Given his last rites and THEN a World Series ring

What former Cardinal, while pitching a minor league game, collapsed on the mound and was taken to a hospital where he was issued his last rites?  Surviving this near fatal experience, years later he provided key pitching for the Redbirds in their championship seasons of '67 and '68. The answer is the unsung hero of this episode: Joe Hoerner. An All-Star reliever, Hoerner had an interesting life full of peaks and valleys.  Consider these examples: Wins a state championship.  Then almost dies in a hospital with heart problems.   Wins Rookie of the Year in the minors, then is stuck there for many years, moving 35 different times.   He earns a WS ring.  Then he is involved in a tragic boating accident that killed two different people.   Enjoy the ups and downs of professional baseball life during the late 60s and 70s in this spotlight of Joe Hoerner. The Essential links: Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441 Email address: [email protected]