 The St. Louis Cardinals is a professional team based in Saint Louis , Missouri . The team was founded in the year 1882 and moved to the National League in the year 1892. Formerly called the Brown Stockings and the Perfectos, the club plays at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis , Missouri . St. Louis Cardinals got its name in 1900 and maintains the same name till present. The team could not fetch good results in their first session. The Browns won four consecutive AA titles from 1885 to 1888, led by two-time batting champion, outfielder Tip O'Neill. The club got its name changed to the Perfectos in 1899, but the team member started wearing new white and cardinals as there uniform in 1900, they were christening Cardinals and the name struck. The Cardinals generally suffered for some forty years after the mid-1880s triumphs, while there cross town rivals, were competitive but could not be triumphant.
By the mid-1920s, the Cardinals began to turn their fortunes around, and soon they would become the city's favorite team once again. St. Louis won its first World Series championship in 1926 behind the hitting of infielder Rodger Hornsby, who won the Triple Crown twice by leading the league in 1922 and 1925. In 1927 the Cardinals just fell short but they again won the pennant in 1928. The Cardinals lost the 1930 World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics 4 games to 2. In 1934, Dizzy Dean won 30, and the NL MVP, while his brother won 19, for a total of 4. The 1934 session was a good one too as they made 95-58 record. In 1935 the Cardinals were overcome and defeated by the Chicago Cubs, who reeled off 21 straight wins in September. Dizzy Dan got injured in 1937 that resulted in a slight decline to the Cardinals. In 1942 they won 106 games that are the most in the franchise history. In 1943 and 1944 they posted the second best record in team history as they made a score of 105-49. In 1944 the Cardinals won 4 games to 2 and won the World Series. Stan Musial, who joined the team in 1940s played until 1963, collected 3,630 career hits and recorded a .331 lifetime batting average.
The Cardinals accum ulated three pennants and two World Series championships in the 1960s, led by pitchers Steve Carlton and Bob Gibson, base-stealer Lou Brock, and slugger Orlando Cepeda. In 1967, the Cardinals romped through the National League and became victorious from the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The 1967 team featured future Hall of Famers Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton and Bob Gibson, who won 3 games in the Series. Ozzie Smith won 13 consecutive Gold Glove Awards in late 1980s and early 1990s. The Cardinals captivated their ninth World Series in 1982. After three consecutive third-place finishes from 1992 through 1994, Torre was replaced in 1995 by Mike Jorgensen. Tony LaRussa became manager before the 1996 season. In 1998 first baseman Mark Mc Gwire hit 70 home runs. St. Louis made the postseason in 2000, 2001, and 2002 but lost in the playoffs each year. In 2004 the Cardinals won 105 games during their regular sessions and reached the World Series unfortunately they got defeated by the Boston Red Sox. |
