History of the St. Louis Cardinals - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Timeline of Nicknames

Called St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1882
Called St. Louis Browns from 1883 to 1898
Called St. Louis Perfectos in 1899
Called St. Louis Cardinals from 1900 to present

Early years

The team was formed as part of the American Association

American Association (19th century)

The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...

in 1882

1882 in baseball

-Champions:*National League: Chicago def. Providence 5 games to 4*American Association: Cincinnati Red Stockings*League Alliance: New York MetropolitansInterleague*Chicago vs. Cincinnati tie 1 game each*Chicago def...

where they enjoyed great success under flamboyant owner Chris von der Ahe

Chris von der Ahe

Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von der Ahe was a German-American entrepreneur, best known as the owner of the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the American Association, now known as the St. Louis Cardinals....

. Initially they were known as the "Brown Stockings", named for a previous professional team in the city, whose name was one of several "Stockings" teams inspired by the success of the Cincinnati Red Stockings

Cincinnati Red Stockings

The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first fully professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players 1867–1870, a time of a transition that ambitious Cincinnati,...

. This new team's nickname was quickly shortened to "Browns". The Browns set up shop at Sportsman's Park

Sportsman's Park

Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...

. They won four American Association pennants in a row, 1885–88, and played in an early version of the World Series four times, twice against 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...

's Chicago White Stockings

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...

(now the Cubs). The Series of 1885 ended in dispute and with no resolution. St. Louis won the 1886

1886 in baseball

-Champions:* World Series St. Louis Browns 4, Chicago White Stockings 2*National League: Chicago White Stockings*American Association: St. Louis Browns-National League final standings:-American Association final standings:...

Series outright, the only Series of that era that was won by the AA against the NL. The vigorous St. Louis-Chicago rivalry continues to this day.

During the mid-1880s, the National League also had a St. Louis entry, the Maroons

St. Louis Maroons/Indianapolis Hoosiers

300px|thumb|right|1888 Indianapolis HoosiersThe St. Louis Maroons were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1884-1886. The club, established by Henry Lucas, were the one near-major league quality entry in the Union Association, a league that lasted only one season, due...

, which had come in from the Union Association

Union Association

The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...

. The Maroons were by far the strongest entry in the UA, but they had the misfortune of arriving at the time when the Browns were in their glory. After the 1886 season, they were sold and moved to Indianapolis, becoming the Hoosiers.

The Browns joined the National League in 1892

1892 in baseball

-Champions:*National League: Boston Beaneaters defeated Cleveland Spiders, 5 games to 0 - First half of season :-Second half of season:-Overall record:-Events:...

following the bankruptcy of the American Association. The next year they opened a new ballpark, initially called "New Sportsman's Park

Robison Field

Robison Field is the best-known of several names given to a former Major League Baseball park in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the home of the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League from April 27, 1893 until June 6, 1920.-History:...

", a few blocks north-northwest from their previous home field. They were briefly called the Perfectos in 1899

1899 in baseball

-National League final standings:-Events:*May 15 - Willie Keeler, known as one of the smallest players and best bunters in baseball, drives the ball past startled left fielder Ed Delahanty of the Philadelphia Phillies for an inside-the-park grand slam and an 8–5 victory for the Brooklyn...

before settling on their present name, a name reportedly inspired by switching their uniform colors from brown to red. There was already a "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....

" team at Cincinnati, so the St. Louis team became "Cardinals" (reportedly because a woman spectator exclaimed that the uniform was "a lovely shade of Cardinal."http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1901&t=SLN

Also in 1899, Chris von der Ahe was forced to sell the Cardinals due to financial troubles. The team was sold to Frank and Stanley Robison, who also owned the Cleveland Spiders

Cleveland Spiders

The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland, Ohio. The team played at National League Park from 1889 to 1890 and at League Park from 1891 to 1899.- 1887-1891 :...

. The new owners, dissatisfied with the Cardinals 1898 performance (twelfth place, 39 wins, 111 losses), and Cleveland's poor attendance, transferred much of the talent from the Spiders to the St. Louis franchise. This led to the spectacular demise of the Spiders, who fell to 20-134 (.130), along with significant improvement of the St. Louis club, which jumped from last (twelfth) place to fifth place. In effect, Cleveland and St. Louis switched places in the standings. The St. Louis-Cleveland chicanery destroyed the Spiders franchise and helped lead to contraction of the National League, which opened the door to the establishment of the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

as a rival to the National.

The change of name led to the adoption of the "St. Louis Browns" moniker by the American League franchise formerly known as the Milwaukee Brewers (the future Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

) upon their move to St. Louis in 1902. The Browns acquired the old Sportsman's Park property, creating a direct rivalry with the Cardinals, whose ballpark (now called Robison Field) was within walking distance of Sportsman's Park.

1920s: The first World Series championship

The move to the National League proved problematic for a franchise that had dominated in the American Association. The 1899 season was the only time in the Cardinals' first nineteen seasons in the National League that they finished above .500. During that period St. Louis finished last or next-to-last ten times. In general, the Browns fielded more competitive teams and frequently outdrew the Cardinals at the box office.

The Cardinals showed marginal improvement in the 1910s but did not approach their American Association success until the 1920s. It was then that Branch Rickey

Branch Rickey

Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...

, who had previously worked for the Browns, came to the Cardinals as general manager, developing the first farm system in baseball and stockpiling the team with talent. The Cardinals, recognizing the defects in their home ballpark (by then known as Cardinal Field), abandoned the old place in June of 1920 and began leasing Sportsman's Park from the Browns. One of Rickey's recruits for the Browns, George Sisler

George Sisler

George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...

, became a major star in the early 1920s, and the Browns came within a game of winning the pennant in 1922, outdrawing their tenants substantially. But the tide was about to turn in the Cardinals' favor.

1926 was the breakthrough year. Led by second baseman

Second baseman

Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

/ manager

Manager (baseball)

In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...

, St. Louis in won its first pennant in 39 years, and then shocked the baseball world by knocking off the powerful New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

in seven games in the World Series

1926 World Series

The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball season, featuring the St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees...

. The storied Game 7 reached its climax in the seventh inning when the previous day's winning pitcher, the aging Grover Cleveland Alexander

Grover Cleveland Alexander

Grover Cleveland Alexander , nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.-Career:Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of thirteen...

, was summoned in relief to face slugger Tony Lazzeri

Tony Lazzeri

Anthony Michael "Tony" Lazzeri was an American Major League Baseball player during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly with the New York Yankees. He was part of the famed "Murderers' Row" Yankee batting lineup of the late 1920s , along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bob Meusel...

with the bases loaded (some fans feared that Alexander might have been a little "loaded" himself after celebrating the previous day's win). After giving up a long foul ball, "Ol' Pete" then struck out Lazzeri swinging on 3 low fastballs. A closely guarded secret at the time was that both men in that confrontation happened to suffer from epilepsy

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...

. In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, with the Cardinals clinging to a 3-2 lead, Babe Ruth drew a walk. With two outs, and hoping to put a runner in scoring position, Ruth attempted to steal second, but was thrown out, giving the Cardinals their first World Series championship.

The Cardinals fell just short in , then won the pennant again in , edging out the resurging Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

and the perennially contending New York Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

. The Cardinals did not fare so well in the World Series

1928 World Series

In the 1928 World Series, the New York Yankees swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Along with , this was the first time a team had swept consecutive Series....

, as the Yankees continued their dominance from 1927 and shot down the Cardinals in four straight.

Regardless, the stage was set for the new order of the National League. Rickey's farm system would produce great players and keep the Cardinals in contention for the next two decades. Between 1926 and 1946, the Cardinals, Cubs and Giants would become fierce rivals, that trio winning 17 of the NL pennants during those 21 seasons.

