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TheSt. Louis Cardinals, aprofessional baseballfranchise based inSt. Louis,Missouri, compete in theNational League (NL) ofMajor League Baseball (MLB).
BrewingmagnateGussie Busch's 37-year-longownership of the club ended with his death in 1989, and his brewery,Anheuser-Busch (AB) took over. In 1995, an investment group led by Drew Baur andWilliam DeWitt, Jr., purchased the team and have owned the club since.
Highlights of this period include the career ofshortstopOzzie Smith, who collected a staggering array of defensive records andawards while mesmerizing fans with his acrobatic talent, performing standing somersaults and flips. In 1998,Mark McGwire and theChicago Cubs'Sammy Sosa collocated national attention with theirchase ofRoger Maris' single-seasonhome run record of 61. In addition, McGwire also set numerous team home run records. For the 1990s, the Cardinals captured onedivision title and finished above .500 five times for a .488winning percentage[1]
The Baur-DeWitt era continued Busch's and the Cardinals' winning tradition the next decade.Walt Jocketty, with a reputation as a top player developer, became the GM in 1995, and he hired renownedmanagerTony La Russa. DeWitt's ownership group oversaw a period of consistent playoff appearances through key acquisitions of players. He also implemented a philosophy of bolstering talent from theminor leagues as thefarm system consistently lagged near the bottom in baseball, as noted by publications such asESPN andBaseball America. From 2000 to 2013, the Cardinals made ten playoff appearances, won twoWorld Series and fourNL pennants. With 1,274 regular season wins against 993 losses for a .560 winning percentage, the Cardinals led the National League and were second in MLB only to theNew York Yankees.[2] The Cardinals acquired defensive experts and sluggersJim Edmonds (center fielder) in 2000 andScott Rolen (third baseman) in2002. A 13th-round draft pick inAlbert Pujols unexpectedly put together one of the most productive ten years in Major League history with a .331 batting average and 408home runs.Free agent acquisition andpitcherChris Carpenter led St. Louis' pitching staff into multiple playoff hunts.
However, revelations of the widespread use ofbanned substances across baseball came to light in the 2000s decade that retroactively exposed McGwire's home run record chase and formerpitcherRick Ankiel's comeback bid as a hitter. Despite the scandals, the Cardinals acquiredMatt Holliday,Lance Berkman,Carlos Beltrán andAdam Wainwright to replace Edmonds, Pujols, Rolen and Carpenter. Eventually, McGwire issued a public apology and returned to the Cardinals as thehitting coach. La Russa retired from managing after 2011 with the most wins in franchise history (1,408) and World Series championships (two) andMike Matheny replaced him. Concurrently, the fruition of a new player development model of which DeWitt pursued contributed greatly to two World Series appearances in2011 and2013, such asDavid Freese putting on rare comeback heroics andAllen Craig compiling a historically highbatting average with runners in scoring position.
