2007 St. Louis Cardinals season
Encyclopedia
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...

 2007 season
2007 Major League Baseball season
The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1...

was the team's 126th 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 116th 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 season started with the team trying to defend their 2006 World Series
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...

 championship. During the offseason, the Cardinals were faced with the challenge of handling their starting rotation. Four of their five starters were free agents, including Jeff Suppan
Jeff Suppan
Jeffrey Scot Suppan , is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Baseball career:Suppan was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the Majors making his debut at the age of 20...

 (the 2006 NLCS
2006 National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series , the second round of the 2006 National League playoffs, began on October 12 and ended on October 19; it was scheduled to begin on October 11, but was postponed a day because of inclement weather. The St...

 MVP), Jeff Weaver
Jeff Weaver
Jeffrey Charles Weaver is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has pitched in the majors for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners...

 (the winning pitcher in the World Series Game 5 clincher), Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...

, and Jason Marquis
Jason Marquis
Jason Scott Marquis is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks....

. In the end, Suppan, Weaver, and Marquis all signed with other teams. The Cardinals signed Mulder, who ended the 2006 season
2006 Major League Baseball season
In , the Major League Baseball season ended with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series with the lowest regular season victory total in history. The American League continued its domination at the All-Star Game by winning its fourth straight game; the A.L. has won nine...

 on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...

, to a new two-year contract, but Mulder remained on the disabled list after undergoing shoulder surgery.

To replace the departed pitchers, the Cardinals promoted Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...

, who spent 2006 in relief and took the closer's job from injured Jason Isringhausen
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Derik Isringhausen is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-New York Mets:Isringhausen was chosen as a draft-and-follow prospect by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft...

, to the rotation. They signed free agent pitcher Kip Wells
Kip Wells
Robert "Kip" Wells is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.-High school career:...

 to fill another spot. The team enters 2007 with a rotation of Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the...

, Wells, Wainwright and Anthony Reyes
Anthony Reyes
Anthony Loza Reyes is a right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent.Reyes has a younger brother, Erik, who pitched for Concordia University Irvine in .-High School:...

, with reliever Braden Looper
Braden Looper
Braden LaVerne Looper is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school:Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma...

 assuming the fifth starter's role until Mulder's return.

In contrast with the rotation, the rest of the team remained stable. Every member of the Cardinals' playoff bullpen remained under contract for 2007, though the Cardinals signed free agent relievers Ryan Franklin
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Ray Franklin is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:...

 and Russ Springer
Russ Springer
Russell Paul Springer is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Springer made his major league debut on April 17, , with the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, St...

 for reinforcement and middle reliever Josh Kinney
Josh Kinney
Joshua Thomas Kinney is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He throws a slider, 4-seam fastball, curveball, and a 2-seam fastball.-Early and personal life:...

 suffered an injury in spring training that required Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...

 and forced him to miss the entire 2007 season. Every position player for the Cardinals returned in 2007 except for midseason acquisition Ronnie Belliard
Ronnie Belliard
Ronald "Ronnie" Belliard is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman of Dominican descent.-Early life:Belliard attended Central High School in Miami, Florida...

, who signed as a free agent with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

. To replace Belliard, the Cardinals signed Adam Kennedy
Adam Kennedy
Adam Thomas Kennedy is an American Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and had two stints with the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early years:Kennedy...

, a former Cardinal who was traded to the then-Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

 for Jim Edmonds
Jim Edmonds
James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds...

 in 2000, and was teammates with current Cardinals David Eckstein
David Eckstein
David Mark Eckstein is a former American professional baseball player who was an infielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons. He played college baseball for the University of Florida, and has played professionally for the Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona...

 and Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...

 when they won the 2002 World Series
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...

 with Anaheim.

