St. Louis Cardinals
History
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
Uniform colors: Cardinal red, White, and Navy
blue
Logo design: A cardinal; sometimes, 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
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, 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.
Hall of Famers
Pete Alexander
Walter Alston
Jake Beckley
Jim Bottomley
Roger Bresnahan
Lou Brock
Mordecai Brown
Jesse Burkett
Steve Carlton
Orlando Cepeda
Roger Connor
Dizzy Dean
Leo Durocher
Frankie Frisch
Pud Galvin
Bob Gibson
Burleigh Grimes
Chick Hafey
Jesse Haines
Rogers Hornsby
Miller Huggins
Rabbit Maranville
John McGraw
Joe Medwick
Johnny Mize
Stan Musial
Kid Nichols
Wilbert Robinson
Red Schoendienst
Enos Slaughter
Ozzie Smith
Dazzy Vance
Bobby Wallace
Hoyt Wilhelm
Vic Willis
Cy Young
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Retired Numbers
1 Ozzie Smith
2 Red Schoendist
6 Stan Musial
9 Enos Slaughter
14 Ken Boyer
17 Dizzy Dean
20 Lou Brock
42 Jackie Robinson (retired by all Major League ballclubs)
45 Bob Gibson |
Batting Champion
1901 Jesse Burkett (.376)
1920 Rogers Hornsby (.370)
1921 Rogers Hornsby (.397)
1922 Rogers Hornsby (.401)
1923 Rogers Hornsby (.384)
1924 Rogers Hornsby (.424)
1925 Rogers Hornsby (.403)
1931 Chick Hafey (.349)
1937 Joe Medwick (.374)
1939 Johnny Mize (.349)
1943 Stan Musial (.357)
1946 Stan Musial (.365)
1948 Stan Musial (.376)
1950 Stan Musial (.346)
1951 Stan Musial (.355)
1952 Stan Musial (.336)
1957 Stan Musial (.351)
1971 Joe Torre (.363)
1979 Keith Hernandez (.344)
1985 Willie McGee (.353)
1990 Willie McGee (.335)
2003 Albert Pujols (.359)
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Most Valuable Players
1931 Frankie Frisch
1934 Dizzy Dean
1937 Joe Medwick
1942 Mort Cooper
1943 Stan Musial
1944 Marty Marion
1946 Stan Musial
1948 Stan Musial
1964 Ken Boyer
1967 Orlando Cepeda
1968 Bob Gibson
1971 Joe Torre
1979 Keith Hernandez
1985 Willie McGee
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Cy Young Winners
1968 Bob Gibson
1970 Bob Gibson |
Rookie Of the Year
1954 Wally Moon
1955 Bill Virdon
1974 Bake McBride
1985 Vince Coleman
1986 Todd Worrell
2001 Albert Pujols
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