From 1990 to 2013, St. Louis made 11 total playoff appearances and had a combined record of 2,032 wins and 1,787 losses for a .531 winning percentage, fourth-best among all major league teams in that span.[3][4]
AfterGussie Busch diedin 1989, thebrewery took primary control of the Cardinals.[5] Former Cardinal catcher and third basemanJoe Torre replacedWhitey Herzog as managerlate in the 1990 season after he unexpectedly resigned.[6][7] Despite an in-season trade to theOakland A's that season, outfielderWillie McGee attained the requisite number of plate appearances to win his secondNL batting title with the Cardinals at .335, making him the only player towin a batting title and end the same season in the other Major League.[8] McGee's batting title was the main highlight in a season where the Cardinals finished last in thedivision (70–92, .432 winning percentage). It was the first occurrence that they finished last in the standings since1918 (52–78, .395 winning percentage), when they finishedlast in the NL when the two leagues had not yet been split into divisions.[9] However, theAtlanta Braves finished with the worst record in the NL (65–97, .401 winning percentage)in 1990.[10] Thus, the Cardinals have avoided finishing last in the entire league every year since 1918, the longest such streak in Major League history and the 1990 season is still their only last place finish in their division.[4]
Starting the next season, the Cardinals commenced a period of playing above expectations and continued a reputation of defensive excellence. Torre's teams won 83 or more games each season in1991,1992 and1993.[4]ShortstopOzzie Smith, a fan favorite due to his acrobatics, smooth glove and powerful arm, set several defensive records, including the single-season record for fewesterrors at shortstop (8) in 1991.[11] He also set career marks at his position games played in 1993,assists (July 14, 1994), anddouble plays (1,554 on September 15, 1995), and won theGold Glove every year from1982 to1992 with the Cardinals.[11][12] The accolades did not stop with Smith, however. Between1978 and 1992, St. Louis wererepresented with at least oneGold Glove winner each year.[11][13] On September 7,1993,Mark Whiten launchedfour home runs in the second game of adoubleheader against theCincinnati Reds to go with 12 RBIs, both tyingall-time single-game records.[11][14]
On October 14, 1994,Walt Jocketty replacedDal Maxvill as general manager. A recommendation for Jocketty came fromTony La Russa, whom he hired as manager later as Cardinals GM. "He's a guy who had all the qualities. A lot of baseball background, business background, willingness to take responsibility, had been mentored by really good people,Sandy Alderson,Bob Gebhard", according to La Russa.[15] After a disappointing finish in 1994 (53–61) and start in 1995 (20–27), Jocketty fired Torre and replaced him on an interim basis withMike Jorgensen.
In an effort to enhance stock value,Anheuser-Busch (AB) surprisedSt. Louis by announcing the Cardinals were for sale. They simultaneously announced plans to close abrewery inTampa Bay and sell off theirEagle Snacks division. However, AB were resolute in their efforts to keep the Cardinals from moving out of St. Louis by selling the team only in a package deal withBusch Memorial Stadium.[5] As a middle market metropolitan area, had AB not moved to create measures to keep the team in St. Louis, chances are they may have been moved to a larger market. AB sold the team at an undervalued price to a partnership headed by Southwest Bank's Drew Baur, Fred Hanser andWilliam DeWitt, Jr. in December 1995. DeWitt has a long track record in baseball, commencing with his father,Bill DeWitt, who once worked for former Cardinalsgeneral manager (GM)Branch Rickey andowned theSt. Louis Browns. DeWitt himself was aminority owner of theTexas Rangers and actively participated with the baseball clubs on which the elder DeWitt served.[16] Hired during the AB era, the new ownership retained Jocketty.[15]
One of Jocketty's first moves under new ownership was to hire La Russa away from theOakland Athletics.[17] La Russa became one of the most successful managers in history owing in part to his quality as a strategically brilliant and a tactical innovator, concocting "inventive bullpen matchups", and "creating the role of the one-inningcloser [for]Dennis Eckersley", patterns that are an integral part of the current game.[18] La Russa brought two of his most trusted coaches from Oakland, among others – pitching coachDave Duncan and first base coachDave McKay – both of whosecoaching tenures in St. Louis coincided with La Russa's term.[19][20]