In Spring Training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

, the Birds were 16-10-3 with a team batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 of .255 and a 2.29 team ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

. Attendance at Roger Dean Stadium
Roger Dean Stadium
Roger Dean Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Abacoa community of the town of Jupiter, Florida. The stadium was built in 1998, holds 6,871 people, and features luxury sky-box seating, 2 levels of permanent seating, parking and concessions...

 was 102,619.

April: The death of Josh Hancock

The Cardinals began the season by raising their championship banner for winning the 2006 World Series
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...

. They played the first game of the 2007 season in a rematch of the 2006 NLCS
2006 National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series , the second round of the 2006 National League playoffs, began on October 12 and ended on October 19; it was scheduled to begin on October 11, but was postponed a day because of inclement weather. The St...

 as they hosted the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 for a three-game series. The homestand ended with disappointment, however, as the Mets swept the Cardinals, outscoring them 20-2. Later in April the Cardinals suffered a major setback when ace pitcher Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the...

 was placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...

 due to arthritis and impingement. The team struggled for most of the month of April, getting off to a 10-14 start.

At approximately 12:35 a.m. CST
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...

 on April 29, 2007, pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 Josh Hancock
Josh Hancock
Joshua Morgan Hancock was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. Born in Cleveland, Mississippi, he lived in St. Louis during the off-season...

 died in a car accident in St. Louis
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...

. Hancock, a 29-year-old reliever who threw 77 innings for the Cardinals during the 2006 season
2006 Major League Baseball season
In , the Major League Baseball season ended with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series with the lowest regular season victory total in history. The American League continued its domination at the All-Star Game by winning its fourth straight game; the A.L. has won nine...

, collided with a tow truck stopped on Interstate 64
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...

 to assist another motorist. The Cardinals' game against the Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 scheduled for later that day was postponed due to the accident. Autopsy reports showed that Hancock was intoxicated with a blood alcohol level almost twice the legal limit in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. In response the Cardinals banned alcohol from the team's clubhouse. The tragedy brought back memories of the loss of former Cardinal pitcher Darryl Kile
Darryl Kile
Darryl Andrew Kile was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1991-2002 for three different teams in his career. In his first season for the Cardinals, he won 20 games in 2000 as the team reached the postseason for the first time in four years. They advanced to the...

, who died of coronary disease in 2002. Hancock became the second MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player in the previous 25 years to die during the regular season. After Hancock's death, the Cardinals began wearing a black patch reading "32" on their uniforms in his memory.

May

The team's offensive struggles grew worse with the start of the new month. St. Louis went two weeks without hitting a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

; Chris Duncan
Chris Duncan
Christopher Edwin Duncan is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a free agent.He is the youngest son of Dave Duncan, a former catcher and current pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals...

 hit one in a loss to the Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 on May 1 and again in a May 15 victory over the Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

. On May 13, they were shut out for the sixth time in their first 35 games in a 3-0 loss to the Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

. A series in Detroit featuring a rematch of the teams from the 2006 World Series ended in a three-game Tiger sweep and dropped the Cardinals' record to 16-25 for the season. Anthony Reyes
Anthony Reyes
Anthony Loza Reyes is a right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent.Reyes has a younger brother, Erik, who pitched for Concordia University Irvine in .-High School:...

 was sent down to the minors on May 27 after compiling an 0-8 record and 6.08 ERA. Catcher Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive...

 was placed on the disabled list on May 30 with a fractured wrist suffered from a foul tip that struck his hand while catching. The team ended May with a 22-29 record.

June

Kip Wells' terrible season continued on June 2, becoming the majors' first 10-game loser, and the first Cardinals pitcher in 16 years to lose ten games before the All-Star break. Wells went to the bullpen shortly thereafter. Looper went on the DL on June 18, after struggling following a hot start to the season. Kennedy lost the starting second base job to Aaron Miles
Aaron Miles
Aaron Wade Miles is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Houston Astros:Miles was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft...

