2004 St. Louis Cardinals season

The St. Louis Cardinals 2004 season was the team's 123rd season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 113th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 105–57 during the season, the most wins of any team in baseball that year, the most wins by any Cardinals team since 1944, and the first Cardinal team to win 100 or more games since 1985, and won the National League Central by 13 games over the NL Wild-Card Champion Houston Astros. In the playoffs the Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the NLDS and the Astros 4 games to 3 in the NLCS to reach their first World Series since 1987. In the World Series the Cardinals faced the Boston Red Sox and were swept 4 games to 0. It was the final World Series played at Busch Memorial Stadium. Because the American League had home-field advantage as a result of winning the All-Star Game, Busch Memorial Stadium was where the Curse of the Bambino died.

2004 St. Louis Cardinals
National League Champions National League Central champions
League	National League
Division	Central
Ballpark	Busch Memorial Stadium
City	St. Louis, Missouri
Record	105–57 (.644)
Divisional place	1st
Owners	William DeWitt, Jr.
General managers	Walt Jocketty
Managers	Tony La Russa
Television	Fox Sports Midwest (Joe Buck, Dan McLaughlin, Al Hrabosky) KPLR (Ricky Horton, Bob Carpenter, Rich Gould)
Radio	KMOX (Mike Shannon, Wayne Hagin, Bob Ramsey)
Seasons

Catcher Mike Matheny, third baseman Scott Rolen, and outfielder Jim Edmonds won Gold Gloves this year.

The 2004 St. Louis Cardinals were the first team to lose the World Series to a "Moneyball" style team roster on the side of the Red Sox.

Offseason

• December 2, 2003: Signed free agent pitcher Chris Carpenter.
• December 13, 2003: Traded outfielder J. D. Drew and catcher Eli Marrero to the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Jason Marquis, Ray King, and Adam Wainwright.
• January 10, 2004: Signed free agent pitcher Alan Benes.
• February 12, 2004: Signed free agent John Mabry.

Regular season

Opening Day lineup

4	Tony Womack	2B
12	Ray Lankford	LF
5	Albert Pujols	1B
15	Jim Edmonds	CF
27	Scott Rolen	3B
3	Édgar Rentería	SS
16	Reggie Sanders	RF
22	Mike Matheny	C
35	Matt Morris	P

Summary

Acquired via trade from the Colorado Rockies on August 6, 2004, Larry Walker, customarily the Rockies' number three hitter, became the Cardinals' number two hitter. The Cardinals already had Edmonds, Pujols and Rolen in the 3 through 5 spots. Walker made his Cardinals debut on August 7, playing the New York Mets, and appeared as a pinch-hitter and struck out in the seventh inning. He drew a walk from Mike Stanton in the ninth inning and scored the game-winning run on a Yadier Molina single.

Season standings

National League Central

NL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
St. Louis Cardinals	105	57	.648	—	53‍–‍28	52‍–‍29
Houston Astros	92	70	.568	13	48‍–‍33	44‍–‍37
Chicago Cubs	89	73	.549	16	45‍–‍37	44‍–‍36
Cincinnati Reds	76	86	.469	29	40‍–‍41	36‍–‍45
Pittsburgh Pirates	72	89	.447	32½	39‍–‍41	33‍–‍48
Milwaukee Brewers	67	94	.416	37½	36‍–‍45	31‍–‍49

