St. Louis Cardinals

The winningest franchise in National League history.

The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals have played their home games at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. One of the nation's oldest and most successful professional baseball clubs, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, the most of any NL team and second in MLB only to the New York Yankees. The team has won 19 National League pennants, third-most of any team behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. St. Louis has also won 15 division titles in the East and Central divisions.

Quick Facts

Career era: 3.99
Total saves: 116
Games finished: 301
Save opportunities: 160

Lore & Background

In 1881, entrepreneur Chris von der Ahe purchased the Brown Stockings barnstorming club, renamed it the St. Louis Browns, and made it a charter member of the American Association baseball league. The team won four league championships, qualifying them to play in the era's professional baseball championship series, a forerunner of the modern World Series. In two of these championships, the Browns met the Chicago White Stockings, now the Chicago Cubs, launching the enduring Cardinals–Cubs rivalry. In 1892, the Browns – also called the Perfectos – joined the National League. In 1900, the team was renamed the Cardinals (Two years later, an unrelated St. Louis Browns team joined the American League). Notable Cardinals achievements include manager/owner Branch Rickey's invention of the farm system, Rogers Hornsby's two batting Triple Crowns, Dizzy Dean's 30-win season in 1934, Stan Musial's 17 MLB and 29 NL records, Bob Gibson's 1.12 earned run average (ERA) in 1968, Whitey Herzog's Whiteyball dynasty of the 1980s, Mark McGwire's single-season home run record in 1998, the 2011 championship team's unprecedented comebacks, and Albert Pujols’ 700th home run. The Cardinals have won 105 or more games in four seasons and won 100 or more nine times. Cardinals players have won 21 league MVPs, four batting Triple Crowns, and three Cy Young Awards. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees include Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Bob Gibson, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, Tony La Russa, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize, Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Ted Simmons, Enos Slaughter, Ozzie Smith, and Billy Southworth. In 2018, Forbes valued the Cardinals at $1.9 billion, the 7th-highest among MLB clubs and far more than the $147 million paid in 1995 by owner William DeWitt Jr.'s investment group. In 2017, the team took in revenue of $319 million on an operating income of $40.0 million. Chaim Bloom is the President of Baseball Operations and Oliver Marmol is the manager. The Cardinals are renowned for their strong fan support: despite being in one of the sport's mid-level markets, they routinely see attendances among the league's highest, and are consistently among the top three in MLB in local television ratings. Through 2025, the Cardinals' all-time win-loss record is ().

Reader's Guide

The Cardinals' history begins with the Brown Stockings of the National Association in 1875. The NA folded after that season, and St. Louis joined the National League as a charter member in 1876, finishing in third place at 45–19. George Bradley hurled the first no-hitter in Major League history. The NL expelled St. Louis after 1877 due to a game-fixing scandal and the team went bankrupt. Without a league, they continued play as a semi-professional barnstorming team through 1881. The magnitudes of the reorganizations following the 1877 and 1881 seasons are such that most historians do not count the 1875–1877 and 1878–1881 Brown Stockings teams as part of the current Cardinals' legacy. For the 1882 season, Chris von der Ahe purchased the team, reorganized it, and made it a founding member of the American Association. 1882 is generally considered to be the first year of existence for the franchise which would later become known as the St. Louis Cardinals. The next season, St. Louis shortened their name to the Browns. They became the dominant team in the AA, as manager Charles Comiskey guided St. Louis to four pennants in a row from 1885 to 1888. Pitcher and outfielder Bob Caruthers led the league in ERA (2.07) and wins (40) in 1885. Outfielder Tip O'Neill won the first batting triple crown in franchise history in 1887. The Browns twice met the Chicago White Stockings in a predecessor of the World Series, tying one and winning the other. During the franchise's ten seasons in the AA, they compiled an all-time league-high of 780 wins and .639 winning percentage. The AA folded after the 1891 season and the Browns transferred to the National League. Between 1892 and 1919, St. Louis managed just five winning seasons. The nadir was the 1897 season: a 29–102 record. St. Louis' 84–67 finish as the Perfectos in 1899 would be the team's best finish between the AA era and Sam Breadon's purchase of the team. As the 'Perfectos', the team wore their jersey with a cardinal red trim. In 1900, popularity for the nickname induced an official change to Cardinals. In 1902, an American League team moved from Milwaukee into St. Louis, renamed themselves the St. Louis Browns and built a new park on the site of the Cardinals' old stadium. Breadon bought a minority interest in the Cardinals in 1917, and in 1919, Browns manager Branch Rickey joined the Cardinals.

The Undrafted Journey to the Majors

He attended Florida Southern College as a catcher before transferring to Central Connecticut State, where he converted to a pitcher and became the team's top reliever. Despite this success, he went undrafted in the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. That summer, he pitched for an insurance company in an amateur men's league until a Philadelphia Phillies scout observed him throwing 93 miles per hour (150 km/h) and signed him for $2,000.

Defining Moments and Turbulent Transitions

Bottalico made his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on July 29, 1994, against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. He pitched a scoreless inning in the 1996 All-Star Game. A significant incident occurred on August 2, 1998, while playing for the Phillies against the San Francisco Giants; he hit Barry Bonds with a pitch, leading to a bench-clearing brawl and ejections by umpire Jeff Nelson. Following this event, an elbow injury, and conflicts with manager Terry Francona, Bottalico was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Garrett Stephenson in 1998.

Career Statistics and Role Evolution

Bottalico played for six franchises: the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers. His career stats include a 3.99 ERA and 116 saves. A notable statistical trend is that he finished 301 games compared to only 160 save opportunities. After serving primarily as a closer early in his career, his saves dwindled to just five over his final five seasons. His playing days ended after the Milwaukee Brewers released him in July 2005.

Life Beyond the Diamond

After his release from the Brewers in July 2005 and a subsequent failed trial with the Boston Red Sox' AAA team, Bottalico signed a minor-league contract with the Baltimore Orioles for spring training in 2006 but was released without making the roster. He transitioned to broadcasting as a commentator for Phillies Pregame Live and Postgame Live on NBC Sports Philadelphia, occasionally substituting as play-by-play. Since August 1, 2022, he appeared on "The Best Show Ever?" on 97.5 The Fanatic and NBC Sports Philadelphia. Following that show's end, he was retained to host "Unfiltered" with Bill Colarullo in the same time slot.