ST. LOUIS — On Feb. 2, Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst would have turned 100 years old.
Red Schoendienst was born on Feb. 2, 1923, in Germantown, Illinois, about 40 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri.
He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in the spring of 1942 after participating in an open tryout.
He served in the U.S. Army in 1944 before being discharged for eye problems and a shoulder injury in 1945, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite his injuries, he made his debut with the Cardinals in 1945 as an outfielder.
Schoendienst eventually found his home at second base in his second year with the team. That same year, he would go on to win the World Series over the Boston Red Sox.
He spent 15 of his 21 big-league seasons with the Cardinals. He would also play for the New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves.
After hanging up his cleats, he returned to baseball and took over as the Cardinals' manager. He spent 12 full seasons as the manager and later spent time as a coach and special assistant to the general manager.
Schoendienst was a member of five winning World Series teams as a player, coach and manager:
- 1946 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1957 Atlanta Braves
- 1964 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1967 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1982 St. Louis Cardinals
His 10 all-star selections, World Series Championships, more than 1,400 career hits and over 1,000 managerial wins were enough to earn him a sport into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
His number was retired by the Cardinals in 1996 and was an inaugural member of the team's Hall of Fame in 2014.
Schoendienst was married to the late Mary Eileen O'Reilly Schoendienst for over 50 years. She passed away in December 1999. The pair had four children.
Schoendienst passed away on June 6, 2018.
He is remembered as one who exemplified what it meant to be a St. Louis Cardinal. His legacy lives on at Busch Stadium, in St. Louis and with the team.
