Brock's World Series r¨¦sum¨¦ among the best
Lou Brock wasn¡¯t just a Hall of Famer, leadoff man extraordinaire and stolen-base king. He was also at his best on the biggest stage. Brock, who died Sunday at age 81, was one of the greatest World Series performers Major League Baseball has ever seen.
Brock played in three World Series in his career, all with the Cardinals, in 1964, ¡¯67 and ¡¯68. All three went seven games. The Cardinals won the first two; Brock was a superstar in all three.
Here's a look back at Brock¡¯s Fall Classic achievements in honor of the late Cardinals legend.
He was one of the best all-around World Series hitters ever
Brock had a 1.079 OPS in World Series play. Of the 134 hitters with at least 75 plate appearances in the Fall Classic, Brock¡¯s OPS ranks fourth all-time.
The only names ahead of him? Ruth, Gehrig and Mr. October.
Best OPS in the World Series
Of 134 hitters with 75+ PA in the WS
1-T) Lou Gehrig: 1.214
1-T) Babe Ruth: 1.214
3) Reggie Jackson: 1.212
4) Lou Brock: 1.079
5) Hank Greenberg: 1.044
He was close to a .400 hitter
Brock¡¯s batting average in his 21 World Series games was .391, as he totaled 34 hits in his 87 at-bats. That included two World Series performances of .400 or better -- Brock hit .414 in the Cardinals¡¯ 1967 win over the Red Sox and an incredible .464 in the ¡¯68 World Series, when he hit safely in every game even though St. Louis fell to the Tigers.
He was a multihit machine
Brock recorded multiple hits in over half of the World Series games he played -- 12 of 21. His 12 multihit World Series games are tied for 11th most all-time, with Mickey Mantle and Eddie Collins.
Brock got two hits in each of the Cardinals¡¯ Game 7 victories in 1964 and ¡¯67. In fact, he got at least two hits in nine of the 11 World Series games St. Louis won across the three Fall Classics he played in.
And he was a stolen-base machine
Brock had 14 stolen bases in the World Series. That¡¯s tied for the MLB record.
Most stolen bases in the World Series
1-T) Lou Brock: 14
1-T) Eddie Collins: 14
3-T) Frank Chance: 10
3-T) Davey Lopes: 10
3-T) Phil Rizzuto: 10
And that all-time total came even after Brock didn¡¯t even attempt a stolen base in the first World Series he played in. That¡¯s right, Brock stole seven bases apiece in the 1967 and ¡¯68 World Series. No other player has ever stolen seven bases in a single World Series.
Most stolen bases in a single World Series
1-T) Lou Brock, 1968: 7
1-T) Lou Brock, 1967: 7
3-T) Kenny Lofton, 1995: 6
3-T) Vince Coleman, 1987: 6
3-T) Honus Wagner, 1909: 6
3-T) Jimmy Slagle, 1907: 6
Those steals came in bunches
Brock stole three bases in a single World Series game -- twice. He¡¯s the only player in Major League history to do so.
Brock did it in Game 7 of the ¡¯67 World Series, including stealing second and third base back-to-back in the fifth inning before scoring on a sacrifice fly to help the Cardinals break the game open. He did it again in Game 3 of the ¡¯68 World Series.
Only four other players have ever stolen three bases in a World Series game even once -- Honus Wagner (1909), Willie Davis (1965), Melvin Upton Jr. (2008) and Rajai Davis (2016).
His overall stat line is a sight to behold
Just sit back and enjoy Brock¡¯s career World Series numbers:
21 games
.391 BA/.424 OBP/.655 SLG, 1.079 OPS
34 hits, four home runs, seven doubles, two triples
16 runs scored, 13 RBIs
14 stolen bases
Brock in the Fall Classic was always an incredible performance.