# St. Louis Cardinals
The **St. Louis Cardinals** are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri, and a member club of the National League Central division of [Major League Baseball](https://www.edgepedia.org/major-league-baseball). The franchise began in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the American Association, joined the [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) in 1892, and took the Cardinals name in 1900.[1](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/ballpark/facts) It has won 11 [World Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-series) championships and 23 pennants, and has played its home games at Busch Stadium III since 2006.[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1882, as the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the American Association; renamed Browns (1883), Perfectos (1899), Cardinals (1900)[1](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/ballpark/facts) |
| League | National League since 1892; continuous membership ever since[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) |
| Championships | 11 World Series titles and 23 pennants through the 2026 season; 32 playoff appearances[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml) |
| Franchise record | 11,440-10,571, a .520 winning percentage over 145 seasons (1882 to 2026)[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml) |
| Winningest manager | Tony La Russa, 1,408-1,182 (.544)[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml) |
| Home park | Busch Stadium III, downtown St. Louis, opened April 10, 2006, capacity 43,975[4](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/ballparks) |
| Ownership | Group led by Bill DeWitt Jr. since the 1996 purchase from Anheuser-Busch[1](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/ballpark/facts) |
## Origins and name changes
Under manager Ned Cuthbert, the Brown Stockings reached major-league level competition in 1882, finishing fifth in a six-club league at 37-43. The name was shortened to the Browns in 1883, and Charles Comiskey took over as player-manager the following season at age 25.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) The Browns won four consecutive American Association pennants from 1885 to 1888, and in 1886 beat Spalding's Chicago White Stockings in the world's championship series, taking four games in a best-of-seven.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
When the American Association folded after the 1891 season, the Browns joined the reformed 12-team National League in 1892 and have held continuous National League membership since.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) The Robison brothers, who bought the club in 1898 after Chris Von der Ahe's bankruptcy, renamed the team the Perfectos in 1899 and dressed it in red-trimmed uniforms. When a fan remarked on the "lovely shade of cardinal" of the stockings, sportswriter Willie McHale of the St. Louis Republic used the nickname in his column, and it took hold; the name officially became Cardinals in 1900.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
## First championships and the Gas House Gang
Sam Breadon became president and majority stockholder in 1920, with [Branch Rickey](https://www.edgepedia.org/branch-rickey) as vice president and general manager, and the team won its first World Championship in 1926. Player-manager [Rogers Hornsby](https://www.edgepedia.org/rogers-hornsby) led the club past the Yankees in seven games; 39-year-old [Grover Cleveland Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/grover-cleveland-alexander), acquired midseason from the Cubs, won the second and sixth games and saved the seventh.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) Hornsby won the Triple Crown in 1922 and 1925, and his .424 average in 1924 remains the highest National League mark since 1900.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
The 1934 pennant winners, known as the "Gas House Gang," clinched on the final day of the season and beat Detroit four games to three. [Dizzy Dean](https://www.edgepedia.org/dizzy-dean) won 30 games and his rookie brother Paul won 19, and each took two victories in the Series.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) The 1942 club, built largely from Rickey's farm system and averaging under 27 years of age, erased a 10.5-game deficit to pass Brooklyn and then beat the Yankees in the World Series after losing the opener.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
In 1944 the Cardinals met the [American League](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-league)'s St. Louis Browns in the only all-St. Louis World Series, winning four games to two in what fans dubbed the "Streetcar Series."[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) The 1946 title featured Enos Slaughter's "Mad Dash," scoring from first on a double in the eighth inning of game seven against Boston.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
## The Musial era and the Busch years
[Stan Musial](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-musial), a 21-year-old rookie on the 1942 champions, won three National League MVP awards and seven batting titles in a 22-year career with a .331 lifetime average; his [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) became the first Cardinals number retired, in September 1963.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
