Inductees

He had taken the scenic route – first to a juco in California, played extra roles at a four-year and then almost detoured out of baseball before he ever saw his first minor league game.

And yet there Terry Pendleton was on July 18, 1984, called up to the St. Louis Cardinals to fill in for injured players and surprised to see his name listed as the starting third baseman and No. 6 in the batting order. What he heard next took him by surprise. A good surprise.

“Whitey Herzog (MSHOF Legend 2008) called me into his office and said, ‘You are going to be here only seven to 10 days and, even if you don’t play well, you will be back,’” Pendleton recalled. “It just eased everything.”

That day marked the dawn of a 15-year big-league career, and his seven memorable seasons in St. Louis are why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Pendleton with the Class of 2020.

A third baseman who ultimately emerged as a clubhouse leader, Pendleton finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1984, helped the Cardinals win two National League pennants (1985, 1987) and won the first two of his three Gold Gloves (1987, 1989, 1992) in St. Louis.

For his career, he played five seasons with the Atlanta Braves, helping them to N.L. pennants in 1991, 1992 and 1996. He earned N.L. MVP honors in 1991 and finished as the MVP runner-up a year later. He also led the N.L. in hits twice (187 in 1991, 199 in 1992).

Not that it was an easy road. Far from it.

Looking back, Pendleton credits his dad for not letting him walk away from the game. That happened twice: Not highly recruited, Pendleton played his first two seasons at Oxnard Community College in California and considered going into the real world after his junior season at Fresno State. He lost his scholarship at that point.

“My dad said, ‘You are going to work and pay your way through school,’” Pendleton said.

That next season, Pendleton moved from second base and learned to play center field, enhancing his stock and finding confidence. But after being drafted in the seventh round by the Cardinals in 1982, he was disappointed in the signing bonus offer and wondered if the game had a place for him.

“My dad pulled me aside and said, ‘What’s the difference? This opportunity is what you’ve wanted,’” Pendleton said. “So I told the scout, ‘I’m going to show you I am a better player than that.’”

Over the next two seasons, Pendleton found his way to St. Louis. Ahead of the 1984 season, then-farm director Lee Thomas and Triple-A manager Jim Fregosi moved him to third base, and he excelled. At the time, Pendleton and center fielder Willie McGee were a packaged deal – and roommates – sent to Triple-A Louisville. Fregosi later managed the 1993 Phillies to the N.L. pennant.

“He challenged us,” Pendleton said. “He helped us understand we’re going to have to be consistent with this and that and reinforced what (field coordinator) George Kissell (MSHOF 2003) told us.”

Pendleton credits Ozzie Smith, Tom Herr and Jack Clark for mentoring him in his early years, and he of course repaid the favor years later, especially as the Cardinals broke in Todd Zeile and as the Braves mounted their early 1990s run.

“I knew I had leadership skills. I knew I had to be selfless,” Pendleton said. “The times to teach were rewarding. And the things I learned in St. Louis were what helped me in Atlanta.”

Pendleton’s 69 RBI in 1984 were the most by a Cardinals third baseman in eight seasons. In the 1985 World Series, his two-out, bases-loaded double led St. Louis to the Game 2 victory. In 1987, he had 96 RBI along with 12 home runs, and his two-out, ninth-inning home run off Roger McDowell at Shea Stadium sunk the New York Mets in the N.L. Championship Series.

Overall, Pendleton was a .270 hitter with 140 home runs, 356 doubles, 39 triples and 946 RBI. He also played for the Marlins, Royals and Reds, and was on the Braves’ big-league coaching staff 2002 to 2017.

“I’ll get looks from folks in Atlanta when I say this,” Pendleton said with a smile, “but I still have a special place in my heart for St. Louis. It’s the truth. I went to an organization (out of college) that taught me the way to play baseball.”