[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 99 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3949-S3950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING RED SCHOENDIENST

 Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I rise today in remembrance of 
one of St. Louis's, the State of Missouri's, and baseball's great 
treasures, Hall of Fame Cardinal Red Schoendienst. Red played 15 
seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, made 10 All-Star teams, and was 
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Red passed last week 
at his home in Town and Country, MO, just outside of St. Louis, at the 
age of 95. He had been the oldest living member of the Hall of Fame.
  Born Albert Fred Schoendienst 40 miles east of St. Louis in 
Germantown, IL, Red would make a big impact on the city and the sport 
of baseball. Red's father, a coal miner who played sandlot ball, got 
him hooked on the game.
  After leaving school, Red joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, 
where he nearly lost his eye in an accident. He also faced chronic 
shoulder pain, but stuck with the game. In 1942, he hitchhiked to St. 
Louis for Cardinals tryouts and made the team. After a standout minor 
league career and a period of Army service, Red played his first Big 
League game in 1945.
  Red played second base for nearly his entire career, leading the 
National League in fielding percentage seven times. He was such a 
talented fielder that his teammate and longtime friend, Cardinal legend 
Stan Musial, once said, ``He had the greatest pair of hands I've ever 
seen.''
  Red wasn't too shabby at the plate either. He batted over .300 in 
five seasons as a switch-hitter. Unfortunately, Red's only World Series 
victory came in 1957 with Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves, not the 
Cardinals, but we will not hold that against him.
  While playing for Milwaukee, Red faced another health challenge. He 
was diagnosed with tuberculosis and had to have part of a lung removed. 
Still, Red was a fighter, and just as he overcame his eye and shoulder 
injuries, he came back to play with the Braves before finishing his 
career as a Cardinal in 1963.

[[Page S3950]]

  After Red's retirement from playing, he wasn't done being a Cardinal. 
Red became the Cardinals' manager in 1965 and skippered the team until 
1976. Under his leadership, the Cardinals won two pennants and beat the 
Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series. Red remained a part of the 
organization until his passing.
  All counted, Red spent 70 years as a part of Major League Baseball, 
and left his mark on the game. Not only was Red a Hall of Fame player 
and manager, he was a fan favorite and a revered teammate. His 
teammates always spoke of how he loved the game, and how they loved 
playing with him.
  I wish to offer my condolences to Red's family, including his 
brother, four children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-
grandchildren. I know that they will remember Red fondly, as will 
Cardinals fans and baseball fans everywhere.

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