1930s: Ol' Diz and the "Gang"

Highlights from Cardinals history include the 1930s

1930s

File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...

era Gashouse Gang

Gashouse Gang

The Gashouse Gang was a nickname applied to the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team of .The Cardinals, by most accounts, earned this nickname from the team's generally very shabby appearance and rough-and-tumble tactics...

featuring Dizzy Dean

Dizzy Dean

Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....

, Joe Medwick

Joe Medwick

Joseph Michael Medwick , nicknamed "Ducky", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals during the "Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , New York Giants , and Boston Braves...

, Pepper Martin

Pepper Martin

Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the Wild Horse of the Osage because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St...

, and Leo Durocher

Leo Durocher

Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...

1930–1931

The Cardinals lost the 1930 World Series

1930 World Series

In the 1930 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games, 4–2. Philadelphia's pitching ace Lefty Grove won two games.The St...

to the Philadelphia Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

4 games to 2, but came back strong the following year

1931 World Series

In the 1931 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Athletics in seven games, a rematch and reversal of fortunes of the 1930 World Series.The same two teams faced off during the 1930 World Series and the Athletics were victorious...

, playing an aggressive game of "inside" ball that broke the back of the A's in 7 games, in what would prove to be the A's Swan Song

Swan Song

Swan song is a reference to an ancient belief that the Mute Swan sings before it dies.Swan Song, The Swan Song or Swansong may also refer to:- Music :...

in post-season play.

1934

In , Dizzy and his younger brother, Paul

Paul Dean (baseball)

Paul Dee "Daffy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Born in Lucas, Arkansas, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals , the New York Giants , and the St. Louis Browns ....

, combined to win 49 games - still a single season record for brothers. Dizzy, whose real name was Jerome Hanna Dean and was called "Jay" by his pals, won 30 of them, with Paul (facetiously nicknamed "Daffy" by the press) contributing 19 wins. Dean's country humor made him a popular favorite, particularly in the rural south and midwest where Cardinals fans were numerous. The outgoing "Diz" and the shy "Daf" (a pair that Diz called "Me an' Paul") sometimes teamed up in doubleheaders. On September 21, 1934, Dizzy won the first game and then Paul pitched a no-hitter in the second game. Later, Diz jokingly remarked that he wished Paul had told him he was going to throw a no-hitter, because "Then I'd've pitched one too!"

The Dean brothers formed part what proved to be one of baseball's most legendary teams - the so-called "Gashouse Gang

Gashouse Gang

", whose hard play and wild antics endeared them to a wide following in a nation mired in the depths of the Great Depression. Led by playing manager Frankie Frisch and the hard-nosed Leo Durocher - and stars like Dean, Joe Medwick

Joe Medwick

, Ripper Collins

Ripper Collins

James Anthony "Rip" Collins was a Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates....

, and Pepper Martin

Pepper Martin

- the '34 Cardinals won 95 games, the NL Pennant, and beat 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...

in 7 games to win the World Series. The final game, an 11-0 blowout, earned the series the moniker of the "Garbage Series," thanks to the debris hurled onto the field by a Detroit crowd incensed by Medwick's outfield antics.

1935

In the Cardinals were overcome and defeated by the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

, who reeled off 21 straight wins in September. The Cubs clinched the pennant in St. Louis, although their streak had been snapped by then.

1937

In , Dizzy Dean's toe was broken by a line drive in the All-Star Game

Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

, and he injured his arm during the recovery process, losing his famous fastball, and signalling a brief decline by the Cardinals. Dean would go on to become a popular sportscaster for the Cardinals.

1940s: The war years and a young "Man"

In the early 1940s

1940s

File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...

, the Cardinals dominated the National League, thanks to a deep farm system constructed by general manager Branch Rickey

Branch Rickey

Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...

. The 1942 "St. Louis Swifties" won 106 games, the most in franchise history, and are widely regarded as among the greatest baseball teams of all time, defeating the Yankees in the World Series

1942 World Series

The 1942 World Series featured the defending champion New York Yankees against the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Cardinals winning the Series in five games for their first championship since and their fourth overall....

in five games. Outfielder Stan Musial

Stan Musial

Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...

played his first full season with the 1942 Cardinals. Known to loyal fans as "The Man", Musial spent 22 years in a Cardinals uniform, 1941–1944, 1946–1963. He won seven batting titles and three MVP awards, and his 3,630 hits remain the 4th highest in baseball history. In August 1968, a statue of Musial was dedicated outside Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

. In and again in they posted the second-best records in team history at 105-49. The Yankees got revenge in the 1943 World Series

1943 World Series

The 1943 World Series matched the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees, in a rematch of the 1942 Series. The Yankees won the Series in five games for their tenth championship in 21 seasons. It was Yankees' manager Joe McCarthy's final Series win...

, beating the Cardinals in five games. The 1944 World Series

1944 World Series

-Game 1:Wednesday, October 4, 1944 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriGeorge McQuinn hit the Brown's only home run of the series to put his team ahead in the fourth inning, while Denny Galehouse outpitched World Series veteran Mort Cooper to hold on for the win.-Game 2:Thursday, October 5,...

was particularly memorable as they met their crosstown rivals, the St. Louis Browns, in the "Streetcar

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

Series". The Cardinals won four games to two. All six games were played in Sportsman's Park

Sportsman's Park

, which the two teams shared. Billy Southworth

Billy Southworth

William Harrison Southworth was an American right fielder, center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Playing in and and from to , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Southworth managed in and from through...

, the manager for all three of those seasons, remains the only Cardinal manager to guide his team to three straight pennants.

The Cardinals finished 3 games behind the Cubs in 1945 without Musial, who was in the U.S. Navy serving in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After the season, Southworth left the Cardinals to manage the Boston Braves. Eddie Dyer

Eddie Dyer

Edwin Hawley Dyer was an American left-handed pitcher, manager and farm system official in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922–44 and 1946–50...

was hired to replace him, and St. Louis came back to tie for the pennant in 1946, ousting the Brooklyn 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...

in a playoff series to get to the World Series. They faced a powerful Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

team and defeated them in 7 games, the eventual winning run in Game 7 coming in the eighth inning on Enos Slaughter

Enos Slaughter

Enos Bradsher Slaughter , nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St...

's famous "mad dash

Slaughter's Mad Dash

The Mad Dash, or Slaughter's Mad Dash, refers to an event in the eighth inning of the seventh game of the 1946 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.-Background:...

" around the bases on a hit to shallow left center field. The latest in a resounding series of dominating seasons by the Cardinals, the 1946 Series would prove to be the Cardinals' last for 18 years, and leadership of the National League gradually passed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, now helmed by none other than Rickey, fired in 1942 after disputes with team ownership.

This job-switch between league powerhouses set the stage for a more profound upheaval in the game - breaking of the color barrier. In 1947, the Cardinals (who were effectively the southernmost major league team until the 1960s) gained notoriety by allegedly (the accusation is disputed) threatening to boycott games against the Brooklyn Dodgers to protest the Dodgers' signing of a black player, Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...

, by Rickey, who was now building the Dodgers into a perpetual contender as he had previously done with the Cardinals. The alleged ringleader of the boycott was Enos Slaughter. National League president Ford Frick

Ford Frick

Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...

threatened to ban any players who boycotted any games, and the boycott never materialized. The Cardinals did not sign a black player until with part-timer Tom Alston

Tom Alston

Thomas Edison Alston was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1954 to 1957. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, he stood 6'5" and weighed 210 lbs....

and did not sign a black regular until Curt Flood

Curt Flood

Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...

in . The Cardinals' resistance to the trend of hiring minority talent contributed to a team slump that ran from the late 1940s until the early 1960s. However, the organization was also the first Major League team to integrate spring training housing a decade later.

1950s: Anheuser-Busch takes over

Rickey had a falling-out with longtime owner Sam Breadon

Sam Breadon

Samuel Breadon was an American executive who served as the president and majority owner of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball from 1920 through 1947...