St. Louis won the NL Centralthe following season for their only division title of the decade. Veteran shortstopOzzie Smith, who never got along with La Russa, announced that 1996 would be his last season. Besides the coaches, several former Athletics players followed La Russa to St. Louis, includingMark McGwire, Eckersley, McGee, andTodd Stottlemyre. McGwire, the record holder for home runs by arookie with 49 in1987, set the Cardinals' record for a one-month home run total with 15 in September1997.[21][22]In 1998, theCardinals became the focus of the baseball world as McGwire broke thesingle-season home run record with 70.[23] His epic pursuit ofRoger Maris' record along with the Cubs'Sammy Sosa[24] helped to reenergize baseball with fans following the1994 strike.[22]In 1999, McGwire followed up with 65 home runs and 147 RBIs, becoming the first Major League player to hit at least 50 home runs in four consecutive seasons.[25]
With the new millennium, the Cardinals embarked in a new ambitious era – in part taking advantage of the expanded playoff format including berths for wild card teams.[26] Between2000 and2013, St. Louis made ten totalplayoff appearances. They took sevendivision titles, three wild card spots, fourNL pennants and twoWorld Series championships.[4]
Shortly beforethe 2000 season, the Cardinals traded forGold Glovecenter fielderJim Edmonds from theCalifornia Angels.[27] With dazzling defense and a powerful bat that made him a favorite among Cardinal fans, "Jimmy Baseball" helped spark the Cardinals to playoff berths in six of the next seven years, won eightGold Glove awards and hit 241 home runs in eight seasons in St. Louis.[28] Edmonds made an immediate impact and raised his production that season, hitting a career-high 42 home runs and winning his third Glove Glove.[29] The Cardinals took advantage of the high-scoring trend around baseball, plating 887 runs on their way to 95 wins and theCentral division title.[30] McGwire was lost to a season-ending injury in 2000 with a .305 batting average, 32 home runs, 73RBIs, a .483on-base percentage and .746slugging percentage in 89 games, but St. Louis brought inWill Clark from theBaltimore Orioles, and he stepped in with a .345 batting average, 12 home runs and a .655 slugging percentage.[31][32]Rick Ankiel, sporting a 94–97 MPHfastball and a "fall-off-the-table"curveball, finished second in bothstrikeouts per nine innings and theRookie of the Yearballoting.[33] However, an unexplained loss of control inthat year's playoffs plagued him until he stopped pitching.[34] Powered by another heralded rookie inAlbert Pujols, the Cardinals took the Wild Cardthe following year. Pujols enjoyed a career start unmatched in the entire history of the game. During his first eleven seasons, he batted .328 with 445 home runs, winning a batting titlein 2003 at .359 and home run titles in 2009 and 2010. Third basemanScott Rolen arrived via trade from thePhillies in2002. With Edmonds and Pujols, the Cardinals featured three of the best hitters in baseball who were also highly regarded defensive players.
Key acquisitions also bolstered the pitching staff.Darryl Kile posted 20 wins with his trademarked big-breaking curveball in 2000 and raised his performance in 2001, posting a 3.09 ERA.Chris Carpenter was signed as a free agent andAdam Wainwright andJason Marquis both arrived via trade. Between 2000 and 2002, the Cardinals' seasons ended in two trips in the NLCS. At the end of the 2000 season,The Sporting News named JockettyExecutive of the Year, his first of two such awards with the Cardinals.[15]
However, near-simultaneous tragedies struck in 2002. On June 18, famed longtime CardinalssportscasterJack Buck died following health complications.[35] Just four days later, after Cardinals personnel noticed Kile's absence from pregame warmups before aCubs game, he was found dead in his hotel room. The autopsy revealed the cause of death to becoronary artery disease.[36] That game was postponed, resulting in the first day-night doubleheader in the history ofWrigley Field later in the season.[37] An award wascommissioned in his honor.[38]
The avenues from which teams acquired marquée talent started to close and DeWitt, recognizing that he needed to change his club's approach to stay competitive, went about "abandoning a philosophy of chasing big names" that had netted such stars as McGwire, Edmonds, Kile,Édgar Rentería and Rolen. Said DeWitt, "We had great teams in that era, but I knew that that wasn’t sustainable because as that group aged, we would need younger players. With the new labor agreement that was coming in, teams were holding on to their players." He added, "we were opportunistic prior to that by getting players from other clubs, but we made a conscious decision back in the ’03 and ’04 time frame that we were going to throw a lot of resources and make every effort to build from within ... Rather than giving up draft choices, we tried to accumulate draft choices." To avert continual reliance on signing free agents and trading for stars already in their prime, DeWitt sought to place the expertise of people likeJeff Luhnow to create an efficient player development system utilizing the entire organization. DeWitt hired him in 2003 to become the vice president of baseball development. As Luhnow lacked a baseball background, his hire was seen as unconventional, but DeWitt saw potential in theNorthwestern graduate with anMBA because of his business background and analytical ability.[39]
