In the dugout Saturday, shortly before game time, Tim McCarver motioned for Cardinals starter Luke Weaver to come over and meet one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers of all time. What Weaver got was more than an introduction.
He got a grip.
The Cardinals invited members of the 1968 team back for a reunion this weekend, and during the festivities McCarver stood between Hall of Fame bookends: Bob Gibson to the right and Steve Carlton to the left, naturally. McCarver, who broadcasts Cardinals games for Fox Sports Midwest, wanted one of the Cardinals’ youngest starters to greet two of the team’s greatest, and up sparked a conversation about Carlton’s slider.