his hometown of Donora.Giglio 2001: 306 In 2000, he was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians, and a bronze bust depicting him is on permanent display in the rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol.{{cite web |url=http://www.house.mo.gov/famous.aspx?fm=30 |title=Hall of Famous Missourians |access-date=November 24, 2009 |publisher=Missouri House of Representatives |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531204349/http://www.house.mo.gov/famous.aspx?fm=30 |archive-date=May 31, 2010 |url-status=live }} In January 2014, the Cardinals announced Musial among 22 former players and personnel to be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum for the inaugural class of 2014.{{cite news |author=Cardinals Press Release |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140118&content_id=66822534&vkey=pr_stl&c_id=stl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126165854/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140118&content_id=66822534&vkey=pr_stl&c_id=stl |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2014 |title=Cardinals establish Hall of Fame & detail induction process |work=MLB.com |date=January 18, 2014 |access-date=January 29, 2014 }}

File:Musial and Obama Medal of Freedom.jpg

Nearly two decades after Musial retired, baseball statistician Bill James and the sabermetrics movement began providing new ways of comparing players across baseball history.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1720044-1,00.html |title=Q & A: Baseball Guru Bill James |access-date=July 9, 2010 |date=March 6, 2008 |magazine=TIME |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423132308/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1720044-1,00.html |archive-date=April 23, 2010 |url-status=dead }} In 2001, James ranked Musial the tenth-greatest baseball player in history, and the second-best left fielder of all time.James 2001: 358,653 According to Baseball-Reference.com, he ranks fifth all-time among hitters on the Black Ink Test, and third all-time on the Gray Ink Test—measures designed to compare players of different eras.James 1995: 65–67 He ranks first on Baseball-Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor Test, and is tied for second in the Hall of Fame Career Standards Test. Despite his statistical accomplishments, he is sometimes referred to as the most underrated or overlooked athlete in modern American sports history.Stark 2007: 150{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/alltimeunderrated.html |title=The List: Underrated all-time athletes |access-date=February 28, 2009 |last=Merron |first=Jeff |year=2007 |website=ESPN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225112812/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/alltimeunderrated.html |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |url-status=live }} For instance, in his analysis of baseball's under- and overrated players in 2007, sportswriter Jayson Stark said, "I can't think of any all-time great in any sport who gets left out of more who's-the-greatest conversations than Stan Musial."

Musial threw out the first pitch in the fifth game of the 2006 World Series and delivered the ceremonial first pitch ball to President Barack Obama at the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.{{cite web |last=Leach |first=Matthew |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090714&content_id=5877144&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl |title=Musial part of special moment at Classic: Cards' great hands ball to Obama after entering field on cart |work=MLB.com |date=July 14, 2009 |access-date=July 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716183921/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090714&content_id=5877144&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl |archive-date=July 16, 2009 }} A "Stan the Man" day was held in his honor by the Cardinals on May 18, 2008.{{cite web |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080518&content_id=2725475&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl |title=Musial honored before Rays finale: Hall of Famer memorialized with statue at Busch Stadium |access-date=February 25, 2009 |last=Hurwitz |first=Lee |date=May 18, 2008 |work=MLB.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520004616/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080518&content_id=2725475&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl |archive-date=May 20, 2008 }} In 2010, another one of the Cardinals' greatest sluggers, Albert Pujols said he didn't want to be called "The Man", even in Spanish ("El Hombre"), because "There is one man that gets that respect, and that is Stan Musial."{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Goldstein (writer, born 1942) |date=January 20, 2013 |title=Stan Musial, Gentlemanly Slugger and Cardinals' Stan the Man, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/sports/baseball/baseball-great-stan-musial-dies-at-92.html?hpw |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812143636/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/sports/baseball/baseball-great-stan-musial-dies-at-92.html?hpw |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |access-date=January 23, 2013 |work=The New York Times}} Also in 2010, the Cardinals launched a campaign to build support for awarding Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifetime of achievement and service.{{cite web |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/fan_forum/standforstan_index.jsp |title=St. Louis Cardinals Stand for Stan |access-date=May 30, 2009 |work=MLB.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528171437/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/fan_forum/standforstan_index.jsp |archive-date=May 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }} The campaign realized its goal, and on February 15, 2011, Musial was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/17/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients |title=President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient |author=Office of the Press Secretary |date=November 17, 2010 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126074451/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/17/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110214&content_id=16635394&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl |title=Musial receives high honor from President: 'A beloved pillar,' Obama says while awarding Medal of Freedom |first=Barry M. |last=Bloom |work=MLB.com |date=February 15, 2011 |access-date=February 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217012303/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110214&content_id=16635394&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl |archive-date=February 17, 2011 }} who called him "an icon untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you'd want your kids to emulate."{{cite web | first=R.B. |last=Fallstrom|title=Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial Dies at Age 92 | work=ABC News | date=January 20, 2013| url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/cardinals-hall-famer-stan-musial-dies-age-92-18260677|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123070613/https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/cardinals-hall-famer-stan-musial-dies-age-92-18260677|archive-date=January 23, 2013 | access-date=January 19, 2015}}

