St. Louis Cardinals star Stan Musial collected his 3,000th hit 54 years ago today, on May 13, 1958, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
The future Hall of Famer had been left out of manager Fred Hutchinson’s lineup so he could achieve the milestone at home in the next series. However, with the Cubs up 3-1 in the sixth inning and a runner in scoring position, Hutch sent Musial up to pinch hit. “The Man” launched an RBI double off Moe Drabowsky to help power the Cards to a comeback 5-3 win.
The umpires stopped the game and presented the ball to Musial. After a pre-game ceremony the next day at Busch Stadium, Musial homered in the first inning. He ended that season with a .337 average.
The bat used by the left-handed hitter for his 3,000th hit is part of the collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian.
The pictured card is part of the Topps 1959 set.
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