Record vs. opponents

2004 National League record Source: [1]
Team	AZ	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LA	MIL	MTL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	AL
Arizona	—	2–4	4–2	3–3	6–13	3–4	2–4	3–16	3–3	0–6	3–4	1–5	2–4	7–12	5–14	1–5	6–12
Atlanta	4–2	—	3–3	2–4	4–2	14–5	3–3	4–3	4–2	15–4	12–7	10–9	4–2	3–3	4–3	2–4	8–10
Chicago	2–4	3–3	—	9–8	5–1	3–3	10–9	2–4	10–7	3–3	4–2	3–3	13–5	4–2	2–4	8–11	8–4
Cincinnati	3–3	4–2	8–9	—	3–3	4–2	6–11	4–2	10–8	4–2	3–3	3–3	9–10	2–4	3–3	5–14	5-7
Colorado	13–6	2–4	1–5	3–3	—	1–5	1–5	8–11	2–4	2–4	1–5	5–3	2–4	10–9	8–11	1–5	8–10
Florida	4–3	5–14	3–3	2–4	5–1	—	3–3	3–3	4–2	11–8	15–4	12–7	1–5	4–2	2–5	2–4	7–11
Houston	4–2	3–3	9–10	11–6	5–1	3-3	—	1–5	13–6	2–4	2–4	6–0	12–5	2–4	2–4	10–8	7–5
Los Angeles	16–3	3–4	4–2	2–4	11–8	3–3	5–1	—	3–3	4–3	3–3	1–5	6–0	10–9	10–9	2–4	10–8
Milwaukee	3–3	2–4	7–10	8–10	4–2	2–4	6–13	3–3	—	5–1	2–4	0–6	6–12	2–4	1–5	8–9	8–4
Montreal	6–0	4–15	3–3	2–4	4–2	8-11	4–2	3–4	1–5	—	9–10	7–12	4–2	1–6	1–5	3–3	7–11
New York	4–3	7–12	2–4	3–3	5–1	4–15	4–2	3–3	4–2	10–9	—	8–11	1–5	1–6	4–2	1–5	10–8
Philadelphia	5-1	9–10	3–3	3–3	3–5	7–12	0–6	5–1	6–0	12–7	11–8	—	3–3	5–1	2–4	3–3	9–9
Pittsburgh	4–2	2–4	5–13	10–9	4–2	5–1	5–12	0–6	12–6	2–4	5–1	3–3	—	3–3	5–1	5–12	2–10
San Diego	12–7	3–3	2–4	4–2	9–10	2–4	4–2	9–10	4–2	6–1	6–1	1–5	3–3	—	12–7	2–4	8–10
San Francisco	14–5	3–4	4–2	3–3	11–8	5–2	4–2	9–10	5–1	5–1	2–4	4–2	1–5	7–12	—	3–3	11–7
St. Louis	5–1	4–2	11–8	14–5	5–1	4-2	8–10	4–2	9–8	3–3	5–1	3–3	12–5	4–2	3–3	—	11–1

Transactions

• August 6: Traded Jason Burch (minors) and players to be named later to the Colorado Rockies for outfielder Larry Walker. The Cardinals sent pitchers Luís Martínez and Chris Narveson on August 11 to the Rockies to complete the trade.

