Happy birthday to Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith - A Hunt and Peck

On December 26, 1954 Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith was born. Twenty-three years later one April 7, 1978 he made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres. Cardinals history was forever changed during the winter meetings of 1981 when then General Manager Whitey Herzog traded Gary Templeton for Smith as the centerpieces of a six-player deal. From there, the rest is history. Smith went on to play fifteen seasons at shortstop wearing the Birds on the Bat racking up 59.5 of his career 67.6 fWAR in St. Louis in addition to winning eleven of his thirteen consecutive Gold Gloves and being named to fourteen of his fifteen career All Star games. Ozzie Smith is honored in the Cardinals and Baseball Hall of Fame and is a frequent participant in the All Star Game Celebrity Softball Game. The Wizard of Oz may no longer do backflips, but he can definitely still pick it.

Happy birthday to the Wizard!

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