St. Louis Cardinals
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For current sports news on this topic, see 2008 St. Louis Cardinals season |
St. Louis Cardinals Established 1882 |
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Retired Numbers | 1, 2, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 42, 42, 45, 85 | ||
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Major league titles | |||
World Series titles (10) | 2006 • 1982 • 1967 • 1964 1946 • 1944 • 1942 • 1934 1931 • 1926 |
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NL Pennants (17) | 2006 • 2004 • 1987 • 1985 1982 • 1968 • 1967 • 1964 1946 • 1944 • 1943 • 1942 1934 • 1931 • 1930 • 1928 1926 |
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AA Pennants (4) | 1888 • 1887 • 1886 • 1885 | ||
Central Division titles (7) | 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2002 2001 • 2000 • 1996 |
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East Division titles (3) [1] | 1987 • 1985 • 1982 | ||
Wild card berths (1) [2] | 2001 | ||
Owner(s): William DeWitt, Jr. and Fred Hanser | |||
Manager: Tony La Russa | |||
General Manager: John Mozeliak |
The St. Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards" or "the Redbirds") are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won a National League record 10 World Series championships, second only to the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball who have 26.
The Cardinals were founded in the American Association in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, taking the name from an earlier National League team. They joined the National League in 1892 and have been known as the Cardinals since 1900. The Cardinals began play in the current Busch Stadium in 2006, becoming the first team since 1923 to win the World Series in their first season in a new ballpark. The Cardinals have a strong rivalry with the Chicago Cubs that began in 1885.
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[edit] History
[edit] 1880s-1930s
The Cardinals were founded in 1882 as a member of the American Association called the St. Louis Brown Stockings, later shortened to the Browns. The club quickly achieved success, winning four AA pennants in a row, 1885-1888. Following these titles St. Louis played in an early version of the World Series, the first two times against the National League's Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs). The 1885 series ended in dispute, but St. Louis won the 1886 series outright, beginning a St. Louis-Chicago rivalry that continues today.[3] The American Association went bankrupt in 1892 and the Browns moved to the National League, leaving much of their success behind for the next three decades. The club changed its name to the Perfectos in 1899 before adopting the Cardinals name in 1900.[4]
The Cardinals' fortunes in the National League began to improve in 1920 when Sam Breadon bought the club and made Branch Rickey general manager. Rickey immediately moved the Cardinals to Sportsman's Park to become tenants of their American League rivals, the St. Louis Browns, and sold the Cardinals' ballpark. Rickey used the money from the sale to invest in and pioneer the minor league farm system with the Cardinals, which would produce many great players and lead to new success for the Cardinals.[5]
Led by Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, who won the triple crown in 1922 and 1925, the Cardinals improved drastically during the 1920s. They won their first National League pennant in 1926, and then defeated the favored New York Yankees in seven games to win the World Series. The Cardinals, now led by Frankie Frisch, fell just short in 1927 before claiming another pennant in 1928. However, the Yankees avenged their 1926 loss by sweeping the Cardinals in four games in the World Series. The Cardinals, though, kept winning in the new decade, claiming back-to-back pennants in 1930 and 1931. The Cardinals matched up with the Philadelphia Athletics in both World Series, losing in 1930 but returning to win the 1931 series. In 1934 the team, nicknamed the Gashouse Gang for their shabby appearance and rough tactics, again won the pennant and then the World Series over the Detroit Tigers. Dizzy Dean won 30 games that season, the last National League pitcher to reach that mark. Joe Medwick won the triple crown in 1937, the last National League hitter achieve the feat, but the Cardinals failed to win another pennant until the end of the decade.[6]
[edit] 1940s-1970s
Outfielder Stan "The Man" Musial joined the Cardinals in 1941. Known to loyal fans as "Ol' Number 6", Musial spent 22 years in a Cardinals uniform and won three NL MVP Awards. In 1968, a statue of Musial was constructed outside Busch Stadium to honor his career. During World War II the Cardinals dominated the National League, winning three straight pennants from 1942-1944. The 1942 "St. Louis Swifties" won a franchise record 106 games and defeated the Yankees in the World Series. The team posted the second best records in team history with 105 wins in both 1943 and 1944. The Cardinals fell to the Yankees in the 1943 World Series in a rematch of the previous year. The 1944 World Series was particularly memorable as the Cardinals met their crosstown rivals, the St. Louis Browns, in the "Streetcar Series" with the Cardinals prevailing for their fifth title. In 1946 the Cardinals finished the season tied with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but claimed the pennant in a three-game playoff series. The Cardinals then won the World Series in seven games against the Boston Red Sox. In the bottom of the eighth inning in game seven with the score tied at 3-3, Enos Slaughter scored on a "Mad Dash" from first on a double to left-center to win the game and the series.[6]
Rickey left the Cardinals to become general manager of the Dodgers in 1942, and after their 1946 win the Cardinals slid back to the middle of the National League for the next two decades. In 1953 the Anheuser-Busch brewery bought the Cardinals and August "Gussie" Busch became team president. He soon purchased Sportman's Park from St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck and renovated and renamed the ballpark Busch Stadium. The Browns, who had not been as successful or popular as the Cardinals in three decades, realized they could not compete with the deep pockets of the brewery. After the 1953 season, the Browns left St. Louis to become the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cardinals were left as the only major league team in town.[7]