Game log

2004 St. Louis Cardinals Game Log (105–57)
April: (12–11) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 April 5 Brewers 6–8 Burba (1–0) Morris (0–1) Kolb (1) 49,149 0–1 2 April 6 Brewers 5–7 Davis (1–0) Marquis (0–1) Kolb (2) 23,966 0–2 3 April 7 Brewers 9–4 Lincoln (1–0) Hernandez (0–1) — 23,488 1–2 4 April 8 Brewers 5–11 Capuano (1–0) Suppan (0–1) Burba (1) 27,433 1–3 5 April 9 @ Diamondbacks 13–6 Carpenter (1–0) Daigle (0–1) — 35,930 2–3 6 April 10 @ Diamondbacks 10–2 Morris (1–1) Sparks (0–1) — 38,842 3–3 7 April 11 @ Diamondbacks 6–5 Lincoln (2–0) Mantei (0–1) Isringhausen (1) 32,072 4–3 8 April 12 Astros 5–10 Stone (1–0) Lincoln (2–1) — 26,654 4–4 9 April 13 Astros 3–5 Clemens (2–0) Suppan (0–2) Dotel (1) 24,939 4–5 10 April 14 Astros 1–11 Miller (2–0) Carpenter (1–1) — 26,605 4–6 11 April 16 Rockies 13–5 Morris (2–1) Stark (0–2) — 34,541 5–6 12 April 17 Rockies 8–4 Marquis (1–1) Estes (2–1) — 46,471 6–6 13 April 18 Rockies 5–8 Jennings (1–1) Williams (0–1) Chacon (3) 34,697 6–7 14 April 20 @ Astros 5–3 Suppan (1–2) Miller (2–1) Isringhausen (2) 29,625 7–7 15 April 21 @ Astros 12–6 Morris (3–1) Redding (0–3) — 27,354 8–7 16 April 22 @ Astros 2–1 (12) Isringhausen (1–0) Miceli (0–1) Tavarez (1) 33,706 9–7 17 April 23 @ Brewers 1–2 Kieschnick (1–0) Kline (0–1) — 17,107 9–8 18 April 24 @ Brewers 1–3 Saenz (1–0) Williams (0–2) Kolb (5) 22,222 9–9 19 April 25 @ Brewers 5–2 Suppan (2–2) Sheets (3–1) — 18,135 10–9 20 April 27 Phillies 3–7 Milton (2–0) Morris (3–2) — 25,185 10–10 21 April 28 Phillies 3–6 Madson (1–1) Lincoln (2–2) Wagner (6) 26,348 10–11 22 April 29 Phillies 5–4 (13) Lincoln (3–2) Telemaco (0–1) — 29,768 11–11 23 April 30 Cubs 4–3 Kline (1–1) Farnsworth (0–1) — 44,224 12–11
May: (15–12) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 24 May 1 Cubs 2–4 Clement (4–1) Suppan (2–3) Borowski (6) 49,505 12–12 25 May 2 Cubs 1–0 (10) Isringhausen (2–0) Farnsworth (0–2) — 47,757 13–12 26 May 3 Cubs 3–7 Maddux (2–2) Marquis (1–2) — 40,340 13–13 27 May 4 @ Phillies 6–5 Carpenter (2–1) Myers (0–2) Isringhausen (3) 33,294 14–13 28 May 5 @ Phillies 4–5 Millwood (3–2) Williams (0–3) Wagner (7) 35,944 14–14 29 May 6 @ Phillies 7–4 Suppan (3–3) Wolf (2–2) Isringhausen (4) 44,376 15–14 30 May 7 @ Expos 2–4 Kim (2–0) Morris (3–3) Biddle (6) 5,332 15–15 31 May 8 @ Expos 0–2 Ohka (1–5) Marquis (1–3) Biddle (7) 5,611 15–16 32 May 9 @ Expos 5–2 Carpenter (3–1) Vargas (2–2) Isringhausen (5) 12,301 16–16 33 May 11 Braves 5–1 Williams (1–3) Wright (2–3) — 35,000 17–16 34 May 12 Braves 5–2 Morris (4–3) Hampton (0–4) Isringhausen (6) 28,921 18–16 35 May 13 Braves 5–6 Alfonseca (4–0) Suppan (3–4) Smoltz (5) 40,472 18–17 36 May 14 Marlins 6–3 Marquis (2–3) Beckett (3–3) Isringhausen (7) 36,810 19–17 37 May 15 Marlins 4–0 Carpenter (4–1) Oliver (2–2) Tavarez (2) 42,958 20–17 38 May 16 Marlins 2–3 Penny (4–2) Williams (1–4) Benitez (15) 46,889 20–18 39 May 18 @ Mets 4–5 Bottalico (1–0) Isringhausen (2–1) — 28,880 20–19 40 May 19 @ Mets 1–0 Eldred (1–0) Stanton (0–1) Kline (1) 20,229 21–19 41 May 20 @ Mets 11–4 Marquis (3–3) Seo (2–4) — 21,874 22–19 42 May 21 @ Cubs 7–6 Carpenter (5–1) Mitre (2–3) Isringhausen (8) 39,298 23–19 43 May 22 @ Cubs 1–7 Rusch (2–0) Williams (1–5) — 40,131 23–20 44 May 23 @ Cubs 3–4 Clement (6–3) Morris (4–4) Borowski (8) 40,090 23–21 – May 25 Pirates Postponed (snow); rescheduled for August 20 45 May 26 Pirates 8–11 Benson (4–3) Marquis (3–4) — 29,526 23–22 46 May 27 Pirates 6–3 Suppan (4–4) Vogelsong (1–4) Isringhausen (9) 31,107 24–22 47 May 28 @ Astros 2–1 (10) Isringhausen (3–1) Dotel (0–3) — 41,399 25–22 48 May 29 @ Astros 10–3 Williams (2–5) Miller (5–5) — 41,141 26–22 49 May 30 @ Astros 1–7 Redding (3–3) Morris (4–5) — 41,117 26–23 50 May 31 @ Pirates 8–3 Marquis (4–4) Benson (4–4) — 12,582 27–23
