The Dominican Javier was dealt from the Pirate farm system to the Cardinals in a May 1960 trade for popular pitcher Vinegar Bend Mizell. His range and speed quickly enabled him to establish himself as the everyday second baseman for a dozen seasons in St. Louis. In 1963, Javier and teammates Ken Boyer, Dick Groat, and Bill White made up an all-Cardinal starting All-Star infield. Javier was so good covering ground, pivoting on the double plays, and going back for pop-ups that GM Bing Devine proclaimed him better defensively than Frankie Frisch, Rogers Hornsby, or Red Schoendienst.
Javier hit .360 in the 1967 WS against Boston, including a three-run homer in Game Seven to help Bob Gibson win his third Series game and bring the World Championship to St. Louis. He is the father of Stan Javier.