The Cardinals achieved another period of success in the 1960s with the help of a trade and a dominating pitcher. In 1964 the Cardinals traded pitcher Ernie Broglio and two other players to the rival Cubs for outfielder Lou Brock and two other players. The trade, since nicknamed Brock for Broglio, has become definitive of a trade which in retrospect is ridiculously lopsided. The Cardinals would prove to be on the good side of the trade as Brock would replace Musial, who had retired at the end of 1963, in leftfield and become a Hall of Famer. Behind Brock and pitcher Bob Gibson, who won 20 games for the first time, the Cardinals won the 1964 World Series over the Yankees. In 1966 the Cardinals moved to the new Busch Memorial Stadium and hosted the MLB All-Star Game that summer. The next year the team reached and won the 1967 World Series over the Red Sox. Gibson pitched three complete game wins, allowing only three earned runs, and was named World Series MVP for the second time (he was also MVP in 1964). In 1968, nicknamed the "Year of the Pitcher" for the domination of pitching over hitting throughout the majors, the Cardinals' Bob Gibson proved to be the most dominant pitcher of all. Gibson's earned run average of 1.12 is a live-ball era record and he won both the NL Cy Young Award and NL MVP Award. Behind Gibson's season the Cardinals reached the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Gibson would pitch another three complete games and set the a World Series record with 35 strikeouts, including a single game record 17 in Game 1. However, a key error by Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood in Game 7 allowed the Tigers to win the series. Gibson would win a second Cy Young Award in 1970, but the Cardinals would fail to win a pennant during the next decade.[7]
[edit] 1980s-present
The Cardinals returned to their winning ways in 1981, however a rule change because of the strike-shortened season left the Cardinals out of the playoffs. Despite having the best overall record in the NL East, the Cardinals finished in second in both halves of the strike-split season. But just like in 1964, a trade would propel the Cardinals upward. Before the 1982 season began the Cardinals acquired shortstop Ozzie Smith from the San Diego Padres via a trade. With Smith, and playing a form of baseball nicknamed Whiteyball after manager Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series over the Milwaukee Brewers. Whitey's Cardinals return to the 1985 World Series against the Kansas City Royals. The series was nicknamed the "I-70 Series" after the highway that connects the in-state rivals. The Royals won in seven games, but the series in most remembered for a blown call by umpire Don Denkinger in Game 6 that turned the tide of the series for the Royals. The Cardinals would also reach the 1987 World Series, losing to the Minnesota Twins.[8]
The Cardinals hit another period of little success in the early 1990s. That changed in 1996 when the Cardinals hired Tony La Russa away from the Oakland Athletics. The team won the NL Central that season and defeated the Padres in the NLDS before falling to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. In 1998 the Cardinals were the focus of the baseball world as slugging first baseman Mark McGwire broke the single season home run record by hitting 70 home runs. McGwire's epic pursuit of the record along with the Cubs' Sammy Sosa helped to re-popularize baseball after the 1994 strike.[8]
The start of the new millennium coincided with a new era of success for the Cardinals as the team, led primarily by Albert Pujols, won the NL Central in six of seven years. The Cardinals would fall short in the post-season in 2000, 2001, and 2002 before missing the playoffs altogether in 2003. However, in 2004 the Cardinals won 105 games for the best record in baseball. They then defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS and the Houston Astros in an epic seven game NLCS to reach the 2004 World Series. But the Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox, who won their first World Series in 86 years. The Cardinals won 100 games and another Central Division title in 2005, but lost in an NLCS rematch to the Astros. The Cardinals moved to the new Busch Stadium in 2006 and finally overcame the playoffs. The team struggled during the season, winning only 83 games. However that was enough to win a very weak Central division. In the playoffs the Cardinals caught fire and defeated the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, and then the New York Mets in another incredible seven game NLCS. In the 2006 World Series the Cardinals faced the heavily-favored Detroit Tigers, but won in five games for the franchise's tenth World Series title.[9]
The 2000's also brought an incredible amount of tragedy to the Cardinals as several deaths struck the franchise. On June 18, 2002 long-time Cardinals radio broadcaster Jack Buck passed away at the age of 77. Just four days later, and much more shockingly, Cardinals starting pitcher Darryl Kile died the night before a game in Chicago against the Cubs. Kile was only 33 years old when he suffered heart failure in his sleep. Five years later, on April 29, 2007, Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock, age 29, was killed in a car accident while driving drunk when his vehicle collided with a stopped tow truck that was aiding a disabled motorist.[10]
[edit] Players
- See also: St. Louis Cardinals all-time roster
[edit] Current roster
[edit] Individual achievements and awards
- Cardinal pitchers have thrown ten no-hitters: Ted Breitenstein (1891), Jesse Haines (1924), Paul Dean (1934), Lon Warneke (1941), Ray Washburn (1968), Bob Gibson (1971), Bob Forsch (two, in 1978 and 1983), Jose Jimenez (1999), and Bud Smith (2001). The Cardinals have never been involved in a perfect game, win or lose.
