A St. Louis Cardinals History Website

Cardinals clinch 1944 World Series title in the Trolley Car Series

On October 9, 1944, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched their second World Series championship in three years, defeating the crosstown rival Browns 3-1 and establishing themselves as baseball’s dominant wartime franchise. With America at war in Europe, players from every team either volunteered for or were drafted into the war effort. Though Cardinals stars Enos […]

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1934 World Series Game 7: Dizzy Dean shuts out Detroit and Joe Medwick nearly sparks a riot

1 Comment / '30s

At the end of a roller-coaster season, it was fitting that the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals’ final game was a madcap affair, complete with a fight between players, a near-riot in the stands, and Dizzy Dean testing out new pitches en route to an 11-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 7 of the

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Whitey Kurowski home run wins the 1942 World Series

2 Comments / Uncategorized

On October 5, 1942, third baseman Whitey Kurowski struck the deciding blow in Game 5 of the World Series to beat the New York Yankees and begin a five-year run of dominance in which the St. Louis Cardinals won three world championships. The heavily favored Yankees entered the 1942 Fall Classic as the defending world

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August 25, 1991: Lee Smith earns his 300th save

'90s

On August 25, 1991, Lee Smith became just the fifth pitcher to reach the 300-save milestone, joining Rollie Fingers, Jeff Reardon, Rich Gossage, and Bruce Sutter as baseball’s top closers. “Starting pitchers use 300 wins as a measuring stick for the Hall of Fame,” Cardinals manager Joe Torre said. “For him to get 300 saves

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October 7, 1969: Curt Flood refuses trade to the Phillies

'60s

On October 7, 1969, the St. Louis Cardinals made the most impactful trade in the history of Major League Baseball when they agreed to send Curt Flood, Tim McCarver, Byron Browne, and Joe Hoerner to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas. Flood refused to report to the Phillies. Instead, he

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Ozzie Smith hits a walk-off homer to win Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS

2 Comments / '80s

Arguably the most famous home run in St. Louis Cardinals postseason history may also have been the most unlikely. On October 14, 1985, broadcaster Jack Buck encouraged Cardinals fans to “go crazy, folks, go crazy!” after shortstop Ozzie Smith hit the first left-handed home run of his career. The unexpected blast gave St. Louis a

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Mark McGwire reaches 70 home runs: September 27, 1998

1 Comment / '90s

With two blasts on the final day of the 1998 season, Mark McGwire established a new plateau for MLB sluggers with 70 home runs for the season. The 34-year-old slugger set a torrid pace from the outset of the 1998 campaign, beginning with a grand slam in the Cardinals’ season-opening win. On July 26, he

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September 15, 1991: Rookie Ray Lankford homers to complete the cycle

'90s

On September 15, 1991, Ray Lankford became the first Cardinals rookie in 73 years to hit for the cycle when he collected a single, double, triple, and home run in a 7-2 win over the Mets at Busch Stadium. For good measure, Lankford also stole a base and scored four times. “It’s a great feeling,”

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Cardinals, Mets play 25-inning game: September 11, 1974

'70s

Ironically, in a 25-inning game that lasted seven hours and four minutes and didn’t end until 3:12 a.m., Bake McBride and the St. Louis Cardinals finally captured the 4-3 victory with their speed. The game was the longest night game in Major League Baseball history, exceeding a 24-inning, 1-0 Astros victory over the Mets in

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September 4, 2004: Jim Edmonds hits his 300th career home run

2000s

Hours after becoming the third player in Cardinals history to hit his 300th career home run wearing the birds on the bat, Jim Edmonds returned to the clubhouse at Busch Stadium and discovered a voicemail from a man who had become synonymous with home run milestones – Mark McGwire. “He said, ‘Congratulations, you only need

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