In the offseasonbefore 2004, St. Louis made key pitching acquisitions that later proved integral in their World Series runs: resigning free agentChris Carpenter[40] despite not pitching the season before, and bringing inAdam Wainwright[41] andJason Marquis via trade.[42] Mediocre results characterized a 23–22 start.[43] However, Rolen, Edmonds and Pujols powered the Cardinals to aMajor League-best 105 wins, earning the nickname "MV3", as they won 82 of their final 117 games (.700 winning percentage).[44] Each one equaled or surpassed 34 home runs, 102 runs scored, 111 RBIs and a .301 batting average[45] and ranked third, fourth and fifth in the MVP voting.[46] Carpenter lived up to his former top-prospect billing, breaking through with 15 wins and a 3.22 ERA and the pitching staff finished second in the NL in ERA at 3.75. In theNLCS, Edmonds hit a game-winning home run against theHouston Astros. In theWorld Series, they met aBoston Red Sox squad fresh off four straight victories over theYankees following an 0–3 deficitin the ALCS. A comeback in this fashionin any North American major sports leagues had previously occurred only in theNHL. Not skipping a beat, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals. Because the American League had home-field advantage as a result of winning theAll-Star Game, Busch Memorial Stadium became known as the field where theCurse of the Bambino died.[47] In calling the final out,Fox commentatorJoe Buck, himself a Cardinals broadcaster, famously said:
Back toFoulke.Red Sox fans have longed to hear it: The Boston Red Sox are World Champions!
Following the Cardinals' regular season success,The Sporting News named Jocketty to his second Executive of the Year award.[48]
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball found itself on the receiving end of a publicity disaster after theHouse of Representatives'Government Reform Committee subpoenaed a group of baseball executives and players totestify about the use ofanabolic steroids and humangrowth hormone (HGH) in baseball on March 17,2005. Collectively, any banned substances classified as or similar to, but not only including, steroids or HGH, became known asperformance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The executives includedCommissionerBud Selig andunion headDonald Fehr. The players included Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa (with whom McGwire shared the chase of Maris' home run record in 1998),Rafael Palmeiro,Roger Clemens andAlex Rodriguez.[49]
Other players, such asCurt Schilling (due to his strident outspokenness against PEDs) andJosé Canseco (due to his role as awhistleblower), were requested to testify against the epidemic. Congresspeople such asJim Bunning (a formerpitcher),Henry Waxman andElijah Cummings interrogated the sportsmen. McGwire was apologetic and admissive to a steroid problem within the sport, yet evasive about his own use when confronted, responding with "I'm not here to discuss the past", and "I'm here to be positive about this subject." Sosa, Rodríguez, Palmeiro and Clemens answered with either similar levels of ambiguity or denials. Selig and Fehr defended the policy that was in place, stating they felt it was sufficient. The hearing lasted 11 hours having produced neither any definitive answers besides denials nor any proclamations to make concrete steps to clean up the sport. As a result, Selig, Fehr, the players Congress subpoenaed and any other player suspected of using PEDs became objects of public scorn.[49][50]
Winning another 100 games and a Central Division titlein 2005, Carpenter became the franchise's firstCy Young Award winner sinceBob Gibson and Pujols won his firstMost Valuable Player (MVP) award. In one calendar year spanning the 45th game of both the 2004–05 seasons, St. Louis won 111 regular season games, a feat matched just four times previously in MLB.[43] However, they fell in anNLCS rematch with theAstros. Despite winning just 83 games in2006, St. Louis again won the NL Central division crown as they moved into the newBusch Stadium. Wainwright filled in as an emergency closer to save the pennant clincher and struck out 15 in ten playoff innings. In theWorld Series, the Cardinals defeated theDetroit Tigers in five games.[51]David Eckstein garnered the World Series MVP with a .364 batting average.[51] Their 83 wins represents the second-lowest win total of a league champion (the 1973 NL ChampionNew York Mets went 82–79) and the lowest win total of a World Series champion (the1987 Minnesota Twins previously held the record at 85–77). The Cardinals were also the first team since the1923 New York Yankees to open a new ballpark with a World Series championship in the same season.