- Three Cardinal pitchers have won Cy Young Awards: Bob Gibson in 1968, Gibson again in 1970, and Chris Carpenter in 2005.
- Fifteen Cardinal players have won Most Valuable Player awards, the most recent being Albert Pujols in 2005. Bob Gibson won the both the Cy Young Award and MVP award in 1968.
- Six Cardinals have won the Rookie of the Year award: Wally Moon in 1954, Bill Virdon in 1955, Bake McBride in 1974, Vince Coleman in 1985, Todd Worrell in 1986, and Albert Pujols in 2001.
- Twenty Cardinal players have hit for the cycle, the most recent being Mark Grudzielanek in 2005.[11]
- Four of the sixteen players to win the Triple Crown for hitting were Cardinals. Tip O'Neill won the American Association Triple Crown in 1887. Rogers Hornsby became the only two-time Triple Crown winner in NL history when he did it in 1922 and 1925. Joe Medwick's Triple Crown in 1937 is the last in the history of the National League.[12]
[edit] Hall of Famers
Players elected with Cardinals logo on plaque
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Players elected with Cardinals as primary team
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Other Hall-of-Famers associated with Cardinals
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[edit] Retired numbers
Rogers Hornsby 2B, Mgr. Honored 1937 |
Ozzie Smith SS Retired 1996 |
Red Schoendienst 2B, Mgr., Coach Retired 1990 |
Stan Musial 1B, LF Retired 1963 |
Enos Slaughter RF Retired 1996 |
Ken Boyer 3B, Mgr., Coach Retired 1984 |
Dizzy Dean SP Retired 1974 |
Lou Brock LF Retired 1979 |
Jackie Robinson Retired by Baseball 1997 |
Bruce Sutter RP Retired 2006 |
Bob Gibson SP Retired 1975 |
Gussie Busch Owner Retired 1984 |
Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired throughout baseball in 1997. The Cardinals 'retired' the number 42 a second time in Sept. 2006 as Bruce Sutter had been elected to the Hall of Fame earlier in the year.
Cardinal stockholders honored Busch with the number 85 on his 85th birthday, in 1984. Also, while not officially retired, the number 25 of Mark McGwire (1B, 1997-2001) has not been reissued since he retired, the number 51 of Willie McGee (OF 1982-1990, 1996-1999) has not been reissued since late in the 2001 season, and the number 57 of Darryl Kile (P, 2000-02) has not been reissued since his death in the middle of the 2002 season. (Kile is honored with a small circular logo bearing his initials and number on the wall of the Cardinal bullpen, as is deceased pitcher Josh Hancock.) The team also honored longtime radio commentator Jack Buck by placing a drawing of a microphone on the wall with the retired numbers.
The Cardinals are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers as having retired the second-most numbers in baseball with 10, behind only the New York Yankees' 16.
[edit] Quick facts
- Uniform colors: Cardinal red, White, and Navy blue
- Logo design: One or two cardinals perched on a baseball bat. Colloquially referred to as the birds on the bat.
- Team motto: Welcome to Baseball Heaven.
- Mascot: Fredbird, an anthropomorphized Northern Cardinal
- Other nicknames: Often called the Cards or Redbirds or even just the 'Birds.
