Perennial All-Star Holliday headlines latest St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame class
Matt Holliday, a dominating offensive force whose arrival in St. Louis marked the start of one of the best decades in team history, was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame, the team announced Friday. Also elected were outfielder Julián Javier and St. Louis Browns manager Charlie Comiskey.
Holliday’s election came via fan vote. Javier was selected by the Red Ribbon Committee, comprised of Hall of Fame managers Tony La Russa and Whitey Herzog and 12 members of the local media, and Comiskey was selected for induction by the organization.
“Selecting members for induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame is one of our organization’s greatest traditions,” Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement.
“We thank the thousands of fans and our Red Ribbon Committee who cast their votes for this year’s induction class and congratulate Matt Holliday, Julián Javier and the Comiskey family on this tremendous honor. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these remarkable players with Cardinals Nation during our induction ceremony in August.”
Arriving from Oakland in 2009, the trade for Holliday is perhaps the most impactful mid-season deal in team history.
He was named to four All-Star teams as a Cardinal and was a member of the 2011 World Series champions and 2013 National League champions. The team made the postseason in six of his eight seasons in St. Louis, and advanced at least to the National League Championship Series four times.
Holliday hit .293 in St. Louis with 153 home runs and 616 RBI. He finished in the top 20 in National League Most Valuable Player voting four times, including in 2009, when he posted a 1.023 OPS in 63 games following his trade.
He is currently a volunteer assistant coach at Oklahoma State University, working under his brother, Josh. The Cowboys are in the midst of play in the Big 12 conference’s postseason tournament, putting Holliday in Arlington, TX when the announcement was made.
Javier, 86, played all but 44 games of his 13-year Major League career with the Cardinals and was a member of the 1964 and 1967 World Series champions. He was named to two All-Star teams and ranks just outside the club’s top ten in games played.
His three-run home run in Game 7 of the 1967 World Series was perhaps the defining offensive moment of his career, which was primarily comprised of outstanding, consistent play at second base.
Comiskey managed the Browns from 1882 to 1889 and again in 1891. He became a full-time player/manager at the age of 25, and would lead them to four pennants over his 1,034 games as a manager.
Comiskey, Holliday and Javier will be formally inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 27. When inducted, they will be the 48th, 49th, and 50th people to be so honored by the team.
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 6:30 PM.