In late 1952, with owner Fred Saigh apparently ready to sell to out-of-town interests, [Anheuser-Busch](https://www.edgepedia.org/anheuser-busch), led by president August A. Busch Jr., stepped in and bought the club; the sale was announced on February 20, 1953. The brewery also bought [Sportsman's Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/sportsmans-park) from Browns owner [Bill Veeck](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-veeck), and the renovated park was renamed Busch Stadium. The Browns left for Baltimore after the 1953 season, becoming the Orioles.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline) The Cardinals moved downtown to Busch Memorial Stadium on May 12, 1966, beating Atlanta 4-3 in 12 innings in the opener; that park, later called Busch Stadium II, hosted six World Series (1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 2004) before closing on October 2, 2005.[4](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/ballparks)
The 1960s teams, built around [Bob Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-gibson), won titles in 1964 and 1967. In 1968 Gibson went 22-9 with a 1.12 earned run average, 268 strikeouts, and 13 shutouts, winning the NL MVP and becoming the first Cardinal to win the [Cy Young Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/cy-young-award), though Detroit rallied to take the Series.[3](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
## DeWitt ownership and the current era
An ownership group led by William O. DeWitt Jr. purchased the Cardinals from Anheuser-Busch in 1996 (the Associated Press dates the sale to 1995), and DeWitt has served as chairman and chief executive officer since.[1](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/ballpark/facts) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/7907f8acf189b6bdb219bf606cc25ee9) Under this ownership the team has posted a 2,576-2,178 record, a .542 winning percentage that ranks fifth-highest in the majors, and reached the postseason 17 times, including 16 of the past 26 seasons.[1](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/ballpark/facts) The group privately financed, built, and opened the current Busch Stadium in April 2006, and hosted the 2009 All-Star Game.[6](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/team/front-office/william-dewitt-jr)
The 2006 season delivered the franchise's tenth championship of the modern count, and the Cardinals became the first team in almost 100 years to win a World Series in the inaugural season of a new ballpark.[4](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/ballparks) Through the 2021 season the franchise had won 11 World Series, 19 National League pennants, and four American Association pennants.[7](https://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/st-louis-cardinals-team-ownership-history/)
In September 2025 the team introduced Chaim Bloom as president of baseball operations, taking over from John Mozeliak, who had headed baseball operations since October 2007; Oliver Marmol managed the 2026 club, which finished 77-85, fourth in the NL Central.[8](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/znk4xqt1d29wweslme7m.pdf) • [9](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2026-roster.shtml)
## Attendance and the Anheuser-Busch partnership
The Cardinals have been a strong draw at home: they surpassed 3 million in attendance 22 times since 1996, including 17 consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2022 without capacity limitations.[10](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/baseball/yearbooks/BSTLCMG-2023-st-louis-cardinals-media-guide.pdf) The 2014 total of 3,540,649 fans was the second largest in the majors that season and the second highest in franchise history, behind only 2007's 3,552,180.[11](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92060903-CAN-62.pdf)
The brewery connection has outlasted the brewery's ownership. Anheuser-Busch, which the Busch family sold to Belgium-based InBev in 2008, retained the stadium naming rights, and in December 2023 the team and the brewer agreed to a five-year marketing extension running through 2030, covering naming rights, exclusive alcoholic-beverage advertising on broadcasts, and signage, with terms undisclosed.[5](https://apnews.com/article/7907f8acf189b6bdb219bf606cc25ee9)
## References
1. [Busch Stadium Facts, St. Louis Cardinals](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/ballpark/facts)
2. [St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors, Baseball-Reference](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml)
3. [Franchise Timeline, St. Louis Cardinals](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/timeline)
4. [Cardinals Ballparks, St. Louis Cardinals](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/ballparks)
5. [Cardinals, Anheuser-Busch agree to marketing extension, including stadium naming rights, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/7907f8acf189b6bdb219bf606cc25ee9)
6. [William O. DeWitt, Jr. - Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, St. Louis Cardinals](https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/team/front-office/william-dewitt-jr)
7. [St. Louis Cardinals team ownership history, Society for American Baseball Research](https://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/st-louis-cardinals-team-ownership-history/)
8. [St. Louis Cardinals spring training notes (Chaim Bloom introduction), MLB](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/znk4xqt1d29wweslme7m.pdf)
9. [2026 St. Louis Cardinals Roster (40-man), Baseball-Reference](https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2026-roster.shtml)
10. [St. Louis Cardinals 2023 Official Media Guide](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/baseball/yearbooks/BSTLCMG-2023-st-louis-cardinals-media-guide.pdf)
11. [MLB attendance release (2014 season), USPTO TTAB archive](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92060903-CAN-62.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Baseball and related bat sports › Professional baseball in the Americas › Major League Baseball*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license