On October 18, 2012, Musial made his final appearance at Busch Stadium,{{cite news|title=Gallery: Stan Musial's surprise appearance at Busch|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=January 19, 2013|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/gallery-stan-musials-surprise-appearance-at-busch/collection_933c45e3-9b5e-5cd0-a761-9b790a47727c.html|access-date=March 17, 2021|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528184954/https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/gallery-stan-musials-surprise-appearance-at-busch/collection_933c45e3-9b5e-5cd0-a761-9b790a47727c.html|url-status=live}} riding in a golf cart around the field before Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Musial stopped at both dugouts and greeted San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.{{cite news|last=Goold|first=Derrick|title=Stan The Man makes surprise appearance|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=October 18, 2012|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/stan-the-man-makes-surprise-appearance/article_8cda4bc0-1980-11e2-aa31-001a4bcf6878.html|access-date=October 30, 2021}} The Cardinals would go on to win Game 4 by a score of 8–3, but lost the pennant to the Giants.{{cite web|title=2012 NLCS: San Francisco Giants over St. Louis Cardinals (4–3)|website=Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2012_NLCS.shtml}}

On January 19, 2013, surrounded by his family, Musial died at age 92 of natural causes at his home in Ladue, Missouri, on the same day as fellow MLB Hall of Fame inductee Earl Weaver.{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130119&content_id=41044576 |title=Beloved Hall of Famer Musial dies at 92 |last=Noble |first=Marty |date=January 19, 2013 |work=MLB.com |access-date=January 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022234709/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130119&content_id=41044576 |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hummel |first=Rick |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/stan-the-man-musial-dies-no-was-greatest-cardinal/article_663ad0b8-d8fb-5cdd-8fd3-8f397f7a263a.html |title=Stan 'The Man' Musial dies; No. 6 was greatest Cardinal |date=January 20, 2013 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |access-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007011909/https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/stan-the-man-musial-dies-no-was-greatest-cardinal/article_663ad0b8-d8fb-5cdd-8fd3-8f397f7a263a.html |archive-date=October 7, 2018 |url-status=live }} Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. released the following statement:

{{blockquote|We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family. Stan Musial was the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the best players in the history of baseball. The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Stan's family, including his children Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as his eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. We join fans everywhere in mourning the loss of our dear friend and reflect on how fortunate we all are to have known 'Stan the Man'.{{cite web |last=Perry |first=Dayn |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/all-time-great-stan-musial-dies-at-age-92/ |title=All-time great Stan Musial dies at age 92 |date=January 20, 2013 |work=CBS Sports |access-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916235729/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/all-time-great-stan-musial-dies-at-age-92/ |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}}}

