Ex-Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch dies at 61

ST. LOUIS -- Bob Forsch, the only pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history to throw two no-hitters, has died at age 61.

Team spokesman Brian Bartow said Forsch, the third-winningest pitcher in franchise history, died Thursday at his home near Tampa, Fla. A cause was not immediately known.

The death came less than a week after Forsch threw out the first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series, a few hours before the Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 to win the championship. Forsch was the stand-in for his longtime manager, Whitey Herzog, who is recovering from a fall that left him in a hospital for more than three weeks.

"We've kept in touch throughout the years," Herzog said in a phone interview from his home in suburban St. Louis County. " . . . it's a real shock."

Forsch, a 6-foot-4 righthander known for clutch performances in crucial games, played on three World Series teams in the 1980s under Herzog, and one of his three career postseason victories came against the Milwaukee Brewers in the Cardinals' 1982 World Series championship.

Forsch won 20 games in 1977 and twice was a 15-game winner, and had a career record of 168-136 with a 3.76 ERA. Forsch was an accomplished hitter, too, with a .213 career average and 12 home runs.

"We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Bob Forsch," chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. "Bob was a one of the best pitchers in the history of our organization and a valued member of the Cardinals family."

Forsch, who was a 26th round draft pick of St. Louis in 1968, threw no-hitters in 1978, against the Philadelphia Phillies, and 1983, against the Montreal Expos. His older brother, Ken Forsch, threw a no-hitter for the Astros in 1979, making them the only brothers in major league history to pitch official no-hitters.

In all, Bob Forsch won 163 games for the Cardinals from 1974 to 1988, trailing only Bob Gibson and Jesse Haines. He finished his career with the Astros in 1989.

Herzog said Forsch was well-liked for his bulldog toughness on the mound, and off the field as well. Herzog also said Forsch was one of the more sensible players on his roster.

"I was fortunate to have Bobby on my team," Herzog said. "He never missed a turn, pitched 200 innings each year. He'd take the ball, and he was a great competitor."

Last year, Forsch was the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds' rookie league affiliate, the Billings Mustangs.

Survivors include Forsch's wife, Janice, and two daughters. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.