, and left the team to become general manager and part-owner of the Dodgers in . With Breadon as effectively a one-man band, the Cardinals faded into the pack after their 1946 Series victory.

In the early 1940s, Breadon had made plans to build a new park for the Cardinals. The Cardinals had been the Browns' tenants at Sportsman's Park

Sportsman's Park

since , even though the Cardinals had long since passed the Browns as the city's dominant team. He set aside $5 million to pay for a new park, but was unable to find land for it, and faced a five-year deadline to start construction without having to pay taxes on it. Between this dilemma and the discovery that he had terminal prostate cancer

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...

, Breadon looked to sell.

Prominent tax attorney and real estate investor 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 :...

got word that the Cardinals were on the market. He came to Breadon with an unusual proposal—if Breadon sold the Cardinals to him, he wouldn't have to pay taxes on his $5 million fund. To put Breadon at ease, Saigh brought in former Postmaster General

United States Postmaster General

The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...

Robert Hannegan as a minority partner. In late 1947, Breadon sold the Cardinals to the Saigh-Hannegan group for $4 million.

Hannegan died in 1949, leaving Saigh as sole owner. Although the Cardinals remained competitive and were well-outdrawing the Browns, they were on shaky financial ground. Meanwhile, the Browns, under new owner Bill Veeck

Bill Veeck

William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...

, began a concerted effort to drive the Cardinals out of town. Veeck was convinced that the city could only reasonably support one team, and that his Browns could win the fight through persistence, even though the 1951 Cardinals had outdrawn the Browns nearly fourfold.

In April 1952, however, Saigh was indicted for tax evasion

Tax evasion

Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...

after several questionable practices on his part, including the tax dodge he used to buy the Cardinals, came to light. He pleaded no contest

Nolo contendere

is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...

to two lesser counts in January 1953. Facing almost certain banishment from baseball, Saigh put the Cardinals up for sale. For awhile, it looked like the Cardinals would in fact be leaving town. However, Saigh turned down higher bids from out-of-town interests in favor of an offer from the St. Louis-based 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...

brewery. Brewery head August "Gussie" Busch took over as team president.

Realizing the Cardinals now had more resources than he could possibly match, Veeck sold Sportsman's Park to the Cardinals. He would have probably had to sell the park in any case; the park had fallen into disrepair over the years, and the city had threatened to have it condemned. With the Browns' declining revenues (despite collecting rent from the Cardinals), Veeck could not afford to bring it up to code. Busch heavily renovated the 44-year-old park, renaming it Busch Stadium. Within a year, Veeck was forced to sell the Browns, and the new owners moved them to Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

as the Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The 1960s

The Cardinals front office continued to improve their minority hiring record, and built the Cardinals into another of their periodic dynasties. David Halberstam

David Halberstam

David Halberstam was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and historian, known for his early work on the Vietnam War, his work on politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, and his later sports journalism.-Early life and education:Halberstam...

in October 1964 credits the Cardinals with being the first major league team to truly integrate and display racial harmony among teammates and their families. In 1963, they made a late-season run against the Dodgers which came close to putting Stan Musial into a World Series in his announced final season. The Dodgers held them off on that occasion, but for the last 6 years before divisional play went into effect and changed the nature of the pennant races, there were only two colors on National League pennants: Dodger Blue and Cardinal Red.

1964

1964 saw one of the wildest pennant races in baseball history. The Philadelphia Phillies

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...

seemed to have a commanding lead, but fell apart in the last two weeks of the season, as the Cardinals and other teams pounced on the opportunity. The Cardinals, thanks in part to a mid-season acquisition from the Cubs, one Lou Brock

Lou Brock

Louis Clark "Lou" Brock is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league...

, won on the last day of the season, finishing a game ahead of the Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

, with the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

and the Milwaukee Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

close behind.

The Brock acquisition was part of a multi-player exchange that brought veterans (notably pitcher Ernie Broglio

Ernie Broglio

Ernest Gilbert Broglio is a former right-handed pitcher in American Major League Baseball from 1959-66. Broglio signed with the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League after he attended West Contra Costa Junior College. He was acquired by the New York Giants in 1956...

) to the Cubs. Ironically, it was thought at the time to be a good move for the Cubs, although some observers were wary of sacrificing young talent. The other players in the deal have largely been forgotten, and the swap became known (in glory for the Cardinals, and infamy for the Cubs) as the "Brock for Broglio

Brock for Broglio

The phrase Brock for Broglio is sometimes used in the sport of baseball to signify a trade that in hindsight, turns out to be a ridicuously lopsided transaction....

" trade.

In a series that resembled a rematch of the franchises' first encounter in 1926, the upstart "Redbirds", led by third baseman and captain Ken Boyer

Ken Boyer

Kenton Lloyd Boyer was an American Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. During a 15-year baseball career, he played for 1955-1969 for four different teams, playing primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals...

, took on the veteran Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

, which featured his younger brother Clete

Clete Boyer

Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was a Major League Baseball player.A third baseman who also played shortstop and second base occasionally, Boyer played for the Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...

, also an All-Star third baseman. Ken Boyer's stunning grand slam

Grand slam (baseball)

In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

home run in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...

, along with the overpowering pitching of their young twirler Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson

Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...

, resulted in a 4 games to 3 win by the Cardinals. This was the last Series appearance by the "Old" Yankees dynasty, which had appeared in 14 of the 16 series played from 1949 to 1964. The Cardinals are the only of the original eight National League teams to hold an overall World Series edge against the Yankees, 3 Series to 2.

In a slightly bizarre post-season twist, manager Johnny Keane

Johnny Keane

John Joseph Keane was an American manager in Major League Baseball. Born in St. Louis, Missouri and known as a patient manager of young players, Keane participated in one of the strangest turns of events in baseball history in , his final season at the helm of the St...

, who had been targeted for firing before the Cardinals' made their late-season comeback, left the team and took the job managing the Yankees. The Cardinals then promoted coach 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...

, who would take the managerial helm for the next 12 seasons and become a Cardinals legend (according to The Baseball Hall of Shame by Nash and Zullo, the owners of the Cardinals and of the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

had decided, during the season, to replace their managers, Keane and Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

, after the season, regardless of the season's outcome. When these two teams happened to meet in the World Series, this plan received a great deal of attention).

1965–1966

The mid-1960s saw changes both on the field and off - all while retaining the core of a remarkable successful franchise and its renewed popularity in St. Louis. Schoendienst's replacement of Keane had been preceded a few weeks earlier by general manager Bing Devine

Bing Devine

Vaughan Pallmore "Bing" Devine was an American front office executive in Major League Baseball. In the prime of his career, as a general manager, the executive who is responsible for all baseball operations, Devine was a major architect of four National League champions and three World Series...

's firing, the redemption of the final pennant drive having come too late to assuage owner August Busch's dwindling patience. Devine was replaced by Bob Howsam

Bob Howsam

Robert Lee Howsam was an executive in American professional sport who, in 1959, played a key role in establishing two leagues — the American Football League, which succeeded and merged with the National Football League, and baseball's Continental League, which never played a game but forced...

, who made a number of moves to shore up a talented but aging team which struggled through the 1965 campaign, finishing mired in 7th place at 80-81. A capable GM if not Devine's equal, Howsam made some moves that worked - and some that did not. Aging veterans Bill White, Dick Groat

Dick Groat

Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...

, and utility catcher Bob Uecker

Bob Uecker

Robert George "Bob" Uecker is an American former Major League Baseball player, later a sportscaster, comedian, and actor. Uecker was given the title of "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson...

were sent in a package to Philadelphia in return for Pat Corrales

Pat Corrales

Patrick Corrales , is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who played from 1964–1973, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds, but also for the Philadelphia Phillies, St...