. The Cardinals, whose starting rotation had fallen to dead last in the NL in ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

, acquired Mike Maroth
Mike Maroth
Michael Warren Maroth is a former American Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Born in Orlando, Florida, and after attending the University of Central Florida, the left-handed Maroth made his Major League debut in for the Detroit Tigers.-Early career:A third-round pick in the draft, Maroth...

 from the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 for a player to be named later. Injuries continued to plague the team as Eckstein, Johnson and Edmonds went on the disabled list. Anthony Reyes, recalled from the minors, dropped to 0-10 after a loss to the Mets on June 28. New acquisition Troy Percival
Troy Percival
Troy Eugene Percival is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He gained fame as a closer. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1995-2009 for four different teams, pitching primarily with the California/Anaheim Angels...

, a veteran relief pitcher who had been retired at the start of the season but signed a minor-league deal with St. Louis, earned a victory in his first big-league appearance in two years on June 29 against Cincinnati. (Percival became the fourth member of the 2002 World Champion Angels to play on the Cardinals, joining Kennedy, Spiezio and Eckstein, and the fifth ex-Angel overall, also including Edmonds).

Despite the injuries and the turnover in the pitching staff, the Cardinals played better in June, going 13-13 for the month after losing records in April and May. However, they were still well behind the Brewers. On June 30 they fell 10.5 games behind Milwaukee, the furthest out of first place they were all season.

July

Anthony Reyes was sent down to the minor leagues again on July 2.
St. Louis entered the All-Star Break with a 40-45 record, in third place in the division, 7½ games behind Milwaukee. Albert Pujols was the only Cardinal on the NL All-Star roster. St. Louis participated in another franchise's milestone when their 10-2 defeat of Philadelphia
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 on July 15 made the Phillies the first team in MLB history to lose 10,000 games.

The Cardinals could not find consistency for most of July, never losing or winning more than two games in a row until the end of the month. The team suffered a devastating setback when Carpenter, who had been on track to return sometime in late July, was diagnosed with ligament damage and had season-ending Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...

. Jim Edmonds returned to the team after spending over a month on the disabled list. New pitcher Mike Maroth struggled terribly in July, posting an 11.86 ERA for the month. However, Anthony Reyes, called up to the big leagues again, got his first win of the year on July 28 after an 0-10 start.

In yet another attempt to bolster their faltering rotation, on July 31 St. Louis acquired Joel Pineiro
Joel Piñeiro
Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:...

 from the Red Sox for cash and a player to be named later
Player to be named later
The concept of the "player to be named later" is most often associated with Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball trades.-Description:...

. The Cardinals had their first winning month of the year in July, going 15-11. After spending most of the month far behind Milwaukee, St. Louis took three of four from the Brewers at the end of July to close the gap to six games.

August

The momentum built by the four-game win streak at the end of July was promptly dissipated as the Cardinals lost five in a row to Pittsburgh and Washington. Manager Tony LaRussa, in an effort to increase offensive production, on August 4 began batting Cardinal pitchers eighth in the lineup. LaRussa as justification cited 1998, when he batted the pitcher eighth for the whole second half of the season and a team that was four games under .500 before the change played ten games over .500 after. LaRussa's revised lineup marked the first time that any team had hit its starting pitcher anywhere other than the ninth spot in the lineup since the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...

 moved Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis , nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American professional baseball pitcher. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in the league and for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter...

 up in the batting order for a few games in 2005.

The Cardinals snapped their losing streak on August 6, beating San Diego 10-5. St. Louis scored ten runs on ten consecutive hits in the fifth inning, becoming the 12th team in MLB history to get ten base hits in a row. Three days later, Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...

, the Cardinals' utilityman and third base backup, was placed on the restricted list due to unspecified substance abuse problems. LaRussa told reporters that "What we want more than anything else is to do whatever is best for him." Spiezio's replacement was both a surprise and a familiar face: Rick Ankiel
Rick Ankiel
Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....

