Joaquín Andújar
A fiery and dominant pitcher, he powered the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title with his unforgettable 'one tough Dominican' swagger.
1952–2015 (age 63)·Dominican baseball player·Birthday: December 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Joaquín Andújar took the mound with an intensity that was as memorable as his blistering fastball. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, he broke into the majors with the Houston Astros, but it was with the St. Louis Cardinals that he became a star. Andújar's peak came in the mid-1980s; he won 20 games in back-to-back seasons and was the emotional anchor of a Cardinals team that played with speed and grit. His performance in the 1982 World Series, where he earned two wins, helped secure the championship. Known for his combustible personality and his famous self-description—'one tough Dominican'—Andújar's career was a rollercoaster of brilliant outings and dramatic ejections. His later years were marked by injury, but his legacy remains that of a pitcher who competed with every ounce of his being.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Joaquín was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Joaquín Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Joaquín's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Died at 63
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Won two games for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1982 World Series, including the decisive Game 7, to help secure the championship.
- A four-time National League All-Star (1977, 1979, 1984, 1985).
- Won a Gold Glove Award in 1984 for his defensive prowess as a pitcher.
- Finished in the top three for the Cy Young Award twice, including a second-place finish in 1984 after a 20-win season.
Did You Know?
He famously described himself in an interview as 'one tough Dominican,' a phrase that became indelibly linked to his persona.
He was ejected from Game 7 of the 1985 World Series for arguing balls and strikes, a moment of high drama in the series.
He pitched a no-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A affiliate in 1975, just before his call-up to the majors.
“There is one word in America that says it all, and that one word is, 'You never know.'”
