Tom Herr

The St. Louis Cardinals captured three National League pennants during the 1980s. The team’s stalwart second baseman during the successful run was Tom Herr, a line-drive hitter who played outstanding defense and had a knack for getting on base. In his All-Star season of 1985, Herr hit .302 with career bests in home runs (8) and runs batted in (110). The switch-hitter batted .271, accumulated 1,450 hits, and committed only 77 errors over the course of his 13-year major league career. “Cool Hand Luke. That’s what comes to mind when I think about Tom. He is a cool cucumber, but at the same time, he is fiercely competitive,” former teammate Andy Van Slyke once said.1

Thomas Mitchell Herr was born on April 4, 1956 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and grew up in nearby East Petersburg. His parents, Paul and Thelma (née Alexander), married in 1949. Paul attended Millersville State Teachers College and taught industrial arts. Thelma graduated from Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing and worked as a registered nurse. Tom was one of two boys. He and his older brother, Jeff, played Wiffle ball in the backyard, where Tom would tinker with switch-hitting.2 Though he lived near Philadelphia, Tom’s favorite teams growing up were the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants in the era of Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal.3

Tom attended Hempfield High School in Lancaster, where he was a standout at football, basketball, baseball, and when time would allow, track. As the school’s starting quarterback, he utilized a combination of speed and a strong arm to run an option offense. As a cager, Herr averaged 17.2 points his junior year and 23.3 points his senior year while demonstrating excellent ball-handling and passing skills.4 He became Hempfield’s all-time leading scorer. Duke University recruited Herr after his junior year, and he was set to become a Blue Devil.5 But then a coaching change occurred, and new coach Bill Foster wasn’t interested. “I always dreamed of playing pro basketball, but I never really felt that was realistic because of my size,” the 6-foot-0 Herr later said.6

On the baseball field, Tom played second base his first three years of high school and hit .384 his junior year.7 As a senior, he moved to shortstop, served as team captain, and hit .417 while leading the team to the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship.8 As noted, he even participated in track meets when his baseball schedule would permit, boosting his school’s scores by winning sprints.9 After his senior campaign he was named Athlete of the Year by Lancaster’s Intelligencer Journal.10

Despite his impressive showing in high school, Herr was not selected in MLB’s amateur draft in June 1974. “I was never really scouted in high school. In the northeast we played like a 14-game baseball schedule, and there were never any scouts there. There were never any showcases or anything like that,” he later recalled.11 That summer Herr played American Legion ball for Lancaster and hit .430 while leading the team to the state playoffs.12 He also played in the state All-Star game. With the increased exposure, scouts started to take notice.

Herr enrolled at the University of Delaware in the fall of 1974 and planned on playing basketball and baseball at the school if a professional contract did not come to fruition. Multiple overtures did come for the undrafted free agent, and the Cardinals made the best offer. On August 22, St. Louis scout Tim Thompson signed the 18-year-old to a contract for $19,500, which included his signing bonus and first-year salary.13

The Cardinals advised Herr against playing basketball, but he decided to play for Delaware during the 1974-75 season, joining the team as a walk-on. “They said why should I risk an injury, but the final decision was left to me. I was playing mostly for the conditioning,” said Herr in 1975.14

A natural right-hander, Herr spent time in extended spring training in Florida working on becoming a switch-hitter.15 He was then assigned to the Johnson City (Tennessee) Cardinals of the rookie level Appalachian League for the summer of 1975. Playing mostly second base, he hit .308 with 0 home runs, 15 RBIs, and 10 steals.

Herr spent the next two seasons playing for the St. Petersburg Cardinals, a Single-A team in the Florida State League. He hit .269 in 82 games in 1976. His first home run did not come until 1977, his third year in pro ball, when he hit .303 with an OBP of .382 and stole 50 bases in 65 attempts. Herr was named the Cardinals’ minor league player of the month for May and was part of the Florida State League All-Star team. Following the season, the Cardinals added him to their 40-man roster. “I think I still have a long way to go until I play in the major leagues, but this is definitely a step in the right direction,” Herr said at the time.16

In a 2020 interview, Herr recalled his first few years of pro ball: “I was like a dry sponge that just soaked everything up my first few years. I was just so fortunate to have great instruction in the Cardinal minor league system and was smart enough to take stuff in and apply it to my game. I started to develop my baseball muscles because in high school I was an all-around athlete and never really concentrated on baseball. Within my first three years, I went from being a suspect to a prospect.”17

