Cardinals History: Fans pick up Matt Holliday when he needs them most

The date is October 10, 2009. Matt Holliday is coming off a devastating postseason. He let down his teammates, his city, and himself. 

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs, the Cardinals clung to a slim 2-1 lead. Ryan Franklin induced a weak line drive that looked destined to land softly in Holliday’s glove. 

Instead of ending the game then and there, Holliday fumbled. Did he lose it in the lights? Did it knuckle off the handle of Loney on a jam shot the other way? Who’s to say? 

All we know is that Holliday dropped that ball. It clapped against his glove, dribbled to the ground, and by the time the Redbird had collected himself, Loney stood on second base. 

Succeeding the error, the Dodgers went walk, single, passed ball, walk, single. The game ended on a Mark Loretta knock that scored Casey Blake. 

St. Louis had that game won. The tail-feathered line drive to Holliday was supposed to cap off a great night. 

Instead, it was a rare bruise in an otherwise steady Cardinal career. 

Thankfully, the blunder didn’t alter fans’ perspective of number seven. 

Cardinals fans picked up Matt Holliday when he needed it most 

Following the catastrophic error, likely Holliday’s worst moment as a Redbird or big leaguer, fans felt it appropriate to make their opinions known. 

In the slugger’s first at-bat since his dreadful drop, Cardinals fans banded together and put on a standing ovation. 

An emotional Holliday later acknowledged that the moment meant a lot to him. His actions agreed, as he’d re-sign with that club that winter. 

Holliday’s career went by too fast. As a Redbird, the vicious-swinging righty was a perennial All-Star, garnered MVP votes, and led multiple offenses. 

That night in Los Angeles was an outlier—a small blip in a wildly successful career. 

Now, Holliday’s son Jackson plays for the Baltimore Orioles, and his younger son, Ethan, is on pace to play in MLB very soon, slotting in as a top prospect for the Colorado Rockies. 

But before Holliday was a dad, a glorified hitting coach, and before his sons made their own mark, he was the Cardinals’ best hitter for years—and even he needed a pick-me-up. 

Holliday’s standing ovation didn’t just muster a few more years of Cardinal tenure; it helped build a pedigree that’s been lost with time. 

St. Louis is often called the home of the best fans in baseball (BFIB). True or not, recently, Busch Stadium has resembled a ghost town. 

The longer the Cardinals suck, the less they intrigue fans—even the most loyal have fallen. 

Be that as it may, let’s take today to remember when a packed Busch Stadium picked up a broken Holliday and put him back on his feet. 

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