Upon hearing the news of his death, fans gathered and began an impromptu memorial at his statue outside Busch Stadium; the Cardinals issued a release saying the memorial would be left in place for some time.{{Cite news | url=http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Crowds-gather-at-Musials-statue-pay-tribute-to-The-Man-187618971.html | title=Crowds gather at Musial's statue, pay tribute to 'The Man' | last1=Rau | first1=Emily | date=January 19, 2013 | publisher=KMOV.com News 4 | access-date=January 20, 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315210832/http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Crowds-gather-at-Musials-statue-pay-tribute-to-The-Man-187618971.html | archive-date=March 15, 2013 | df=mdy-all }} In a laudatory obituary, The New York Times quoted famed New York manager Leo Durocher: "There is only one way to pitch to Musial—under the plate."{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/sports/baseball/baseball-great-stan-musial-dies-at-92.html?pagewanted=all | title=Stan Musial, One of the Game's Greatest Hitters, Dies at 92 | last1=Goldstein | first1=Richard | date=January 19, 2013 | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date=January 20, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051143/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/sports/baseball/baseball-great-stan-musial-dies-at-92.html?pagewanted=all | archive-date=March 29, 2017 | url-status=live }}

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon commented: "Stan Musial was a great American hero who—with the utmost humility—inspired us all to aim high and dream big. The world is emptier today without him, but far better to have known him. The legacy of 'baseball's perfect warrior' will endure and inspire generations to come."{{cite web | url = http://governor.mo.gov/newsroom/2013/Statement_from_Gov_Nixon_on_passing_of_Stan_Musial | title = Statement from Gov. Nixon on passing of Stan Musial | publisher = Office of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon | access-date = January 22, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130217142729/http://governor.mo.gov/newsroom/2013/Statement_from_Gov_Nixon_on_passing_of_Stan_Musial | archive-date = February 17, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay tweeted: "Sad as we are, we are fortunate to have had Stan in STL for so long, and are also glad that Stan and Lil are together again." He ordered flags at half-staff in the city.{{cite web | url = https://twitter.com/MayorSlay | title = MayorSlay.com (@MayorSlay) on Twitter | publisher = Twitter.com | date = January 20, 2013 | access-date = January 22, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130310114719/https://twitter.com/MayorSlay | archive-date = March 10, 2013 | url-status = live }}

"Major League Baseball has lost one of its true legends in Stan Musial, a Hall of Famer in every sense and a man who led a great American life", Commissioner Bud Selig said. "He was the heart and soul of the historic St. Louis Cardinals franchise for generations, and he served his country during World War II. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, Stan's life embodies baseball's unparalleled history and why this game is the national pastime."{{cite web | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130119&content_id=41047108&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb | title = Tributes pour out for 'Stan The Man' | publisher = MLB Advanced Media | date = June 19, 2012 | access-date = January 22, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130121143622/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130119&content_id=41047108&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb | archive-date = January 21, 2013 | url-status = live }}

Thousands of fans braved cold temperatures on January 24 for a public visitation at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, where Musial lay in state, dressed in his trademark cardinal-red blazer and with a harmonica in his lapel pocket, flanked by a Navy honor guard. A private funeral Mass was held on Saturday, January 26, 2013, at the New Cathedral in St. Louis, televised locally by KTVI and KPLR as well as Fox Sports Midwest on pay-television. New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who in his first episcopal post served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, was the principal celebrant, and Knoxville's Bishop Richard F. Stika, Musial's former parish priest, was the homilist.{{cite magazine |first=Wayne G. |last=McDonnell |title=A Final Heartfelt Tribute for 'Stan the Man' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/waynemcdonnell/2013/01/26/a-final-heartfelt-tribute-for-stan-the-man |magazine=Forbes |date=January 26, 2013 |access-date=January 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128120920/http://www.forbes.com/sites/waynemcdonnell/2013/01/26/a-final-heartfelt-tribute-for-stan-the-man/ |archive-date=January 28, 2013 |url-status=live }} An emotional Bob Costas gave the principal eulogy, calling him "the genuine hero who as the years and decades passed, and disillusionment came from other directions, never once let us down", and quoting fellow Cooperstown honoree Mickey Mantle, who once said that Musial "was a better player than me because he was a better man than me".{{Cite web |url=http://deadspin.com/5979272/bob-costas-eulogy-for-stan-musial-was-midwestern-sports-reverence-at-its-finest |title=Bob Costas's Eulogy For Stan Musial Was Midwestern Sports Reverence At Its Finest|website=Deadspin |date=January 26, 2013 |access-date=January 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130080827/http://deadspin.com/5979272/bob-costas-eulogy-for-stan-musial-was-midwestern-sports-reverence-at-its-finest |archive-date=January 30, 2013 |url-status=live }}