On January 7, 1978, Herr married Kim Garman, his junior year prom date and fellow Hempfield High School alum. In spring training that year, Herr got only three at-bats before being sent to the Cardinals’ minor league camp.18 Then, injuries to Gary Sutherland and Mike Tyson opened the door for Herr to get a closer look for several games. He responded by racking up six hits in 10 at-bats, impressing manager Vern Rapp.19 “He’s a very good prospect. He’s very steady, has good control of the strike zone, heads-up, good agility, good speed, good hands,” assessed Rapp.20

Herr’s confident and aggressive style of play was also lauded by two future Hall of Famers on the Cardinals’ roster: Lou Brock and Ted Simmons. Both praised the young second baseman after his spring training showing. “I expect that in the next year or so he will be playing regularly in the major leagues,” said Simmons.21

Herr began the 1978 season with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. In 89 games, he hit .293, with three home runs and 45 RBIs. In late July, he was promoted to Triple-A Springfield (Illinois) and appeared in 33 games during the remainder of the season. He batted .279 while drawing an impressive 21 walks versus just seven strikeouts. Herr worked with legendary Cardinals coach George Kissell in the fall Instructional League, focusing on turning double plays and charging ground balls.22

Herr arrived at spring training in 1979 on the cusp of the major leagues but competing with the incumbent Tyson and fellow prospect Ken Oberkfell for the second base job. Herr also had a new manager to impress. The Cardinals had replaced Rapp with Ken Boyer early in the 1978 season. Tyson and Oberkfell made the opening day roster, and Herr was sent back to Springfield for more seasoning. Though Tyson was an excellent defender, he hit only .221. Oberkfell hit .301 and received the bulk of the playing time at second base.

Herr struggled early with Springfield and was hitting just .249 on July 1.23 He found his stroke in July and raised his batting average to .293 with six home runs and 29 stolen bases. Herr finally got the call up to St. Louis when Tyson landed on the disabled list in August.

Herr, then 23 years old, made his major league debut on August 13, 1979 versus the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning when St. Louis third baseman Ken Reitz reached on a single. Herr pinch-ran for Reitz and came around to score the winning run on a Garry Templeton sacrifice fly. His first at-bat came three days later in an extra-inning game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He grounded out off reliever Bobby Castillo.

With Oberkfell playing well as the second baseman, Herr was primarily used as a pinch-runner. “If I put myself in the manager’s position, I’d stay with Obie too,” admitted Herr.24 His first hit came off the Padres’ Mickey Lolich on August 31. In 10 at-bats, Herr recorded two hits. He would have likely seen more action in the last week of the season, but a cut to his foot from an opponent’s spikes ended his season prematurely. Despite the lack of playing time, Herr enjoyed the experience of watching Brock’s farewell tour and the class with which the veteran handled himself.25

The Cardinals traded Tyson to the Cubs after the season ended, creating a roster spot for Herr heading into 1980. Herr played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and lifted weights during the offseason to improve his ability to drive the ball.26 He went to spring training all but assured of a role on the team, and he was able to relax. “The pressure was really off. I just went out and played and didn’t worry about results,” he said at the time.27

Herr spent the first few weeks of the 1980 season playing sporadically as a reserve infielder. In May, a knee injury to Oberkfell opened the door for Herr to get extended playing time. He struggled at the plate and was hitting just .165 when Oberkfell returned to action on June 20. Herr was sent back to Springfield, where he hit .312 in 37 games. He got another opportunity in September — as a shortstop — when Templeton went down with an injury. Herr made the most of the second chance and hit .337 with a .404 OBP in 27 games to close out the season. During the rest of his career, he played almost exclusively at second base.

In October 1980, Herr was rumored to be part of a potential trade to the San Diego Padres for Rollie Fingers.28 Ultimately, a deal for Fingers was agreed to in December, but Herr remained a Cardinal. The trade was part of a flurry of deals made by Whitey Herzog, then the Cardinals’ new general manager (as well as field manager). Fingers was flipped to Milwaukee after St. Louis acquired another closer, Bruce Sutter (also a Lancaster native), in a trade with the Cubs. The latter deal sent Reitz to Chicago, allowing the Cards to shift Oberkfell to third and creating a spot for Herr at second base.

