Buchek signed a bonus contract with his hometown Cardinals upon graduation from McKinley High School. He began his professional career as an 18-year-old at the highest levels of minor league baseball, splitting the 1960 season between Double-A and Triple-A. He got his first taste of major league action in June 1961 and spent part of 1963 with the Cardinals before making the big league roster in 1964 and spending five consecutive full seasons in the majors.\n', '

In 1964, Buchek played in only 35 games, largely as a backup to shortstop Dick Groat and second baseman Julián Javier, collecting six hits in 30 at bats. But it was a memorable season, as the Cardinals prevailed in a late-September four-team pennant scramble to win their first National League title in 18 years. Then they defeated the New York Yankees in seven games in the 1964 World Series. Buchek appeared as a defensive replacement in four games at second base, and in his lone plate appearance, in Game 6, he singled off Jim Bouton.\n', '

Buchek remained with the Cardinals as a backup middle infielder in 1965 and 1966, appearing in 55 and then 100 games respectively. However, with Groat (then Dal Maxvill) and Javier established as the Redbirds\' double-play combination, he did not break into the regular lineup, starting a total of 69 games at shortstop and 20 at second base during those two seasons. On May 12, 1966, he scored the first run ever at Busch Memorial Stadium. On the eve of the 1967 campaign, Buchek was traded to the Mets, who were seeking a new second baseman after trading four-year veteran Ron Hunt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets\' general manager, Bing Devine, had signed Buchek when he was front-office boss of the Cardinals in 1960. \n', '

Return to Jerry Buchek Autograph Profile