, Art Mahaffey

Art Mahaffey

Arthur Mahaffey, Jr. is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals . He batted and threw right-handed...

, and Alex Johnson

Alex Johnson

Alexander Johnson Alexander Johnson Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942, in Helena, Arkansas is a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and designated hitter over parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels,...

. Popular third baseman Ken Boyer

Ken Boyer

was dispatched to the Mets in exchange for pitcher Al Jackson. Finally, pitcher Ray Sadecki was traded to the Giants for first baseman Orlando Cepeda

Orlando Cepeda

Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...

. The latter moves worked better than the former, but the Cardinals still finished in 6th place in 1966, resulting in Howsam's replacement by none other than Cardinals legend Stan Musial

Stan Musial

. Musial's most notable move was to acquire Yankees' star Roger Maris.

Personnel changes were complemented by a change of venue, as Busch sought to replace the increasingly inadequate Busch Stadium

Sportsman's Park

(formerly Sportsman's Park) with a modern facility in a better location. The result was a new multi-purpose, $25 million concrete stadium, also named for Busch's father - Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

. The new facility hosted the 1966 All-Star Game

Major League Baseball All-Star Game

, and would go on to host six World Series (1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987, 2004) before being demolished in December 2005 to make way for a new retro-style baseball only park, also bearing the Busch name. Later derided as one of the bland so-called "cookie-cutter" multi-purpose stadia of the 60's, Busch Memorial achieved a measure of popularity among St. Louis fans in a way that its cousins in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati did not, perhaps due in part to the success of the teams which played there, and perhaps also due to the distinctive roof arches added by architect Edward Durrell Stone - unique touches meant to echo the city's new iconic monument (completed at nearly the same time), the Gateway Arch

Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...

1967

In 1967, all the pieces came together, and the Cardinals ("El Birdos") romped through the National League with 101 wins and then defeated the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

in the World Series, bursting "The Impossible Dream" bubble of the latter team, which had won their first pennant in 21 years, on the last day of the season. The 1967 team featured future Hall of Famers Lou Brock

Lou Brock

, Orlando Cepeda

Orlando Cepeda

, Steve Carlton

Steve Carlton

Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...

and Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson

, who won three games in the Series and was named Series MVP for a second time. Gibson came back from a broken leg during the season to accomplish his incredible World Series performance. KMOX radio also awarded Lou Brock a car for his superb play (12-29 .414 with a record-tying 7 stolen bases) in the Series. The Red Sox would not get another chance at beating the Cardinals until 2004, when they did so in a four-game sweep. Musial, meanwhile, stepped down as general manager, having added another accomplishment to his baseball resume: he is the only Cardinals GM with a perfect record in winning championships. Busch, having come to regret the firing of Bing Devine, hired him for a second stint as GM to replace Musial.

1968

In 1968, "The Year of the Pitcher", Gibson finished with an astonishingly low 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...

of 1.12, still a record for the live-ball era

Live-ball era

The live-ball era, also referred to as the lively ball era, is the period in Major League Baseball beginning in , following the dead-ball era. During that year offensive statistics rose dramatically in what would be mistakenly attributed to the introduction of a new "lively" ball...

. Gibson won 22 games during the season and won both the Cy Young and MVP awards. The Cardinals again won the pennant by a double-digit margin. Although essentially the same team as the previous year, they faced a tougher American League opponent in the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

, who had also won their pennant easily, behind the 31-win season of Denny McLain

Denny McLain

Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....

. Even though both Gibson and McLain were league MVPs

MLB Most Valuable Player Award

The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...

that season, another Tigers starter, Mickey Lolich

Mickey Lolich

Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...

, stole the show, becoming the last pitcher to date to win three complete games in a single Series. Gibson excelled again in the World Series, winning Games 1 and 4. He had 17 strikeouts in Game 1 and totaled 35 strikeouts in the Series, both still World Series records. The Cardinals got to a 3-1 series lead, but the Tigers completed an improbable comeback by winning the final three games of the series to claim the championship, 4 games to 3. It was the last Series appearance for this great Cardinals team, and the last Series before baseball adopted its divisional format.

1969

1969 saw a number of changes, as both the American and National Leagues expanded by two teams and split into two divisions. The Cardinals were originally placed in the National League West

National League West

The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...

division. However, the New York 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...

, wanting to compensate for the loss of home games against the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

and San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

, desired three extra games against the Cardinals, the two-time defending league champions. The Cardinals were thus moved to the National League East

National League East

The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...

division along with the Cubs, who wished to maintain their long-standing rivalry with the Cardinals. In exchange, the Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

and Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

were shifted to the National League West in defiance of all geographic reality, a setup that would be maintained until 1993.

The resurgent Cubs, featuring players such as Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks

Ernest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...

, Ron Santo

Ron Santo

Ronald Edward Santo was an American professional baseball player and long-time radio sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974, most notably as the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. A nine-time All-Star, he was a powerful hitter who was also a good defensive...

, and Billy Williams

Billy Williams

Billy Williams may refer to:* Billy Williams , Yorkshire cricketer* Billy Williams , Hall of Fame baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's...

and helmed by fiery manager Leo Durocher

Leo Durocher

, led the newly formed NL East for much of the summer of 1969 before faltering. The Cardinals put on a mid-season surge, as their famous announcer Harry Caray

Harry Caray

Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...

(in what would prove to be his final season of 25 doing Cardinals broadcasts) began singing, "The Cardinals are coming, tra-la-la-la". However, to the surprise of both Chicago and St. Louis fans, the "Miracle" Mets would ultimately win the division, as well as the league championship and the World Series.

1970s

In 1970, Curt Flood

Curt Flood

, along with Tim McCarver

Tim McCarver

James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...

, Byron Browne

Byron Browne

Byron Ellis Browne is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Browne was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1963. In his first Major League at-bat, Browne lined out in the second inning of Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game. Browne had the dubious distinction of...

, and Joe Hoerner

Joe Hoerner

Joseph Walter Hoerner was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, the left-hander was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1957 season. He played for the Houston Colt .45s , St...

, were to be traded to the Phillies for Dick Allen

Dick Allen

Richard Anthony Allen is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s...

, Cookie Rojas

Cookie Rojas

Octavio Victor Rojas Rivas , better known as Cookie Rojas, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. After retiring as a player he went on to both coach and manage in the...

, and Dick Donovan. However, Flood challenged the reserve clause since he did not want to play for one of the worst teams in the National League

National League

. As a result, Willie Montanez

Willie Montañez

Guillermo Montañez Naranjo is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Even though he was productive, Montañez often carried the label "hot dog" for the whimsical manner in which he approached the game. After hitting home runs, he would trot very slowly around the bases, shuffling his feet on...

and another player would compensate for Flood as he would set the tone for free agency

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

. Also in 1970, Bob Gibson would continue his dominance as he won 23 games and another Cy Young Award

Cy Young Award

The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...

. He would be the last Cardinal to win the award until 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...

in 2005.

Another deal with the Phillies proved to be even more disastrous. Prior to the 1972 season, owner Gussie Busch refused to renegotiate the contract of left-handed pitcher Steve Carlton

Steve Carlton

, who was coming off of his first 20-win season and an appearance in the All-Star Game. Instead of paying the money, Busch traded Carlton to Philadelphia for right-hander Rick Wise

Rick Wise

Richard Charles Wise is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons...

. Carlton immediately turned the deal into a steal for the Phillies by winning 27 games and the Cy Young Award

Cy Young Award

for a club that finished the 1972 season at 59-97. Wise would be gone from St. Louis by 1974; Carlton would go on to the Hall of Fame

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...

.

The Cardinals continued to be perennial contenders throughout the 1970s, placing second in the National League Eastern Division and finishing above .500 six times during the decade. In , Lou Brock led the team in a pennant race against the Pirates by breaking Maury Wills single-season stolen base record (104) set in 1962. Brock set a new record of 118 in '74 but the Cardinals finished a game-and-a-half behind Pittsburgh. Popular manager 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...