. Ankiel, once a promising young pitcher for the Cardinals—striking out 194 batters in 175 innings in 2000 at the age of twenty—suffered a catastrophic attack of wildness in the 2000 postseason, throwing nine wild pitches and walking eleven batters in only four postseason innings. Further wildness sent him back to the minors in 2001, and after four years struggling to overcome his wildness and subsequent injuries, Ankiel quit pitching in 2005 and announced he would try to make it back to the big leagues as a hitter. After hitting 31 home runs in 2007 for the Memphis Redbirds
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...

 (St. Louis's AAA affiliate), Ankiel was called up to the big leagues to fill Spiezio's roster spot. In his first game back, Ankiel hit a three-run homer and the Cardinals won 5-0.

The return of Rick Ankiel to the lineup coincided with the best stretch of play by the Cardinals in 2007. St. Louis won five in a row and eight out of ten against L.A., San Diego and Milwaukee, advancing to two games under .500 and 2½ games behind the Brewers. Continued strong starting pitching and hot hitting from Pujols, rookie infielder Brendan Ryan
Brendan Ryan (baseball)
Brendan Wood Ryan is an American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. While he has typically fielded at shortstop in his professional career, Ryan has been known to play at second and third base and has dabbled with pitching.-Early and personal life:Ryan was born in Los...

, and others propelled the Cardinals to the .500 mark on August 28, the first time since they were 6-6 on April 16 that they did not have a losing record.

Scott Rolen was forced out of the lineup due to tightness and pain in his surgically repaired shoulder. Rolen decided to have season-ending shoulder surgery shortly after. Brendan Ryan was named the starting third baseman in Rolen's place and the Cardinals traded for backup infielder Russell Branyan
Russell Branyan
Russell Oles Branyan is a Major League Baseball first baseman. He throws right-handed, bats left-handed, and primarily plays first base, but is capable of playing third base and the outfield. Branyan began his professional career in the Cleveland Indians minor league system...

 right before the August trade deadline. St. Louis went 15-13 in August and finished the month 65-66 and in third place in the division, two games behind the Cubs and one-half game behind Milwaukee. The Cardinals' 8-5 victory over Cincinnati on the last day of the month gave Tony LaRussa victory #1,042 as the Cardinal manager, passing Red Schoendienst
Red Schoendienst
Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst is an American Major League Baseball coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star. After a 19-year playing career with the St...

 to become the winningest Cardinal manager of all time. In the same game, Cardinal right fielder Juan Encarnacion
Juan Encarnación
Juan De Dios Encarnación is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. His last major league team was the St. Louis Cardinals...

 was struck in the eye and severely injured with a foul ball. Encarnacion was diagnosed with severe injuries to his left eye and multiple fractures of the orbital bone. The injury ended his season and is believed to be potentially career-threatening.

The last off-day for the team in 2007 came on August 27, when they had four games remaining in the month, and then 31 games in September. This set a new major-league baseball record for a team with the longest number of consecutive days played (35) at the end of the season without a day off.

September

The Cardinals entered September facing a stretch run of 31 games in 30 days, due to all three off-days in the month being taken up by makeups of earlier postponements. Former Cardinal Miguel Cairo
Miguel Cairo
Miguel Jesús Cairo is a Major League Baseball utility player who is currently with the Cincinnati Reds. He has mostly played second base during his career, but has played every position in baseball except catcher and pitcher. He currently plays mostly third base, in place of Scott Rolen during his...

, recently signed by St. Louis after he was waived by the Yankees, was brought up to the big club as the first of the September callups.

On September 2, the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep of Cincinnati that put them at 67-66, the first time they were over .500 since they were 6-5 after the April 15 game. They entered the game on September 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

 with a chance to take sole possession of first place, but instead the D-backs won and went on to sweep the weekend series. September 7 was also the day that the New York Daily News reported that Rick Ankiel received a year's worth of human growth hormone in 2004 while he was trying to come back as a pitcher. HGH was legal at that time but has since been banned by MLB. In response Ankiel said that he had a valid prescription and that all of his medications were taken under a doctor's care.

