The St Louis Cardinals Lost the Last Run to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series

The St Louis Cardinals are entering a new era this year with Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina retiring. Whether they’ll have a chance to make it to the World Series this season is yet to be seen, but if the team can continue on their current path, they will have a chance at a long-awaited title.

The Cardinals have won six American Association pennants, four National League pennants and three World Series titles during their 122-year history. They’re tied with the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates for the third-oldest continuously operating baseball franchise.

After a thrilling regular season in which the Cardinals won the National League Central Division, their hopes were high that they could go on to win a third World Series championship in five years. This hope was renewed when Pujols hit his 700th career home run on July 12.

With that achievement, Pujols officially became the fourth player in Major League history to reach that mark. It was a memorable milestone for the veteran slugger and marked his final game in St. Louis, a city he’s loved and adored for the last 12 years of his career.

But that dream ended up being a nightmare as the team was eliminated in the wild card round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Phillies. While the Cards fought hard, the Phillies used their bullpen to set the tone and take control of the game.

A 93-inning streak of no losses in the postseason came to an end when the Cards took a two-run lead into the ninth inning against Philadelphia. With their playoff spot on the line, they hoped triple-digit closer Ryan Helsley would close it out.

It was a gutsy move, but one that worked. Helsley got Tommy Edman to popup with runners at the corners to complete the double play and send the Phillies on their way to a 2-0 victory in front of 48,515 fans in front of the largest crowd ever at Busch Stadium.

In the end, the loss means that the Cardinals have been shut out in 9 of their 10 postseason games, including six against the Phillies this season. It also marks a troubling trend for the team.

After a surprisingly hot September, the Cardinals have fallen into a bit of a slump and are struggling to score runs as a result. They’ve scored a total of 13 runs in their last eight games, and they haven’t had enough from their main hitters to keep them competitive.

If the Cardinals want to make it to the playoffs, they’ll need to start scoring and get the ball to their top hitters. That hasn’t been easy so far this season, with their bats often cold and their pitching sometimes sloppy.

Regardless, the Cardinals have a strong enough rotation and bullpen to make it through this stretch, but they need their bats to stay hot for the next month or so before the postseason begins. The good news is that they have Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Albert Pujols to help them out.