, was replaced in after 12 seasons guiding the Cardinals, as many players arrived and departed the Gateway City. Joe Torre

Joe Torre

Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...

won the National League MVP award hitting .363 with 24 HRs, but was later traded to the Mets. José Cruz

José Cruz

José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...

, Dick Allen

Dick Allen

, and Ted Sizemore

Ted Sizemore

Ted Crawford Sizemore was a second baseman for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers , St...

were all dealt away to other teams in the league. Ted Simmons

Ted Simmons

Ted Lyle Simmons is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals , the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves...

led the team in On-Base-Percentage six times during the decade, but more changes would come as the Cardinals began to retool the roster to become champions again.

1979

Keith Hernandez

Keith Barlow Hernandez is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He is currently a baseball analyst working for the New York Mets, for whom he played from –, on SportsNet New York and WPIX television broadcasts...

was the co-NL

National League

MVP while Pete Vuckovich

Pete Vuckovich

Peter Dennis Vuckovich is a retired American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who came across as an intimidating presence on the mound with his 6'4" 220 lb frame and Fu Manchu moustache. Vuckovich was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1974...

and Silvio Martínez

Silvio Martínez

Silvio Ramón Martínez Cabrera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Martínez pitched all or part of five seasons in the majors, from until , for the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.-Sources:...

each won 15 games. Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton

Garry Lewis Templeton, nicknamed "Jumpsteady", is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets from 1976 to 1991...

became the first switch-hitter to collect 100 hits from each side of the plate and led the league in triples for a third consecutive season. Lou Brock

Lou Brock

received his 3,000th hit in his last season.

1980s: Whiteyball and the "Runnin' Redbirds"

After a less-than-successful 1970s

1970s

File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

, new Cardinal manager Whitey Herzog

Whitey Herzog

Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...

, affectionately known to fans as the White Rat, revived the winning tradition at Busch Stadium. Herzog's brand of baseball, known in St. Louis as "Whiteyball", catered to the hard Astroturf

AstroTurf

AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...

of Busch Stadium and featured speed on the base paths, sparkling defense, and unconventional roster moves. Herzog was known to put the pitcher in right field, bring in a reliever for one batter, and then put the original pitcher back on the mound. In his 11 years as Cardinal manager, Herzog won three National League pennants, and the 1982 World Series

1982 World Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 12, 1982 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe Brewers' left-hander Mike Caldwell pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits. The Brewers' offense was led by Paul Molitor, who had a World Series-record five hits and two RBIs...

title. The 1980s era Cardinals included stars Darrell Porter

Darrell Porter

Darrell Ray Porter was a former American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. He was known for his excellent defensive skills and power hitting...

(1982 NLCS and World Series MVP), Ozzie Smith

Ozzie Smith

Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...

, Willie McGee

Willie McGee

Willie Dean McGee is a retired professional baseball player who won two batting titles and was named Major League Baseball's National League MVP. McGee primarily played center and right field, winning three Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence. McGee spent the majority of his 18-year career...

(1985 NL MVP who won two batting titles in a Cardinals uniform), John Tudor, Tom Herr

Tom Herr

Thomas Mitchell Herr is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1979 to 1991 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets...

, Jack Clark

Jack Clark (baseball)

Jack Anthony Clark , also known as "Jack the Ripper," is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox...

, Bruce Sutter

Bruce Sutter

Howard Bruce Sutter is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was arguably the first pitcher to make effective use of the splitter....

, Keith Hernandez

Keith Hernandez

, Terry Pendleton

Terry Pendleton

Terry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...

, and Joaquín Andujar

Joaquín Andújar

Joaquín Andújar is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while playing with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-80s.-Early years:...

1980

This team set a record for the most silver slugger award winners in one season: Keith Hernandez (first baseman), Garry Templeton (shortstop), George Hendrick (outfielder), Ted Simmons (catcher), and Bob Forsch (pitcher).http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_5_63/ai_115077547/pg_2

1981

The Cardinals finished with the best record in the NL East in . However, the season was split by the 1981 players' strike and the playoff qualification format was changed. The teams with the best half-season records before and after the strike were qualified for a special division playoffs. The Cardinals finished second in each part of the season and watched the Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies

(59-48 overall but 1½ games ahead of the Cardinals prestrike) meet the Montreal Expos

Montreal Expos

The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...

(60-48 overall but 1/2 GA post-strike) in the division series. (Similarly, in the NL West

National League West

the 66-42 Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

finished 1/2 and 1½ games behind the pre- and post-strike leaders, the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

and the Houston Astros

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

, respectively.) Following the season, they traded shortstops by acquiring Ozzie Smith

Ozzie Smith

Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...

from the San Diego 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...

in exchange for Garry Templeton.

First Half: 30-20, 2nd

Second Half: 29-23, 2nd

Overall: 59-43, Best record in NL East Division

1982 Cardinals win World Series over Brewers

With Herzog at the helm, the Cardinals aced the Phillies by 6 games to win their first NL East title. After sweeping the Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

in the National League Championship Series

National League Championship Series

In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...

, the Cardinals faced the Milwaukee 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...

in the World Series. The series showcased rookie Willie McGee, later a league MVP and multiple gold glove winner, hitting two home runs in game 3, still tied as a record for rookies. The Cardinals would win in 7 games, capturing their ninth world series championship, most among National League Clubs. (Only the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

have won more world championships, currently with 27.)

1985

After Bruce Sutter

Bruce Sutter

Howard Bruce Sutter is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was arguably the first pitcher to make effective use of the splitter....

's 45 saves in 1984 sent him to the Braves, the Cardinals found a new savior in rookie outfielder Vince Coleman

Vince Coleman

Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...

. The youngster would win Rookie of the Year by stealing 110 bases. The outfielder Willie McGee

Willie McGee

would win MVP honors. He would be the last Card to do so until 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...

won the MVP in 2005. In a close race with the Mets (led by ex-Card Hernandez), the Cardinals would win the NL East once again. The NLCS against the Dodgers featured both shortstop Ozzie Smith

Ozzie Smith

Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...

and 1st baseman Jack Clark

Jack Clark (baseball)

hitting game-winning home runs off Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer

Tom Niedenfuer

Thomas Edward Niedenfuer , is a retired American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He attended high school in Redmond, Washington and was a standout pitcher in college for Washington State University under coach Bobo Brayton. He left school before completing his senior season. He is a...

(the former did it in game 5 while the latter did it in the 6th game). The light hitting shortstop (and immortal Cardinal) surprised everyone in the extra innings, prompting the famous call of "Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!" by Jack Buck. This play is considered one of the all-time highlights in Cardinal history. However, Coleman was not able to play in the World Series due to an injury in the NLCS after somehow being rolled up in the tarp machine.

The 1985 World Series

1985 World Series

-Game 1:Saturday, October 19, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri-Game 2:Sunday, October 20, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri...

, christened the "I-70

Interstate 70

Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...

Series" or the "Show-Me Series" because it featured the in-state rival Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

, is perhaps the most controversial in Cardinals history. The Series started ominously for the Cardinals as their rookie lead-off hitter and catalyst, Vince Coleman

Vince Coleman

, who stole 110 bases that year, was run into by the mechanical tarpaulin

Tarpaulin

A tarpaulin, colloquially tarp, is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with urethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. In some places such as Australia, and in military slang, a tarp may be known as a...

at Busch Stadium during the NLCS. Scribes joked about a "killer tarp", but the remark proved metaphorical, as Coleman was unable to play in the Fall Classic. After gaining a 3-2 series lead, Game 6 featured "The Call

1985 World Series

-Game 1:Saturday, October 19, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri-Game 2:Sunday, October 20, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri...

