50 Fun Facts About St. Louis Cardinals

How many World Series championships have the Cardinals won, the most of any National League franchise?

Only the Yankees have more. The run started in 1926 and most recently added 2006 and 2011.

What is the name of the Cardinals' feathered mascot?

He debuted in 1979 and is famous for 'beaking' fans' heads and tossing T-shirts into the stands.

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

They started in the American Association as the Brown Stockings, later just the Browns, before joining the NL in 1892.

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

Sportswriter Willie McHale printed the remark 'What a lovely shade of cardinal' in his column and 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?

It ended with Babe Ruth caught stealing second by player-manager Rogers Hornsby, still the only World Series to finish 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?

He won two Triple Crowns in St. Louis and was traded to the Giants for Frankie Frisch weeks after managing the 1926 champions.

The rowdy 1934 champion Cardinals are remembered by what nickname?

The name is usually credited to their shabby uniforms and rough-and-tumble tactics; Pepper Martin, Ducky Medwick and the Dean brothers were the ringleaders.

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

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?

Every game was played at Sportsman's Park, which both clubs called home, 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?

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

Stan Musial finished with 3,630 career hits. What is remarkable about how they were distributed?

He also shares the record for most All-Star Games played, 24, and 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 Ebbets Field crowd groaning 'Here comes the man!' and put it in print.

Which brewery bought the Cardinals 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?

It is routinely called one of the most lopsided trades ever; Brock went to 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?

He later passed Ty Cobb's career mark of 892 and finished with 938, and got his 3,000th hit against the team that traded him.

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

He 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?

He also won two World Series MVPs, in 1964 and 1967, becoming the second player after Sandy Koufax to do so.

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

He also won nine straight Gold Gloves and threw a no-hitter against the Pirates in 1971.

What did Orlando Cepeda nickname the 1967 champion Cardinals?

They beat Boston's 'Impossible Dream' Red Sox in seven, 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 manager won three World Series with the Cardinals and spent 67 of his 76 baseball years with the club?

He led the club to the 1967 championship as manager and his number 2 was retired in 1996.

The speed-and-defense approach of the 1980s Cardinals was named after their manager. What was it called?

Whitey Herzog was also the club's general manager from 1980 to 1982 and won the 1982 title with a team built for Busch Stadium's turf.

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

Darrell Porter was Series MVP and Bruce Sutter closed Game 7 by striking out Gorman Thomas.

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

He went on to win 13 straight Gold Gloves at shortstop, a streak still unmatched in the National League.

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?

Jorge Orta was ruled 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?

The Cardinals retired his number 42 in 2006, the same year he was inducted.

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

Jack Buck later shared the booth with his son Joe, and 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?

Both came off Chan Ho Park of the Dodgers, 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?

He hit five in his last three games to pull four clear of Sammy Sosa; Barry Bonds broke the mark with 73 three years later.

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

It was a line drive that barely cleared the left-field wall at Busch Stadium, his shortest homer of the year.

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

He was the 402nd overall pick and two years later was the unanimous NL Rookie of the Year with a rookie-record 130 RBI.

Pujols won the NL MVP three times as a Cardinal. Which of these was NOT one of those years?

He was nicknamed 'The Machine' and hit .326 with 469 homers in his first St. Louis stint before returning to hit his 700th in 2022.

The 2006 Cardinals won the World Series with how many regular-season wins, the fewest ever for a champion?

They beat Detroit in five, and 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?

He 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?

They caught Atlanta on the final day of the season, then beat the Phillies, Brewers and Rangers.

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

He was named Series MVP after the Cardinals took Game 7 behind Chris Carpenter, and the same game he tied it with a two-strike triple in the ninth.

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?

His brothers Bengie and José were also big-league catchers, and he and Adam Wainwright hold the record for most starts as a battery.

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

The Cardinals won 6-4, 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?

It is also called the Route 66 rivalry, and the two clubs did not meet in the postseason until the 2015 Division Series.

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

He 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 bought the Brown Stockings in 1882 and made them founders of the American Association?

1882 is generally counted as the franchise's first year; the club joined the National League in 1892 under the nickname Perfectos.

Which Cardinals executive pioneered baseball's minor-league farm system after Sam Breadon took control in 1920?

Rickey's system later stocked the 1940s golden-era teams with Musial, Slaughter, Schoendienst and the Cooper brothers.

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

Their 2004 team won a major-league best 105 games, powered on the mound by Chris Carpenter.

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

The pitcher-catcher duo had been starting games together since 2007.

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

Forbes valued the club at $1.9 billion by 2018, seventh-highest in MLB.