May 14, 1997: Mike Gulan’s unique debut, Micah Franklin’s first homer propel Cardinals over Phillies

It seemed that every time St. Louis Cardinals fans clicked on the television or flipped open a newspaper in the first six weeks of the 1997 season, they learned that another player was headed to the disabled list.

By the time the Cardinals took the field on May 14 to conclude a two-game series at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, rookie first baseman Dmitri Young was the latest victim. A strained calf muscle made Young the 12th Cardinal to go on the disabled list, and the raging injury bug had resulted in nearly three dozen men making at least one on-field appearance.1

When third baseman Mike Gulan took his place on the field in the first inning that night, the 26-year-old became the 36th player to suit up in the team’s 38 games – and the second newcomer in as many days. By the end of the game, a 12-3 St. Louis victory, Gulan had become the first player since at least 1901 to go hitless but score twice and drive home a run in his first major-league game – making his five-year trek through the minors worthwhile.2

Fellow rookie Micah Franklin, a 25-year-old switch-hitting outfielder who had debuted a day earlier after spending seven seasons in the minors, also collected his first three big-league hits, including a home run, as the Cardinals snapped a four-game losing skid.3

“They really ignited us tonight, even though they were probably a little nervous,” said veteran center fielder Ray Lankford, who went on to earn his first All-Star selection in 1997 despite missing the season’s first three weeks with a torn rotator cuff. “The way things have been going, we needed something to get back on track.”4

Added manager Tony La Russa of the rookie infusion: “I wanted to take a look at a couple of new guys tonight, and things worked out. It looks like we could have one hellacious bench.”5

St. Louis – the defending National League Central Division champions – opened the season on a six-game losing streak, the worst start in franchise history. Play improved over the next five weeks, but coming into this game the Cardinals were still five games under .500 at 16-21.6 The Phillies, who had endured three straight losing seasons since they won the NL pennant in 1993, had fared worse, coming into the game at 14-23.7

Philadelphia rookie starter Calvin Maduro had impressed early in the season, and he hoped to continue his three-game home winning streak against veteran Todd Stottlemyre in front of a Wednesday crowd of 14,799. The 31-year-old Stottlemyre returned to Philadelphia for the first time since taking the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game Four of the 1993 World Series – a game preceded by a mini-war of words between him and Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell.8

The Phillies struck first after Gregg Jefferies ripped Stottlemyre’s first pitch to center and moved to second on Mickey Morandini’s grounder to short. Rookie Scott Rolen punched an RBI single to right – another of many contributions that helped the future Hall of Famer win unanimous NL Rookie of the Year honors.9

St. Louis tried to rally in the second. Franklin led off and singled for his first major-league hit, and he moved to second on Gulan’s fly out and to third on Mike Difelice’s comebacker to the mound. Franklin was stranded when Mark Sweeney swung through a third strike, but he played a role when the Cardinals got on the board in the fourth.

Lankford singled and Franklin walked to open the fourth. Gulan dropped down a bunt, but Maduro fired to third to force out Lankford. Difelice hit an RBI single to right to bring home Franklin and tie the game. After Sweeney flied out, Stottlemyre ripped a book-rule double to left-center. Had the ball not bounded over the wall, two runners would have scored, but the Cardinals still took a 2-1 lead as Gulan crossed the plate – giving him and Franklin their first career runs in the same inning.

The lead lasted just four pitches into the bottom of the inning. Philadelphia’s Rico Brogna led off with a home run, making it hits in 16 of his last 17 games and tying the game, 2-2.

In the Cardinals’ fifth, Lankford and Franklin hit back-to-back one-out singles to put runners on the corners and give Gulan a chance to make some noise as a major leaguer. He picked up an RBI when he grounded into a force at second as Lankford scampered home to put the Cardinals ahead to stay. After Difelice singled, first-year Phillies manager Terry Francona pulled Maduro after 97 pitches.