June: (19–9) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 51 June 1 @ Pirates 8–1 Suppan (5–4) Vogelsong (1–5) — 11,540 28–23 52 June 2 @ Pirates 5–3 Carpenter (6–1) Johnston (0–2) Isringhausen (10) 12,100 29–23 53 June 3 @ Pirates 4–2 Williams (3–5) Perez (3–3) Isringhausen (11) 15,386 30–23 54 June 4 Astros 5–3 Morris (5–5) Miller (5–6) Isringhausen (12) 47,373 31–23 55 June 5 Astros 10–4 Marquis (5–4) Redding (3–4) — 46,003 32–23 56 June 6 Astros 2–3 Oswalt (4–4) Suppan (5–5) Dotel (9) 40,476 32–24 57 June 7 @ Cubs 4–3 Carpenter (7–1) Rusch (2–1) Isringhausen (13) 39,226 33–24 58 June 8 @ Cubs 3–7 Clement (7–4) Williams (3–6) — 39,338 33–25 59 June 9 @ Cubs 12–4 Morris (6–5) Prior (0–1) — 38,693 34–25 60 June 10 @ Cubs 3–12 Zambrano (7–2) Haren (0–1) — 38,707 34–26 61 June 11 @ Rangers 12–7 Suppan (6–5) Dominguez (1–2) — 32,962 35–26 62 June 12 @ Rangers 2–7 Drese (3–3) Carpenter (7–2) — 42,173 35–27 63 June 13 @ Rangers 13–2 Williams (4–6) Dickey (4–6) — 41,087 36–27 64 June 15 Athletics 8–4 Morris (7–5) Bradford (3–3) Isringhausen (14) 33,866 37–27 65 June 16 Athletics 6–2 Marquis (6–4) Harden (3–4) Calero (1) 33,386 38–27 66 June 17 Athletics 5–4 King (1–0) Mecir (0–5) — 32,528 39–27 67 June 18 Reds 4–3 (10) Tavarez (1–0) Matthews (1–1) — 37,946 40–27 68 June 19 Reds 9–2 Williams (5–6) Acevedo (3–6) Isringhausen (15) 48,641 41–27 69 June 20 Reds 0–6 Bong (1–1) Morris (7–6) — 45,620 41–28 70 June 22 Cubs 4–5 Farnsworth (3–3) Isringhausen (3–2) Hawkins (9) 45,070 41–29 71 June 23 Cubs 10–9 Kline (2–1) Remlinger (0–1) — 43,127 42–29 72 June 24 Cubs 4–0 Carpenter (8–2) Clement (7–6) — 48,042 43–29 73 June 25 @ Royals 5–2 Morris (8–6) Greinke (1–4) Isringhausen (16) 40,628 44–29 74 June 26 @ Royals 3–1 (10) Tavarez (2–0) Seanez (0–1) Isringhausen (17) 40,963 45–29 75 June 27 @ Royals 10–3 Marquis (7–4) Gobble (4–5) — 36,651 46–29 76 June 28 @ Pirates 1–2 Mesa (1–0) Tavarez (2–1) — 15,544 46–30 77 June 29 @ Pirates 0–3 Burnett (1–2) Carpenter (8–3) Mesa (18) 18,152 46–31 78 June 30 @ Pirates 5–6 Mesa (2–0) Tavarez (2–2) — 22,368 46–32
July: (20–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 79 July 2 Mariners 11–2 Williams (6–6) Thornton (0–1) — 35,186 47–32 80 July 3 Mariners 8–1 Marquis (8–4) Franklin (3–7) — 38,055 48–32 81 July 4 Mariners 2–1 Suppan (7–5) Pineiro (4–9) Isringhausen (18) 37,183 49–32 82 July 5 Reds 4–1 Carpenter (9–3) Lidle (6–6) Isringhausen (19) 41,852 50–32 83 July 6 Reds 5–3 Morris (9–6) White (0–2) Kline (2) 29,786 51–32 84 July 7 Reds 4–2 King (2–0) Riedling (4–2) Isringhausen (20) 34,999 52–32 85 July 9 Cubs 6–1 Marquis (9–4) Maddux (7–7) — 49,675 53–32 86 July 10 Cubs 5–2 Suppan (8–5) Clement (7–8) Isringhausen (21) 50,569 54–32 87 July 11 Cubs 4–8 Wood (4–3) Carpenter (9–4) — 49,250 54–33 75th All-Star Game in Houston, Texas 88 July 15 @ Reds 7–2 Morris (10–6) Sanchez (0–2) — 31,961 55–33 89 July 16 @ Reds 7–5 Calero (1–0) Graves (1–4) Isringhausen (22) 39,140 56–33 90 July 17 @ Reds 5–7 Jones (8–2) Tavarez (2–3) Graves (34) 36,079 56–34 91 July 18 @ Reds 10–4 Suppan (9–5) Acevedo (4–8) — 31,699 57–34 92 July 19 @ Cubs 5–4 Carpenter (10–4) Zambrano (9–5) Isringhausen (23) 40,033 58–34 93 July 20 @ Cubs 11–8 King (3–0) Hawkins (2–2) Isringhausen (24) 39,371 59–34 94 July 21 Brewers 1–0 Williams (7–6) Santos (9–4) Isringhausen (25) 37,104 60–34 95 July 22 Brewers 4–0 Marquis (10–4) Sheets (9–7) — 35,100 61–34 96 July 23 Giants 2–7 Hermanson (4–3) Suppan (9–6) — 45,892 61–35 97 July 24 Giants 3–5 (10) Rodriguez (3–4) King (3–1) Christiansen (2) 48,145 61–36 98 July 25 Giants 6–0 Morris (11–6) Williams (9–7) — 42,315 62–36 99 July 26 @ Reds 9–6 (11) King (4–1) Norton (1–3) — 23,155 63–36 100 July 27 @ Reds 6–0 Marquis (11–4) Lidle (6–9) — 25,366 64–36 101 July 28 @ Reds 11–10 Eldred (2–0) Acevedo (4–10) Isringhausen (26) 33,282 65–36 102 July 30 @ Giants 7–4 Carpenter (11–4) Brower (6–6) Isringhausen (27) 42,622 66–36 103 July 31 @ Giants 7–8 Rueter (6–8) Morris (11–7) Christiansen (3) 42,633 66–37
August: (21–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 104 August 1 @ Giants 6–1 Williams (8–6) Schmidt (13–4) — 41,880 67–37 105 August 3 Expos 6–10 (12) Cordero (3–1) Haren (0–2) — 33,696 67–38 106 August 4 Expos 5–4 Tavarez (3–3) Cordero (3–2) — 35,779 68–38 107 August 5 Expos 2–1 Carpenter (12–4) Ayala (3–7) Isringhausen (28) 31,961 69–38 108 August 6 Mets 6–4 Morris (12–7) Glavine (8–10) Isringhausen (29) 43,949 70–38 109 August 7 Mets 2–1 Tavarez (4–3) Stanton (0–5) — 45,364 71–38 110 August 8 Mets 6–2 Marquis (12–4) Leiter (8–4) Tavarez (3) 43,578 72–38 111 August 10 @ Marlins 2–1 (10) Tavarez (5–3) Mota (8–5) Isringhausen (30) 17,413 73–38 112 