Bob Forsch died suddenly Thursday night:

Bob Forsch, one of a handful of pitchers to have two no-hit games and the third winningest pitcher in Cardinals history, collapsed at his home near Tampa Fla., and died suddenly Thursday night.

Early reports from his wife, Jan, were that Forsch, 61, had suffered an aneurysm in his upper chest.

That’s way too young. Forsch was a dependable pitcher. He would give the Cardinals around 200 innings with a solid ERA, but he was never a Cy Young candidate or an All-Star. He was a very good hitter, with a .213/.235/.321 career line, hitting 12 home runs in 16 seasons and 45 doubles. On top of that, a career .553 winning percentage is rather good, helped by a 207-7 record in 1977, his best year in terms of wins, while 1975 was his best in terms of performance.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.