The sweep in Arizona began a devastating slump that took the Cardinals out of contention in the NL Central. They lost nine in a row to Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Chicago again. The ninth loss came to the Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader on September 15, the game rescheduled from April 29 after the death of Josh Hancock. It was the longest losing streak for the franchise since the 1980 Cardinals lost ten in a row. The Cardinals were officially eliminated on September 21, as they lost to the visiting Houston Astros at Busch Stadium. After being eliminated from postseason, St. Louis played out the string by going 7-2 the rest of the way, and finished the season with a 78-84 record, finishing in third place. It was the first losing season for the franchise since the 1999 Cardinals went 75-86.

The Cardinals have drawn 3,000,000 or more fans 11 times in their history: 1987, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 (3,538,948), 2006 and 2007.

On September 22, 2007, hosting the Houston Astros, the Cardinals set a one-day attendance record in their new Busch Stadium with 46,237.

In 2007, the Cardinals drew an all-time attendance record for any year with 3,552,180 in their 81 home games (breaking their previous record set in 2005), an average of 43,854 per game.

Aftermath

Owner 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...

 fired Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty
Walt Jocketty is the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He was previously the General Manager of the St...

, General Manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....

 for the Cardinals since 1995, on October 3. Assistant GM John Mozeliak
John Mozeliak
John Mozeliak is the current Vice President and General Manager of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. He accepted a three-year contract for the position on the evening of October 30, 2007, and was formally introduced as the new GM the next day...

 replaced Jocketty in an interim capacity before being named the new GM on October 31, 2007.

On October 22, Manager Tony LaRussa, after considering moving elsewhere when his contract expired, signed a new two-year deal guaranteeing his record 13th and 14th seasons as Cardinal manager, the longest tenure in franchise history.
No Cardinal won a Gold Glove. Perhaps the most surprising denial was to catcher Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive...

, who was denied the award despite his .991 fielding percentage.
Both Molina and Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...

 previously (November 1) won the prestigious Fielding Bible Award, which is given to only one person at each position in the major leagues.

Roster

2007 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers

Catchers
Infielders

Outfielders
Manager

Coaches
(pitching)
(bullpen)
(first base)
(hitting)
(third base)
(bench)

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI
Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...

 
158 565 99 185 .327 32 103
David Eckstein
David Eckstein
David Mark Eckstein is a former American professional baseball player who was an infielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons. He played college baseball for the University of Florida, and has played professionally for the Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona...

 
117 434 58 134 .309 3 31
Chris Duncan
Chris Duncan
Christopher Edwin Duncan is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a free agent.He is the youngest son of Dave Duncan, a former catcher and current pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals...

 
127 375 51 97 .259 21 70
Aaron Miles
Aaron Miles
Aaron Wade Miles is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Houston Astros:Miles was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft...

 
133 414 55 120 .290 2 32
Scott Rolen
Scott Rolen
Scott Bruce Rolen is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. He is an eight-time Gold Glove winner and seven-time All-Star.-Philadelphia Phillies:...

 
112 392 55 104 .265 8 58
Jim Edmonds
Jim Edmonds
James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds...

 
117 365 39 92 .252 12 53
Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive...

 
111 353 30 97 .275 6 40
So Taguchi
So Taguchi
is a Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder who is currently playing with the Orix Buffaloes. Previously, he has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball, and with the Orix BlueWave in Nippon Professional Baseball.Taguchi is the first...

 
130 307 48 89 .290 3 30
Ryan Ludwick
Ryan Ludwick
Ryan Andrew Ludwick is a Major League Baseball right fielder. His brother Eric played four seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.-High school, college, and minor leagues:Ludwick attended Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada....

 
120 303 42 81 .267 14 52
Juan Encarnacion
Juan Encarnación
Juan De Dios Encarnación is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. His last major league team was the St. Louis Cardinals...

