Editing Terry Pendleton (section)

===St. Louis Cardinals (1984-1990)===
Pendleton made his major league debut on July 18, 1984, against the [[San Francisco Giants]].<ref name=br/> Batting sixth in the lineup, he made an immediate impact, getting three [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in five [[at-bat]]s en route to an 8–4 victory for the Cardinals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals Box Score: July 18, 1984 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198407180.shtml |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=[[Baseball Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> In 67 games during the [[1984 St. Louis Cardinals season|1984 season]], Pendleton had a .324 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], 20 [[stolen base]]s, and finished tied for seventh in [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award]] voting.<ref name=br/> The [[1985 St. Louis Cardinals season|1985 season]] saw Pendleton remain in the starting lineup at third base. His batting average trailed off, and he only hit .240 for the season and was caught stealing 12 times; he had 17 stolen bases on the season.<ref name=br/> He hit an [[Inside-the-park home run|inside-the-park]] [[Grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]] off [[Joe Sambito]] when [[Danny Heep]] collided with [[Terry Blocker]] in right-centerfield in the fifth inning of an 8&ndash;2 win over the [[1985 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] in the second game of a [[Doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]] at [[Shea Stadium]] on June 9, 1985.<ref>[https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/06/09/Terry-Pendleton-hit-an-inside-the-park-grand-slam-home-run/4879487137600/ "Terry Pendleton hit an inside-the-park grand slam home run...," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Sunday, June 9, 1985.] Retrieved February 3, 2023.</ref> The Cardinals advanced to the [[1985 World Series]], and Pendleton ended up hitting the Cardinals' only triple, doing so in the Cardinals' 3–0 Game 4 win.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198510230SLN|title=1985 World Series Game 4 Box Score|access-date=2007-10-22}}</ref> His statline for the [[1986 St. Louis Cardinals season|1986 season]] was only modestly better. His batting average remained low at .239 and he only hit a single home run, but he was able to steal 24 bases, hit 26 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], and 5 [[triple (baseball)|triples]].<ref name=br/> St. Louis management became disappointed with Pendleton after this season, but manager [[Whitey Herzog]] pointed out to them that it was his base running and fielding (he led the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in [[putout]]s and assists) that made him vital to the team's success.<ref name=bl/>

Pendleton answered front office criticism in his best season to date, the [[1987 St. Louis Cardinals season|1987 season]]. He improved in many statistical aspects in which he was struggling, including raising his batting average to a respectable .286.<ref name=br/> He was a strong contributor to the team's pennant win, placing second on the team in [[home run]]s, third in [[runs batted in]], and tied for third in stolen bases.<ref name=bl/> Pendleton's fielding efforts led to his earning his first [[List of NL Gold Glove Winners at Third Base|Gold Glove]], the first by a Cardinal third baseman since [[Ken Reitz]] in 1975, as well as finishing tied for 17th in MVP voting.<ref name=br/> Unfortunately, as the Cardinals reached the [[1987 World Series]] to play the [[Minnesota Twins]], Pendleton ended up sidelined for most of the series with a rib cage injury.<ref>{{cite news|first=Murray|last=Chass|title=WORLD SERIES '87; Cardinals Won't Have Pendleton at Third for Series|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDA1E3EF935A25753C1A961948260|work=New York Times|date=1987-10-16|access-date=2007-11-18}}</ref> Despite this injury, Pendleton's switch-hitting ability meant that he was able to be used as a left-handed [[designated hitter]] during three of the four games the Cardinals played at the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]]. He finished the series by playing three games, getting three hits on seven at-bats as the Cardinals fell in seven games for the second time in three years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1987ws.shtml|title=1987 World Series by Baseball Almanac|access-date=2007-10-22}}</ref>

As the [[1988 St. Louis Cardinals season|1988 season]] began, Pendleton seemed to struggle where he had flourished. Despite racking up 80 stolen bases in his first four seasons, he only stole three bases during the whole 1988 season; in fact, he went the rest of his career without stealing more than 10.<ref name=br/> Injuries also plagued him in 1988, as he missed a few weeks with a right hamstring injury and had arthroscopic surgery in mid-September, which cut his season short.<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Sonderegger|title=PENDLETON LEAVES FOR NEVADA, SURGERY|publisher=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|date=1988-09-20}}</ref> Despite this, Pendleton hoped to rebound for the [[1989 St. Louis Cardinals season|1989 season]]. Rebounding was exactly what he did, as he played in all 162 games for the only time in his career, finished ninth in hits with 162, and earned his second Gold Glove with an impressive .971 [[fielding percentage]].<ref name=br/> Despite an impressive 1989 season, Pendleton struggled during the [[1990 St. Louis Cardinals season|1990 season]]. His overall production declined that season, as evidenced by his .230 batting average and .277 [[on-base percentage]],.<ref name=br/> By the end of the season, he was splitting time with rookie [[Todd Zeile]]. After the season ended, Zeile appeared to be the third baseman of the future for the Cardinals, and Pendleton became a free agent.

Pendleton is one of many major league players to have an error on a [[baseball card]]. His 1985 Donruss card lists him as Jeff Pendleton.<ref>{{cite web|last=Markusen|first=Bruce|title=A baseball card mystery: Who is Jeff Pendleton?|url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/a-baseball-card-mystery-who-is-jeff-pendleton/|work=TheHardballTimes.com|date=25 April 2012 |access-date=6 May 2012}}</ref>