One More for the White Rat: The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Chase the Pennant

Despite being picked to finish dead last in the National League’s Eastern Division, the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals astounded the sports world by winning 101 regular-season games, capturing the pennant, and playing in the World Series. With expectations greatly elevated going forward, manager Whitey Herzog and his team subsequently endured a rash of injuries and poor performances from key players that sent the 1986 season into a tailspin. The veteran skipper had never seen the likes of it before in his professional baseball career, and he even considered tendering his resignation midyear to team owner August A. Busch Jr. Herzog was uncertain which version of the ball club would surface entering 1987, as their clash for divisional honors with the New York Mets was rekindled once again.

Though observers at the start of the 1987 season once again gave them no chance to win their division, the Cardinals chased victory. Herzog’s style of play, nicknamed ＂Whiteyball,＂ terrorized opponents with its daring baserunning led by Vince Coleman and Ozzie Smith. Veteran players and newcomers, including Jack Clark and Tony Peña, returned the Cardinals to contention.

One More for the White Rat features contemporary interviews with members of the 1987 Cardinals and compelling stories and colorful insights into that incredible summer. Veteran Cardinals author Doug Feldmann takes the reader inside the St. Louis locker room and onto the field for the daily struggles and triumphs that made the 1987 baseball season unlike any other.

Doug Feldmann is a professor in the College of Education at Northern Kentucky University and a former scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres. He is the author of fifteen books on the St. Louis Cardinals and other teams and personalities from sports history, including Whitey Herzog Builds a Winner: The St. Louis Cardinals, 1979-1982 and Miracle Collapse: The 1969 Chicago Cubs (Nebraska, 2009). He lives in the Cincinnati area with his wife, Angie, their son, John, and their dog, Sparky. Ricky Horton is a broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals, director of the St. Louis Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a former professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.