3 ways David Green impacted the 1980s St. Louis Cardinals

David Green of the St. Louis Cardinals circa 1983 bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Owen Shaw/Getty Images)
David Green of the St. Louis Cardinals circa 1983 bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Owen Shaw/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals
ST LOUIS, MO – MAY 04: The game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium on May 4, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 05, 2021. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

2. The Injury

David Green career with the Cardinals started well in 1981 with Triple-A Louisville. There, in 106 games, he hit a slash line of .270/.309/.414 with 10 HR and 67 RBI.

In 1982, the 21-year-old earned the starting center fielder spot coming out of spring training. Green, got off to a sizzling start during the month of April when he hit a slash line of .381/.381/.476 with 9 RBIs.

But in early May the injury occurred which changed Cardinal history. During a game on May 7, Green pulled his hamstring and was placed on the DL. To replace Green on the roster, the Cardinals called up from AAA a little know minor leaguer named Willie McGee.

By the time Green returned on May 24, McGee had taken over center field. For the rest of the season, Green would be a utility outfielder filling in for McGee, Lonnie Smith and George Hendrix when needed. Green would finish the year with a respectable .283 BA and contribute off the bench in the NLCS and the World Series.

Meanwhile, Willie McGee would finish the year with .296 BA in 1982, He would eventually become the 1985  NL MVP,  make four All Star appearances, win three Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger Award, and become a beloved Cardinal legend.