August 11 @ Marlins 1–0 Suppan (10–6) Pavano (12–5) Isringhausen (31) 18,686 74–38 113 August 12 @ Marlins 2–8 Burnett (3–5) Morris (12–8) — 16,187 74–39 114 August 13 @ Braves 4–1 Williams (9–6) Byrd (4–4) Isringhausen (32) 38,843 75–39 115 August 14 @ Braves 7–9 Alfonseca (6–4) King (4–2) Smoltz (29) 44,413 75–40 116 August 15 @ Braves 10–4 Haren (1–2) Thomson (9–8) — 28,983 76–40 117 August 16 Reds 10–5 Suppan (11–6) Harang (7–5) Isringhausen (33) 33,957 77–40 118 August 17 Reds 7–2 Eldred (3–0) Graves (1–5) — 33,466 78–40 119 August 18 Reds 4–5 Hancock (3–1) Williams (9–7) Graves (37) 35,960 78–41 120 August 19 Pirates 2–3 (10) Mesa (5–1) Kline (2–2) Grabow (1) 33,854 78–42 121 August 20 (1) Pirates 5–4 Haren (2–2) Fogg (7–9) Isringhausen (34) 32,062 79–42 122 August 20 (2) Pirates 5–3 Carpenter (13–4) Gonzalez (3–1) Isringhausen (35) 38,640 80–42 123 August 21 Pirates 10–6 Suppan (12–6) Burnett (5–5) — 46,017 81–42 124 August 22 Pirates 11–4 Morris (13–8) Vogelsong (4–10) Kline (3) 35,345 82–42 125 August 24 @ Reds 3–4 (10) Valentine (1–1) Tavarez (5–4) — 20,163 82–43 126 August 25 @ Reds 6–5 Tavarez (6–4) Valentine (1–2) Isringhausen (36) 18,962 83–43 127 August 26 @ Reds 0–1 Harang (8–6) Carpenter (13–5) — 19,421 83–44 128 August 27 @ Pirates 8–5 Suppan (13–6) Vogelsong (4–11) Isringhausen (37) 27,475 84–44 129 August 28 @ Pirates 6–4 Morris (14–8) Figueroa (0–1) Isringhausen (38) 19,167 85–44 130 August 29 @ Pirates 4–0 Marquis (13–4) Perez (9–7) Tavarez (4) 25,005 86–44 131 August 31 Padres 9–3 Williams (10–7) Lawrence (13–11) — 30,816 87–44
September: (16–12) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 132 September 1 Padres 4–2 Carpenter (14–5) Eaton (9–12) Isringhausen (39) 32,390 88–44 133 September 2 Padres 7–2 Suppan (14–6) Peavy (11–4) — 32,785 89–44 134 September 3 Dodgers 3–0 Morris (15–8) Lima (11–5) — 37,524 90–44 135 September 4 Dodgers 5–1 Marquis (14–4) Ishii (13–7) — 45,692 91–44 136 September 5 Dodgers 6–5 (11) King (5–2) Carrara (4–2) — 43,611 92–44 137 September 6 @ Padres 3–7 Linebrink (7–1) Eldred (3–1) Hoffman (35) 34,382 92–45 138 September 7 @ Padres 4–2 Suppan (15–6) Peavy (11–5) Isringhausen (40) 32,738 93–45 139 September 8 @ Padres 5–10 Wells (10–7) Morris (15–9) — 34,277 93–46 140 September 10 @ Dodgers 6–7 Carrara (5–2) Calero (1–1) Gagne (39) 54,119 93–47 141 September 11 @ Dodgers 5–6 Stewart (1–2) Eldred (3–2) Gagne (40) 53,494 93–48 142 September 12 @ Dodgers 7–6 Carpenter (15–5) Jackson (2–1) Isringhausen (41) 54,000 94–48 143 September 14 Astros 5–7 Clemens (17–4) Suppan (15–7) Lidge (22) 29,528 94–49 144 September 15 Astros 4–2 Calero (2–1) Springer (0–1) Isringhausen (42) 32,891 95–49 145 September 16 Astros 3–8 Harville (2–2) Marquis (14–5) — 28,704 95–50 146 September 17 Diamondbacks 4–3 Isringhausen (4–2) Service (1–1) — 37,280 96–50 147 September 18 Diamondbacks 7–0 Haren (3–2) Fossum (4–14) — 43,791 97–50 148 September 19 Diamondbacks 2–3 Gosling (1–0) Suppan (15–8) Aquino (13) 41,279 97–51 149 September 20 @ Brewers 7–4 Tavarez (7–4) Kolb (0–4) Isringhausen (43) 14,213 98–51 150 September 21 @ Brewers 4–6 Santos (11–11) Marquis (14–6) Kolb (38) 25,675 98–52 151 September 22 @ Brewers 3–2 Williams (11–7) Sheets (11–13) Isringhausen (44) 21,461 99–52 152 September 23 @ Brewers 4–2 Eldred (4–2) Wise (1–2) Isringhausen (45) 15,200 100–52 153 September 24 @ Rockies 5–4 Suppan (16–8) Jennings (11–12) Calero (2) 45,053 101–52 154 September 25 @ Rockies 10–6 Flores (1–0) Harikkala (6–5) Isringhausen (46) 29,751 102–52 155 September 26 @ Rockies 9–3 Marquis (15–6) Gissell (0–1) Eldred (1) 26,866 103–52 156 September 27 @ Astros 3–10 Oswalt (19–10) Williams (11–8) — 37,651 103–53 157 September 28 @ Astros 1–2 Backe (4–3) Haren (3–3) Lidge (26) 36,230 103–54 158 September 29 @ Astros 4–6 Qualls (4–0) Suppan (16–9) Lidge (27) 43,186 103–55 159 September 30 Brewers 6–7 Davis (12–12) Morris (15–10) Kolb (39) 24,893 103–56
October: (2–1) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 160 October 1 Brewers 4–1 Ankiel (1–0) Hendrickson (1–8) Isringhausen (47) 32,605 104–56 161 October 2 Brewers 1–5 Sheets (12–14) Marquis (15–7) — 41,219 104–57 162 October 3 Brewers 9–4 Calero (3–1) de la Rosa (0–3) — 39,849 105–57

