Gary Kolb: The Man Between Two Cardinals Legends

The Cardinal Chronicle
This Date in Cardinals History
March 13
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Gary Kolb: The Man Between Two Cardinals Legends

Born on this date in 1940, former Cardinals outfielder Gary Kolb holds a quiet but fascinating place in St. Louis baseball history.

Kolb’s major league numbers were modest—over seven seasons he batted .209 with six home runs and 29 RBIs—but his name appears in the record books alongside two of the greatest players ever to wear the Birds on the Bat.

On September 29, 1963, Kolb became part of one of the most historic moments in Cardinals history. That afternoon at Busch Stadium, Stan Musial collected the final hit of his legendary career. When Musial reached base, Kolb was sent in as a pinch-runner, becoming the player who literally took over on the basepaths after Musial’s last hit as a Cardinal.

Kolb’s connection to Cardinals history doesn’t stop there.

He also happened to be the last Cardinals player to wear uniform number 20 before it passed to a newly acquired outfielder the following year. When the Cardinals traded Kolb to the Milwaukee Braves just before the 1964 season—in a deal that brought Bob Uecker to St. Louis—the number soon found a new home.

The next man to wear it would be Lou Brock.

Brock made number 20 one of the most recognizable numbers in franchise history, eventually earning a plaque in Cooperstown and having the number retired by the Cardinals.

So while Kolb’s time in St. Louis was brief, his place in the story of Cardinals baseball is unique—the man who stepped in for Stan Musial’s final moment and the last Cardinal to wear number 20 before Lou Brock made it legendary.