- The St. Louis Cardinals was also the name of an American National Football
League team based in Saint Louis, Missouri, which
moved to become the Phoenix Cardinals (now known as the Arizona Cardinals) in 1988.
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American Major League Baseball team based in Saint Louis, Missouri. They are in the Central Division of the
National League.
- Founded: 1882 in the American Association. Moved to
National League in 1892.
- Formerly known as: St. Louis Brown Stockings (1882), St. Louis Browns
(1883-1898), St. Louis Perfectos (1899). Name became "Cardinals" in 1900.
- Home ballpark: Busch Stadium (1966-2005)
- Uniform colors: Cardinal red, White, and Navy blue
- Logo design: One or two cardinals perched on a baseball bat.
- Wild Card titles won (1): 2001
- Division titles won (6): 1982, 1985, 1987, 1996, 2000, 2002
- American Association pennants won (4): 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888
- National League pennants won (15): 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1964,
1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987
- World Series championships won (9): 1926, 1931, 1934,
1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982
Franchise history
The team was formed as part of the American Association in 1882 where they enjoyed a
four-year dynasty under flamboyant owner Chris von der Ahe. At
that time they were called the Browns, under which name they joined the NL when the American Association went out of
business. They were briefly the Perfectos during 1899 before settling on their
present name.
Highlights from Cardinal history include the 1930s era "Gas House Gang" featuring
Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick,
Pepper Martin and Enos Slaughter. In 1934, Dean and his younger brother, Paul, combined to win 49 games - still a single
season record for brothers. Dizzy, whose real name was Jerome Herman Dean, won 30 of them, with Paul (nicknamed "Daffy")
contributing 19 wins.
In the 1940s, the Cardinals dominated the National League, and in 1944 they met their crosstown rivals, the St. Louis
Browns, in the "trolley car Series". Stan "The Man" Musial arrived in St. Louis. Known to loyal fans as "Ol' Number 6", Musial spent 23 years in a
Cardinal uniform. In the 1970s, a statue of Musial was constructed outside Busch Stadium
downtown.
The 1960s brought three National League pennants to St. Louis. Hall of Famers such as
Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Tim McCarver, Steve Carlton, and Orlando
Cepeda led the "Redbirds" to a pair of World Series titles in the decade.
After a less-than-successful 1970s, new Cardinal manager Whitey Herzog revived the winning
tradition at Busch Stadium. Herzog's brand of baseball, known in St. Louis as "Whiteyball", featured speed on the base paths,
sparkling defense, and unconventional roster moves. In his 11 years as Cardinal manager, Herzog won three National League
pennants, and a 1982 World Series title. The 1980s
era Cardinals included stars Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee (who won two batting titles
in a Cardinal uniform), John Tudor,
Tom Herr, Jack Clark, Bruce Sutter, Keith Hernandez, Terry Pendleton, and Joaquin Andujar.
The 1985 World Series, christened the "I-70 Series" because it featured in-state rival Kansas City, is perhaps the most controversial in Cardinal history. Game 6 of that series featured "The
Call". In the 9th inning, umpire Don Denkinger called Royals batter Jorge Orta safe at first base - a call later refuted by instant replay. 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 and then Game 7 the
following night.
The Cardinals reached the post-season in 1987, losing to Minnesota in the World Series, and in 1996, when the Atlanta Braves defeated them for the National League pennant.
In 1998 Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs
battled to set the record for most home runs in one season. McGwire won the battle
with 70 round-trippers, a record that stood until Barry Bonds hit 73 in
2001.
In 2000, the Cardinals lost to the New York Mets for the title of National League champion. In 2001, the
Cardinals advanced to the post-season as a "Wild Card" team after posting the second-best record in the National League. The
Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Cardinals in a five-game
playoff series. In 2002, the Cardinals won the Central Division and this time defeated the
Diamondbacks 3 games to none to reach the NLCS, but lost 4 games to 1 to the San Francisco Giants.
For much of the last half of the 20th century, the legendary broadcaster, Jack
Buck, was the voice of the Cardinals, calling play-by-play on St. Louis' KMOX
radio.
Between 1960 and 1987, St. Louis was home to two
big-league Cardinals teams, baseball and football. Sports fans and local news
coverage got into the habit of saying "the St. Louis baseball Cardinals" or "the St. Louis football Cardinals" to distinguish the two. Locals also got
into the habit of using "Redbirds" to refer specifically to the baseball team, partly because this nickname had been commonly
used decades before the football team came to town.
Players of note
Current stars
- Marlon Anderson
- Jim Edmonds
- Ray Lankford
- Mike Matheny
- Matt Morris
- Albert Pujols
- Edgar Renterķa
- Scott Rolen
- Reggie Sanders
- Tony Womack
Not to be forgotten
Retired numbers
External links
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