Postseason Game Log

2004 St. Louis Cardinals Postseason Game Log (7–8)
NLDS: (3–1) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 October 5 Dodgers 8–3 Williams (1–0) Perez (0–1) — 52,127 1–0 2 October 7 Dodgers 8–3 Haren (1–0) Weaver (0–1) — 52,228 2–0 3 October 9 @ Dodgers 0–4 Lima (1–0) Morris (0–1) — 55,992 2–1 4 October 10 @ Dodgers 6–2 Suppan (1–0) Alvarez (0–1) — 56,268 3–1
NLCS: (4–3) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 October 13 Astros 10–7 Williams (2–0) Qualls (0–1) Isringhausen (1) 52,323 1–0 2 October 14 Astros 6–4 Tavarez (1–0) Miceli (0–2) Isringhausen (2) 52,347 2–0 3 October 16 @ Astros 2–5 Clemens (2–0) Suppan (1–1) Lidge (2) 42,896 2–1 4 October 17 @ Astros 5–6 Wheeler (1–0) Tavarez (1–1) Lidge (3) 42,760 2–2 5 October 18 @ Astros 0–3 Lidge (1–0) Isringhausen (0–1) — 43,045 2–3 6 October 20 Astros 6–4 (12) Tavarez (2–1) Miceli (0–3) — 52,144 3–3 7 October 21 Astros 5–2 Suppan (2–1) Clemens (2–1) Isringhausen (3) 52,140 4–3
World Series: (0–4) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 October 23 @ Red Sox 9–11 Foulke (1–0) Tavarez (2–2) — 35,035 0–1 2 October 24 @ Red Sox 2–6 Schilling (3–1) Morris (0–2) — 35,001 0–2 3 October 26 Red Sox 1–4 Martínez (2–1) Suppan (2–2) — 52,015 0–3 4 October 27 Red Sox 0–3 Lowe (3–0) Marquis (0–1) Foulke (3) 52,037 0–4

