History of the St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1989)
Anheuser-Busch era brought integration, titles, and iconic players.
The Anheuser-Busch brewery, under August "Gussie" Busch, purchased the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953, and Busch became team president. His influence persists in the naming of three Cardinals home stadiums as some form of Busch Stadium. That same year, Busch bought Sportsman's Park from Bill Veeck, renovated it, and renamed it Busch Stadium. The St. Louis Browns, unable to compete with the brewery's resources, left for Baltimore after the 1953 season, leaving the Cardinals as the city's only major league team. The team did not see a last-place finish until 1990, its first since 1919, and remained generally competitive even during decades when they missed the playoffs—the entire 1950s and 1970s. (The Cardinals also finished last in 1908 and 1909, but those finishes predate the Busch era.) Under Busch, the Cardinals won six National League pennants and three World Series titles, in the 1960s and 1980s.
In 1954, at Busch's initiative, the Cardinals debuted Tom Alston as their first African-American player. Busch, concerned that his company sold more beer to African-Americans than any other brewery and fearing a boycott, had asked manager Eddie Stanky where the team's black players were and ordered him to find and sign one, stating, "It can't be the great American game if blacks can't play." The team later discovered Alston was two years older than represented, and Busch demanded $20,000 back, believing they had been swindled out of two seasons. Alston did not succeed, but black players like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Curt Flood later led competitive 1960s teams. The Cardinals also became the first Major League organization to integrate spring training housing, though reluctantly.
From 1954 to 1959, the Cardinals finished below .500 in four of five seasons. In 1954, Wally Moon replaced Enos Slaughter in center field and won the franchise's first Rookie of the Year award, batting .304 with 12 home runs and 193 hits. The next season, Bill Virdon, who shifted Moon to right field, also won Rookie of the Year. In 1957, the team finished second, leading the league in batting average (.274) and ranking third in earned run average (3.78). Stan Musial remained the team's most consistent player, winning seven batting titles and being elected to the All-Star Game every year from 1946 until his retirement in 1963—the year before the Cardinals' next World Series appearance an
- Founded
- 1882 (as St. Louis Brown Stockings)
- League
- National League (NL)
- Owner (1953–1989)
- Anheuser-Busch (August 'Gussie' Busch)
- World Series Titles (1960s–1980s)
- 3 (1964, 1967, 1982)
- NL Pennants (Busch era)
- 6
- First African-American player
- Tom Alston (1954)
- Home stadia
- Busch Stadium (Sportsman's Park), Busch Memorial Stadium
Lore & Background
The 1960s saw a franchise-altering trade: on June 15, 1964, the Cardinals traded Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens to the Cubs for Lou Brock, Jack Spring, and Paul Toth, a deal nicknamed 'Brock for Broglio' that proved lopsided in St. Louis's favor. That year, after Busch fired GM Bing Devine in August and secretly offered the manager job to Leo Durocher, the team rallied to win the pennant and defeated the Yankees in the World Series, with Bob Gibson named MVP. In 1966, the team moved to Busch Memorial Stadium. Gibson's 1968 season set a live-ball era record with a 1.12 ERA, earning him Cy Young and MVP awards, though the Cardinals lost the World Series to the Tigers. The 1970s brought competitive teams but no titles, with key events i
Reader's Guide
The 1953–1989 period defined the modern Cardinals under Anheuser-Busch ownership. Busch's influence is seen in the naming of three home stadia as Busch Stadium. The team integrated in 1954, a move driven by business concerns, and later became a powerhouse in the 1960s with stars like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Curt Flood. The 'Brock for Broglio' trade and Gibson's historic 1968 season are enduring highlights. Despite missing the playoffs entirely in the 1950s and 1970s, the Cardinals remained competitive, not finishing last until 1990—their first since 1918. The era also saw the football Cardinals share Busch Stadium from 1960 to 1987, creating a unique dual-team identity in St. Louis. The period ended with the team still a central figure in MLB, having won three World Series and six NL pennants under Busch.
Did You Know?
- The Cardinals debuted their first African-American player, Tom Alston, in 1954 at the initiative of owner Gussie Busch, who feared a boycott because his brewery sold more beer to African-Americans than any other.
- In 1964, the Cardinals traded Ernie Broglio to the Cubs for Lou Brock, a deal nicknamed 'Brock for Broglio' that became emblematic of lopsided trades.
- Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 is a live-ball era record, and he set a World Series record with 35 strikeouts in that year's Fall Classic.
- The football Cardinals (NFL) played at Busch Stadium from 1960 to 1987, and local fans referred to the two teams as the 'baseball Cardinals' and 'football Cardinals'.
More in History of Major League Baseball by team 1-24
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