1941 - Present
This collection of signed baseballs features the signatures of important Cardinals players and staff members throughout the team’s history. The Cardinals are one of Missouri’s two current major league baseball teams and is one of baseball’s most historic franchises. Originally called the St Louis Browns, the team name changed to the Cardinals in 1900.
The Cardinals were not the only major league baseball team to play in St. Louis. The Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis in 1901 and were renamed the St. Louis Browns. The Browns played in St. Louis until 1953 and then relocated to Baltimore becoming the Baltimore Orioles.
The Cardinals were able to find their footing in the 1920s under the leadership of President Sam Breadon and General Manager Branch Rickey, whose successful farm system led to their first World Series win in 1926. The team’s prominence continued throughout the 30s and 40s, with an all-star team of players collecting five more World Series titles.
In 1944, the Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns played in an only St. Louis World Series and resulted in the Cardinals beating the Browns four games to two. Anheuser-Busch purchased the Cardinals in 1953, the same year the Browns left for Baltimore. August “Gussie” Busch became the Cardinals’ president and reestablished the team as a postseason staple in the 1960s.
The second Missouri-only World Series, dubbed the I-70 World Series, pitted the Cardinals against the Kansas City Royals in 1985. A controversial call in Game 6 allowed the Royals to rally and win, tying the series. The Cardinals lost Game 7, and the Royals won their first World Series. The Cardinals again regained prominence in the 2000s and 2010s, being frequent playoff contenders, and appearing in four World Series, winning two of them.
In total, the Cardinals have won fourteen division titles, nineteen National League pennants, and eleven World Series titles, second in Major League Baseball history to the New York Yankees.
Object Details
Categories: Arts & Culture
Date: 1941 - Present
Subject: Baseball
Contributing Institution: Springfield-Greene County Library District
Copy Request: The Springfield-Greene County Library District offers broad public access to its collection to enhance education and scholarship. Written permission is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected images(s) beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. For more information on using this image, contact the Springfield-Greene County Library District.
Rights: The Springfield-Greene County Library District does not hold copyright on many of the materials in the Local History & Genealogy collection. Patrons assume all responsibility for obtaining the necessary permissions for publication and further use, and assume sole responsibility for any infringement of the literary rights, copyrights, or other rights which pertain to these materials.
Region: St. Louis Metro
Type: Object
Language: English
Latitude: 38.622485
Longitude: -90.193204
Photographer: Ben Divin