50 Fun Facts About St. Louis Cardinals

How many World Series did the Cardinals win between 1926 and 2011, a National League record?

The Cardinals won 11 World Series in that span, starting in 1926 and finishing with 2011; only one American League club has more.

What is the name of the Cardinals' feathered mascot?

Fredbird debuted in 1979 and is famous for 'beaking' fans' heads with his oversized bill and tossing T-shirts into the stands.

In what year did the franchise that became the Cardinals begin play?

The club began play in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and moved to the National League in 1892.

According to the popular story, the team's name came from a fan remarking on what?

A woman fan admired the color of the new uniforms, and sportswriter Willie McHale printed her remark 'What a lovely shade of cardinal' in his column; the name stuck.

Which Cardinals executive got the birds-on-the-bat logo idea from a table arrangement in a Ferguson, Missouri church?

The same man went on to pioneer the minor league farm system in St. Louis before signing Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn.

The Cardinals' first World Series title, in 1926, came against which team?

The New York Yankees lost Game 7 when Babe Ruth was caught stealing second, tagged by player-manager Rogers Hornsby, the only World Series to end on a caught stealing.

Which veteran pitcher struck out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series?

Alexander was 39 and had pitched a complete game the day before; legend says he was nursing a hangover.

What was the nickname of Rogers Hornsby, who hit .424 for the Cardinals in 1924?

'The Rajah' won two Triple Crowns in St. Louis and was traded to the Giants for Frankie Frisch two months after managing the 1926 champions.

The rowdy 1934 champion Cardinals are remembered by what nickname?

The Gashouse Gang name is usually credited to their shabby uniforms and rough-and-tumble tactics; Pepper Martin and Ducky Medwick were among the ringleaders.

Which Cardinal was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in a season, doing it in 1934?

Dizzy Dean went 30-7, and he and his brother Paul combined to win all four Cardinals games in that year's World Series against Detroit.

The 1944 World Series pitted the Cardinals against which crosstown team?

The St. Louis Browns shared Sportsman's Park with the Cardinals, so every game was played there and it was nicknamed the Streetcar Series.

Whose 'Mad Dash' from first base won Game 7 of the 1946 World Series against the Red Sox?

Enos Slaughter ran through his third-base coach's stop sign from first base while Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky hesitated on the relay throw.

What is remarkable about how Stan Musial's 3,630 career hits were distributed?

Musial's 3,630 hits split exactly 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road, and he was originally signed as a pitcher.

Musial's nickname 'Stan the Man' came from a sportswriter hearing which rival team's fans chant as he batted?

Bob Broeg of the Post-Dispatch heard the Brooklyn Dodgers crowd at Ebbets Field groaning 'Here comes the man!' in 1946 and put it in print.

Which brewery bought the Cardinals in 1953?

Anheuser-Busch paid about $3.75 million in 1953; Gussie Busch became team president, and the ballpark and its two successors took the Busch name.

In June 1964 the Cardinals acquired Lou Brock from the Cubs in exchange mainly for which pitcher?

Ernie Broglio had won 18 games in 1963 but won only seven more in his career; Brock reached the Hall of Fame and helped win a title that October.

How many stolen bases did Brock swipe in 1974, then a single-season major league record?

Brock's 118 steals stood as the record until 1982; he later passed Ty Cobb's career mark of 892, finished with 938, and got his 3,000th hit against the Cubs.

Which Cardinals pitcher posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968, a live-ball era record?

Bob Gibson won both the Cy Young and MVP that year, and the mound was lowered from 15 inches to 10 the following season.

How many Tigers did the Cardinals' ace strike out in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series?

The ace's 17 strikeouts broke Sandy Koufax's Series record of 15; he also won World Series MVPs in 1964 and 1967, the second player after Koufax to do so.

Before baseball, Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson briefly played for which basketball team?

He toured with the Harlem Globetrotters for a year after Creighton before committing to baseball; he later won nine straight Gold Gloves and threw a 1971 no-hitter.

What did Orlando Cepeda nickname the 1967 champion Cardinals?

Cepeda's 'El Birdos' beat Boston's 'Impossible Dream' Red Sox in seven games, with Lou Brock stealing a record seven bases in the Series.

Which Cardinals center fielder took baseball's reserve clause to the Supreme Court?

He lost Flood v. Kuhn 5-3 in 1972, but the case paved the way for free agency a few years later.

Which 1967 World Series-winning manager spent 67 of his 76 baseball years with the Cardinals?

Red Schoendienst managed the 1967 champions, was a coach for the 1964 and 1982 titles, and had his number 2 retired in 1996.

What name was given to the speed-and-defense style of the 1980s Cardinals?

'Whiteyball' took its name from manager Whitey Herzog, who was also general manager from 1980 to 1982 and built the 1982 champions for Busch Stadium's turf.

The 1982 Fall Classic against Milwaukee earned what beer-themed nickname?

The Suds Series name came from the two brewing cities; Darrell Porter was Series MVP and the closer struck out Gorman Thomas to end Game 7.

In December 1981 the Cardinals sent Garry Templeton to San Diego for which future Hall of Famer?

