Cardinals History: The Mad Hungarian makes his MLB debut

Today, 56 years ago, St. Louis Cardinals legend Al Hrabosky made his MLB debut. 

Many have come, and even more have gone, but nobody has quite lived up to the same hype that ‘The Mad Hungarian’ brought to the ballpark.

‘Hungo’ was born on July 21st, 1949, in Oakland, California. 

Originally, the Minnesota Twins selected Hrabosky in the 11th round of the 1967 MLB draft. Falling in line with his unwavering self-belief, Hrabosky declined to sign and reemerged as a Redbird in the first round in 1969. 

Cardinals’ fans are stoked to this day that Minnesota missed out on Al’s exploits. They eventually landed him in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, with a red jacket to accompany his ever-apparent character. 

The wild right-hander was known for his unmistakable style on the mound–tenacity, grit, funk, and courage defined The Mad Hungarians’ playing days. There weren’t many like Al, and nowadays, the Cardinals wish there were. 

Hungo’s calling card was his famous pre-pitch routine. Hrabosky would turn to center field, mutter to himself, then flip back around and charge toward the mound. In an attempt to intimidate the hitter? To pump himself up? Hrabosky explained years later: 

“Contrary to popular belief, I did not have a girlfriend who sat in center field, he joked. Actually, I started doing that because I was going back to the minor leagues. In 1974, I was the Cardinal closer, and my mind was wandering; I just had no concentration. I needed to do something to stay in the big leagues. So I developed this self-psyching routine of going behind the mound, mentally visualizing myself–I had a very ‘herky-jerky’ motion–trying to make sure I did it the exact way I wanted to. Then I’d go over a mental scouting report. …

“Take Willie Stargell, anyone remember him? See, the Mad Hungarian thought he was 6’8 and 292lbs. Willie WAS 6’8, 292lbs, and ugly. He was a great hitter and liked to get his arms extended. If I left one out over the plate, there was a chance he’d hit another home run. So I’d visualize making that pitch, in on his hands, and getting the positive reaction of a swing-and-miss. Then I’d talk to the gypsy war gods, make the Earth shake a little bit.”

Don't forget, Al Hrabosky was a Cardinals legend before becoming a broadcaster

Not only was Hrabosky a box office entertainer as a ballplayer, but he also could twirl the pill. 

St. Louis fans often lose sight of how effective their former broadcasters were on the mound. Ricky Horton, Brad Thompson, and Hungo would all fit nicely in the current Cardinal bullpen, which can’t seem to find its footing. 

Hrabosky’s best season came in 1975, for Red Schoendienst’s Redbirds. While the club finished a middling 82-80, Hrabosky was a rare bright spot. 

In ‘75, Hrabosky tossed 97.1 innings as a reliever. First of all, that’s laughable–in a good way. The Cardinals’ leader in relief innings last season was Kyle Leahy with 88. That would sound close, but Leahy was in the midst of being stretched into a starter for the next season–Hrabosky was just a dawg. 

In his large workload, he carved. Hrabosky held a 1.66 ERA, a record of 13-3, and accumulated 3.9 Baseball Reference WAR. It stands as one of the best Cardinal relief seasons of all time. Voters concurred, as he finished third in Cy Young voting. 

Hrabosky also pitched for the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves during his MLB career. His final ERA stood at 3.10 with a record of 64-35, 97 saves, 548 strikeouts, and 10.3 career WAR. 

Despite Hrabosky’s antics on the mound and his innate ability to encapsulate a crowd, modern fans know him as an analyst, and he’s dominated that, too. 

Hungo worked as a color commentator for the Redbirds starting in 1985. More recently, however, he’s transferred into a postgame role, providing analysis on the Redbirds in his same, brutally honest tone that was always present on the mound. 

In 2026, the St. Louis fandom sparked a ‘tarps off’ movement in which fans remove their shirts, wave them over their heads like rally towels, and congregate together to form a sea of bare-chested Redbird loyalists. 

Naturally, the Mad Hungarian saw this trend, cracked open a beer, and went tarps off in tandem, live on air. 

That’s the kind of person and player that Al Hrabosky was, and is. Naturally, a character, and one of the more underrated relievers in Cardinals history, today, we celebrate Hrabosky. 

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