The STL Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri, compete in the National League (NL) Central Division of Major League Baseball (MLB). Busch Stadium has served as their home field since 2006. The Cardinals' roots commence from an earlier local team from whom they took their original name, Brown Stockings. St. Louis established themselves in 1882 as a charter American Association (AA) team, shortened their name to "Browns" the next season, then joined the NL in 1892. They were also known as the "Perfectos" before adopting Cardinals as their official name in 1900.

As one of the most decorated and successful franchises in MLB history, St. Louis has won eleven World Series championships, 19 National League pennants, and 12 division titles. Their 11 World Series titles are second only to the New York Yankees' 27. In the AA, St. Louis dominated with four league championships and tied one pre-World Series championship with, and, took another against, the Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs) of the NL.[4] Other notable achievements include Branch Rickey's pioneering of the farm system, Rogers Hornsby's two Triple Crowns, Joe Medwick's one Triple Crown, Dizzy Dean's 30-win season, Stan Musial's 17 Major League and 29 NL records, Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA season, Whitey Herzog's Whiteyball, Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa breaking the single-season home run record, and the 2011 championship team's unprecedented comebacks.[5] Four times in their history St. Louis has won 105 or more games and won 100 or more a total of eight times. Cardinals players have won 20 league MVPs, four batting Triple Crowns, and three Cy Young Awards. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees include Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Gibson, Herzog, Hornsby, Joe Medwick, Musial, Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Ozzie Smith, and Bruce Sutter. Their historic rivalry with the Cubs is one of the most storied in professional sports.

An investment group headed by William DeWitt, Jr., the chairman and managing partner, has owned the Cardinals since 1995. John Mozeliak is the general manager and Mike Matheny is the manager.[6] Renowned for strong support from fans despite being in one of the sport's middle markets, the Cardinals routinely see attendances among the league's highest, and are consistently among the top three in MLB in local television ratings.[7][8] As of 2013, Forbes valued the Cardinals at $716 million, making them the tenth-most valuable franchise in MLB "in the best single-team baseball market" in the United States.

1.1 American Association and early National League eras (1875-1919)

1.2 Breadon era (1920-52)

1.3 Gussie Busch era (1953-89)

The St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri, compete in the National League (NL) Central Division of Major League Baseball (MLB). Busch Stadium has served as their home field since 2006. The Cardinals' roots commence from an earlier local team from whom they took their original name, Brown Stockings. St. Louis established themselves in 1882 as a charter American Association (AA) team, shortened their name to "Browns" the next season, then joined the NL in 1892. They were also known as the "Perfectos" before adopting Cardinals as their official name in 1900.

As one of the most decorated and successful franchises in MLB history, St. Louis has won eleven World Series championships, 19 National League pennants, and 12 division titles. Their 11 World Series titles are second only to the New York Yankees' 27. In the AA, St. Louis dominated with four league championships and tied one pre-World Series championship with, and, took another against, the Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs) of the NL.[4] Other notable achievements include Branch Rickey's pioneering of the farm system, Rogers Hornsby's two Triple Crowns, Joe Medwick's one Triple Crown, Dizzy Dean's 30-win season, Stan Musial's 17 Major League and 29 NL records, Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA season, Whitey Herzog's Whiteyball, Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa breaking the single-season home run record, and the 2011 championship team's unprecedented comebacks.[5] Four times in their history St. Louis has won 105 or more games and won 100 or more a total of eight times. Cardinals players have won 20 league MVPs, four batting Triple Crowns, and three Cy Young Awards. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees include Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Gibson, Herzog, Hornsby, Joe Medwick, Musial, Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Ozzie Smith, and Bruce Sutter. Their historic rivalry with the Cubs is one of the most storied in professional sports.