Cardinals World Series Champion, Rookie Sensation With Career Cut Short, Dies

St. Louis Cardinals persist as one of Major League Baseball’s oldest franchises, with a lot of history made by the players who have represented them over the years.

And with 11 World Series championships and 19 National League pennants in its history, the team has had a number of championship-winning players contribute to that history over the years. On Friday, fans received news that one of the team’s former players had passed away.

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“I am saddened to report that former Cardinals shortstop Dick Hughes has passed away at the age of 88,” Augie Nash. reported in X. “Dick made his Cardinals debut in 1966 and spent his entire three-year career with the team.”

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St. Louis Cardinals Former Rookie Sensation And MVP Contender Dick Hughes Dies

Hughes, who was born in Arkansas, began his professional pitching career in 1958, although he did not make an appearance for the Cardinals until eight years later, at the age of 28. However, his long-awaited debut was quickly followed by a sensational rookie campaign in 1967.

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Over 27 starts that season, Hughes posted a 2.67 ERA with 161 strikeouts and a 0.954 WHIP that was the best in the National League. He pitched nine innings in the World Series for the Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox, helping the team secure the championship that season.

Hughes received MVP Award votes that campaign and finished second to Hall of Famer Tom Seaver in the National League Rookie of the Year Award voting.

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Former World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals Saw Promising Career Cut Short by Injury

Unfortunately, after that sensational rookie season, Hughes injured his shoulder in Spring Training 1968 and, with no surgery available to repair the rotator cuff, that injury cut short his promising career.

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“‘Something happened’ at the end of the warm-up, throwing at game speed. ‘My shoulder hurt,’ Hughes recalled, and ‘I was given a (cortisone) shot,'” according to Thomas Van Hyning of the Society for American Baseball Research. “Hughes pitched five innings after alerting coach Bob Bauman that something was wrong.” X-rays later showed he had a torn rotator cuff, which injury doctors couldn’t properly repair in those days.

Instead, Hughes appeared in 25 games for the Cardinals that season before being placed on the disabled list and ending his career.

Hughes stuck with the Cardinals in several different roles before leaving baseball entirely and focusing on his family.

“His playing career in baseball ended in 1968 although he served in various roles in the Cardinals organization … until 1975,” noted local history. “At this point, he chose to spend more time with his family… His love of music, playing the guitar, and outdoor activities like hunting and fishing also influenced his children and eventually his grandchildren.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com