PITTSBURGH — His manager remembers the 22 homers the late Chris Duncan hit during the regular season of 2006, let alone the one he hit in the World Series the Cardinals won.
“My favorite comment to make to Cardinals fans is that every time they enjoy that 2006 championship, they should realize that without Chris’ production when we had all those guys hurt, we wouldn’t have gotten in,” said Tony La Russa. “That’s good enough, right there.”
But, Duncan encountered a neck issue and then a sports hernia and his big-league career would end in 2009.
When Randy Arozarena stole a base on Thursday, he became the 19th Cardinal to do, highest total in the majors and highest in Cardinals history since 1912 when 20 players stole at least a base.