Cardinals–Mets rivalry
| First meeting | April 11, 1962 Busch Stadium I Cardinals 11, Mets 4 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | August 20, 2023 Busch Stadium Cardinals 7, Mets 3 |
| Next meeting | April 26, 2024 Citi Field |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 785[1][2] |
| Most wins | Cardinals (413) |
| Regular season series | Cardinals, 408–365 (.528) |
| Postseason results | Mets, 7–5[2] |
| Largest victory | Cardinals: 15–1 (1962) Mets: 14–1 (1988) |
| Longest win streak |
|
| Current win streak | Cardinals, 1 |
| Post-season history | |
| |
The Cardinals–Mets rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) National League rivalry played between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets. This rivalry was initially an intradivisional affair as both teams played in the National League East from 1969 to 1993, before becoming an intraleague rivalry after the Cardinals moved to the National League Central in 1994. The rivalry became very prominent in the 1980s as both teams contended for first place in the division; between 1985 and 1988 either the Cardinals or the Mets finished first in the NL East, with each team winning two division titles. Since the Cardinals left the NL East, however, the rivalry faded from prominence, though the two teams have since met in the postseason twice, in the Template:Nlcsy and Template:Nlcsy National League Championship Series.[3][4]
History[edit]
The Cardinals were already established in the National League when the Mets joined the league as an expansion team in 1962. The Mets' first-ever game as a Major League franchise came on April 11, 1962, against the Cardinals. En route to a 120-loss campaign in their inaugural season, New York lost 11–4 to St. Louis at Sportsman's Park (then Busch Stadium).[5] It took the Mets seven years before engineering their first winning season, which they achieved in 1969 when they won 100 games and went on to win the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles for their first championship. Along the way, the "Miracle Mets" ended the two-year pennant reign of the Cardinals at Shea Stadium on September 24, 1969, winning the newly established National League East division title with a 6–0 victory behind a four-hit shutout performance from pitcher Gary Gentry and two home runs from midseason addition Donn Clendenon.[6][7][8]
In 1973, the Mets edged the Cardinals by 1½ games (New York went 82–79 while St. Louis finished 81–81) to clinch their second National League East title, before losing to the Oakland Athletics in seven games of the 1973 World Series.[7] Other than that, neither team factored into the division race for much of the 1970s, taking a backseat to either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Pittsburgh Pirates winning the division during the decade. However, the two teams played in one of the longest games in baseball history, a 25-inning marathon won by the Cardinals on September 11, 1974, at Shea Stadium. In that game, Ken Reitz tied the game 3–3 in the ninth inning with a home run off Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, and the two teams staged 15 innings of scoreless baseball until Bake McBride scored the winning run following an errant pickoff throw from Mets reliever Hank Webb.[6][9][10]
The 1980s marked the emergence of both teams into contenders, and along the way, intensified the rivalry. The Cardinals first returned to prominence in 1982, winning the World Series over the Milwaukee Brewers thanks to their Whiteyball speed-oriented offense led by manager Whitey Herzog and stars such as Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee. However, a big trade involving the two teams in 1983 would soon turn the Mets into contenders.[3]
On June 15, 1983, the Cardinals traded 1979 National League MVP Keith Hernandez to the Mets in exchange for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.[11] Along with the additions of Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden and Gary Carter, the Hernandez trade signaled a change of fortunes for the once-moribund Mets, and by 1985, they emerged as a strong threat to the division-contending Cardinals.[3]
During the 1985 season, the Mets and Cardinals faced off in some memorable encounters. On Opening Day, Gary Carter blasted a 10th inning walk-off home run off Neil Allen to secure a 6–5 win for the Mets.[12] Later in the year, both teams faced off in two three-game series amid a heated division race. On September 12, the Mets temporarily captured first place after defeating the Cardinals 7–6 on a walk-off single from Keith Hernandez.[13] However, the Cardinals eventually won the division title, helped by winning two of three games from the Mets during a series at Busch Memorial Stadium from October 1 to 3. By the end of the season, the Cardinals won 101 games to the Mets' 98, but they went on to lose in the I-70 World Series to the Kansas City Royals.[14][10][7][3]
In 1986, the Mets dominated the league, winning 108 games, the NL East title and eventually the World Series championship against the Boston Red Sox. An early April contest in St. Louis would set the tone for the season, as the Mets swept the Cardinals in a four-game series, part of a run of eight straight victories against St. Louis that season. St. Louis ended the season at a distant third place, winning only 79 games.[6] However, in 1987, the Cardinals reclaimed the division, despite the Mets rallying to within 1½ games of the lead. The key game came on September 11, when Terry Pendleton tied the game at 4–4 in the ninth off Roger McDowell and then Jesse Orosco allowed a pair of 10th inning runs to end the Mets' division hopes. St. Louis won 95 games to New York's 92, but like in 1985, they lost in the World Series, this time to the Minnesota Twins.[6][15] The Mets won another division title in 1988, but by then the Cardinals began to decline, and the Mets' once-promising core soon disintegrated.[3]