As a reflection of his popularity, Musial has had infrastructure named after him.

In May 2011, the Pennsylvania State Senate changed the name of the bridge that carries the C. Vance Deicas Memorial Highway (S.R. 1077) over the Monongahela River from Donora-Monessen Bridge to Stan Musial Bridge after Musial, who was a native of the area.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.senatorsolobay.com/senate-passes-bill-naming-local-bridge-for-%E2%80%98stan-the-man%E2%80%99-musial

|title=Senate Passes Bill Naming Local Bridge for 'Stan the Man' Musial

|publisher=Office of Tim Solobay

|date=May 24, 2011

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103212120/http://www.senatorsolobay.com/senate-passes-bill-naming-local-bridge-for-%E2%80%98stan-the-man%E2%80%99-musial

|archive-date=November 3, 2013

}}

In October 2013, the St. Louis Fire Department started operating a fireboat named after Musial.{{cite news

|url = http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2012/05/24/new-rescue-boats-to-patrol-st-louis-riverfront/

|title = New Rescue Boats To Patrol St. Louis Riverfront

|publisher = CBS News

|author = Brett Blume

|date = May 24, 2012

|access-date = September 30, 2013

|archive-date = June 3, 2012

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120603001801/http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2012/05/24/new-rescue-boats-to-patrol-st-louis-riverfront

|url-status = dead

|quote = St. Louis fire officials say they'll be more prepared than ever to make timely rescues on the Mississippi River once two new boats arrive.

}}

In July 2013, the new Interstate 70 bridge over the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri at St. Louis received the official name of Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.{{cite web

|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/stan-span-gets-obama-approval/article_4648d990-3f02-5597-a62b-4dc5a0673ff5.html

|title='Stan Span' gets Obama approval

|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch

|date=July 12, 2013

|access-date=February 9, 2014

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127081646/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/stan-span-gets-obama-approval/article_4648d990-3f02-5597-a62b-4dc5a0673ff5.html

|archive-date=November 27, 2018

|url-status=live

}} In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Musial as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.{{Cite web|url=https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/|title=WWII HOF Players |website=actofvaloraward.org|access-date=August 18, 2021|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008204152/https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/|url-status=dead}} The Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award was named in his honor.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/wayne-gretzky-to-receive-stan-musial-lifetime-achievement-award/c-326147840|title=Gretzky to receive Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award|publisher=National Hockey League|date=September 14, 2021|access-date=November 22, 2022}}