“It looked to me like it was a battle for him from the get-go,” said Francona, who at 38 was the youngest manager in the majors. “But we have to remember he’s still a [22-year-old] kid out there. He’s pitched so well at times that it’s easy to overlook the fact he doesn’t have a lot of starts under his belt.”10

Lefty Mike Mimbs entered and Francona admitted that “the roof kind of caved in.”11 La Russa countered the pitching change with right-handed pinch-hitter Gary Gaetti, who ripped Mimbs’s third pitch into left for a double, scoring Gulan and Difelice.

Mimbs struck out Stottlemyre to end the inning and caught Royce Clayton looking at strike three to open the sixth. But Delino DeShields tripled to center, Willie McGee singled to center, and Lankford blasted a towering home run to right-center for an 8-2 lead as Mimbs “pitched” for the cycle.

Philadelphia got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on Darren Daulton’s solo home run, but the Cardinals padded their lead with three home runs off reliever Ken Ryan in the ninth inning – a leadoff shot from Franklin, a two-out solo homer by Gaetti,12 and a two-run blast from Clayton.13

“It’s like a dream come true,” said Franklin, a third-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1990. “I didn’t get any sleep the night they told me I was going up. I’ll be making a few phone calls home tonight.”14

Maduro fell to 3-4 for the season, and the loss dropped Philadelphia’s record to 1-19 when its starting pitcher did not record a quality start.15 The Phillies had used eight starting pitchers since Opening Day due to injuries to Mike Grace and Matt Beech and had seen significant struggles by Bobby Muñoz, who was tied for the major-league lead with five losses.

Stottlemyre improved to 2-2 with his 99th career victory after striking out seven in six innings.16 He was backed by an offense that rebounded from a dismal performance the night before and pounded out a season-high 17 hits – more than the Cardinals had collected in the last three games combined (15).17

Gulan, who learned of his promotion while playing golf and thought it was a joke,18 was a second-round pick of the Cardinals in 199219 and earned the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year honors in 1995.20 An elbow injury limited him in spring training in 1997,21 but after showing no ill effects in Louisville, he earned his chance with the Cardinals.

“There never have been or never will be enough good players in the major leagues,” La Russa said. “Whenever you get your shot, your attitude should be ‘I’m going to show them my best.’ He’s got some ability. He’s got nice hands, a nice arm and he’s got extra-base pop in his bat, so he’s a legitimate prospect. But the question about him is how much is he going to play?”22

Gulan remained with the Cardinals until Young was activated from the disabled list on May 29 but did not earn regular playing time.23 He went hitless in nine at-bats over five games, though La Russa called him a “legitimate major leaguer” despite his five strikeouts.24

“It would have been nice to get a hit,” Gulan said before heading back to Louisville. “But I can’t wait to start playing again and get the swing going and get back here.”25

Young’s activation also impacted Franklin’s playing time. While Young was injured, John Mabry filled in at first base, giving Franklin opportunities to start in right field. He remained with the Cardinals throughout June in a reserve role, but despite hitting .324, he was sent back to Louisville and never appeared in the majors again.26

Gulan spent the rest of the year in Triple A and was released after failing to make the major-league roster the next spring. The Florida Marlins signed him, and he briefly appeared in the majors in 2001, going hitless in six at-bats in six games for the Marlins late in the season.

