St. Louis Cardinals

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 Their Own Story

The air inside Shea Stadium was thick with humidity and anticipation as the 1969 World Series reached its climax. A young Tom Seaver wound up on the mound, his eyes locked on the batter from St. Louis. The crowd, a sea of blue and orange, held its breath, knowing that this game could define a generation. When the final out was recorded, the eruption of joy was deafening, but for the Cardinals fans scattered in the stands, it was a bitter pill to swallow, promising that one day, the script would be rewritten.

Reader's Guide

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 not provided in the source.

Did You Know?

• The Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, the most of any NL team.
• The Cardinals' rivalry is with the Chicago Cubs, not the New York Mets.
• The team was originally named the St. Louis Browns before being renamed the Cardinals in 1900.