Roster

2004 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers 49 Rick Ankiel 40 Kiko Calero 68 Carmen Cali 29 Chris Carpenter 23 Cal Eldred 61 Randy Flores 55 Dan Haren 44 Jason Isringhausen 56 Ray King 34 Steve Kline 36 Mike Lincoln 21 Jason Marquis 35 Matt Morris 54 Josh Pearce 52 Al Reyes 46 Jason Simontacchi 37 Jeff Suppan 50 Julián Tavárez 19 Woody Williams		Catchers 22 Mike Matheny 26 Cody McKay 41 Yadier Molina Infielders  8 Marlon Anderson 31 Bo Hart  7 Héctor Luna  5 Albert Pujols  3 Édgar Rentería 27 Scott Rolen  4 Tony Womack		Outfielders 32 Roger Cedeño 15 Jim Edmonds 12 Ray Lankford 47 John Mabry 28 Colin Porter 16 Reggie Sanders 99 So Taguchi 33 Larry Walker		Manager 10 Tony La Russa Coaches 18 Dave Duncan (pitching) 38 Marty Mason (bullpen) 39 Dave McKay (first base) 11 José Oquendo (third base) 43 Mitchell Page (hitting) 24 Joe Pettini (bench)

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Mike Matheny	122	385	95	.247	5	50
1B	Albert Pujols	154	592	196	.331	46	123
2B	Tony Womack	145	553	170	.307	5	38
SS	Édgar Rentería	149	586	168	.287	10	72
3B	Scott Rolen	142	500	157	.314	34	124
LF	Ray Lankford	92	200	51	.255	6	22
CF	Jim Edmonds	153	498	150	.301	42	111
RF	Reggie Sanders	135	446	116	.260	22	67

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Marlon Anderson	113	253	60	.237	8	28
John Mabry	87	240	71	.296	13	40
Roger Cedeño	95	200	53	.265	3	23
So Taguchi	109	179	52	.291	3	25
Héctor Luna	83	173	43	.249	3	22
Larry Walker	44	150	42	.280	11	27
Yadier Molina	51	135	36	.267	2	15
Cody McKay	35	74	17	.230	0	6
Colin Porter	23	35	11	.314	1	2
Bo Hart	11	13	2	.154	0	2

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Matt Morris	32	202.0	15	10	4.72	131
Jason Marquis	32	201.1	15	7	3.71	138
Woody Williams	31	189.2	11	8	4.18	131
Jeff Suppan	31	188.0	16	9	4.16	110
Chris Carpenter	28	182.0	15	5	3.46	152

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Dan Haren	14	46.0	3	3	4.50	32
Randy Flores	9	14.0	1	0	1.93	7
Al Reyes	12	12.0	0	0	0.75	11

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Jason Isringhausen	74	4	2	47	2.87	71
Ray King	86	5	2	0	2.61	40
Julián Tavárez	77	7	4	4	2.38	48
Steve Kline	67	2	2	3	1.79	35
Cal Eldred	52	4	2	1	3.76	54
Kiko Calero	41	3	1	2	2.78	47
Mike Lincoln	13	3	2	0	5.19	14
Jason Simontacchi	13	0	0	0	5.28	3
Carmen Cali	10	0	0	0	8.59	8
Rick Ankiel	5	1	0	0	5.40	9
Josh Pearce	3	0	0	0	3.86	0
Cody McKay	1	0	0	0	0.00	0

NLDS

Main article: 2004 National League Division Series

In three playoff rounds in 2004, Walker combined to hit .293/.379/.707 with a pair of home runs in each tournament, setting a franchise record for home runs hit by a left-handed batter in one postseason. Walker made his playoff debut with the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLDS versus the Dodgers, homering twice and scoring four runs in an 8−3 Cardinals win. He became the first Cardinal with a multi-home run game in LDS play.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

