The St. Louis Cardinals franchise traces its origins to 1882, when it began play in the American Association as the St. Louis Brown Stockings (soon shortened to Browns). 1)
The Cardinals are the oldest current major league team based west of the Mississippi River. 2)
St. Louis has won 11 World Series championships, the most of any National League club and second only to the New York Yankees overall. 3)
The Cardinals have captured 23 National League pennants, reflecting one of the most consistently successful runs of any MLB franchise. 4)
In 1899 the club briefly changed its name to the St. Louis Perfectos before soon adopting the Cardinals moniker that endures today. 5)
The “Cardinals” name grew out of sportswriters describing the team’s new red-trimmed uniforms as “a lovely shade of cardinal,” and the nickname stuck. 6)
The iconic “birds on the bat” logo first appeared on Cardinals uniforms in 1922, quickly becoming one of baseball’s most recognizable marks. 7)
Stan Musial is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in games (3,026), runs (1,949), hits (3,630), doubles (725), triples (177), home runs (475), and total bases (6,134). 8)
Musial earned the nickname “Stan the Man” from Brooklyn Dodgers fans who marveled at how routinely he tormented their pitching at Ebbets Field. 9)
Hall of Famer Lou Brock set the then-MLB record for career stolen bases with 938, with 888 of those coming in a Cardinals uniform. 10)
In 1968, Bob Gibson posted a microscopic earned run average of 1.12, one of the most dominant pitching seasons in modern baseball history. 11)
Gibson struck out 17 Detroit Tigers batters in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, still a single-game World Series record for strikeouts. 12)
Some historians credit George Bradley of the 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings with pitching the first no-hitter in major league history. 13)
In the early 2000s, Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott Rolen were nicknamed “MV3” for their MVP-caliber production. 14)
From 2000 through 2013, the Cardinals made the playoffs 10 times, won four National League pennants, and captured two World Series titles. 15)
During that span, St. Louis went 1,274–993 for a .560 winning percentage, trailing only the Yankees among MLB teams. 16)
The Cardinals have recorded 105 or more wins in four seasons and reached at least 100 wins in nine seasons. 17)
Busch Stadium opened on April 10, 2006, with the Cardinals defeating the Brewers 6–4. 18)
Busch Stadium features a capacity of about 46,700 across three primary levels. 19)
The ballpark’s open outfield offers postcard-style views of downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch. 20)
Outside Busch Stadium stand statues honoring Cardinals icons including Musial, Gibson, Ozzie Smith, and Jack Buck. 21)
For decades the Cardinals shared Sportsman’s Park with the AL’s St. Louis Browns. 22)
In 1953 Anheuser-Busch bought the Cardinals and later renamed Sportsman’s Park “Busch Stadium.” 23)
The multipurpose Busch Memorial Stadium hosted both MLB Cardinals baseball and NFL Cardinals football (1966–1987). 24)
Its football capacity was about 54,000, barely over the NFL minimum of 50,000. 25)
The Cardinals played their first home night game on May 24, 1940. 26)
Dizzy Dean led the wild, gritty “Gashouse Gang” to the 1934 World Series title. 27)
The Cardinals won all four of their World Series victories on the road in 1934. 28)
St. Louis rallied from a 3–2 deficit to defeat the Brewers in seven games. 29)
“Whiteyball” emphasized speed, defense, and gap hitting on turf over home-run power. 30)
The 2004 Cardinals won 105 games and the NL pennant. 31)
Game 6 of the 2011 World Series is considered one of baseball’s greatest ever. 32)
The Cardinals erased a 10.5-game Wild Card deficit in late August and won the World Series. 33)
Molina caught more than 2,000 games for St. Louis (2004–2022). 34)
Molina earned nine Gold Gloves and four Platinum Gloves. 35)
From 2010–2015, Molina earned six straight All-Star selections. 36)
Pujols won NL Rookie of the Year in 2001 after hitting .329 with 37 HR and 130 RBI. 37)
Pujols earned three NL MVPs during his 2001–2011 Cardinals tenure. 38)
Tip O’Neill won the 1887 Triple Crown. 39)
Lou Brock’s 888 steals remain the franchise record. 40)
Musial hit five home runs in a doubleheader on May 2, 1954. 41)
The Cardinals have retired uniform numbers of many franchise legends. 42)
St. Louis fans embrace the “Best Fans in Baseball” nickname. 43)