I have long been intrigued with the idea of the San Diego Padres going straight “Whiteyball” from the Cardinals’ winning seasons (including the 1982 championship season) in the early-to-mid ’80s.
While there’s no question that the game was vastly different then, there are some commonalities: The Cardinals and Whitey Herzog implemented a team that was unlike any other in baseball, and played to their strengths and tried to exploit other teams’ weaknesses.
They relied heavily on good pitching, defense — not just amazing plays, but sound, fundamental defense and few mistakes — getting on base, small-ball, hit-and-run’s, stealing mercilessly, and timely hitting.