St. Louis wins series, 3-1

Game	Score	Date
1	St. Louis 8, Los Angeles 3	October 5
2	St. Louis 8, Los Angeles 3	October 7
3	Los Angeles 2, St. Louis 0	October 9
4	St. Louis 6, Los Angeles 2	October 10

NLCS

Main article: 2004 National League Championship Series

In Game of the 1 National League Championship Series (NLCS) versus the Houston Astros, Walker was a home run short of hitting for the cycle. The Cardinals proceeded to take a 2–0 Series lead before losing three straight in Houston. Returning home for Game 6, the Cardinals took a 4–3 lead into the ninth inning, but Houston tied it up. Jim Edmonds hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th to win the game. The next night, Albert Pujols helped St. Louis win Game 7 to clinch the series with a game tying hit. Scott Rolen brought him home on a two-run home run. Pujols was named the series MVP.

Game	Score	Date
1	St. Louis 10, Houston 7	October 13
2	St. Louis 6, Houston 4	October 14
3	Houston 5, St. Louis 2	October 16
4	Houston 6, St. Louis 5	October 17
5	Houston 3, St. Louis 0	October 18
6	St. Louis 6, Houston 4	October 20
7	St. Louis 5, Houston 2	October 21

World Series

Main article: 2004 World Series

When the Cardinals reached the World Series, Tony La Russa became the sixth manager to win pennants in both leagues, following Joe McCarthy, Yogi Berra, Alvin Dark, and the managers in the 1984 World Series, Sparky Anderson and Dick Williams. La Russa had managed the Oakland Athletics to three straight pennants between 1988 and 1990 and winning the 1989 World Series. La Russa would try to join Anderson as the only men to have managed teams to World Series championships in both leagues. La Russa wore number 10 in tribute to Anderson (who wore 10 while manager of the Cincinnati Reds) and to indicate he was trying to win the team's tenth championship.

The Cardinals met a what was a potent Red Sox squad fresh off four straight victories over the Yankees following an 0–3 deficit in the ALCS. A comeback in this fashion in any North American major sports league had previously occurred only in the NHL. This was the third time the two teams have faced each other in the Fall Classic, with the Cardinals winning the previous two in 1946 and 1967. The Cardinals were again without a key player for the World Series: ace pitcher Chris Carpenter, who, after going 15–5, tweaked his shoulder in September and missed the entire post-season.

Making his World Series debut in Game 1, Walker collected four hits in five at bats with a home run and two doubles. His four-hit outing tied a Cardinals World Series record, becoming the seventh overall and first to so since Lou Brock in 1967, also against Boston.

The Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox in four games and struggled to hit, never taking a lead at any point in the series. Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds, the normally fearsome 3-4-5 hitters for the Cardinals, were 6-for-45 with one RBI. The club batted .190 with a .562 OPS overall. Walker was one of very few exceptions, batting .357 with a 1.366 OPS. His two home runs accounted for the only two hit by the entire Cardinals team. In the 2004 postseason, Walker scored 21 percent (14 of 68) of Cardinals runs scored.

Game	Score	Date
1	Boston 11, St. Louis 9	October 23
2	Boston 6, St. Louis 2	October 24
3	Boston 4, St. Louis 1	October 26
4	Boston 3, St. Louis 0	October 27

Awards and honors

• Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds finished third, fourth and fifth in the MVP voting, eliciting the nickname MV3.
• La Russa finished second in the NL Manager of the Year voting.

Gold Gloves

• C: Mike Matheny
• 3B: Scott Rolen
• OF: Jim Edmonds

Silver Sluggers

• 1B: Albert Pujols
• OF: Jim Edmonds

NL Comeback Player of the Year

• (The Sporting News and Players' Choice Awards): Chris Carpenter

NLCS MVP

• Albert Pujols

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Memphis Redbirds	Pacific Coast League	Danny Sheaffer
AA	Tennessee Smokies	Southern League	Mark DeJohn
A	Palm Beach Cardinals	Florida State League	Tom Nieto
A	Peoria Chiefs	Midwest League	Joe Cunningham, Jr.
A-Short Season	New Jersey Cardinals	New York–Penn League	Tommy Shields
Rookie	Johnson City Cardinals	Appalachian League	Tom Kidwell

LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: Tennessee

External links

• 2004 St. Louis Cardinals at Baseball Reference
• 2004 St. Louis Cardinals team page at www.baseball-almanac.com