The rivalry between the Cardinals and the Mets faded as St. Louis moved to the National League Central in 1994. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves, in the midst of their 1990s divisional dominance, moved to the National League East and soon became the Mets' biggest division rival. Nevertheless, by the late 1990s, both teams returned to contention behind stars such as Mark McGwire and Mike Piazza, and in the 2000 National League Championship Series, they faced off in the postseason for the first time. The wild card-winning Mets would dominate, however, taking the series from the NL Central champion Cardinals in five games. The series could have gone the Cardinals' way if not for injuries to McGwire and an uncharacteristically poor pitching performance from Rick Ankiel in Game 2, one which eventually forced Ankiel to convert to an outfielder later in his career. Mets pitcher Mike Hampton pitched a series-clinching shutout in Game 5, earning the Mets their fourth World Series appearance. However, the Mets lost to the cross-town rival New York Yankees.[6][4]
While the Cardinals remained contenders for the duration of the 2000s and 2010s behind the leadership of Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and manager Tony La Russa, the Mets were largely rebuilding during this period. However, they returned to prominence in 2006, led by stars David Wright, José Reyes and Carlos Delgado. With both teams leading their respective divisions, the Cardinals and the Mets squared off in an August 22 matchup at Shea Stadium. The Cardinals led for most of the contest, but in the ninth inning, with St. Louis leading 7–6, Carlos Beltrán hit a two-run walk-off home run past Jason Isringhausen to give the Mets an 8–7 win.[6] The Cardinals and the Mets eventually faced each other in the 2006 National League Championship Series. In a memorable seven-game encounter, the Cardinals narrowly defeated the Mets, helped by a Game 7 ninth-inning go-ahead home run by Yadier Molina off Aaron Heilman. Earlier in the game, however, Endy Chávez kept the game close by robbing a would-be home run from Scott Rolen in left field. St. Louis went on to win the World Series against the Detroit Tigers.[7][6][10]
On June 1, 2012, Mets pitcher Johan Santana no-hit the Cardinals 8–0 for the franchise's first no-hitter. The no-hitter was a rare bright spot in the recent history of the rivalry, as the Mets rarely contended during the decade with the exception of 2015, when they made the World Series and lost to the Royals.[16] Both teams came close to meeting again in the 2015 National League Championship Series, but while the Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series, the Cardinals lost to their archrival Chicago Cubs.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Cardinals–Mets head-to-head records". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Cardinals–Mets head-to-head records (including postseason)". mcubed.net. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Crisafulli, Alex (August 25, 2016). "The Cardinals - Mets rivalry was the best rivalry". SB Nation (Viva El Birdos). Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Futterman, Matthew (September 3, 2010). "Baseball's New Best Enemies". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Effrat, Louis (April 12, 1962). "Cardinals Spoil Mets' Debut With 11-4 Victory on 16 Hits Off 4 Pitchers". New York Times. p. 44.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Wright, Brian (May 17, 2022). "Memorable Games in Mets-Cardinals History". Metsmerized Online. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Farrell, Nora (June 1, 2012). "Cardinals and Mets have long and colorful rivalry". KSDK. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Rieber, Anthony (April 30, 2005). "September 23, 2019". newsday.com. Newsday. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ↑ VanDine, Logan (June 28, 2023). "The longest game in Mets history by innings played". FanSided (Rising Apple). Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Muratore, Elizabeth (June 16, 2020). "Mets and Cardinals rivalry goes back much further than 2006". FanSided (Rising Apple). Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Ladson, Bill (June 16, 2023). "How the trade that made Keith Hernandez a Met came to be". MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Schechter, Alan (March 27, 2018). "New York Mets Opening Day Flashback: Gary Carter hits walkoff in 1985". FanSided (Empire Writes Back). Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Wancho, Joseph. "September 12, 1985: Keith Hernandez's walk-off single helps Mets edge Cardinals". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Salvador, John. "October 3, 1985: Keith Hernandez goes 5-for-5, but Mets fall to Cardinals". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ Friend, Harold (September 12, 2011). "Sept. 11 1987: Terry Pendelton's Ninth-Inning Home Run Shocks the Mets". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ↑ "This Date in Baseball - Johan Santana pitches the first no-hitter in New York Mets' history". Associated Press. May 31, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
External links[edit]
- The Cardinals-Mets Rivalry at the St. Louis Cardinals official YouTube channel
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