Saint Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team that plays in the National League (NL) Central division of Major League Baseball (MLB). The team plays its home games at Busch Stadium in Saint Louis, Missouri.
In 1882, St. Louis became a founding member of the American Association, a new professional baseball league. The club was then known as the Brown Stockings, or Browns. The Browns were successful, winning four championships in the mid-1880’s. However, the American Association folded in 1891. St. Louis joined the National League in 1892. The team name was changed to the Perfectos for the 1899 season, but the club was popularly called the Cardinals for its new red-trimmed uniforms. The team officially became the Cardinals (sometimes shortened to the Cards) in 1900.
In 1902, an American League team moved to St. Louis and renewed the old team name of the Browns. The St. Louis Browns played in the city until 1954, when the team moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
The St. Louis Cardinals struggled for many years until finally winning an NL pennant in 1926. That year, the Cards beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. From 1928 to 1934, St. Louis played in four World Series, winning it all in 1931 and 1934. The mid-1930’s Cardinals were nicknamed the “Gashouse Gang” for the team’s formidable lineup and rough play. Early Cardinals stars included Hall of Famers Grover Cleveland Alexander, Jim Bottomley, Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Rogers Hornsby, Joe Medwick, and Johnny Mize. Team executive Branch Rickey contributed much to the Cards’ success of the 1920’s and 1930’s. He joined the team’s management in 1916 and revolutionized Major League Baseball by building a “farm system” of minor league teams that provided St. Louis with quality players for years.
Hall of Fame outfielder and first baseman Stan Musial was perhaps the greatest player in Cardinals history. He played for St. Louis from 1941 through 1963. In his first full season in 1942, the Cards defeated the Yankees in the World Series. St. Louis won the World Series again in 1944 and 1946. A long dry spell then followed, but the team also featured Hall of Famers Enos Slaughter and Red Schoendienst.
The Cardinals finally returned to the World Series in 1964, when they defeated the Yankees in seven games. The Cards beat the Boston Red Sox for the World Series title in 1967, but lost the 1968 World Series to the Detroit Tigers. Cardinal stars of the 1960’s included Hall of Famers Lou Brock, Steve Carlton, Orlando Cepeda, and Bob Gibson.
The Cards did not return to the World Series until 1982, when they beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. St. Louis lost the 1985 World Series to the Kansas City Royals and the 1987 World Series to the Minnesota Twins. Cardinals stars of the 1980’s included Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Bruce Sutter.
Since 1996, the Cards have made the playoffs numerous times and the World Series four times. The team won the 2006 World Series over the Tigers and the 2011 World Series over the Texas Rangers. Recent Cardinals stars have included Jim Edmonds, Paul Goldschmidt, Mark McGwire, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Adam Wainwright.
