One winner will receive an original seat cushion from a special night in St. Louis Cardinals history, April 18, 1987.
Exactly 29 years ago, on Saturday night, April 18, 1987, a special event in St. Louis Cardinals history occurred.
In front of 41,942, second baseman Tommy Herr’s 10th inning walk-off grand slam concluded “Seat Cushion Night” at Busch Stadium II. In the process, the Cardinals posted a 12-8 win over reliever Jesse Orosco and the rival “Pond Scum” New York Mets.
A large number of those seat cushions, commemorating the 25th anniversary of discount retailer Kmart, were propelled through the air by excited fans as Herr rounded the bases, landing on the turf in a warm-weather white out. The second baseman even picked up one of the makeshift frisbees and tossed it back into the air in celebration.
Even more cushions would have been flung onto the field at the end had it not been for an earlier starring event by Herr in the same game. Down 5-0 heading into the home fourth, the Cardinals tied the score. The rally was capped off by a bases loaded walk taken by the second baseman, who finished the night with six RBI.
So many cushions were thrown onto the field in the fourth that the public address announcer warned fans that if it continued, the Cardinals would have to forfeit the game. That was no longer a concern as the 10th ended, though.
Despite the two waves of cushion flinging that fateful night, at least two of these historic relics have survived the intervening 39 years. The Cardinal Nation subscriber ZTR was at this game and donated one his two cushions from that night for a special drawing.
Here is what you need to do to win your authentic 1987 Cardinals seat cushion.
Stop by The Cardinal Nation’s free forum and enter your name. All qualifiers between now and midnight Sunday evening, April 19 will be entered into a drawing to select the winner.
Any new subscribers to The Cardinal Nation or those who purchase a copy of TCN’s 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide during this window will receive three additional entries.
For more
Here’s the call on Herr’s homer and its aftermath.
Herr, who was named to the Cardinals Hall of Fame via fan vote in 2020, shares his recollection of the night.
And here is the link to the box score.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198704180.shtml
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