". In the bottom of the 9th inning, umpire Don Denkinger

Don Denkinger

Donald Anton Denkinger is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World...

called Royals batter Jorge Orta

Jorge Orta

Jorge Orta Núñez is a retired professional baseball player.He made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on April 15, 1972. Through the 1970s, he played usually second baseman but also third baseman and also some outfield...

safe at first base — a call refuted by broadcast television's instant replay

Instant replay

Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...

. The Cardinals, leading 1-0 at the time of the play and needing that victory to clinch the title, went on to lose Game 6 a few batters later by the score of 2-1. After "The Call," St. Louis proceeded to self-destruct with an error and passed ball that led to the KC victory. The "Runnin' Redbirds" then were blown out of Game 7 the following night, by the score of 11-0, as both of their pitching aces failed to come through on this occasion — John Tudor, who, upon being removed from the game, punched a mechanical fan and severely cut his pitching hand (needing to be stitched up at a Kansas City hospital while the Series was ongoing), and Joaquín Andújar

Joaquín Andújar

, who was ejected by home plate umpire Denkinger for arguing balls and strikes.

1987

The Cardinals had a lackluster year in 1986 with Rookie of the Year Todd Worrell

Todd Worrell

Todd Roland Worrell is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers from to ....

. But the next year was highlighted by a Terry Pendleton

Terry Pendleton

home run on a September 11 game against the contending Mets as well as a Tom Herr

Tom Herr

walk-off grand slam against the Mets on Seat Cushion Night. The Redbirds would win 95 games, capturing the NL East title. The NLCS pitted the Redbirds against the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

. The Cardinals would win that series in 7 games (despite having the Giants' Jeffrey Leonard

Jeffrey Leonard

Jeffrey N. Leonard is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from to...

win the NLCS MVP award).

The Cardinals again lost the World Series

1987 World Series

The 1987 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Minnesota was victorious in a World Series that was the first in which the home team won every game...

in 1987, losing to the Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

in seven games. This time, St. Louis was without clean-up hitter Jack Clark

Jack Clark (baseball)

, the team's #1 offensive threat, who caught a cleat in the abominable turf at Montreal's Olympic Stadium

Olympic Stadium (Montreal)

The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...

in the closing days of the regular season. The Series was the first in which the home team won each of the seven games. The Cardinals held their own at Busch Stadium, but the electronically enhanced crowd noise and the "Homer Hankies" in the Metrodome

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

seemed to spook the Redbirds. The booming bats of the Twins, which seemed to come alive only in the "Homerdome," were too much for the Cardinals "inside baseball

Inside Baseball

Inside Baseball is a strategy in baseball developed by the 19th-century Baltimore Orioles team and promoted by John McGraw. In his book, My Thirty Years of Baseball, McGraw credits the development of the "inside baseball" to manager Ned Hanlon. In the 1890s, this kind of play was referred to as...

" style of offense to overcome. Games 1, 2, and 6 were pretty much blowouts, and in Game 7 the Twins' pitching shut down the Cardinals. This was the first World Series in which the home team won seven games.

1988

One of the few highlights from this season included Joe Magrane

Joe Magrane

Joseph David Magrane is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and is currently a color commentary broadcaster for the MLB Network. He was teamed with play-by-play announcer Dewayne Staats from 1998 to 2008 as part of the Tampa Bay Rays television team.Magrane served as an analyst for NBC Sports'...

leading the National League

National League

in ERA

Earned run average

. The Cardinals went 76-86 and finished fifth in the National League East, 25 games behind the New York Mets. Only Philadelphia finished behind St. Louis in the standings. Shortstop Ozzie Smith won yet another Gold Glove.

1989

The over-achieving 1989 Cardinal team almost made the playoffs. Pedro Guerrero finished third in the National League

National League

MVP voting while leading the league with 42 double

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

s and 12 sacrifice flies. Joe Magrane

Joe Magrane

won 18 games while Jose DeLeon

Jose DeLeon

José DeLeón Chestaro is a former professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of thirteen seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos. He was the National League strikeout champion in 1989 with...

won 16 games. Milt Thompson played in 155 games and hit .290, mostly substituting for the injured Willie McGee

Willie McGee

. Vince Coleman

Vince Coleman

lead the league in stolen bases for the fifth straight year. However, it would be the arch-rival Cubs who would claim the division and move on to the playoffs.

1990s: A new era and Big Mac

After August Busch Jr. died in 1989, the Cardinals would finish in last place in 1990 with Whitey Herzog

Whitey Herzog

resigning. He was replaced by 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...

and eventually Joe Torre

Joe Torre

. During Torre's tenure in St. Louis, the Cardinals' highest finish was 87 wins (3rd place in 1993). One of the few highlights of this era came on Sept. 7, 1993, when Mark Whiten

Mark Whiten

Mark Anthony Whiten is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and switch-hitter batter who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians , St. Louis Cardinals , Boston Red Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , Atlanta Braves , Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees...

, playing in the second game of a doubleheader against Cincinnati, hit four home runs and drove in twelve runs, both tying all-time MLB single-game records.

In the winter of 1995-96, Anheuser Busch, Inc. sold the Cardinal team and Busch Stadium to a new ownership group headed by Southwest Bank's Drew Baur, Fred Hanser and 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...

, for a price substantially undervalued in order to keep the team in St. Louis. Additionally, Civic Center Redevelopment, earlier acquired by AB, sold the parking garages and other surrounding property owned by this quasi-civic organization to the new ownership group.

The new ownership group almost immediately sold off the parking garages next to the stadium to an investment group. With the proceeds of sale from the garages, the cost basis in the team was in the $100 million range, a real steal considering that Forbes Magazine values the Cardinals franchise on the high side of $300 million.

The year before the sale of the team, Anheuser Busch had hired baseball executive 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...

as their new general manager. With a new ownership group in place and their commitment to return a winning team to St. Louis, Jocketty's expertise in locating baseball talent soon was tested in one of baseball's most successful franchises.

Long-time Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

manager Tony La Russa

Tony La Russa

Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball manager and infielder, best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals...

joined the Cardinals for the season, reconnecting him with Jocketty who had also been with Oakland before coming to St. Louis. The Cardinals won the NL Central (created in ) and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1987. However the Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

defeated them for the National League pennant after the Cardinals blew a 3-1 series lead in the 1996 NLCS.

1997

The team finished fourth in the NL Central Division with a record of 73-89. Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire

Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...

arrived and hit 24 home runs in only 51 games. Delino DeShields

Delino DeShields

Delino Lamont DeShields is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a 13-year career with 5 teams. He is currently the manager for the Dayton Dragons in the Cincinnati Reds organization....

led the league with 14 triples.

1998: Big Mac's Big Year

In 1998, Cardinals' first baseman Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire

and Sammy Sosa

Sammy Sosa

Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....

of the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

battled to set the record for most home runs in one season. McGwire broke Roger Maris

Roger Maris

Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...

's 37 year-old record of 61 on September 8 with a low line drive over Busch Stadium's left field fence. Somewhat ironically, it was the shortest home run McGwire hit that season. McGwire went on to finish with 70 home runs and had a section of Interstate 70

Interstate 70

running through downtown St. Louis re-named "the Mark McGwire Highway". His record stood until Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds

Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

hit 73 in 2001. The anabolic steroids scandals since that season have possibly tainted these records, but at the time it was great theater and helped baseball recover further from the 1994 players' strike which had angered and alienated many fans.

2000

In , the Cardinals went 95-67, posting their best record since the '87 team that lost the World Series to the Twins. The team lost to the New York Mets

New York Mets

in the National League Championship Series. The 2000 NLDS against the Atlanta Braves saw the implosion of phenom pitcher 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....

, who had 4 wild pitches in one inning and never regained his pitching form. However, he returned to the big league team as an outfielder on August 9, 2007 as an outfielder, hitting a three-run home run in his debut.

