One of the nation's oldest and most successful professional baseball clubs, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, the most of any NL team and second in MLB only to the New York Yankees.

Baseball Hall of Fame inductees include Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, Tony LaRussa, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, Branch Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Ozzie Smith, Ted Simmons, Bruce Sutter, and Scott Rolen.

[12][13] The Cardinals are renowned for their strong fan support: despite being in one of the sport's mid-level markets, they routinely see attendances among the league's highest, and are consistently among the top three in MLB in local television ratings.

The magnitudes of the reorganizations, following the 1877 and 1881 seasons, are such that the 1875–1877 and 1878–1881 Brown Stockings teams are not generally considered to share continuity as a franchise with the current St. Louis Cardinals.

[18][19] For the 1882 season, Chris von der Ahe purchased the team, reorganized it, and made it a founding member of the American Association (AA), a league to rival the NL.

[22] Later that season, St. Louis Republic sportswriter Willie McHale included an account in a column of a female fan he heard remarking about the uniforms, "What a lovely shade of cardinal."

[59] More success followed in the 1960s, starting with what is considered one of the most lopsided trades in Major League history, as St. Louis received outfielder Lou Brock from the Cubs for pitcher Ernie Broglio.

Posting a modern-day record low ERA of 1.12 and striking out a one-game World Series-record of 17,[69] Gibson won both the MVP and Cy Young awards that year.

[73][74] Widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in history, Smith ranks first all-time among shortstops in Gold Glove Awards (13), All-Star games (15), assists (8,375), and double plays (1,590).

After Gussie Busch died in 1989,[82] the brewery took control[83] and hired Joe Torre to manage late in 1990,[84] then sold the team to an investment group led by William DeWitt Jr. in 1996.

Ten days after being eliminated from the postseason by the San Francisco Giants, rookie outfielder Oscar Taveras was killed in a car accident while traveling to his hometown Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

The uniforms, integrating the powder blue color with the team's current "Saturday alternate" jersey design, were to be worn 13 times on the road during the 2019 season.

[114] The open panoramic perspective over the outfield wall offers a remarkable view of St. Louis' downtown skyline featuring the distinctive Gateway Arch.

[116] Other statues at the corner of 8th and Clark include Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby, Ozzie Smith, George Sisler, Cool Papa Bell, Bob Gibson, Jack Buck, and others.

[122] Midway through the 1920 season, the Cardinals abandoned Robison Field and returned to the original Sportsman's Park and became tenants of their American League rivals, the St. Louis Browns.

Another trend in baseball led the Cardinals to change their road uniforms from gray to light blue from 1976 to 1984; the player numbers were worn on the sleeves in 1979 and 1980.

That year, St. Louis introduced a cap featuring a single cardinal bird perched on a bat worn for Sunday home games only.

[130] In 2020, the Cardinals introduced a slightly updated version of their "StL" cap logo, which was "soft launched" in 2019 via their social media accounts and game broadcasts.

The Stifel patch, which has red letters with the background color corresponding to the team's uniform, is placed on either sleeve depending on a player's handedness.

Making its "debut" in Game 3 of the NLDS on October 4, a squirrel ran across home plate in the middle of a pitch from Roy Oswalt of the Phillies to the Cardinals' Skip Schumaker.

In five prior postseason series matchups, the Cardinals have won four, with the Dodgers winning only the 2009 NLDS and the 2021 National League Wild Card Game.

[143] As with other periods of the Cardinals' transaction history, doubt loomed as to whether the purchaser would keep the team in St. Louis, due to the city's status as a "small market", which appears to handicap a club's competitiveness.

[151][10][11][152][153][154] In 2014, Forbes valued the Cardinals at $820 million and opined previously that they play "in the best single-team baseball market in the country and are among the league's leaders in television ratings and attendance every season.

The non-recurring $18 million each team received in 2017 from the sale of a stake in BamTech to Walt Disney was excluded, as were profits or losses from team-owned RSNs.

40 active, 0 inactive, 27 non-roster invitees 7-, 10-, or 15-day injured list * Not on active roster † Suspended list Roster, coaches, and NRIs updated February 17, 2025 Transactions • Depth chart → All MLB rosters Charles Comiskey Roger Connor Pud Galvin Clark Griffith Tommy McCarthy Grover Cleveland AlexanderDick AllenWalter AlstonJake BeckleyJim Bottomley *Roger BresnahanLou Brock *Mordecai BrownJesse BurkettSteve Carlton Orlando CepedaDizzy Dean *Leo DurocherDennis EckersleyFrankie Frisch *Bob Gibson *Burleigh GrimesChick Hafey *Jesse Haines *Whitey Herzog * Rogers Hornsby *Miller HugginsJim KaatTony La Russa *Rabbit MaranvilleJohn McGrawBill McKechnieJoe Medwick *Minnie MiñosoJohnny Mize * Stan Musial *Kid NicholsBranch RickeyWilbert RobinsonScott RolenRed Schoendienst *Ted Simmons *Enos Slaughter *Lee SmithOzzie Smith * John SmoltzBilly Southworth *Bruce SutterJoe TorreDazzy Vance Larry WalkerBobby WallaceHoyt WilhelmVic WillisCy Young In 2014, the Cardinals announced the reopening of the franchise Hall of Fame after a 6-year hiatus.

Players who have been nominated, but not inducted, include Joaquín Andújar, Steve Carlton, George Hendrick, Édgar Rentería, and Lee Smith.

Capable of reaching 21 million listeners in nine states including Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, the Cardinals radio network is the second-largest in MLB with 117 affiliate stations.

With a partnership spanning seven decades, and continuously since 1954, its conclusion was realized after the 2005 season when the then owners of KMOX, CBS Radio, and the Cardinals failed to reach terms on a new rights agreement.

It is hosted by former Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson, team mascot Fredbird, and Busch Stadium Public Address announcer John "The U-Man" Ulett.

Former Cardinals broadcasters include Jack Buck, Harry Caray, Bob Carpenter, Dizzy Dean, Joe Garagiola, Dan McLaughlin, and Jay Randolph.