During spring training of 1981, Tom and Kim welcomed a son named Aaron. Herr’s first full season was interrupted by a players’ strike that shortened the season to 103 games. Herr played in all of them and hit .268 with 23 stolen bases as the Cardinals finished in second place in each half of the unorthodox season.

The 1982 season was a roller coaster ride for Herr. He got off to a hot start in April, punctuated by a 4-for-4 performance at Pittsburgh on April 20. A bout of pneumonia and then a torn thigh muscle contributed to a fall in his batting average to the .230s and limited his ability to steal bases for much of the first half.29 Herr went on another hot streak from late July to early August and wound up with an average of .266 for the season. The Cardinals won 92 games to capture the NL East, swept the Braves in the NLCS, and advanced to the World Series to take on the Brewers.

“Harvey’s Wallbangers” walloped the Cards 10-0 in Game One and took a 3-0 lead early in Game Two. Herr sensed that his teammates needed to get fired up. “I gave a couple of guys a sort of tongue-lashing, saying we were dead — with a few unprintables,” he later explained. “No one else was willing to say anything, so I felt compelled to do it at that time.”30 Herr then came to the plate against Don Sutton and drove in the Cardinals’ first run of the series with a ground-rule double. St. Louis won that game 5-4, and the momentum shifted in their direction. The Cardinals were crowned world champs after winning the series in seven games. Herr hit just .160 (four-for-25) for the series but drove in five runs.

In the offseason, Herr underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. Then, early in spring training he developed pain and swelling in the left knee. Again, a cartilage tear was found, requiring arthroscopic surgery which delayed his start to the 1983 season.31 Mike Ramsey filled in at second base until Herr returned in late April.

Through his first 1,160 at-bats in the majors, Herr had not hit a home run.32 His first round-tripper finally came on May 10 versus the Giants when he took Andy McGaffigan deep. “I was approaching a futility record, and I was hearing a lot about it. I was glad to get that monkey off my back,” he said after the game.33 Noting his first home trot was a little quick, Herr got a chance to slow it down when he homered again eight days later against the Houston Astros.

Herr did not homer again that season, but he had an impressive batting average of .323 despite playing with persistent pain in the left knee. By August, Herr had to be shut down for the season, and another knee surgery was performed. “He really couldn’t move at all this year, but I admire the way he battled,” said Herzog. “He’s one of the most intelligent players in the league.”34

After an offseason training regimen of bicycling, swimming, and repetitions with light weights, Herr entered 1984 ready to put his injury problems behind him. He played in 145 of the Cardinals’ first 148 games and hit .276 while driving in 49 runs. Always steady in the field, Herr committed only six errors for a fielding percentage of .992.35 A pulled muscle in his side forced him to miss the last two weeks of the season.

Herr sought a multi-year contract after the 1984 season. Still a year away from free agency, he filed a demand for a trade to gain leverage in negotiating a deal. Herr looked for a contract in the range of peers Ryne Sandberg and Johnny Ray.36 He and the Cardinals eventually came to terms on a four-year, $3.125 million pact prior to the 1985 season.37

In spring training of 1985, Herr made a minor adjustment: moving up in the batter’s box, which allowed him to keep more hard-hit balls fair while giving him more command of the strike zone.38 The change translated into more hits, and this carried over to the regular season. After three hits on Opening Day against the New York Mets, the hits kept coming. Herr was batting .391 at the end of April and .372 at the end of May. His first-half accomplishments did not go unnoticed — he edged out Sandberg in the All-Star voting to represent the National League at second base.

Herr’s hot bat finally cooled as the threat of another players’ strike loomed in early August. As the Cardinals’ representative for the players’ union, Herr admitted the pressure of the work stoppage affected him: “I felt so weighed down by that I wasn’t preparing myself as usual for games and mentally I was really under a strain.”39 The strike lasted only two days (August 6-7), and Herr got hot again after the brief stoppage.

The Cardinals added power from Jack Clark and speed from rookie Vince Coleman to their lineup in 1985. Herr batted third behind Coleman and Ozzie Smith and frequently hit with runners on; with the threat of cleanup man Clark behind him, he got good pitches to hit. Thus, Herr became the first player since the Detroit Tigers’ George Kell in 1950 to reach the 100 RBI plateau while hitting fewer than 10 home runs. (Herr hit a career-high eight. Paul Molitor is the only player to accomplish the feat since.)40 Herr also set career highs in hits (180), runs (97), stolen bases (31), and walks (80).

