The mid-1960s saw changes both on the field and off – all while retaining the core of a remarkable successful franchise and its renewed popularity in St. Louis. Schoendienst's replacement of Keane had been preceded a few weeks earlier by general manager
Bing Devine's firing, the redemption of the final pennant drive having come too late to assuage owner August Busch's dwindling patience. Devine was replaced by
Bob Howsam, who made a number of moves to shore up a talented but aging team which struggled through the 1965 campaign, finishing mired in 7th place at 80–81. A capable GM if not Devine's equal, Howsam made some moves that worked – and some that did not. Howsam traded aging veterans
Bill White,
Dick Groat, and utility catcher
Bob Uecker to
Philadelphia in return for
Pat Corrales,
Art Mahaffey, and
Alex Johnson. Popular third baseman
Ken Boyer was dispatched to the Mets in exchange for pitcher
Al Jackson. Finally, pitcher
Ray Sadecki was traded to the Giants for first baseman
Orlando Cepeda in
1966. The latter moves worked better than the former, but the Cardinals still finished in 6th place in 1966, resulting in Howsam's replacement by none other than Cardinals legend
Stan Musial. Musial's most notable move was to acquire Yankees' star Roger Maris. Pitcher
Bob Gibson, first baseman
Bill White, and outfielder
Curt Flood won
Gold Gloves this year.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Opening Day starters •
Ken Boyer •
Lou Brock •
Curt Flood •
Dick Groat •
Julián Javier •
Bob Purkey •
Dave Ricketts •
Bob Skinner •
Bill White Notable transactions • June 8, 1965:
Rich Hacker was drafted by the Cardinals in the 39th round of the
1965 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.
Roster == Player stats ==