He never made the majors again but played the 2002 season in Japan and had brief stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox organizations in 2003 and 2004. Gulan was only the ninth position player to finish his major-league career hitless in at least 18 plate appearances.27

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Laura Peebles and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Mike Gulan, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the Baseball-Reference.com, Stathead.com, and Retrosheet.org websites for pertinent statistics and the box scores. He also used information obtained from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philadelphia Inquirer.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI199705140.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1997/B05140PHI1997.htm

Notes

1 The Cardinals started the season with four players on the disabled list: pitchers Andy Benes (strained left side), Danny Jackson (rib cage), and Brian Barber (offseason surgery), and outfielder Ray Lankford (torn rotator cuff). Andy Van Slyke, who did not play in 1996, had hoped to make a comeback with the Cardinals at age 36, but he was also injured in spring training, derailing his chance of rejoining the team that made him a first-round draft pick in 1979 and employed him until 1987. As the season progressed, the Cardinals lost reliever Rick Honeycutt (April 1 and May 6), catcher Tom Pagnozzi (April 4 and April 30), pitcher Lance Painter (April 8), infielder Roberto Mejía (April 12), infielder David Bell (April 29), pitcher Donovan Osborne (May 3), outfielder Brian Jordan (May 6), and first baseman Dmitri Young (May 14). In addition, second baseman Delino DeShields (five games) and third baseman Gary Gaetti (three games) missed time with minor injuries, and rookie starting pitcher Matt Morris left a start on April 19 in the first inning after getting hit by a comebacker.

2 Jackie Bradley Jr. (2013) and A.J. Reed (2016) matched Gulan’s no-hit, two-run, one-RBI debut, but Gulan remained through the 2024 season  the only player to do so without drawing a walk. Before Gulan’s performance, only eight other players had gone hitless and scored twice in their major-league debut since 1901. They were Gene McCann (April 19, 1901), Jack Saltzgaver (April 12, 1932), Ken Heintzelman (October 3, 1937), LeGrant Scott (April 19, 1939), Larry Foss (September 18, 1961), Jack Howell (May 20, 1985), Rondell White (September 1, 1993), and José Malavé (May 23, 1996).

3 Another St. Louis rookie, Mike Difelice, a 27-year-old Philadelphia native who had toiled in the minors since 1991, collected his second career multihit game. Difelice debuted in September 1996 and joined the Cardinals early in 1997 after catcher Tom Pagnozzi went on the disabled list. Coming into this game, he was batting .107 and had only five hits.

4 Associated Press, “Lankford Leads HR Parade,” Carbondale (Illinois) Southern Illinoisan, May 15, 1997: 1D.

5 Associated Press, “Cardinals’ Rookie Overpowers Phils,” Poplar Bluff (Missouri) Daily American Republic, May 15, 1997: 1B.

6 The Cardinals finished the season with a losing record (73-89) for the third time in four years and sat fourth in the NL Central Division.

7 The Phillies finished last in the NL East at 68-94.

8 Going into the game, Rendell said, “I’d love to grab a bat and hit against Stottlemyre.” To which Stottlemyre responded, “I’d throw three behind his head, then I’d paint the black with the next three and tell him to sit down.” Stottlemyre ultimately struggled in the start, allowing six runs in two innings, but the Blue Jays won a slugfest, 15-14. Stottlemyre joined the Cardinals in 1996 but his only start against the Phillies that year came at home. Don Bostrom, “Stottlemyre Not Insulted by Rendell,” Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call, October 20, 1993: C16.

9 Rolen closed his rookie year hitting .283 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs. He received all 28 first-place votes in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, easily beating pitchers Matt Morris and Liván Hernández, who tied for second place. Rolen was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023 in his sixth year of eligibility.

10 Paul Hagen, “Woes Start Early for Phillies,” Philadelphia Daily News, May 15, 1997: 74.

11 Hagen.

12 Gaetti’s home run was the 1,999th hit of his career. He collected his 2,000th, an infield single, in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves on May 16, becoming the 51st player with 2,000 hits and 300 home runs. Gaetti retired in 2000 with 2,280 hits and 360 homers.

13 The Cardinals had not hit three home runs in the same inning since they did it against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning on July 12, 1996.

14 Associated Press, “Cardinals’ Rookie Overpowers Phils.”

15 Starting pitchers record a quality start when they pitch at least six innings and allow three or fewer earned runs. Philadelphia’s lone victory without a quality start came in a 10-8 win over the Montreal Expos on April 19, despite Mark Leiter allowing five earned runs in six innings.

