Ernie Broglio

Ernest Gilbert Broglio (; August 27, 1935 – July 16, 2019) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs from 1959 to 1966.

After attending high school and junior college in his native California, Broglio signed with the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. He was acquired by the New York Giants in 1956. After two seasons in the Giants’ minor league system—when he won 17 games each year—Broglio was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in October 1958.

Although he led the National League in wins with 21 for the 1960 Cardinals and won 18 for the 1963 Redbirds, Broglio is best remembered as the "other player" in the ultimately lopsided trade that sent future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock from the Chicago Cubs to the Cardinals on June 15, 1964. His career in the majors came to an end during the 1966 season. He died on July 16, 2019, from cancer.

Early life Broglio was the second child born in Berkeley, California, to his parents Anna and Joseph Broglio. After ten years, in 1945, his family moved to El Cerrito, California. With his dad working seven days a week, carrying out two jobs, Ernie was self-motivated to play baseball and played on the varsity high school teams for baseball and basketball as an eighth grader. In his minor league career, Broglio was part of many trades between organizations, playing for the Oakland Oaks, Modesto Reds, Stockton Ports, Dallas Eagles, and Phoenix Giants. Broglio ended his first season with a record of 7–12 with an ERA of 4.72 over 181.1 innings pitched and 35 appearances. Not projected to be a part of the Cardinals' starting rotation in the 1960 season, Broglio made his first appearance in relief on the second game of the season pitching six innings against the Giants. After this performance, he alternated between relief innings and starts that brought him to a 9–4 record with a 2.86 ERA, and got him into the starting rotation for the next eighteen appearances. Broglio had arm problems over the remaining years of his career with the Cardinals which contributed to the general management's decision to involve Broglio in a five-player trade with the Chicago Cubs that resulted in the Cardinals obtaining Lou Brock.

Chicago Cubs

When Broglio was traded to the Cubs for Brock, it was seen as a heist for the Cubs. Broglio had won 18 games the year before and was considered a top-flight starting pitcher. The Cardinals organization knew that Broglio's arm would not last much longer, having had twenty cortisone shots in his shoulder in the 1961 season. Broglio's performance with the Cubs was what led a majority of baseball fans to view the transaction between the Cardinals and Cubs to be a lopsided trade. He had a record of 1–6 his first year with the Cubs in 1965 and a 2–6 record in 1966 which made the organization send him down to the minor leagues. ESPN ranked this to be the number one, worst mid season trade in baseball history.

Career statistics In an eight-year career, Broglio made 259 appearances, accumulating 849 strikeouts in 1337.1 innings pitched, and he ended his career with a 3.74 earned run average. Broglio's final record in the major leagues accounted for 77 wins and 74 losses.