 
78 283 43 80 .283 9 47

Other batters

Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI
Adam Kennedy
Adam Kennedy
Adam Thomas Kennedy is an American Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and had two stints with the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early years:Kennedy...

 
87 279 27 61 .219 3 18
Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...

 
81 223 31 60 .269 4 31
Brendan Ryan
Brendan Ryan (baseball)
Brendan Wood Ryan is an American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. While he has typically fielded at shortstop in his professional career, Ryan has been known to play at second and third base and has dabbled with pitching.-Early and personal life:Ryan was born in Los...

 
67 180 30 52 .289 4 12
Skip Schumaker
Skip Schumaker
Jared Michael "Skip" Schumaker is a Major League Baseball Outfielder and Second Baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.-Biography:...

 
88 177 19 59 .333 2 19
Rick Ankiel
Rick Ankiel
Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....

 
47 172 31 49 .285 11 39
Russell Branyan
Russell Branyan
Russell Oles Branyan is a Major League Baseball first baseman. He throws right-handed, bats left-handed, and primarily plays first base, but is capable of playing third base and the outfield. Branyan began his professional career in the Cleveland Indians minor league system...

 
21 32 4 6 .188 1 2
Gary Bennett  59 155 12 39 .252 2 17
Kelly Stinnett
Kelly Stinnett
Kelly Lee Stinnett is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of 14 seasons in the majors, from until .-High school years:...

 
26 82 7 13 .159 1 5
Miguel Cairo
Miguel Cairo
Miguel Jesús Cairo is a Major League Baseball utility player who is currently with the Cincinnati Reds. He has mostly played second base during his career, but has played every position in baseball except catcher and pitcher. He currently plays mostly third base, in place of Scott Rolen during his...

 
28 67 8 17 .254 0 5
Preston Wilson
Preston Wilson
Preston James Richard Wilson is a retired professional baseball outfielder. He played in the major leagues from 1998-2007. He is both the nephew and stepson of former New York Mets star Mookie Wilson...

 
25 64 6 14 .219 1 5
Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...

 
36 62 4 18 .290 1 6
Brian Esposito
Brian Esposito
Brian James Esposito is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent.He was recalled from the Memphis Redbirds on May 30, , when the St. Louis Cardinals' starting catcher, Yadier Molina was placed on the disabled list with a fractured wrist...

 
1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Starting pitchers

Player GS IP H W L ERA BB SO WHIP O-AVG Run support
Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...

 
32 202.0 212 14 12 3.70 70 136 1.40 .269 4.8
Braden Looper
Braden Looper
Braden LaVerne Looper is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school:Looper was a scholar athlete while a student at Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma...

 
30 175.0 183 12 12 4.94 51 87 1.34 .269 4.6
Kip Wells
Kip Wells
Robert "Kip" Wells is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.-High school career:...

 
26 162.2 186 7 17 5.70 78 122 1.62 .287 3.5
Anthony Reyes
Anthony Reyes
Anthony Loza Reyes is a right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent.Reyes has a younger brother, Erik, who pitched for Concordia University Irvine in .-High School:...

 
20 107.1 108 2 14 6.04 43 74 1.41 .261 3.3
Brad Thompson
Brad Thompson
Bradley Joseph Thompson , is an American baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Career:Thompson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Dixie State College of Utah. He holds the AA single-season scoreless innings streak. He made his major...

 
17 129.1 157 8 6 4.73 40 53 1.52 .301 5.2
Joel Piñeiro
Joel Piñeiro
Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:...

 
11 63.2 69 6 4 3.96 12 40 1.27 .279 4.1
Todd Wellemeyer
Todd Wellemeyer
Todd Allen Wellemeyer is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is the brother of American entrepreneur Jeff Wellemeyer...

