Best Record: 92-33 (1923)
Worst Record: 35-90 (1910)
Playoff Appearances: 11
Championships: 3 (1923, 1929, 1947)
The Chicago Cardinals were one of the better teams in the league when it was first formed, as they finished in first place in three of the first four years of the league's existence. Their early success did not last, as they spent most of the 1900s and 1910s near the bottom of the league. In the early 1920s, their fortunes changed. Led by the only two players currently in the Hall of Fame as Cardinals--pitchers Jay Kaseman and Matt Tart--they won their first championship in 1923 over the New York Knights. After just missing out on the playoffs in 1924 and finishing third in 1925-27, the Cardinals returned to the World Series in 1928, once again facing the Knights. This time the Knights beat them, but the Cardinals got their revenge in 1929 by beating the Knights in a World Series rematch. They fell on hard times after that, as Tart and Kaseman were both soon retired, and they did not finish near first place for quite a while. They came out of nowhere in 1947 to win their first pennant in 18 years, and they captured their third ever championship by taking down the Atlanta Colonels. That was, to date, their last World Series appearance. After being decidely mediocre in the 1950s and 1960s, they returned to the playoffs in 1969. However, the playoffs consisted of multiple rounds now, and the Cardinals were bounced by the Hornets in the NBC Championship Series. They had some pretty bad teams in the 1970s and early 1980s, especially from 1977 through 1982 when they lost 109, 116, 97, 109, 106 and 102 games. They slowly began to climb their way out of the basement after that, and have been pretty good over the last couple years. They have been to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but have not made it to a World Series yet.
Outlook for 1990:
Winners of their division for three years in a row, look for them to continue to contend for the playoffs and possibly a championship. This team is built to win right now, as they just polished off their highest win total ever with 109 wins.
Current Manager:
Matt Fox has been the Cardinals' manager for four years now. He is entering the final year of his contract, and intends to retire after the 1990 season. As a player, he was an outfielder in the Panthers' minor league system from 1946 to 1958, but never made it to the Majors.
Hall of Famers:
Jay Kaseman, P, 1921-1933
Jay Kaseman signed with the Cardinals prior to the 1921 season, and spent 13 years with the team. His career was shorter than most players in the Hall of Fame, considering he was 26 when he made his debut. He was dominant when he was on the mound, until his skills dwindled and he retired at the end of the 1933 season. He was a member of two of the Cardinals' three World Series championship teams. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1944, his second year on the ballot and the second year that the Hall of Fame existed, being inducted alongside his longtime teammate Matt Tart. Kaseman worked as a banker after his baseball career ended. He died in 1973.
Matt Tart, P, 1919-1934
Matt Tart first debuted with the Philadelphia Hornets in 1919. After four years in Philadelphia, he was traded to the Chicago Cardinals for outfielder Steve Schantz. Schantz did not do much for Philadelphia, while Tart helped lead the Cardinals to their first World Series championship in his first year with the team. He remained with the team through the 1934 season, after which he retired. In 1944, the second year of the Hall of Fame's existence, he was inducted alongside his teammate Jay Kaseman. Tart turned to politics after his baseball career was over, serving as an Illinois State Senator for 8 years, but lost multiple elections in his attempt to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He died in 1980.