If you are wondering why I would have a post dedicated to a week-hitting middle infielder like Luis Aguayo, let me just say this: That is a very good question. But it's a question to which I also have some very good answers.
First of all, as evidenced by the fact that on three different occasions I got his autograph, Luis Aguayo must have been a generous autograph signer. That was not the case for all players...many preferred not to sign at all and some were downright rude about it. Of course, if (like Aguayo) my career batting average was .236, I probably would be happy that anyone wanted my autograph in the first place!
Secondly, some years ago, I went through the cards I had gotten autographed as a kid and put them in alphabetical order. As a result, Aguayo ended up on the top of the pile (unfortunately Hank Aaron never came to town).
Finally though, and most importantly, Aguayo is linked to a very memorable moment for me at Busch Stadium...though he wasn't even there! The date was September 30, 1987. I was at the ballpark for the second straight day. On the 29th, the Cardinals swept double header against Montreal, on the strength of shutouts by pitchers Joe Magrane in game one and Greg Matthews game two. That, coupled with a loss by the second place Mets had dropped our magic number from 5 to 2 over the course of six hours.
The Cardinals would lose on the this night, but somewhere around the 7th inning, I remember a message being placed on the scoreboard. It announced that in Philadelphia, Luis Aguayo had hit a game-winning pinch hit home run off of Mets closer Jesse Orosco. However popular Aguayo was with Phillies fans at that moment, he was even more so with Cardinal fans such as myself!
The Cardinals would win the next night against Montreal to clinch the NL East championship. The Mets were the Cardinals' heated rivals of that era, and would close out the season in St. Louis. That night,, they were already in town, helplessly watching the action from the press box.
The Cardinals would go on to defeat the San Francisco Giants in seven games to win the NL Pennant.
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