Ballpark Village opened on March 27, with a first phase completion of 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2),[1][2] and was considered a smashing success.[3] Located inside Ballpark Village, the franchise announced the opening of the Hall of Fame Museum, with an inaugural induction class of 22 members. Ownership purchased the club's top minor league affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds on March 28. Forbes listed the Cardinals as the eighth-most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball at $820 million, and their $65.2 million operating income was the highest of all 30 MLB franchises.[4][5]
They finished the season with a record of 90–72 and finished first in the National League Central for the second straight year. They defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, 3 games to 1 to advance to their fourth consecutive NLCS, where they played San Francisco Giants for the second time in three seasons. They lost in five games to the Giants and were eliminated.
March 28, 2014: The deal to purchase the Memphis Redbirds was finalized.[9]
April 12: Extended general manager (GM) and senior vice president (SVP) John Mozeliak for two additional years through the 2018 season. It was the second extension in two years. He had served in this position since October 2007. If he will have served the length of the extension, he would have become the third-longest tenured GM in franchise history, surpassed only by Bing Devine (18 years, two stints), and Walt Jocketty (14 years).[10]
November 24: Signed free agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a four-year deal through 2017 worth $53 million total. It started with $15.5 million in 2014, $15 million, $12.5 million and finally $10 million in 2017.[26] Without a qualifying offer from the Detroit Tigers, the Cardinals were not required to return a first-round draft pick.[27][28]
December 16: Signed second basemanMark Ellis to a one-year contract on December 15 for $5.25 million, plus an additional $1 million in incentives.[29][30]
December 11: Signed free agent minor league reliever Ángel Castro to a one-year contract and added him to the 40-man roster.[35]
February 6, 2014: Signed free agent reliever Pat Neshek to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.[36]
March 26: Signed free agent reliever David Aardsma to a minor league contract and an invite to spring training.[37]
Other offseason events
Purchase of the Memphis Redbirds
Having already purchased three of their minor league affiliates, Cardinals ownership reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Memphis RedbirdsAAAMinor League Baseball franchise from the Memphis Redbirds Foundation (MRF) on November 16. The city of Memphis purchased AutoZone Park, the Redbirds' home stadium, from MRF and agreed to lease it to the Cardinals and perform upgrades.[38] The Memphis City Council (MCC) initially set December 3 as the date to vote on the move. They also intended to finalize it by the end of the year.[39]
After debating for almost four hours on the proposal on December 9, the vote was delayed for eight additional days because of concerns of certain financial aspects of the deal. The original proposal stated the Cardinals would cover at least $15 million in stadium improvements to AutoZone Park and pay $300,000 annually in rent to the city. Operating costs of the franchise and the stadium were to become the responsibility of the Cardinals. The lease was to assure the Redbirds of remaining in Memphis through the 2030 season. Two five-year renewal options were included with the principal 17-year lease.
The Cardinals were officially cleared to acquire the Memphis Redbirds on January 7, 2014, after MCC approved the plan by an 8-4 vote. The deals included the city purchasing AutoZone Park by issuing $24 million in city-backed bonds.[8] The deal was finalized on March 28; the Cardinals acquired the Redbirds franchise and Memphis acquired the ballpark and began leasing it to the Cardinals.[9] In addition to the Redbirds, the team already owned its Double-A affiliate in Springfield, high Class A affiliate, and rookie level clubs in Jupiter, Florida.[40]
Chris Carpenter's retirement
Chris Carpenter, winner of the franchise's only Cy Young Award besides two won by Bob Gibson, announced his retirement on November 20 after posting a 95-44 (.683) over nine seasons as a Cardinal. He lost nearly three entire seasons to injuries, but garnered a reputation for coming back from them to play. He won the Cy Young in 2005, when he was 21–5.[13] In each of his full seasons, he won at least 11 games. He finished his major league career with a 144–94 (.605) record; and a 3.76 earned run average (ERA). In 18 post-season starts, he was 10–4 with a 3.00 ERA.[41]
Mozeliak, who announced Carpenter's decision during a news conference, said the club offered him the opportunity to remain with the franchise in an off-field capacity, although it was unclear at the time what that role would be.[13]
Tickets
In December, the Cardinals announced they were raising season ticket prices an average of 4.1%. They also added new sections of seats and carved up the area of seats behind home plate and between first and third base and split the tiers in the outfield bleachers. The 330 seats in the overlook deck at Ballpark Village also opened for 2014, but were not yet for sale before the start of the season and were not made available in 2014 to season-ticket holders.
