The St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise based in St. Louis, Missouri, compete in the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Brewing magnate Gussie Busch's 37-year-long ownership of the club ended with his death in 1989, and his brewery, Anheuser-Busch (AB) took over. In 1995, an investment group led by Drew Baur and William DeWitt, Jr., purchased the team and have owned the club since.
Highlights of this period include the career of shortstop Ozzie Smith, who collected a staggering array of defensive records and awards while mesmerizing fans with his acrobatic talent, performing standing somersaults and flips. In 1998, Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa collocated national attention with their chase of Roger Maris' single-season home run record of 61. In addition, McGwire also set numerous team home run records. For the 1990s, the Cardinals captured one division title and finished above .500 five times for a .488 winning percentage
The Baur-DeWitt era continued Busch's and the Cardinals' winning tradition the next decade. Walt Jocketty, with a reputation as a top player developer, became the GM in 1995, and he hired renowned manager Tony La Russa. DeWitt's ownership group oversaw a period of consistent playoff appearances through key acquisitions of players. He also implemented a philosophy of bolstering talent from the minor leagues as the farm system consistently lagged near the bottom in baseball, as noted by publications such as ESPN and Baseball America. From 2000 to 2013, the Cardinals made ten playoff appearances, won two World Series and four NL pennants. With 1,274 regular season wins against 993 losses for a .560 winning percentage, the Cardinals led the National League and were second in MLB only to the New York Yankees. The Cardinals acquired defensive experts and sluggers Jim Edmonds (center fielder) in 2000 and Scott Rolen (third baseman) in 2002. A 13th-round draft pick in Albert Pujols unexpectedly put together one of the most productive ten years in Major League history with a .331 batting average and 408 home runs. Free agent acquisition and pitcher Chris Carpenter led St. Louis' pitching staff into multiple playoff hunts.
However, revelations of the widespread use of banned substances across baseball came to light in the 2000s decade that retroactively exposed McGwire's home run record chase and former pitcher Rick Ankiel's comeback bid as a hitter. Despite the scandals, the Cardinals acquired Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltrán and Adam Wainwright to replace Edmonds, Pujols, Rolen and Carpenter. Eventually, McGwire issued a public apology and returned to the Cardinals as the hitting coach. La Russa retired from managing after 2011 with the most wins in franchise history (1,408) and World Series championships (two) and Mike Matheny replaced him. Concurrently, the fruition of a new player development model of which DeWitt pursued contributed greatly to two World Series appearances in 2011 and 2013, such as David Freese putting on rare comeback heroics and Allen Craig compiling a historically high batting average with runners in scoring position.
From 1990 to 2013, St. Louis made 11 total playoff appearances and had a combined record of 2,032 wins and 1,787 losses for a .531 winning percentage, fourth-best among all major league teams in that span.
Joe Torre and Anheuser-Busch take over (1990–1995)
After Gussie Busch died in 1989, the brewery took primary control of the Cardinals. Former Cardinal catcher and third baseman Joe Torre replaced Whitey Herzog as manager late in the 1990 season after he unexpectedly resigned. Despite an in-season trade to the Oakland A's that season, outfielder Willie McGee attained the requisite number of plate appearances to win his second NL batting title with the Cardinals at .335, making him the only player to win a batting title and end the same season in the other Major League. McGee's batting title was the main highlight in a season where the Cardinals finished last in the division (70–92, .432 winning percentage). It was the first occurrence that they finished last in the standings since 1918 (52–78, .395 winning percentage), when they finished last in the NL when the two leagues had not yet been split into divisions. However, the Atlanta Braves finished with the worst record in the NL (65–97, .401 winning percentage) in 1990. Thus, the Cardinals have avoided finishing last in the entire league every year since 1918, the longest such streak in Major League history and the 1990 season is still their only last place finish in their division.
Starting the next season, the Cardinals commenced a period of playing above expectations and continued a reputation of defensive excellence. Torre's teams won 83 or more games each season in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Shortstop Ozzie Smith, a fan favorite due to his acrobatics, smooth glove and powerful arm, set several defensive records, including the single-season record for fewest errors at shortstop (8) in 1991. He also set career marks at his position games played in 1993, assists (July 14, 1994), and double plays (1,554 on September 15, 1995), and won the Gold Glove every year from 1982 to 1992 with the Cardinals. The accolades did not stop with Smith, however. Between 1978 and 1992, St. Louis were represented with at least one Gold Glove winner each year.Stewart, Mark (2008) The St. Louis Cardinals Norwood House Press, 48 p. On September 7, 1993, Mark Whiten launched four home runs in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds to go with 12 RBIs, both tying all-time single-game records.baseball-reference.com, Box Score Cardinals-Reds September 7, 1993, accessed February 10, 2007
On October 14, 1994, Walt Jocketty replaced Dal Maxvill as general manager. A recommendation for Jocketty came from Tony La Russa, whom he hired as manager later as Cardinals GM. "He's a guy who had all the qualities. A lot of baseball background, business background, willingness to take responsibility, had been mentored by really good people, Sandy Alderson, Bob Gebhard", according to La Russa. After a disappointing finish in 1994 (53–61) and start in 1995 (20–27), Jocketty fired Torre and replaced him on an interim basis with Mike Jorgensen.