2001

In 2001, the Cardinals finished the season with a 93-69 record. The Houston Astros

Houston Astros

, also in the National League Central, finished with an identical record. Both teams were awarded a co-championship. Since Houston won the season series against the Cardinals, 9 games to 7 games, Houston received the NL Central playoff seeding and St. Louis received the wild card berth. Major League Baseball refers to the 2001 Cardinals as "co-division champions" along with the Astros and notes that this was the first shared championship in major league history. Helping the Cardinals accomplish this was 21-year-old rookie third baseman 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...

, who hit 37 home runs and won the National League Rookie of the Year award. On September 3, Bud Smith

Bud Smith

Robert Allan "Bud" Smith is a retired American baseball player. Smith was active at the Major League level in 2001 and 2002, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.- No-hitter and Major League career :...

became the ninth Cardinal and 18th rookie since 1900 to throw a no-hitter. St. Louis lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual world champion 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...

. After the season Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire

retired due to a chronic knee injury.

2002

In 2002, the Cardinals won the Central Division and this time defeated the Diamondbacks 3 games to none to reach the NLCS

National League Championship Series

, but lost 4 games to 1 to the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

. The year was also marred with tragedy for the Cardinal family. On June 18, beloved Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck

Jack Buck

John Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...

died at the age of 77. Just ten months earlier, Buck (despite ailing from lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

and Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

) stirred emotions when he addressed the crowd at Busch Stadium when Major League Baseball resumed after the September 11 terrorist attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

. The biggest shock came just four days after Buck's passing when 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...

died suddenly at the age of 33 of heart failure while in Chicago for a series against the Cubs.

2004

In 2004, St. Louis posted the best record in the Major Leagues, tallying their most wins (105) since the 1940s and earning home field advantage for the NLDS

2004 National League Division Series

-Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros:-Game 1, October 5:Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriOdalis Perez faced Woody Williams in Game 1. Albert Pujols got the Cardinals started with a solo homer to make it 1–0 in the first. Then in the third, Perez reached his limit after surrendering five two-out...

and NLCS

2004 National League Championship Series

-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe series opener at St. Louis' Busch Stadium was a slugfest involving four homers, 17 runs, and 22 hits, eventually won by St. Louis, 10–7. Houston struck the first blow of the series when Carlos Beltrán hit a two-run home...

. In the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

, the Cardinals rolled, winning the series 3-1. Facing off against division rival Houston in the NLCS, the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead, then lost three straight in Houston. Coming home for Game 6, the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead into the 9th inning, but Houston tied it up. 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...

hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th to win the game. The next night, 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...

helped St. Louis win Game 7 to clinch the series with a game tying hit. Pujols was brought home by 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:...

's two-run home run. Albert Pujols was named the series MVP.

World Series

The Cardinals played the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

in the World Series

2004 World Series

The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...

. This was the third time the two teams have faced each other in the Fall Classic, with the Cardinals winning the previous two in and . The Cardinals were again without a key player for the World Series: ace pitcher Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter

, who, after going 15-5, tweaked his shoulder in September and missed the entire post-season. The Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox in four games and never had a lead throughout the series. Pujols, 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:...

, and Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds

, the normally fearsome 3-4-5 hitters for the Cardinals, were 6-for-45 with 1 RBI.

2005

On August 4, 2005, The Cardinals announced that it bought a 50% share of KTRS 550 AM and was leaving the long time flagship station KMOX 1120 AM after 52 years and moving the games to KTRS in 2006. On September 17, 2005, The Cardinals clinched their fifth NL Central Division title in six years by beating the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

5-1. In the first round, the Cardinals swept the NL West Division Champs, the San Diego Padres. The final game at Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

took place on October 2, 2005, a 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

. Rookie 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 the final regular season home run in Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

history.

Playoffs

Down to their last out and strike and facing elimination in game 5 of the 2005 National League Championship Series

2005 National League Championship Series

-Game 1:Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriIn the series opener, the Cardinals won 5–3 behind a strong pitching performance by Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter and a two-run home run by Reggie Sanders in the first inning...

, 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...

hit a single in the hole on the left side off of the Houston Astros

Houston Astros

' Brad Lidge

Brad Lidge

Bradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...

to bring the tying run to the plate. The next batter, Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds

, worked a base on balls. 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...

followed with a 412 foot home run onto the train tracks behind left field (had the game been played with the roof open, the drive would have exited Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....

, as it first hit off the glass wall which forms part of the roof), to put the Cardinals ahead 5-4 and turn the crowd roar into stunned silence (one of the announcers described it as a "vacuum" from the sudden intake of air by the crowd). The blow was reminiscent of Dave Henderson

Dave Henderson

David Lee Henderson , nicknamed Hendu, is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Seattle Mariners , Boston Red Sox , San Francisco Giants , Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed...

's clutch homer against the Angels in Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS.

Houston was then shut down in the bottom of the 9th by the Cardinals' closer 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 preserve the win, guaranteeing at least one more game at old Busch Stadium. However, the Astros dominated Game 6, shutting the Cardinals down 5-1 for their first berth in the World Series in franchise history.

That offseason, Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter

won the Cy Young award and Albert Pujols won the NL MVP award. This made the Cardinals the first NL team since the 1991 Braves to have somebody on their team to win both of these awards the same year (The 2002 Oakland Athletics are the most recent to have a player win both the AL MVP and Cy Young award).

2006: Another Stadium, Another Championship

In the off-season of 2005, the Cardinals needed to fill in the holes left by the retired Larry Walker

Larry Walker

Larry Kenneth Robert Walker is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1989 through 2005, Walker played for the Montreal Expos , Colorado Rockies , and St. Louis Cardinals...

, as well as Matt Morris, Reggie Sanders, Mark Grudzielanek

Mark Grudzielanek

Mark James Grudzielanek is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop. Grudzielanek played six different teams during his 15-season career. He batted and threw right-handed.-Early years:...

, John Mabry

John Mabry

John Steven Mabry is a former Major League Baseball player. He had 898 career hits in 3409 at bats , with 96 home runs and 446 RBI...

, and Julian Tavarez

Julián Tavárez

Julián Tavárez Carmen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-Minor leagues :...

, who departed as free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

s. The Cardinals first traded 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...

Ray King

Raymond Keith King is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. King stands at 6'0" tall and weighs 265 pounds. Because of his large size, former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog playfully referred to King as The Hefty Lefty...

to the Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

for second baseman

Second baseman

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...

and outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

Larry Bigbie

Larry Robert Bigbie is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. Bigbie last played for a MLB-affiliated team in 2007 for the Richmond Braves, the Triple-A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves organization...

. They later signed free agents Juan Encarnación

Juan Encarnación

Juan De Dios Encarnación is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. His last major league team was the St. Louis Cardinals...

, Sidney Ponson

Sidney Ponson

Sidney Alton Ponson is a Major League pitcher who is currently a free agent. According to the Atlantic League website Ponson was placed on the "Retired" list as of June 18, 2010. Ponson stands at 6'1" tall and weighs 260 pounds. He throws right-handed...

, Junior Spivey

Junior Spivey

Ernest Lee "Junior" Spivey, Jr. was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. In his five-year major league career, Spivey batted .270 with 48 home runs and 201 runs batted in in 457 games. He made the National League All-Star team in . He batted and threw right-handed.-Career:Spivey attended...

, 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...

, Gary Bennett, Jeff Nelson

Jeff Nelson (baseball player)

Jeffrey Allan Nelson is an American former baseball relief pitcher who played 15 years in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. Nelson retired on January 12, 2007, the same day he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees...

, and Deivi Cruz

Deivi Cruz

Deivi Cruz Garcia , is a former baseball shortstop who last played for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League.He was released by the St...

.