Ozzie Smith went on to win 13 straight Gold Gloves at shortstop through 1992 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Ozzie Smith's 1985 NLCS walk-off homer, 'Go crazy, folks', was his first from which side of the plate?

The Wizard had gone 2,967 left-handed at-bats without a home run before pulling one down the right-field line off Tom Niedenfuer.

Which umpire's blown safe call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series against Kansas City is still remembered?

Don Denkinger ruled Jorge Orta safe on a play he clearly lost; the Royals rallied and then won Game 7, 11-0, in the all-Missouri 'I-70 Series'.

Which split-finger reliever was the first pitcher in the Hall of Fame without ever starting a game?

Bruce Sutter pitched 661 games, all in relief, and the Cardinals retired his number 42 in the year of his induction.

For nearly 47 years the Cardinals' radio voice ended every win with what phrase?

Jack Buck called Cardinals games from 1954 to 2001, signing off wins with 'That's a winner!'; his 'I don't believe what I just saw!' call of Kirk Gibson's 1988 homer went national.

Which Cardinal hit two grand slams in the same inning, off the same pitcher, on April 23, 1999?

Fernando Tatís hit both off Chan Ho Park in Los Angeles, giving him a record eight RBI in one inning; his son later starred for the Padres.

How many home runs did Mark McGwire finish with in 1998, then a single-season record?

McGwire reached 70 by hitting five in his last three games, four clear of Sammy Sosa's 66; Barry Bonds broke the mark with 73 three years later.

McGwire's record-breaking 62nd home run of 1998 came off which Cubs pitcher?

Steve Trachsel gave up a line drive that barely cleared the left-field wall at Busch Stadium on September 8, 1998, McGwire's shortest homer of the year.

In which round of the 1999 draft did the Cardinals select Albert Pujols?

Pujols went in the 13th round, 402nd overall; two years later he was the unanimous NL Rookie of the Year with an NL rookie-record 130 RBI.

Which of these years was NOT one of Pujols's three NL MVP seasons with the Cardinals?

Pujols won the MVP in 2005, 2008 and 2009; in 2006 he finished second to Ryan Howard despite hitting 49 homers.

How many regular-season wins did the champion Cardinals that beat Detroit in five games have?

That 83-78 team had the fewest wins of any full-season World Series champion; Tiger pitchers committed a record five errors in the Series.

Which rookie closer struck out Detroit's Brandon Inge for the final out of the 2006 World Series?

Adam Wainwright had frozen Carlos Beltrán with a curveball to end the NLCS days earlier, and stayed a Cardinal for all 18 seasons of his career.

How many games back in the wild-card race were the Cardinals on August 25, 2011, before their title run?

From 10½ back on August 25, they caught Atlanta on the final day of the season and went on to win the World Series in seven games over Texas.

Whose 11th-inning walk-off homer won Game 6 of the 2011 World Series for the Cardinals?

David Freese had tied Game 6 with a two-out, two-strike triple in the ninth, and was named Series MVP after the Cardinals took Game 7 behind Chris Carpenter.

What animal became the Cardinals' good-luck charm after running across the field in the 2011 playoffs?

Fans waved Rally Squirrel merchandise all October and Pujols hit three homers in Game 3 to tie the single-game Series record.

How many wins did Tony La Russa collect as Cardinals manager, a franchise record?

His 2,884 career wins trail only Connie Mack, and he was the first manager ever to retire in the same season he won a World Series.

How many Gold Gloves did catcher Yadier Molina win during his 19 seasons in St. Louis?

Molina won 9 Gold Gloves, eight straight from 2008 and a ninth in 2018; his brothers Bengie and José were also big-league catchers.

The Busch Stadium that opened in 2006 hosted its first major league game against which opponent?

The Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-4 in the April 10 opener, and by October had become the fourth team to win the World Series in their new park's debut season.

The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is nicknamed after which highway that links the two cities?

Interstate 55 runs between St. Louis and Chicago, so it is the I-55 rivalry, also called the Route 66 rivalry; the clubs first met in the postseason in the 2015 Division Series.

Which first baseman won the 2022 NL MVP in his fourth season with the Cardinals?

Paul Goldschmidt arrived from Arizona in a December 2018 trade for Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly and Andy Young, and took 22 of 30 first-place votes.

Which entrepreneur owned the original Brown Stockings and made them founders of the American Association?

Chris von der Ahe, a grocer and saloon keeper, ran the Brown Stockings through their four straight American Association pennants from 1885 to 1888.

Who was the first Cardinals pitcher to throw two no-hitters?

Bob Forsch no-hit the Phillies in 1978 and the Expos in 1983; his brother Ken threw one for Houston, making them the only no-hit brothers.

Which trio of sluggers in the 2000s Cardinals were nicknamed 'MV3'?

Pujols, Edmonds and Rolen each finished in the top five of the 2004 MVP vote as the Cardinals won a major-league best 105 games.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina set the record for most starts as a battery in 2022 with how many?

Their 325th start together, on September 14, 2022, broke the 324 of Detroit's Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan; they finished the season with 328.

How much did William DeWitt Jr.'s group pay for the Cardinals in 1995?

The group led by DeWitt, Fred Hanser and Drew Baur paid $147 million in a deal announced in December 1995 that also included the stadium and parking garages.