 
11 63.2 52 3 2 3.11 29 51 1.27 .224 6.4
Mike Maroth
Mike Maroth
Michael Warren Maroth is a former American Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Born in Orlando, Florida, and after attending the University of Central Florida, the left-handed Maroth made his Major League debut in for the Detroit Tigers.-Early career:A third-round pick in the draft, Maroth...

 
7 38.0 71 0 5 10.66 17 23 2.32 .394 5.4
Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...

 
3 11.0 22 0 3 12.27 7 3 2.64 .440 2.0
Randy Keisler
Randy Keisler
Randy Dean Keisler is a Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He attended Palmer High School in Palmer, Texas and Louisiana State University.-New York Yankees:...

 
3 17.1 21 0 0 5.19 5 5 1.50 .309 5.0
Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the...

 
1 6.0 9 0 1 7.50 1 3 1.67 .346 1.0

Relief pitchers

Player G IP H W L SV R ERA BB SO WHIP O-AVG
Russ Springer
Russ Springer
Russell Paul Springer is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Springer made his major league debut on April 17, , with the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, St...

 
76 66.0 41 8 1 0 18 2.18 19 66 0.91 .181
Troy Percival
Troy Percival
Troy Eugene Percival is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He gained fame as a closer. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1995-2009 for four different teams, pitching primarily with the California/Anaheim Angels...

 
34* 40.0 24 3 0 0 8 1.80 10 36 0.85 .171
Randy Flores
Randy Flores
Randy Alan Flores is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. Flores is a career left-handed relief specialist.-Early life and career:...

 
70 55.0 71 3 0 1 31 4.25 15 47 1.56 .310
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Ray Franklin is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:...

 
69 80.0 70 4 4 1 28 3.04 11 44 1.01 .234
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Derik Isringhausen is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-New York Mets:Isringhausen was chosen as a draft-and-follow prospect by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft...

 
63 65.1 42 4 0 32 21 2.48 28 54 1.07 .179
Tyler Johnson
Tyler Johnson
Tyler James Johnson is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Professional career:...

 
55 38.0 31 1 1 0 18 4.03 16 24 1.24 .217
Kelvin Jimenez
Kelvin Jiménez
Kelvin Jiménez is a relief pitcher who plays for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball. Listed at 6'2", 195 lb., he bats and throws right-handed....

 
34 42.0 56 3 0 0 36 7.50 17 24 1.74 .320
Andy Cavazos
Andy Cavazos
Andres "Andy" Cavazos is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He made his major league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on June 7, 2007, against the Cincinnati Reds....

 
17 20.0 27 0 0 0 27 10.35 16 15 2.15 .333
Brian Falkenborg
Brian Falkenborg
Brian Thomas Falkenborg is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently pitching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball....

 
16 18.2 22 0 1 0 10 4.82 8 16 1.61 .293
Troy Cate
Troy Cate
Troy Patrick Cate is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is retired.He went to school and played baseball at Ricks College. After finishing school there, he served as a Mormon missionary in England....

 
14 16.0 18 0 0 0 7 3.38 9 12 1.69 .290
Josh Hancock
Josh Hancock
Joshua Morgan Hancock was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. Born in Cleveland, Mississippi, he lived in St. Louis during the off-season...

 **
8 12.2 14 0 1 0 6 3.55 5 9 1.50 .286
Dennis Dove
Dennis Dove
Dennis A. Dove is an American pitcher who is currently a free agent.-External links:*...

3 3.0 5 0 0 0 5 15.00 1 1 2.00 .357


* incl. 1 GS, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO

** died early in the morning of April 29

Busch Stadium (Indexes)

(100 = Neutral Park, > 100 Ballpark favors, < 100 Ballpark inhibits

  81 G; Cardinals: 2,704 AB;   Opponents: 2,866 AB)

BA 102  
R 93  
H 103  
2B 96  
3B 104  
HR 71  
BB 96  
SO 88  
E 117  
E-inf. 118  
LHB-BA 103  
LHB-HR 68  
RHB-BA 102  
RHB-HR 74  

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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