Old Busch Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium

Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....

was demolished in the 2005 offseason, and the third Busch Stadium

Busch Stadium

Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...

opened on April 4, 2006 with a minor league game between 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...

and the Springfield Cardinals

Springfield Cardinals

The Springfield Cardinals are a minor league baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals major-league club, and is owned by the Cardinals. The club plays at Hammons Field.The Springfield Cardinals...

. The home opener was on April 10, 2006, with the Cardinals winning 6 to 4 against the Milwaukee 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...

. A week later, Albert Pujols hit three homers in a row to defeat the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

.

From June 20–June 28, the Cardinals suffered an eight game losing streak, their longest since July 4–July 15, 1988. This was in large part due to a slump in their starting pitching, and various injuries to Albert Pujols, David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, and Mark Mulder. A second eight game losing streak occurred from July 27-August 4.

In late September, with a lead of seven and a half games over the Cincinnati Reds

2006 Cincinnati Reds season

The Cincinnati Reds' 2006 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Reds making a bid to win the NL Central division, although just falling short, finishing in third place. The Reds had a final record of 80–82 and were managed by Jerry Narron.-Season summary:In the offseason...

, and eight and a half games over the Houston Astros

2006 Houston Astros season

The Houston Astros' 2006 season was the 45th in franchise history. The 2006 Astros finished in second place in the National League Central with a record of 82-80, 1½ games behind the eventual World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, after losing 3-1 to the Braves at Atlanta on the final day of the season...

, the Cardinals lost seven straight games, and the Astros won nine straight, giving the Cardinals a lead of only one-half game over the Astros, and two and a half games over the Reds. On the last day of the regular season, despite a 5–3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers

2006 Milwaukee Brewers season

The Milwaukee Brewers 2006 season involved the Brewers' finishing 4th in the National League Central with a record of 75 wins and 87 losses.-Offseason:...

, featuring 9th inning home runs by Chris Duncan

Chris Duncan

, 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...

, 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...

, the Cardinals clinched the NL Central title, with the Astros' loss to Atlanta 3-1.

2006 Playoffs

The Cardinals played San Diego in the first round of the playoffs on October 3. The Cardinals won games one and two with scores of 5-1 and 2-0. The series shifted to St. Louis where they lost game three 3-1; however, the Cardinals won game four with a score of 6-2 to clinch the series.

Their next opponent was the New York Mets

New York Mets

in the NLCS, eventually starting October 12 at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...

. Jeff Suppan was named series MVP as the Cardinals won in 7 games.

The Cardinals defeated the Tigers in the World Series in five games. David Eckstein was presented the 2006 World Series MVP Award, along with a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, for his performance.

Tony LaRussa joined Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson

George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...

as the only two managers to win the World Series while managing in both leagues. La Russa wore number 10 in tribute to Anderson (who wore 10 while manager of the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

) and to indicate he was trying to win the team's tenth championship.

2007

The Cardinals began the 2007 season

2007 St. Louis Cardinals season

The St. Louis Cardinals 2007 season was the team's 126th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 116th season in the National League. The season started with the team trying to defend their 2006 World Series championship. During the offseason, the Cardinals were faced with the challenge of handling...

defending 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.
On April 29, , relief pitcher 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...

was killed in a motor vehicle accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. Hancock was the second Cardinals' pitcher to die in the past five years, following Darryl Kile

Darryl Kile

's death on June 22, . The death of Josh Hancock

Josh Hancock

set the tone for a season marred by numerous injuries to the starting lineup, with a total of 15 players having spent time on the disabled list. The Cardinals would finish the year 78-84, their worst season since 1999.

2009

On August 22, 2009 they defeated the San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres

7-0 for the 10,000th win in franchise history, becoming only the 4th team to accomplish the feat after the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

, and Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Cardinals got to the NLDS with a 91-71 record, but were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

in 3 games.

2010

On September 1, 2010, The Cardinals announced that Cardinals baseball rights would return to their longtime flagship station (which originally held the Cardinals from 1954 to 2005) for the 2011 season. Missouri native and longtime Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

announcer John Rooney

John Rooney

John Rooney is an American sportscaster, currently best known for his role as a radio broadcaster for Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals.-Early career:...

joined Shannon in the broadcast booth in the inaugural season with the new station.

2011

Starting in 2010, the Cardinals started a program to award Stan Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This program was called "Stand for Stan. And on February 15, 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Stan Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Cardinals won the 2011 National League Wild Card after being down games to the Atlanta Braves. Over the final 32 games of the regular season, the Cardinals had a record of 23-9. The Cardinals then proceeded to beat the Philies in 5, the Brewers in 6, and the Rangers in 7 to win the World Series. The Cardinals won the Wild Card on the last day of the season and were down to their last strike twice in Game 6 of the World Series before coming back to win Game 6 & 7. The Rally Squirrel became popular, coming in as a temporary mascot as a stray squirrel ran on the field during a home game.

Other historical notes

For much of the last half of the 20th century, the Cardinals' radio flagship was St. Louis powerhouse 1120 KMOX-AM. Over the years such announcers as Harry Caray
Harry Caray
Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...

and Jack Buck
Jack Buck
John Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...

(Baseball Hall of Fame honorees), the latter's son Joe Buck
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...

, and former Cardinal player Mike Shannon
Mike Shannon
Thomas Michael Shannon is an American-born former Major League Baseball player and current radio sportscaster.Shannon is a radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and played with the Cardinals during some of the team's most successful years...

broadcast games over KMOX and its affiliate network.

Between 1960 and 1987, St. Louis was home to two big-league Cardinals teams, baseball and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

. Sports fans and local news coverage got into the habit of saying "the Baseball Cardinals" or "the Football Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

" to distinguish the two. Locals also got into the habit of using "Redbirds" to refer specifically to the baseball team. This nickname had been commonly used decades before the football team came to town. As a result, the Football Cardinals became known as the "Gridbirds" or the "Big Red."

St. Louis-Chicago Cubs rivalry draws sell-outs on a regular basis. The Cubs lead the all time series 1096-1054. The Cardinals lead the National League in pennants won with 18, followed by the Cubs with 16. Head-to-Head Records for St. Louis Cardinals against the listed opponents from 1901 to 2011

The Cardinals are one of two teams that do not use a third jersey, the other being the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

.

The Cardinals are second only to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

in the number of World Series championships won. The Cardinals are the only one of the eight oldest National League teams to hold an edge over the Yankees in Series play, 3 to 2.

Of the eight original National League teams, St. Louis was the last to win a league championship, capturing its first NL pennant in 1926 and going on to defeat the heavily favored New York Yankees in the World Series. In all, the Cardinals have won 18 pennants, tied with the Giants and Dodgers in the NL; only the Yankees in the AL have won more league titles.

Portions of the romantic comedy Fever Pitch
Fever Pitch (2005 film)
Fever Pitch, which was released as The Perfect Catch outside of the United States and Canada, is a 2005 Farrelly brothers romantic comedy film. It is a remake of a 1997 British film of the same name. Both films are loosely based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name, a best-selling memoir in...

were filmed during Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. Hollywood movie stars Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were filmed celebrating together on the field of Busch Stadium after the Red Sox victory. A brief shot of the filming could be seen live on the Fox broadcast of the World Series. The last out of this game and the ensuing celebration were also briefly shown in a Season 3 episode of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

.

In 2005, the Cardinals played their final season in old Busch Stadium. Beginning in their championship season of 2006, new Busch Stadium became the new home of the baseball Cardinals, making them one of the few teams to open a stadium with a World Series title in its inaugural year. The last was the 1923 New York Yankees.

The team's 83 victories during the 2006 regular season are the fewest total victories for a team that went on to win the World Series in a non-strike season. The previous record-holder was the 1987 Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

, who had 85 wins in the regular season, but defeated the Cardinals for the championship that year. This was in contrast to the previous two years, when they had the most victories in baseball each year but did not win the Series.

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