The St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 season was the team's 72nd season in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 and the 62nd season in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

. The Cardinals went 83-71 during the season and finished 3rd in the National League.

Prior to the start of the season, August A. Busch, Jr.

Gussie Busch

August "Gussie" Anheuser Busch, Jr. was an American brewing magnate who built the Anheuser-Busch Companies into the largest brewery in the world as company chairman from 1946–75, and became a prominent sportsman as owner of the St...

 of Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...

 bought the team from Fred Saigh

Fred Saigh

Frederick Michael Saigh Jr. was the part-owner, then sole owner, of the St. Louis Cardinals of American Major League Baseball from 1948 through 1953.- Pre-Cardinals years :...

. That started a reign that would last until March, , when William DeWitt, Jr.

William DeWitt, Jr.

William O. DeWitt, Jr. is an American businessman and currently the managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals. He served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board during the George W...

, Drew Baur

Drew Baur

Andrew 'Drew' Baur was a co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Baur was a key member of the ownership group which purchased the team from Anheuser-Busch in March 1996. Baur served as the team's treasurer, and was a member of the Cardinals Board of Directors.-Early Life:Baur was born...

 and Fred Hanser bought the club.

Offseason

• December 3, 1952: Grant Dunlap
  Grant Dunlap
  Grant Lester Dunlap is a former Major League Baseball player. He played in 16 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in...
  
   was purchased by the Cardinals from the Shreveport Sports
  Shreveport Sports
  The Shreveport-Bossier Captains are a professional baseball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the United States. The Captains are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
  
  .

Notable transactions

• May 18, 1953: Billy Johnson was released by the Cardinals.
• May 23, 1953: Jackie Collum
  Jackie Collum
  John Dean Collum was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for eight different teams between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 7", 163 lb., Collum batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Victor, Iowa....
  
   was traded by the Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds
  Cincinnati Reds
  The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
  
   for Eddie Erautt
  Eddie Erautt
  Edward Lorenz Sebastian Erautt was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.-External links:...
  
  .
• June 14, 1953: Hal Rice
  Hal Rice
  Harold Housten "Hal" Rice also known as "Hoot", was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball for all or parts of seven seasons, from until , for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs. Most of his career was spent with the Cardinals, where he backed up Stan Musial...
  
   was traded by the Cardinals to the Pittsburgh Pirates
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
  
   for Pete Castiglione
  Pete Castiglione
  Peter Paul "Pete" Castiglione was an infielder in Major League Baseball player for eight seasons from 1947 to 1954...
  
  .

Roster

1953 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders Other batters		Manager Coaches

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	67	52	9	.173	0	3
	9	31	9	.290	0	1
	16	17	6	.353	1	3
	11	5	1	.200	0	1
	9	0	0	----	0	0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	60	6	7	18	4.21	57
	20	3	1	0	6.31	15
	7	0	0	0	6.35	5
	3	0	0	0	6.00	0

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Dothan, Hazlehurst-Baxley, Paducah