Hall of Famer Lou Brock and teammate Hector Cruz round the bases for the Redbirds in an unprecedented moment
On June 18, 1976, St Louis Cardinals teammates Lou Brock & Hector Cruz both hit inside-the-park home runs in a game against the San Diego Padres.
Playing on his 37th birthday, Brock showed San Diego his sensational speed in this showdown after Cruz had already hit an inside-the-park home run earlier. Brock’s blast — a looping drive to left-center field — caused Padres outfielder Willie Davis to misplay the hit and crash into the wall. That’s when the legendary base burglar turned on the jets and made history for the Cardinals.
Brock retired from Major League Baseball with over 3,000 hits and (at the time) was the all-time leader in stolen bases. After being acquired via trade from the Cubs in 1964, he spent the remainder of his career with the Cards as a player, and later became an advisor and ambassador for the club.
Lou Brock was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
He passed away on September 6, 2020, at the age of 81.