After their World Series win in 2006, St. Louis began a period of transition precipitated in part by recent injuries to key players such as Carpenter, Edmonds and Rolen. St. Louis failed to reach the playoffs for two consecutive seasons in2007 and2008 for the first time since 1998–99. However, Wainwright started his emergence as a key starting pitcher in 2007, eventually leading the league in wins in2009 and finishing second in ERA in2010.[52] The lowest point came when pitcherJosh Hancock died in an early-morning motor vehicle accident on April 29 while intoxicated.[53] More issues followed later in the season. After hitting nine home runs in one month following a call-up from the minor leagues on August 9, theNew York Daily News reported that Ankiel had received one year's supply of HGH in his 2004 attempt to come back as a pitcher.[54][55]
Differences in player development strategies began to undermine Jocketty's efforts as GM. When DeWitt promoted Luhnow to the position of vice president of amateur scouting and player development in 2006, tension arose between the two men as Jocketty perceived that it tacitly meant the Cardinals were looking to divide his authority. Although Jocketty built consistently winning teams since 2000, injuries and age started to erode at the team's core. The Cardinals' farm system was low in fruitfulness and the DeWitt sought to increase the minor league's talent productivity. Concurrently, the trend had been for MLB clubs to dispose of their prospects as trading chips for established star players, as was Jocketty's strategy, but that was changing. Between 2000 and 2007, the highest rank the farm system was recognized was 21st; most of the other years it was in one of lowest three.[56][57] After the 2007 season, Jocketty and the Cardinals parted ways, andJohn Mozeliak was named GM.[16][58][59] One of Mozeliak's first moves was to trade the immensely popular Edmonds to theSan Diego Padres for third basemanDavid Freese. He also shipped Rolen to theToronto Blue Jays for third basemanTroy Glaus.[60][61]
In 2008, Pujols won his second MVP (and a third in2009) and Ankiel continued his emergence from switching to the outfield from pitching and hit 25 home runs in 120 games.[62] St. Louis defeated theSan Diego Padres on August 22, 2009, for the 10,000th win in franchise history dating back to theAmerican Association, becoming only the fourth team to accomplish the feat.[a][63]
Before the2010 season, La Russa confirmed that Mark McGwire would become the Cardinals'hitting coach after years of self-induced public exile since retiring as a player in 2001. Months after his hire in January, 2010, he publicly admitted to steroid use through parts of his career, including his home run record-breaking season in 1998, and issued a public apology. Commissioner Selig was pleased with McGwire's announcement, adding that "this statement of contrition I believe will make Mark's re-entry into the game much smoother and easier."[64] La Russa stated that, before that day, he "didn’t know anything. Mark and I never confronted it, and he never told me until this morning." McGwire remarked that during the 2005 Congressional hearings, he was then ready to admit to his steroid use, but lawyers advised against it to attempt to attainimmunity.[65]
The Cardinals returned to the playoffs in2011 by usurping the Wild Card spot on thefinal day from theAtlanta Braves after falling10+1⁄2 games behind on the 130th game. Thus they completed the largest comeback in history with 32 left to play.[66][67][68] Due to their fixtures in different divisions, they played fewer head-to-head games, further lowering Cardinals' odds of catching the Braves.[69] In theNLDS, the Cardinals defeated thePhillies. Game 5 featured a pitching duel between Carpenter and Phillies aceRoy Halladay that became the first NL playoff series to end in a 1–0 score and Carpenter's secondcomplete gameshutout clincher of the season.[70] The Cardinals met theTexas Rangers in theWorld Series.[71] Pujols tied a World Series record in Game 3 by smashing three home runs, joining onlyBabe Ruth andReggie Jackson.[72] "Mr. Octo-bert" also tied World Series single-game records for hits, total bases, RBIs, and runs scored.[73][74] Game 6 nearly saw the Rangers win the Series, but after twice being one strike away from elimination, St. Louis tied both times –– the first such occurrence in MLB history.[71] First, David Freese delivered a triple that drove in two runs in the ninth inning to tie the game, and Berkman followed with a game-tying RBI single in the 10th.[75][76] Leading off the 11th, Freese hit a walk-off home run to center field.[b][77][78] The Cardinals defeated the Rangers in Game 7 to win the Series. Freese's performance garnered him the World Series MVP.
