The Cardinals were picked to be a .500 team and a possible wild-card contender despite winning 90 games in 2021. However, St. Louis tallied 93 wins and captured their second NL Central title in four seasons, but were upset by the Phillies in the Wild Card Series in a two-game sweep.
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt was tabbed the NL MVP after batting .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs. Miles Mikolas was the top pitcher with 13 wins and a 3.29 ERA with 153 strikeouts.
The Cardinals have all the tools to contend for the division crown again next season.
The St. Louis Cardinals are a National League (NL) Central division team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They were founded in 1882, joined the National League in 1892, and adopted the name Cardinals in 1900. They've been based in St. Louis, Missouri ever since and are one of only two teams to have never changed their city of origin or name (the other being the Atlanta Braves).
The Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, and 2011), 19 NL pennants (and four AA pennants), and a total of 15 Division titles (most recently in 2021), making them one of the most successful franchises in baseball history. Some of their iconic moments include Lou Brock's record-breaking steal of second base during game 7 of the 1964 World Series, Stan Musial's 3,630th hit which broke Rogers Hornsby's career hits record in 1958, Ozzie Smith's famous backflip after winning the 1985 World Series and Albert Pujols' three home run performance during game 5 of the 2011 World Series.
The current venue of the St. Louis Cardinals is Busch Stadium located in downtown St. Louis, home to the team since 2006.
The biggest rivals of the St. Louis Cardinals are traditionally considered to be the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers from within their own division, as well as fellow National League teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
Some of the key players throughout the history of the St. Louis Cardinals include Bob Gibson, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Rogers Hornsby, Red Schoendienst, Dizzy Dean, and Whitey Herzog among many others who have helped lead this legendary franchise to success.