- Theme Song:"The Budweiser Clydesdale Jingle (Here Comes the King)" is associated with the team from its time as an asset of Anheuser-Busch. The song was often played by organist Ernie Hays during the Seventh-inning stretch while the Budweiser Clydesdales made a circuit of Busch Stadium. Currently, it is played in the middle of the 8th inning, with the Clydesdales still occasionally making appearances.
- Local radio: KTRS
- Local television: FSN Midwest, KSDK
- Broadcasters: John Rooney and Mike Shannon on KTRS, Dan McLaughlin and Al Hrabosky on FSN, Jay Randolph and Rick Horton on KSDK.
- Spring Training Facility: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL
- Rivals: Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals (interleague)
[edit] Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Memphis Redbirds (Pacific Coast League)
- AA: Springfield Cardinals (Texas League)
- Advanced A: Palm Beach Cardinals (Florida State League)
- A: Quad Cities River Bandits (Midwest League)
- Short A: Batavia Muckdogs (New York - Penn League)
- Rookie: Johnson City Cardinals (Appalachian League), Gulf Coast Cardinals (Gulf Coast League)
[edit] Radio and television
- See also: List of St. Louis Cardinals broadcasters
In St. Louis, Cardinals games on radio can be heard over KTRS, a talk radio station of which the team owns 50 percent. Mike Shannon and John Rooney alternate as play-by-play announcers. KTRS feeds the games to a network comprised of 115 stations, covering Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Prior to moving to KTRS in 2006, the Cardinals and KMOX radio enjoyed a partnership that spanned over seven decades. But the relationship ended after the 2005 season when CBS Radio, KMOX's parent company, and the Cardinals failed to reach terms on a new rights agreement, resulting in the team leaving the 50,000-watt clear channel behemoth in favor of becoming part-owners of 5,000-watt KTRS.
On television, coverage is split between Fox Sports Net Midwest and KSDK, St. Louis' NBC affiliate. KSDK replaced KPLR-TV as the Cards' over-the-air television broadcaster starting in the 2007 season. KSDK and its predecessor, KSD-TV, previously carried the team from 1963 until 1987.
Joe Buck and Al Hrabosky are the official announcers on FSN Midwest, though Buck's Fox Sports commitments restrict him to only doing ten games per season; Dan McLaughlin and Rick Horton fill in when Joe Buck is unavailable. Buck's father was Cardinals legend and Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck. Jay Randolph and Horton team up for KSDK contests. All telecasts on KSDK will be in HDTV, along with a select number on FSN Midwest.
[edit] References
- ^ In 1981, the Cardinals finished with the overall best record in the East Division. However, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. St. Louis finished second in both halves and was thereby deprived of a post-season appearance.
- ^ In 2001, the Cardinals and the Houston Astros finished the season with identical records of 93-69 and finished tied for first place in the Central Division standings. Both teams were awarded a co-championship.[1] According to MLB, this was the "the first shared championship in major-league history".[2] For playoff seeding, the NL Central slot went to Houston and St. Louis was awarded the wild card berth.
- ^ Jon David Cash, Before They Were Cardinals: Major League Baseball in Nineteenth-Century St. Louis. University of Missouri Press 2002
- ^ Cardinals timeline 1. St. Louis Cardinals Official Website. Retrieved on 6 March 2007.
- ^ Cardinals timeline 2. St. Louis Cardinals Official Website. Retrieved on 6 March 2007.
- ^ a b Cardinals timeline 3. St. Louis Cardinals Official Website. Retrieved on 7 May 2007.
- ^ a b Cardinals timeline 4. St. Louis Cardinals Official Website. Retrieved on 15 May 2007.
- ^ a b Cardinals timeline 5. St. Louis Cardinals Official Website. Retrieved on 14 January 2008.
- ^ Cardinals timeline 6. St. Louis Cardinals Official Website. Retrieved on 14 January 2008.
- ^ ESPN article on Josh Hancock's death. ESPN.com Website. Retrieved on 14 January 2008.
- ^ St. Louis Cardinals
- ^ Triple Crown Winners - Baseball-Reference.com
[edit] External links
- St. Louis Cardinals official web site
- Current records and standings
- St. Louis Cardinals Team Index at Baseball Reference
- St. Louis Cardinals Team Page at Scout.com
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AAA | AA | A | Rookie |
Memphis Redbirds | Springfield Cardinals |
Palm Beach Cardinals Quad Cities River Bandits Batavia Muckdogs |
Johnson City Cardinals GCL Cardinals VSL Cardinals |