1969 St. Louis Cardinals season

• October 14, 1968: Coco Laboy was drafted from the Cardinals by the Montreal Expos as the 54th pick in the 1968 MLB expansion draft.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/l/laboyco01.shtml Coco Laboy page at Baseball Reference]
• December 2, 1968: 1968 rule 5 draft
• Pedro Borbón was drafted from the Cardinals by the California Angels.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/borbope01.shtml Pedro Borbón page at Baseball Reference]
• Bo Belinsky was drafted by the Cardinals from the Houston Astros.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/belinbo01.shtml Bo Belinsky page at Baseball Reference]
• February 12, 1969: Byron Browne was purchased by the Cardinals from the Houston Astros.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/brownby01.shtml Byron Browne page at Baseball Reference]
• March 17, 1969: Orlando Cepeda was traded by the Cardinals to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cepedor01.shtml Orlando Cepeda page at Baseball Reference]
• March 29, 1969: Dennis Ribant was purchased by the Cardinals from the Kansas City Royals.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ribande01.shtml Dennis Ribant page at Baseball Reference]
• Prior to 1969 season: Tommy Cruz was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cruzto01.shtml Tommy Cruz page at Baseball-Reference]

Pitcher Bob Gibson and outfielder Curt Flood won Gold Gloves this year.

1969 also marked the final season for the Busch Stadium grass before the installation of AstroTurf, which would be their home surface for the next 26 seasons.

After the season, long-time broadcaster Harry Caray's contract was not renewed. At a news conference shortly afterward, Caray pointedly and conspicuously drank from a can of Schlitz beer, at the time the main competitor to the brands of Anheuser-Busch (A–B), who owned the Cardinals. He said he did not know why he had been let go, but doubted the team's claim that the decision was made because he was hurting beer sales. Instead, he suspected that people believed rampant rumors that he had been having an affair with Susan Busch, daughter-in-law of team president and A–B CEO Gussie Busch.{{cite book|last1=Knoedelseder|first1=William|authorlink1=William Knoedelseder|title=Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser–Busch and America's Kings of Beer|date=2012|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=9780062009272|pages=111–112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aeu3UYUtLokC|quote=No, I gotta believe the real reason I was let go was the someone believed the rumor that I was involved with young Busch's wife}}{{efn|Susan Busch denied this on the single occasion she has addressed it on the record. Caray also denied it whenever the subject came up, but less consistently, in one interview suggesting the affair had happened while in another quickly changing the subject to say he was flattered that anyone thought she would be attracted to him.Knoedelseder, 106–107}}

Caray would be a broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics in 1970, before spending 27 seasons in Chicago with the White Sox (1971–1981) and the Cubs from 1982 until his death prior to the 1998 season.

{{1969 NL East standings|highlight=St. Louis Cardinals}}

{{1969 NL Record vs. opponents|team=STL}}

• Lou Brock
• Curt Flood
• Bob Gibson
• Julián Javier
• Dal Maxvill
• Tim McCarver
• Vada Pinson
• Mike Shannon
• Joe Torre[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1969&t=SLN 1969 St. Louis Cardinals Roster by Baseball Almanac]

• April 3, 1969: Bo Belinsky was purchased from the Cardinals by the California Angels.
• May 22, 1969: John Sipin and Sonny Ruberto were traded by the Cardinals to the San Diego Padres for Bill Davis and Jerry DaVanon.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ruberso01.shtml Sonny Ruberto page at Baseball Reference]
• June 5, 1969: Bill Madlock was drafted by the Cardinals in the 11th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/madlobi01.shtml Bill Madlock page at Baseball Reference]
• June 14, 1969: Dennis Ribant was traded by the Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds for Aurelio Monteagudo.

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

• Lou Brock, League leader, Stolen Bases

All-Star Game

• Steve Carlton, P, Starter
• Bob Gibson, P, Reserve

{{See also|Minor League Baseball}}

{{MLB Farm System|level14=AAA|team14=Tulsa Oilers|league14=American Association|manager14=Warren Spahn

|level15=AA |team15=Arkansas Travelers|league15=Texas League|manager15=Ray Hathaway

|level16=A |team16=Modesto Reds|league16=California League|manager16=Joe Cunningham

|level17=A |team17=St. Petersburg Cardinals|league17=Florida State League|manager17=Jack Krol

|level18=A |team18=Cedar Rapids Cardinals|league18=Midwest League|manager18=Roy Majtyka

|level19=A-Short Season|team19=Lewis-Clark Broncs|league19=Northwest League|manager19=Bobby Dews

|level20=Rookie|team20=GCL Cardinals|league20=Gulf Coast League|manager20=Tom Burgess

}}Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• [https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1969.shtml 1969 St. Louis Cardinals at Baseball Reference]
• [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1969&t=SLN 1969 St. Louis Cardinals team page at www.baseball-almanac.com]

{{1969 MLB season by team}}

{{St. Louis Cardinals}}

Category:St. Louis Cardinals seasons

Saint Louis Cardinals season

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