The Cardinals finished with 101 wins, three games ahead of the second-place Mets. In the NLCS, St. Louis took on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Herr hit .333 in the series, including a home run in the Cardinals’ Game Three victory over Bob Welch. Game-winning home runs by Smith and Clark in Games Six and Seven, both off Tom Niedenfuer, propelled St. Louis to an I-70 World Series against the Kansas City Royals. Aided by Don Denkinger’s infamous blown call in Game Six, the Royals won the series in seven games. Herr hit .154 (four-for-26) in the series. He finished fifth in NL MVP voting for the 1985 season.41

The 1986 season proved a struggle for Herr and his teammates. Herr’s average was under the Mendoza Line well into June. Perhaps not coincidentally, his bat did not heat up until after the birth of his second son, Jordan, on June 16. For the season Herr hit .252 and drove in just 61 runs. Clark and Willie McGee missed significant time due to injuries, and neither was productive when they did play. Terry Pendleton hit only .239, and the Cardinals got little production from their catchers. This all translated into a losing and forgettable season.

One of the most memorable games of the 1987 season and of Herr’s career came just 10 games in, when the Cardinals hosted the Mets at Busch Stadium. Fans received seat cushions as a promotional giveaway. The teams battled to a 7-7 tie after nine innings, and the Mets took the lead in the top of the tenth. The Cards tied the game off Jesse Orosco in the bottom of the inning and loaded the bases with two outs. Hitting right-handed against the southpaw Orosco, Herr swung at a first-pitch fastball and belted it over the left field fence for a walk-off grand slam. As Herr crossed the plate, fans sent thousands of seat cushions flying frisbee-style on to the field.

When players returned to the stadium the following day, the grounds crew was still picking up the white squares. Remembering “Seat Cushion Night” in 2020, Herr said: “I remember Jack Buck saying they will probably have seat cushion night again tomorrow night because they got so many back.”42

The Cardinals edged out the Mets by three games to win the division and then disposed of the Giants in the NLCS. Their third World Series of the decade was hard-fought, and the Minnesota Twins won in seven games. Herr hit .250 (seven-for-28) in the series with a solo home run.

Herr’s long tenure with St. Louis came to an end early in the 1988 season. The Cardinals were looking to add an outfielder with power and settled on Minnesota’s Tom Brunansky. The acquisition came at the expense of Herr, then 32 and a free agent at season’s end. “It’s really hard to say goodbye. I wanted to play my whole career here and that dream is out the window,” said Herr after the trade was announced. “Maybe it’s time to go. I didn’t like some of the things I’ve seen in the organization the last few years.”43 Herr had spoken critically about how St. Louis had traded away Keith Hernandez and Van Slyke in years prior.

Being in a new league and away from his family, Herr admittedly was slow to adapt to his new environs.44 He had been a team leader with the Cardinals but found himself an outsider with the Twins. He battled a quadricep strain for much of the season. Nonetheless, he produced on par with the prior year with an average of .263.

In a rare October trade, the Twins sent Herr, Tom Nieto, and Eric Bullock to the Philadelphia Phillies for Shane Rawley and $125,000 cash.45 The Phillies traded for the soon-to-be free agent without the security of his services. The two sides had agreed on salary terms, but Herr wanted a two-year deal while the Phillies only wanted to offer one.46 After a month of negotiations between the Phillies and his agent, Steve Comte, Herr signed a two-year deal worth $1.65 million.47 The Dodgers made a more lucrative offer, but the Lancaster native chose location over money. His new home park was just 70 miles from his offseason home.

In the offseason, Herr returned to the basketball court as an assistant coach at Lancaster Catholic. “The experience this year has shown me that coaching is definitely something I would enjoy later on, so that’s a possibility,” said Herr.48 He enjoyed a solid 1989 season, playing in 151 games while batting .287 with two home runs and 37 RBIs. The Phillies, however, were a last place team with a record of 67-95.

In 1990, the Phillies fell out of playoff contention in the second half and traded Herr to the Mets, who were in a battle with the Pirates for the division. Herr made a splash with his new team, homering and making a game-saving play on defense in his first game. Ultimately, the Mets finished in second place behind the Pirates.

The Mets re-signed Herr to a one-year, $1.4 million contract for the 1991 season.49 The season was a struggle for the 35-year-old, who hit only .194 with one home run. He lost his starting job in July and was released in August. He then signed with the Giants in mid-August and served as a utility infielder for the remainder of the season.