Despite the elation of having won a championship in extraordinary fashion, the offseason events following brought about the appearance the Cardinals franchise were systematically dismantling itself. Three days after the Series ended, La Russa announced his retirement, making him the first manager to end his career with a World Series win and with the most managerial victories (1,408) in franchise history.[79][80] Pujols declared free agency on October 31.[81] On December 7, theHouston Astros hired Luhnow as theirgeneral manager, culminating his rise through the Cardinals ranks as a top player developer.[82] The next day, Pujols ended the bidding war over himself by signing with theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim for $254 million, the second-highest valued contract in history.[83]
However, not all news was bad. One week later,Baseball America bestowed the Cardinals with their Organization of the Year award for the first time, an award given since 1982. It was given in part to recognize the increased productivity of the Cardinals farm system. Seventeen of the 25 players on the Cardinals' 2011 postseason roster were drafted and developed by the Cardinals. Along with Luhnow, Mozeliak helped fulfill owner Bill DeWitt, Jr.'s mission to make Cardinals' farm system a consistent producer of prospects who would be key in the Major League's club success.[84][85] Attesting to the award the franchise had just been crowned, the Cardinals later proved they had successfully established a system that could thrive after the departure of three key personnel.
The Cardinals kept winning following the departure of franchise icons La Russa and Pujols. Former Cardinals backstopMike Matheny became the new Cardinals manager for the 2012 season and onwards.Carlos Beltrán, another free agent signed to replace Pujols before the2012 season, garnered aPlayer of the Week award in May after hitting six home runs within a week; he eventually hit 32 for the season.[86] In the playoffs, the Cardinals capitalized on their newfound comeback persona against theWashington Nationals in theNLDS: in the final game,Pete Kozma drove two runs in the ninth inning to win the series after being down 6–0.[87] However, after mounting a 3–1 lead, they fell to theSan Francisco Giants in theNLCS.[88] After the season, top publications such asESPN andBaseball Prospectus continued to tab the Cardinals farm system as one of the top systems in baseball.[85][89][90]
Key players from the2009 draft helped net the Cardinals' the Major League's best regular-season record in2013, including first basemanMatt Adams, second basemanMatt Carpenter, starting pitchersJoe Kelly andShelby Miller, and relief pitcherTrevor Rosenthal.[91] DeWitt's goal of using the minor league system as the primary source of talent for a winning team was starting to be realized.[16] One gamble that worked out beyond expectations was moving Carpenter from his natural position of third base to second base, where led the Major Leagues in hits (199), doubles (55) and runs scored (126). His 55 doubles broke the franchise record for left-handed battersStan Musial previously set in1953.[92] To make up for injuries and ineffectiveness, St. Louis enlisted 20 rookies, many of whom filled key positions, including Adams, Rosenthal, Miller,Michael Wacha andCarlos Martínez.[93] The Cardinals also set a Major League record byhitting .330 as a team withrunners in scoring position (RISP) (a statistic reliably kept since1974). First basemanAllen Craig led the way at .454, third-highest all-time.[c][94] The team advanced to theWorld Series, where they fell to theBoston Red Sox in six games.