In an effort to enhance stock value, Anheuser-Busch (AB) surprised St. Louis by announcing the Cardinals were for sale. They simultaneously announced plans to close a brewery in Tampa Bay and sell off their Eagle Snacks division. However, AB were resolute in their efforts to keep the Cardinals from moving out of St. Louis by selling the team only in a package deal with Busch Memorial Stadium. As a middle market metropolitan area, had AB not moved to create measures to keep the team in St. Louis, chances are they may have been moved to a larger market. AB sold the team at an undervalued price to a partnership headed by Southwest Bank's Drew Baur, Fred Hanser and William DeWitt, Jr. in December 1995. DeWitt has a long track record in baseball, commencing with his father, Bill DeWitt, who once worked for former Cardinals general manager (GM) Branch Rickey and owned the St. Louis Browns. DeWitt himself was a minority owner of the Texas Rangers and actively participated with the baseball clubs on which the elder DeWitt served. Hired during the AB era, the new ownership retained Jocketty.
Bill DeWitt ownership (1996–present) Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols era (1996–2011)
Mediocre Years (1995–1999)
One of Jocketty's first moves under new ownership was to hire La Russa away from the Oakland Athletics. La Russa became one of the most successful managers in history owing in part to his quality as a strategically brilliant and a tactical innovator, concocting "inventive bullpen matchups", and "creating the role of the one-inning closer [for] Dennis Eckersley", patterns that are an integral part of the current game. La Russa brought two of his most trusted coaches from Oakland, among others – pitching coach Dave Duncan and first base coach Dave McKay – both of whose coaching tenures in St. Louis coincided with La Russa's term.
St. Louis won the NL Central the following season for their only division title of the decade. Veteran shortstop Ozzie Smith, who never got along with La Russa, announced that 1996 would be his last season. Besides the coaches, several former Athletics players followed La Russa to St. Louis, including Mark McGwire, Eckersley, McGee, and Todd Stottlemyre. McGwire, the record holder for home runs by a rookie with 49 in 1987, set the Cardinals' record for a one-month home run total with 15 in September 1997. In 1998, the Cardinals became the focus of the baseball world as McGwire broke the single-season home run record with 70. His epic pursuit of Roger Maris' record along with the Cubs' Sammy Sosa helped to reenergize baseball with fans following the 1994 strike. In 1999, McGwire followed up with 65 home runs and 147 RBIs, becoming the first Major League player to hit at least 50 home runs in four consecutive seasons.Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.372, David Nemec and Scott Latow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York,
Return to competitiveness (2000–2003) With the new millennium, the Cardinals embarked in a new ambitious era – in part taking advantage of the expanded playoff format including berths for wild card teams. Between 2000 and 2013, St. Louis made ten total playoff appearances. They took seven division titles, three wild card spots, four NL pennants and two World Series championships.
Shortly before the 2000 season, the Cardinals traded for Gold Glove center fielder Jim Edmonds from the California Angels. With dazzling defense and a powerful bat that made him a favorite among Cardinal fans, "Jimmy Baseball" helped spark the Cardinals to playoff berths in six of the next seven years, won eight Gold Glove awards and hit 241 home runs in eight seasons in St. Louis. Edmonds made an immediate impact and raised his production that season, hitting a career-high 42 home runs and winning his third Glove Glove. The Cardinals took advantage of the high-scoring trend around baseball, plating 887 runs on their way to 95 wins and the Central division title. McGwire was lost to a season-ending injury in 2000 with a .305 batting average, 32 home runs, 73 RBIs, a .483 on-base percentage and .746 slugging percentage in 89 games, but St. Louis brought in Will Clark from the Baltimore Orioles, and he stepped in with a .345 batting average, 12 home runs and a .655 slugging percentage. Rick Ankiel, sporting a 94–97 MPH fastball and a "fall-off-the-table" curveball, finished second in both strikeouts per nine innings and the Rookie of the Year balloting. However, an unexplained loss of control in that year's playoffs plagued him until he stopped pitching. Powered by another heralded rookie in Albert Pujols, the Cardinals took the Wild Card the following year. Pujols enjoyed a career start unmatched in the entire history of the game. During his first eleven seasons, he batted .328 with 445 home runs, winning a batting title in 2003 at .359 and home run titles in 2009 and 2010. Third baseman Scott Rolen arrived via trade from the Phillies in 2002. With Edmonds and Pujols, the Cardinals featured three of the best hitters in baseball who were also highly regarded defensive players.
Key acquisitions also bolstered the pitching staff. Darryl Kile posted 20 wins with his trademarked big-breaking curveball in 2000 and raised his performance in 2001, posting a 3.09 ERA. Chris Carpenter was signed as a free agent and Adam Wainwright and Jason Marquis both arrived via trade. Between 2000 and 2002, the Cardinals' seasons ended in two trips in the NLCS. At the end of the 2000 season, The Sporting News named Jocketty Executive of the Year, his first of two such awards with the Cardinals.