Herr remained in shape and hoped to find a job with an East Coast team in 1992. No offers came, however, and he retired from the game. The Cardinals offered a managerial position, but he did not want to be far from his family and instead spent time as a volunteer coach at his old high school.50 He also took the time to write a book on baseball fundamentals and strategy called A View From Second Base, which was published in 1998.

Herr’s consistency is evident in his career splits: he hit .271 right-handed and .272 left-handed; .273 at home and .269 on the road. He hit 28 home runs and walked more times than he struck out. His career fielding percentage was .989, though oddly he never won a Gold Glove Award — Sandberg won nine straight from 1983 through 1991. “I felt like there were years when I should have won a Gold Glove Award and didn’t. A lot of that was because Ozzie was so great, and I was just the other guy out there,” Herr later surmised.51

In 2005, Lancaster got an expansion team in the independent Atlantic League. The Barnstormers, as they were named, did not have to look far for their first manager — Herr was hired to lead the team. The job was a foot in the door for possibly making it back to the majors as a manager, something he had expressed interest in before. “I love being around baseball,” he said in 2005. “It’s great for me to be on the field and part of it again, I like the day-to-day grind, the routines you get into, the mental games that go on.”52

With Herr at the helm, the Barnstormers won the Atlantic League championship in 2006, just their second season. Herr then resigned from Lancaster to accept a position managing the Hagerstown Suns, a Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. He found aspects of the job frustrating as strict pitch counts and player development were emphasized over winning.53 He left the post after one season. “They wanted more of a ‘yes’ man, and I was a more opinionated guy,” he said looking back.54

Herr’s sons, Aaron and Jordan, followed in their father’s footsteps as star athletes at Hempfield High School. In 2000, Aaron was a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves. He spent nine years in the minor leagues and made it to Triple-A in the Cincinnati and Cleveland organizations. He then played three seasons for the Barnstormers, including 2009 and 2010 when his father was re-hired to manage the team. Jordan played ball at the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2007, though he did not sign. He played one season for the Barnstormers, then managed by Von Hayes.

Herr has been out of organized baseball since 2010. In a 2014 interview, he said that he had both knees replaced, a result of years playing on artificial turf.55 At that time, he ran a website that sold wine accessories. In retirement, he spends his time with grandchildren, playing golf, hunting, and watching baseball. “I still have an avid interest in baseball,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”56

In 2020, Herr was elected to the St. Cardinals Hall of Fame along with former teammate John Tudor. Herr said of the honor: “I’m thrilled, I’m very grateful. For me, my road wasn’t the normal road to the big leagues. I was an undrafted 18-year-old free agent when I signed with the Cardinals and about as green as green could be.”57 Reflecting on his career with the Cardinals, he said: “There’s nothing like being a part of the Cardinal tradition. And certainly, our 1980s team have a great chapter in that book.”58

Last revised: February 18, 2021

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Karen Holleran.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author relied on Baseball-Reference.com.

Notes

1 Kevin Freeman, “His Fire Never Burned Out,” Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), January 30, 1998: 19.

2 Frank Murtaugh, “Q&A with Former Cardinal Tommy Herr,” Memphis Flyer, May 5, 2014. https://www.memphisflyer.com/FromMySeat/archives/2014/05/05/qanda-with-former-cardinal-tommy-herr, Accessed December 3, 2020.

3 Bob Fallstrom, “Fans’ Grim View Leaves Herr Hurting,” Herald and Review (Decatur, Illinois), April 15, 1981: 9.

4 “The Morning Intell’s Athletes of the Year,” Intelligencer Journal, June 11, 1974: 18.

5 Greg Grasa, “Herr Enjoys his Job as Coach,” Lancaster New Era, January 24, 1989: 29.

6 Dave Caldwell, “Tom Herr’s Life in the Majors,” Sunday News (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), June 7, 1981: 27.

7 “The Morning Intell’s Athletes of the Year.”

8 “The Morning Intell’s Athletes of the Year.”

9 Freeman, “His Fire Never Burned Out.”

10 “The Morning Intell’s Athletes of the Year.”

11 Tom Herr interview with Frank Cusumano on KSDK St. Louis, May 26, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvp9MOQbFb8, Accessed December 3, 2020.

12 Caesar Alsop, “Herr’s Looking to a Future in Baseball,” The Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware), February 15, 1975: 23.