The 2014 Cardinals captured their second straight NL Central title with a 90–72 record. They defeated theLos Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, including two victories againstClayton Kershaw, who would ultimately win both the NL Cy Young and MVP awards for the 2014 season. This marked their fourth-consecutive NLCS appearance, but the Cardinals were unable to defeat theSan Francisco Giants, who would go on to beat theKansas City Royals in theWorld Series. The following season, the Cardinals won their third straight NL Central title, but lost to theirarchrivalChicago Cubs in the NLDS, marking their earliest playoff elimination since 2009.
For the first time since the2007–2008 seasons, the Cardinals missed the playoffs in consecutive years,2016–2017.
On July 14, 2018 following an 8–2 loss to theCincinnati Reds, the St. Louis Cardinals announced they had dismissed manager Mike Matheny after6+1⁄2 seasons as team skipper.
The day after Matheny's dismissal,Mike Shildt was promoted to interim manager and rallied the Cardinals to a 41–28 finish. The Cardinals were in contention for the NL Central and wild-card berths for much of August and September, but wound up missing the postseason for the third consecutive season.
In the 2019 offseason, the Cardinals acquired all-star first basemanPaul Goldschmidt from theArizona Diamondbacks. Aided by Goldschmidt's bat and pitcherJack Flaherty's late-season emergence, the Cardinals returned to postseason play with a 91–71 record and an NL Central title. However, they were swept by the eventualWorld Series championWashington Nationals in the NLCS.
In thepandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Cardinals finished with a 30–28 record, winding up second in the NL Central. Due to the expanded postseason field that season, the Cardinals' runner-up finish in their division earned them the sixth seed in the2020 National League Wild Card Series; however, they lost in three games to theSan Diego Padres.
In 2021, the Cardinals bolstered their infield and lineup by trading for All-Star third basemanNolan Arenado from theColorado Rockies. On September 10, the Cardinals' hopes of returning to the postseason seemed slim, as they had a mediocre 71–69 record and were3+1⁄2 games behind in the NL wild card race. However, the Cardinals won a franchise record 17 consecutive games and clinched a wild card berth. They were defeated in the2021 National League Wild Card Game 3–1 by theLos Angeles Dodgers. Despite their unexpected run to the postseason, the Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt and replaced him withOliver Marmol.
Prior to the 2022 season, the Cardinals re-signedAlbert Pujols as a free agent, after having previously played with the team from 2001 to 2011. It was later announced that Pujols andYadier Molina would retire following the season, and both players approached a number of historical milestones throughout the season. Molina andAdam Wainwright set a major league record with the most starts and wins by a startingbattery, and Molina himself set a league record by recording the most putouts by a catcher. But on September 23, 2022, Pujols made history as only the fourth major league batter to record 700 home runs, finishing his career with 703. In doing so, Pujols joinedHank Aaron as the only batters with 700 home runs and 3,000 hits in their careers. Pujols finished his final season with 24 home runs and a .270 batting average, earning theNL Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Cardinals were carried offensively byNL MVPPaul Goldschmidt (35 HR, 115 RBI, .317 BA, .981 OPS), andNolan Arenado (30 HR, 103 RBI, .293 BA, .891 OPS). On the pitching side, Wainwright (11 wins, 3.71 ERA),Miles Mikolas (12 wins, 3.29 ERA) and mid-season acquisitionsJordan Montgomery (6 wins, 3.11 ERA) andJosé Quintana (3 wins, 2.01 ERA) led the rotation, andGiovanny Gallegos (14 saves, 3.05 ERA) andRyan Helsley (19 saves, 1.25 ERA) anchored the bullpen.
St. Louis finished the season with a 93–69 record, ending as the second wild card team. However, they lost to thePhiladelphia Phillies in two games of the2022 National League Wild Card Series.
