St. Louis Cardinals Baseball

Growing up in the Midwest, and being a long time St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, I have learned that for over 125 years, the Cardinals have been synonymous with winning baseball. With eleven World Series titles (including the 2011 crown), seventeen Most Valuable Player Awards, and two Cy Young Awards, the Redbirds have a long and established record of being one of the most successful Major League teams in history.

Public domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Early Years

As one of the most storied franchises in baseball, the history of Cardinals reaches all the way back to the launch of the team in 1882. The St. Louis Brown Stockings was the initial name of the organization. After two name changes, the Brown Stockings became the Cardinals in the the year 1900. The true glory days of the Cardinals began in 1926 when they won their first World Series, by defeating the New York Yankees in seven games. The Redbirds continued their success in the 30's and 40's by capturing five more World Series titles, including a 1934 Series win over the Detroit Tigers by the infamous Gashouse Gang and Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean (pictured).

Public domain photo courtesy Wikimedia/Time Magazine

Hall of Fame outfielder Stan 'The Man' Musial played 22 seasons for the Cardinals (1941-1944, 1946-1963), winning seven batting titles during that span. Musial amassed 3630 hits -1815 at home and 1815 on the road during his tenure. In 2011, President Obama granted Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can obtain.

Public domain photo courtesy Wikimedia/Bowman Gum

1960s to Present

After the Cardinals captured their sixth World Series title in 1946, they would experience a drought that would not see them win another National League pennant until 1964. Pictured to the right is Bob Gibson (arguably the greatest St. Louis pitcher of all time) would help pitch the Cards to World Series titles in 1964 and 1967, and a narrow seven game defeat to the Detroit Tigers in 1968. Manager Whitey Herzog would lead the Cardinals to their next World Series title in 1982, with a seven game series win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cards won National League pennants in 1985, 1987, 2004, and a World Series title in 2006, with a five game victory over the Detroit Tigers. The Redbirds won their most recent World Series in 2011, with a thrilling seven game victory that came at the expense of the heavily favored Texas Rangers.

Public domain photo courtesy Wikimedia/Baseball Digest

This photo was taken after the last regular season game ever played at the "second" Busch Stadium on October 2nd, 2005. This version of Busch served as the Cardinals home from 1966 through the 2005 season.

Photo courtesy TPaul Galleries

Downtown St. Louis, Missouri is the site for the third version of Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals play their home games. The current Busch Stadium opened in 2006, and holds just under 47,000 fans. It was preceded by two earlier versions of Busch and one of Sportsman Park, which served as the Cardinals first home in 1882. To view the Busch Stadium seating chart along with ticket prices click here.

Creative Commons photo courtesy Wikimedia/Kevin Ward