Former Cardinals Pitcher, Former Creve Coeur Resident Dies Suddenly

Bob Forsch, a mainstay of the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff for 15 seasons and a member of the team's three World Series appearances in the 1980s, has died. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Forsch had an aneurysm and passed away Thursday near Tampa.

Forsch lived in Creve Coeur during his playing days. His home in the Country Forest subdivision was across the street from former city councilman Robert Haddenhorst. Reached by phone Friday morning, Haddenhorst said he was "extremely sad" to learn the news, especially considering Forsch, a former athlete , was just a few years older.

Haddenhorst recalled the day he and his family first looked at what would ultimately be their home in the neighborhood. Haddenhorst said he remembered seeing Forsch out front, sealing his own driveway, despite the luxury of a six-figure major league baseball contract. It helped sell him on buying the house the next year and to move to Creve Coeur.

Forsch left the neighborhood after his retirement from baseball in the early 1990s. He was most recently a minor league pitching instructor in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

Bob Forsch was 61.