Ernie Broglio

Who is Ernie Broglio?

Ernest Gilbert Broglio is a former right-handed pitcher in American Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1966. Broglio signed with the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League after he attended West Contra Costa Junior College. 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.

When the deal was made, 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. Brock—one of the fastest men in the game with surprising power as a hitter—had been a disappointment in Chicago. But Brock would bat .348 for the rest of the ’64 season, leading the Cardinals to a world championship.