In one of the Most Lopsided MLB Trades Ever, the Redbirds ship their All-Star First Baseman to the Big Apple
On June 15, 1983… The St. Louis Cardinals traded first baseman Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets in exchange for right-handed pitchers Neil Allen & Rick Ownbey. Hernandez was a former National League co-MVP (alongside Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell) and an integral part of the Redbirds’ World Series team in 1982.
Both Allen and Ownbey were serviceable, at best. Meanwhile, Hernandez would become the toast of the town in the Big Apple. Despite his early success in St. Louis, he would become a much bigger star and a household name in New York. He earned his second World Series ring in 1986, when the Mets dramatically defeated the Boston Red Sox. In 1987, he was named the team’s captain, before departing just a few years later.
Hernandez wrapped up his career in Cleveland, but he will always be viewed as a New York Met. When it was all said and done, he retired in 1990 with a .296 career batting average, with 162 home runs and 2,182 RBI. He holds the Major League record for Gold Glove Awards by a first baseman. He dominated that honor, reigning from 1978 through 1988. Often mentioned as a worthy Hall of Famer, he has yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Since his retirement, Hernandez has worked as a broadcaster, product spokesman, and author. He was also the center of a storyline on an episode of Seinfeld that is considered one of the series best ever. Because of that exposure, he’s one of the more recognizable New York athletes of his era.
The Sidearmer 