16 Stottlemyre won his 100th game in San Francisco 11 days later.

17 In the opening game of the Philadelphia series, Garrett Stephenson had stifled the Cardinals in his first career start. The 25-year-old struck out 12 in a 3-2 victory, prompting St. Louis manager Tony La Russa to cut off his team’s access to the food room after the game as a motivational tactic. The Cardinals could not replicate the offensive outburst in their next game two nights later – a 13-inning, 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Later in the season, the Cardinals collected 21 hits against the Colorado Rockies on June 3, 20 hits against the Chicago Cubs on July 13, and 18 hits against the Cincinnati Reds on June 28. Before this game, St. Louis had a season-high total of 13 hits against the San Francisco Giants on April 28, the New York Mets on May 4, and the Phillies on May 7. Rick Hummel, “Starved for Runs, La Russa Makes Cards Go Hungry,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 15, 1997: 1D.

18 After hitting his second home run of the season for the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds in a 7-6 afternoon loss to the Omaha Royals on May 12, Gulan headed to a nearby golf course. On the eighth hole, a course employee rolled up to Gulan’s party and informed him he had a phone call. “He said, ‘You just got a call from a lady who said you were going to the majors,’” Gulan said. “I started looking around behind the trees to see if somebody was playing a joke on me.” Rick Hummel, “Call From Cardinals Was Quite a Shock,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 15, 1997: 5D.

19 Gulan earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and second-team All-America honors as a junior at Kent State University after hitting .420 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs, leading to interest from major-league teams – including the Cardinals, who took Gulan with the 53rd overall draft pick. After the 1992 season, Gulan was voted most likely to make the major leagues in a poll of managers in the Low A New York-Pennsylvania League. Pittsfield Mets manager Jim Thrift told Baseball America: “Gulan could play third base in the major leagues right now. The only thing holding him back is his hitting, and that’s not far away either.” Dan O’Neill, “Cards See Potential in Olympian,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 28, 1993: 10F.

20 Gulan hit a combined .279 with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs between the Double-A Arkansas Travelers and the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds to win the honor. Mike Busby, who played alongside Gulan in Arkansas and Louisville, was named the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He made 45 appearances for the Cardinals from 1996 to 1999.

21 Gulan injured his right elbow during an offseason workout and aggravated the injury while lifting suitcases on his way to St. Petersburg, Florida, for camp. An MRI revealed a torn ligament but it did not require surgical repair.

22 Hummel, “Call From Cardinals Was Quite a Shock.”

23 Gulan did not draw another start as Gary Gaetti and utilityman Danny Sheaffer handled third base for the duration of Dmitri Young’s absence.

24 Rick Hummel, “Jordan ‘A Lot Better Than Before,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 30, 1997: 5D.

25 Hummel, “Jordan ‘A Lot Better Than Before.’”

26 The Cardinals released Franklin in September. He continued in professional baseball until 2004 with stints in Japan, Korea, and with minor-league clubs for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chicago White Sox.

27 Others to do this before Gulan were Larry Littleton (27 plate appearances for the 1981 Cleveland Indians), Mike Potter (24 for the 1976-77 St. Louis Cardinals), Ceylon Wright (22 for the 1916 Chicago White Sox), Roy Crabb (21 for the 1912 White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics), Rufus Hatten (21 for the Memphis Red Sox, Chicago American Giants, and Baltimore Elite Giants from 1942 to 1946), Harry Redmond (21 for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas), Ramón Conde (19 for the 1962 White Sox), John Kenney (19 for the 1872 Brooklyn Atlantics), and Roy Luebbe (18 for the 1925 New York Yankees). The record for the most major-league plate appearances without ever getting a hit is held by pitcher Randy Tate, who went hitless in 47 plate appearances for the 1975 New York Mets.