13 Alsop.

14 Alsop.

15 Steve Summers, “Baseball Update on Area Stars,” Intelligencer Journal, June 3, 1975: 20.

16 Bill Carroll, “Rineer, Herr Good Major League Prospects,” Lancaster New Era, December 1, 1977: 65.

17 Tom Herr interview with Frank Cusumano on KSDK St. Louis.

18 Dick Kaegel, “Herr, Cards Blast Bosox,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 25, 1978: 5.

19 Kaegel.

20 Kaegel.

21 Bill Carroll, “Cards Manager, Stars Impressed by Herr,” Lancaster New Era, April 12, 1978: 33.

22 Bill Carroll, “Tom Herr Getting Closer to Major Leagues,” Lancaster New Era, January 11, 1979: 41.

23 Larry Harnly, “Redbirds Splint with 89ers, Add Pitcher,” The State Journal-Register (Springfield, Illinois), August 2, 1979: 23.

24 Steve Geisenberger, “Herr Awaits Shot to Show He Can Play,” Intelligencer Journal, September 13, 1979: 57.

25 Giesenberger.

26 Bill Carroll, “Tom Herr Making Most of Chance with Cardinals,” Lancaster New Era, April 26, 1980: 11.

27 Randy Montgomery, “Herr is Winning a Trip to St. Louis,” Intelligencer Journal, April 5, 1980: 17.

28 “Paper: Padres to Trade for Herr,” Intelligencer Journal, October 29, 1980: 27.

29 Jeff Young, “Herr Learns Some Lessons,” Intelligencer Journal, June 30, 1982: 21.

30 Young.

31 Bill Carroll, “Herr Isn’t Discouraged Despite Knee Operations,” Lancaster New Era, April 2, 1983: 11.

32 Rick Hummel, “Porter Bags Two as Cards Win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 1983: 27.

33 Hummel, “Porter Bags Two as Cards Win.”

34 Rick Hummel, “Surgery May End Herr’s Season,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 10, 1983: 16.

35 Ryne Sandberg, the Gold Glove winner for 1984, also only committed 6 errors and had a fielding percentage of .993.

36 “Tom Herr Files a Demand for Trade,” Intelligencer Journal, October 27, 1984: 21.

37 Rick Hummel, “Healthier, Wealthier Tom Herr Finally Attains Peace of Mind,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 11, 1985: 25.

38 Bill Carroll, “Strike Put Extra Load on Herr,” Lancaster New Era, August 10, 1985: 13.

39 Carroll, “Strike Put Extra Load on Herr.”

40 John Sonderegger, “After His ‘Career Year’, What Can Herr Do for an Encore?”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 6, 1986: 184.

41 Rob Rains, “Tom Herr, John Tudor and Bill White Elected to Cardinals Hall of Fame,” May 22, 2020, https://stlsportspage.com/2020/05/22/tom-herr-john-tudor-and-bill-white-elected-to-cardinals-hall-of-fame/, Accessed January 11, 2021.

42 Tom Herr interview with Frank Cusumano on KSDK St. Louis.

43 Rick Hummel, “Cards Deal Herr to Minnesota: An Emotional Farewell as Teammate Departs,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 24, 1988: 248.

44 Jayson Stark, “Herr is Home,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 26, 1988: 47.

45 Jayson Stark, “Phillies Get Twins’ Herr,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 25, 1988: 33

46 Jayson Stark, “Phillies Get Twins’ Herr.”

47 “Signing Contract with Phils Like Homecoming for Herr,” Times Leader, November 18, 1988: 34.

48 Grasa.

49 Joe Sexton, “Herr Promises Casual Spring is Just his Routine,” Intelligencer Journal, April 5, 1991: 15.

50 Freeman, “His Fire Never Burned Out.”

51 Tom Herr interview with Frank Cusumano on KSDK St. Louis.

52 Kevin Freeman, “Tom Herr Still Loves the Game,” Intelligencer Journal, May 10, 2005: 61

53 Mike Gross, “Herr, Barnstormers Have Mutual Interest,” Sunday News, September 16, 2007: 32.

54 Rick Hummel, “Herr’s Grand Slam Sent Cushions Flying,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 22, 2020: 17.

55 Murtaugh.

56 Murtaugh.

57 Tom Herr interview with Frank Cusumano on KSDK St. Louis.

58 Hummel, “Herr’s Grand Slam Sent Cushions Flying.”