Exactly 40 years ago, the St. Louis Cardinals embarked on one of the most legendary nights in team history. On October 14, 1985, in Game 5 of the NLCS, Ozzie Smith – often nicknamed “The Wizard” for his defensive prowess – did the unthinkable. With the game tied 2-2 at Busch Stadium and entering a dramatic ninth inning, Smith stepped onto the mound… and hit his first career walk-off home run, a drive that seemed like something out of a movie.
As the ball sailed over the home run line, the voice of legendary radio announcer Jack Buck echoed across America:
“Go crazy, folks, go crazy!”
– which has become a phrase that is synonymous with Cardinals lore, etched into the team’s DNA and echoed whenever St. Louis finds its way back to such glory.
Before Ozzie Smith’s fateful smile, the team had a strong start. Willie McGee and Tommy Herr both made the first-inning turnaround, but all their efforts were overshadowed by the Dodgers’ pressure to tie the score. When the final whistle blew and the stands filled with “Go crazy!” chants, a new generation of fans was born. It was a spirit of absolute belief, never giving up – and now, 40 years later, that melody lives on in every brick of Busch Stadium.
People still talk about moments like that every season, but now, St. Louis Louis is reviving that spirit as the team faces its biggest challenge since the late 1980s. The 2025 season ended with defeat and costly lessons, but it is also a ripe time to turn around a culture built on battles like Game 5 in 1985.
Leave a Reply