Leo Durocher

In 1933, the Reds traded Durocher to the St. Louis Cardinals, who were in need of a shortstop to team up with second baseman Frankie Frisch after an offseason injury to the team's regular shortstop, Charley Gelbert. Durocher solidified the Cardinals' infield. He was captain of the 1934 Cardinals team immortalized as the "Gashouse Gang," which was known for its rough and ready play and antics on and off the field (the Gashouse Gang appellation has been credited to Durocher), and starred in the 1934 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, which the Cardinals won in seven games.

The general manager of the Cardinals at the time, Branch Rickey, was quoted at a later date as saying of Durocher (who later managed under Rickey in Brooklyn) that he had "an infinite capacity for making a bad situation worse." While with the Cardinals, Durocher had already proven the truth of this observation. In 1934, Durocher was involved in contentious divorce proceedings with his first wife, Ruby Marie Hartley, that involved charges of infidelity on both sides and abuse by Durocher. In the same year, he married a glamorous fashion designer, Grace Dozier (whom he divorced in 1943). In April 1935, he was the cause of a dispute that erupted with St. Louis area trade unions which voted to boycott Cardinals games because Durocher had taken actions that seemed to be antiunion in an incident that began when Durocher's wife crossed a picket line. Sportsman's Park, the Cardinals' stadium, was subsequently picketed in a protest action by the unions.

In May 1936, during a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, Durocher got into a shouting match with Dodgers manager Casey Stengel. Stengel and Durocher met under the stands and engaged in a brief fight. Durocher also had a falling out with his playermanager and second base partner, Frankie Frisch, who may have feared that Durocher was after his job as manager. Frisch ultimately demanded of management that Durocher be traded, saying it's "either him or me." The Cardinals accommodated Frisch by trading Durocher in 1937 to the Dodgers for four players.