When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Ryan Franklin to a one-year, $1 million deal in January 2007, they were seeking reinforcements for their depleted starting rotation. Instead, they discovered an All-Star closer who saved 84 games in five seasons with St. Louis. When Franklin signed with the club, the defending World Series champions’ rotation was […]
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On the heels of an 83-win regular season in which nothing came easily, Yadier Molina, Jeff Suppan, and Adam Wainwright led the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Mets in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, sending St. Louis to a World Series match-up with the Detroit Tigers. “It had to be one of
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On paper, the 2006 Game 1 World Series matchup between Justin Verlander and Anthony Reyes certainly seemed lopsided. Though just 23, Verlander had been the No. 2 overall draft pick just two years ago and was coming off a regular season that would earn him American League Rookie of the Year honors and a seventh-place
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With a trip to the World Series on the line, Cardinals starting pitcher Jeff Suppan outpitched that year’s National League Cy Young Award winner, Roger Clemens, to win Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS and send St. Louis to the World Series for the first time in 17 years. Suppan, 29, had signed with the
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Jim Edmonds was just looking for a single when he launched the biggest home run of his career, walking off Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS with a two-run, 12th-inning home run that pulled the Cardinals within a win of their first World Series appearance in 17 years. On October 20, 2004, Edmonds’ walk-off shot
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After 13 years, seven playoff appearances, and the 10th World Series championship in franchise history, the Cardinals and general manager Walt Jocketty parted ways, citing internal conflict and division in the front office. Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. announced the decision, emphasizing that both parties had “cordially and respectfully parted ways.”[1] “The Cardinals and Walt
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Just five days after longtime radio broadcaster Jack Buck passed away, the Cardinals were dealt another blow with the sudden passing of 33-year-old pitcher Darryl Kile. On June 23, 2002, Kile was found dead in the bed of his Chicago hotel room after teammates became concerned that he hadn’t arrived at Wrigley Field for the
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Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had so much respect for reserve infielder Joe McEwing that when the Cardinals traded him to the Mets for Jesse Orosco on March 18, 2000, the Cardinals manager grabbed a pair of McEwing’s Cardinals-red cleats to keep in his office and “remind me of what a professional ballplayer is supposed
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As a native of Brighton, Illinois, Jason Isringhausen was well aware of the Cardinals’ storied history when he was considering his options as a free agent following the 2001 season. Playing upon that knowledge – and Isringhausen’s respect for the stars who came before him – St. Louis manager Tony La Russa made it a
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With one swing of the bat against Astros closer Brad Lidge, Albert Pujols won the game and extended the Cardinals’ season (and the life of Busch Stadium III) by a game. He may even have broken Lidge in the process. On October 17, 2005, Pujols’ ninth-inning home run off the Astros’ dominant closer gave the
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