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{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book | last=Musial | first=Stan |author2=Bob Broeg | title=Stan Musial: "The Man's" Own Story | year=1964 | publisher=Doubleday & Company | location=Garden City, New York |ref=Mus64 |url=https://archive.org/details/stanmusialmansow0000unse | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | last=Lansche | first=Jerry | title=Stan "the Man" Musial: Born to Be a Ballplayer | year=1994 | publisher=Taylor Publishing Company | location=Dallas | isbn=0-87833-846-2 | ref=Lan94 | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780878338467 }}
• {{cite book | last=Giglio |first=James N. | title=Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man | publisher=University of Missouri Press | location=Columbia, Missouri | year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8262-1735-6 |ref=Gig01 |url=https://archive.org/details/musialfromstasht0000gigl | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book |author=Schoor, Gene |title=The History of the World Series: The Complete Chronology of America's Greatest Sports Tradition |year=1990 |publisher=William Morrow and Company |isbn=0-688-07995-4 |ref=Schoor |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofworld00scho}}
• {{cite book | last=James |first=Bill | title=Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?: Baseball, Cooperstown, and the Politics of Glory | publisher=Simon & Schuster | location=New York | year=1995 |isbn=978-0-684-80088-2 |ref=Jam95 |url=https://archive.org/details/whateverhappened0000jame | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book | last=James | first=Bill | title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract | publisher=The Free Press | location=New York | year=2001 | isbn=0-684-80697-5 | ref=Jam01 | url=https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame }}

{{refend}}

• {{cite magazine |last1=Bingham |first1=Walter |title=The Man's Finest Hour |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1958/05/19/the-mans-finest-hour |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=May 19, 1958}}
• {{cite magazine |last1=Creamer |first1=Robert |title=Once There Were Willie, Stan and Babe |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1963/04/08/once-there-were-willie-stan-and-babe |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=April 8, 1963}}
• {{cite magazine |last1=Epplin |first1=Luke |title=The Problem With Remembering Stan Musial as Baseball's 'Perfect Knight' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/the-problem-with-remembering-stan-musial-as-baseballs-perfect-knight/272489/ |magazine=The Atlantic |date=January 24, 2013}}

• {{cite book | last=Vecsey | first=George | title=Stan Musial: An American Life | year=2011 | publisher= Ballantine Books| location=New York | isbn=978-0-345-51706-7 |ref=Vec11 |url=https://archive.org/details/stanmusialameric0000vecs | url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=Wayne |title=Stan the Man: The Life and Times of Stan Musial |date=2010 |publisher=Triumph Books |location=Chicago |isbn=978-1600783227 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781600783227}}
• {{cite book | last=Broeg | first=Bob | title=Redbirds: A Century of Cardinals' Baseball | year=1981 | publisher=River City Publishers, Limited | location=St. Louis | isbn=0-933150-02-4 | ref=Bro81 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/bobbroegsredbird0000broe }}
• {{cite book | last=Eisenbath | first=Mike | title=The Cardinals Encyclopedia | publisher=Temple University Press | location=Philadelphia | year=1999 | isbn=1-56639-703-0 | ref=Eis99 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/deepvegetarianis0000foxm }}
• {{cite book | last=Reidenbaugh | first=Lowell | title=Baseball's Hall of Fame: Cooperstown, Where the Legends Live Forever | year=1993 | publisher=Crescent Books | location=Avenel, New Jersey | isbn=0-517-66986-2 | ref=Rei93 | url=https://archive.org/details/baseballshalloff00reid }}
• {{cite book |author= Weintraub, Robert |title=The Victory Season: The End of World War II and the Birth of Baseball's Golden Age |url=https://archive.org/details/thevictoryseason0000robe |url-access=registration |year=2014 |isbn=978-0316205894 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company}}

{{commons category}}

• {{baseballstats|mlb=119602|espn=25643|br=m/musiast01|fangraphs=1009405|brm=musial001sta|retro=M/Pmusis101}}
• {{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|musial-stan}}
• {{Sabrbio|2142e2e5}}
• {{IMDb name|615705}}
• {{find a Grave|103807758}}

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{{succession box | before = Gil Hodges | title = Hitting for the cycle| years = July 24, 1949 | after = George Kell}}

{{succession box | before = Award established | title = Major League Player of the Month| years = May 1958 (with Willie Mays)| after = Frank Thomas}}

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Category:St. Louis Cardinals players

Category:Springfield Cardinals players

Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II

Category:United States Navy sailors

Category:Williamson Colts players

Category:Williamson Red Birds players

Category:Military personnel from Pennsylvania

Category:20th-century American sportsmen