Lou Brock played 19 MLB seasons for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. During his early playing career, Brock knew how to hit the long ball. But during the peak of his career, he also showcased his speed and tendency to steal bases.
Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Brock was raised by a family of sharecroppers. When he was a boy, Brock would listen to games on the radio on KMOX, the St. Louis radio station. Brock heard the name Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers after he broke the color barrier in baseball. He was proud of hearing Robinson’s name on the radio. “I felt pride in being alive. The baseball field was my fantasy of what life offered.”
Brock’s fantasy of the baseball field came to reality when he debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 1961. During his rookie season, he hit a home run into the center field bleachers at the Old Polo Grounds stadium. Even though he was a sufficient slugger, the Cubs never made him liberate his speed on the basepaths.
In 1964, Brock joined the St. Louis Cardinals. He was part of an elite roster of players featuring Tim McCarver, Curt Flood, Dick Groat, and Bob Gibson. The Cardinals won the 1964 World Series in seven games over the New York Yankees. Brock returned to the World Series again in 1967 and 1968. The Cardinals won the 1967 World Series in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. The Detroit Tigers won the following year.
Lou Brock, after getting his 3000th hit. Ironically, it came vs. the Cubs (photo, foxsports.com)
Brock continued to rack up stolen bases during the 1970s. Brock’s two records were eclipsed during that decade. In 1974, Brock ended the season with 118 stolen bases. He broke Maury Wills’s single-season record of 104 stolen bases, which he set in 1962. On August 29, 1977, Lou Brock surpassed Ty Cobb’s career record of stolen bases. By the time he retired in 1979, he had garnered 938 stolen bases. In his 19-year baseball career, Brock had 3,023 hits, 900 RBIs, a .343 on-base average, and a .410 slugging percentage.
In 1978, he became the first MLB player to receive an award named after him: The Lou Brock Award, for being the National League leader in steals. After his baseball career, Brock briefly broadcast Monday Night Baseball on ABC. He became a spring training baserunning instructor for various MLB teams in the 1980s and 90s. Brock also worked as a florist for the St. Louis area.
Lou Brock died in 2020 at the age of 81. The art of base stealing gave Brock a certain swagger. He said, “You know before you steal a base that you’ve got nine guys out there in different uniforms, you’re alone in a sea of enemies. The only way you can hold your own is by arrogance, the ability to stand before the crowd…”
Low Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.
