Busch Stadium Facts

Check out Busch Stadium firsts, franchise facts and more.

Busch Stadium Firsts

  • Groundbreaking - January 17, 2004
  • Grass Installed - March 15, 2006
  • Inaugural Game - April 10, 2006
  • Opponent - Milwaukee Brewers
  • Ceremonial First Pitches - Chris Carpenter and Albert Pujols to Bob Gibson and Willie McGee
  • First Pitch - 3:14 p.m., ball, Mark Mulder to Brady Clark
  • Cardinals Hit - David Eckstein, 2nd inning, April 10, 2006
  • Cardinals HR - Albert Pujols, 3rd inning, April 10, 2006

Franchise Facts

  • The Cardinals were founded in 1882 as an American Association Team called the St. Louis Brown Stockings. In 1883, the team changed its name to the St. Louis Browns.
  • In 1892, the team moved to the National League. In 1899, the name was changed to the Perfectos, and in 1900, the team became the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • From 1902-1953, an American League Team called the St. Louis Browns also played in St. Louis. In 1954, they moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Orioles.
  • The 2023 season is the Cardinals 132nd season of play in the National League.
  • Since joining the National League in 1892, the team has won over 10,000 games, finished in first place 28 times winning 3 National League Eastern Division Titles and 13 National League Central Division Titles, and won 19 National League Pennants and 11 World Series Championships.
  • Since the ownership group led by Bill DeWitt Jr. purchased the Cardinals from Anheuser Busch in 1996, the team has posted a 2,344-1,924 record (.549 win pct., fourth-best in majors), and advanced to the postseason 17 times, including 16 of the past 23 seasons.
  • The Cardinals 69 postseason wins since 2000 are 2nd in the majors (NY Yankees, 83). The team has finished in first place 12 times, won four NL pennants and two World Series while drawing over 83 million fans.
  • The Cardinals have made 32 postseason appearances in franchise history and have drawn nearly 12 million fans to postseason games in St. Louis.
  • The Cardinals have advanced to the postseason in four consecutive seasons (2019-22), one shy of the franchise record from 2011-2015.
  • The Cardinals have advanced to the postseason in 10 (2009, 2011-15, 2019-22) of their 15 seasons under the leadership of President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. The Cardinals 1289 wins under Mozeliak's watch rank 3rd to the LA Dodgers (1358) and NY Yankees (1337) in that span.
  • The Cardinals have played in 76 playoff games since 2011, the third-most of any team in that time.
  • There are 54 former players, managers and executives with ties to the Cardinals enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
Inside Busch Stadium