The Cardinals posted a 71-91 record, finishing last in their division and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. It was also the end of an era as pitcher Adam Wainwright, who had been with the team since 2004, retired at the end of the season.[citation needed]
The Cardinals went 83–79 in the 2024 season, finishing six games short of a wild card berth and 10 games behind the first-place Brewers in the National League Central. Goldschmidt, in his final season with the Cardinals, led the team in home runs (22), andAlec Burleson drove in a team-leading 78 runs while being the only other player besides Goldschmidt with at least 20 home runs. Four other batters hit at least 15 home runs, and two others drove in at least 70 runs. New additionSonny Gray became the staff ace with 13 wins and a 3.84 ERA, and Helsley saved a career-best 49 games while sporting a 2.04 ERA. Lance Lynn returned to St. Louis for his final Major League season, going 7–4 with a 3.84 ERA. After the season, Goldschmidt joined the New York Yankees, and Lynn retired. The team also brought in former Red Sox executiveChaim Bloom to replace John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations. Additionally, the emergence of catching prospectIván Herrera that season led to the Cardinals converting erstwhile catcherWillson Contreras to a first baseman.
'St. Louis fans are the best in baseball. They have been generous in support of the Cardinals and indeed of Anheuser-Busch. It is our objective that they continue to be able to enjoy Cardinals baseball well into the future,' ... saidchief communications officer John Jacob.
He succeeded in winning a batting title in one league and making it into the playoffs in another. So from that standpoint, nobody in history ever had a success story like Willie McGee's.
Temptation, thy name is Rick Ankiel. Temptation cannot legally buy a beer or rent a car, spends off days trolling the local mall and regards Hooters as fine dining. Temptation also has a 95-mph fastball with more late movement than a strip joint and a knee-buckling breaking ball that curves as sharply as Lombard Street. For a scout who has been in the game almost half a century, Temptation is like nothing he's ever seen before. Temptation is the best pitching prospect in baseball.
The human brain is a baffling organ. ... Then, and only then, did Tony La Russa take mercy on Rick Ankiel and pull him from the game. La Russa would say that starting Ankiel in that playoff game when he was young and seemingly invincible — that decision will haunt him forever. ... Then Rick Ankiel did what few players in American sports have tried to do. He reinvented himself. He announced that he was going to try to make it back to the major leagues as a hitter.
Cards win 10,000th win infranchise history, becoming only the 4th [sic] team to do so. They defeat the Padres, 7–0, inSan Diego.
It was as great a game as the sport has ever witnessed, rivaling theCarlton Fisk homer in Game 6 of the1975 Series andBill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the1986 Series. ... This was just the third time that a team one out from elimination in the World Series came back to win the game, according to STATS LLC. ... Freese had already written himself into St. Louis lore with [the] tying ... triple.
One of the greatest months of postseason hitting was complete ...
The Cardinals' Minor League system ranked fourth overall with a .530 winning percentage (401–355), and Double-ASpringfield first basemanMatt Adams was namedTexas League Player of the Year. Adams and pitcherShelby Miller were named the Cardinals' Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
Cardinals right fielder rapped six homers, had six-RBI game.
No matter how strong the veteran core, the St. Louis Cardinals never could have won the NL Central without fresh faces. Thecloser, shortstop and longtime staff ace got hurt in February.Jaime García's season ended in May andAllen Craig has missed most of September and has been ruled out through at least the NL division series because of a sprained foot.Chris Carpenter,Jason Motte andRafael Furcal have been full-time bystanders. Players plucked from theminors helped fill the voids as the Cardinals won theNL Central for the first time since 2009 and the 11th time in 18 seasons sinceBill DeWitt, Jr.'s group bought the franchise.
The highest average since 1974, the first year of reliable RISP stats, by a team with runners in scoring position was .311 byDetroit in2007. The Cardinals shattered that number by going 447 for 1,355, or .330. They did this in a season when averages across baseball with runners in scoring position were at a low for the past decade.
Forget Pujols' 3 homers already. Last night, David Freese put together the greatest single-game offensive performance in World Series (and all post-season) history.