Season-ticket holders, who purchased half of the seats in Busch Stadium, constituted 83% of season tickets. Annually, season-ticket holders renewed at a percentage in the low 90s. 57% of season tickets prices increased by $1 per game. Individual game tickets go on sale February 28, 2014.[42]
Other personnel changes
David Bell, hired as the assistant hitting coach to replace Bengie Molina, was previously an infielder with the Cardinals from 1995 to 1998. He was the fourth assistant hitting coach in the past four years. All other members of the coaching staff returned in 2014.[43]
The Cardinals broadcast team retained the services of Mike Shannon for a minimum of two more years. Shannon has broadcast since 1972, making 2014 his 42nd year. It was also his 56th year as part of the organization, including nine years as a player from 1962 to 1970. He was again paired with John Rooney on KMOX, who will work with Rick Horton and Al Hrabosky when Shannon is absent. Hrabosky and Horton are members of the Cardinals' FOX Sports Midwest television team.[17][44]
Reopening of the Cardinals Hall of Fame and inaugural induction class
On January 18, chairman William DeWitt, Jr., announced the reopening of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum with a formal annual selection process. A "Red Ribbon" committee of Cardinals baseball experts plus an annual fan vote will decide three inductees per year. For the inaugural class of 2014, the Cardinals announced the following 22 members to be inducted in a ceremony on August 16:[45]
Four more Cardinals were voted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame on an eight-player fan ballot announced on April 30. Those eight nominees had to be with the team for at least three years and retired from baseball for at least three years. Those not voted in by the fans in an online March vote that received almost 80,000 votes over seven-weeks were: Bob Forsch, Keith Hernandez, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Ted Simmons and Joe Torre. To be inducted on August 16 along with the 22 above are: player-broadcaster Mike Shannon, outfielders Jim Edmonds and Willie McGee, and shortstop Marty Marion.[46]
The club announced its 27-game schedule on November 25, 2013. Pitchers and catchers reported by Feb. 12, 2014, and the position players reported by Feb. 17, with the whole team scheduling its first workout on Feb. 18. The Grapefruit League opened on Feb. 28, starting against the Miami Marlins. Two scheduled off-days were Tue. March 4, and Tue. Mar. 18. They ended spring training with an exhibition game on Fri. Mar. 28 against their AAA-farm team, the Memphis Redbirds, at Memphis, Tennessee. It will be the first baseball event at the AutoZone Park with the Cardinals owning the team, if the Memphis City Council approves the agreement in December 2013,[48] which was delayed until the 8-4 vote in favor on January 7, 2014.[8] There were 14 home games at Roger Dean Stadium and 13 games away, with 3 of those as the 'visiting' team against the stadium's co-tenants, the aforementioned Miami Marlins. All games at Roger Dean Stadium started at 12:05pm CT. This was the 17th season at Roger Dean Stadium since they left Al Lang Field at St. Petersburg, Florida after March 1997.[49]
Fox Sports Midwest will broadcast 15 games of the 27 games on its schedule, an increase of five more than in 2013, and 10 more than in 2012. ESPN has already picked up the Cardinals' March 17 road game against the Boston Red Sox. In total, 22 of the Cards' 28 spring games will be available on either local TV or radio (KMOX). Last year, only four teams had as many as 15 spring games televised in their local market.[50]
Openings
Kolten Wong, the top second-base prospect in the organization, was expected to compete for the major league starting position. By signing Mark Ellis, the Cardinals saw signing the right-hander as a low-risk backup for Wong and good fit for the team. His league-adjusted on-base plus slugging ratio of 116 against left-handed pitching strengthened the weakness against left-handed pitching the Redbirds dealt with the season before.[51] He hit .270 with a .323 on-base percentage in 106 games with the L.A. Dodgers in 2013, and hit .282 against lefties.[52] Wong won the starting role.
The team reassigned outfield prospect Oscar Taveras to minor league camp after efforts for him fully recover from ankle surgery produced mixed results.
Regular season
March–April
The Cardinals opened their regular season at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds on March 31. Adam Wainwright, making his third Opening Day start, won his 100th career game in a 1–0 defeat of the Reds. It was also his first win on Opening Day.[53] On April 14, the Cardinals ended the Milwaukee Brewers' nine-game winning streak behind Lance Lynn's seven scoreless innings. Entering the game with a 6.55 earned run average (ERA), Lynn won his third decision behind 11 strikeouts and just three hits and three walks allowed. Jhonny Peralta and Jon Jay each homered in the 4–0 victory.[54] Three days later, Wainwright continued his strong start for the season at Nationals Park with a two-hit complete gameshutout in an 8-0 defeat of the Washington Nationals. He gave up the first hit in the second inning with a high infield chopper, but none until after two outs in the ninth. In his seventh career shutout, Wainwright walked three and struck out eight.[55]
With a 12-1 record in April in a total of 15 starts in his career, Lance Lynn is in a class in major league baseball history of only him and Babe Ruth for that month, with only Ruth having a better first-month winning percentage. In marked contrast to his April, his August record for the past two seasons (2012 and 2013) is 1-5 with a 5.75 ERA. His 37 wins since the start of the 2012 season is second in the National League only to teammate Adam Wainwright, who has only one more win during that span. Lynn's run support is typically the highest of the five regular starters, and after his May 4 start is second with 4.6 runs per game to Wainwright's 5.3.[56]
May
The three-game series finale against the Pirates on May 11, marked the end of a road-heavy start to the season with 26 of the first 38 games away from Busch Stadium. Not since 1927, have the Cardinals had that many road games after the first 38 played. Prior to the game they were 11-14 (after, 12-14) in road games, and 7-5 at home.[57]
The 4-1 win on May 17 featured four bunt hits, two by Kolten Wong and two by Peter Bourjos. It was only the second time in the 2010s that a team did that, and the first time since the Detroit Tigers did it on September 23, 2003. Lefthanded pitcher Jaime García will make his first start on May 18, since having shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in late May 2013. His last major league start was May 17, 2013 vs. MIL, a 7-6 win in which he pitched 5.1 innings allowing all six runs.[58]
Adam Wainwright threw the first one-hitter of his career on May 20, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was his eighth career shutout, walking none and striking out nine. Paul Goldschmidt was the only baserunner, getting a double in the fourth inning off the centerfield wall after Wainwright had retired the first 11 batters. After the hit, he retired the next 16 consecutive batters, facing only 28 batters which is one over the minimum for a perfect game. He threw 115 pitches, 86 for strikes. He becomes the second seven-game winner in the National League as he notched his 106th career victory (against 59 losses), tying him for eighth all-time in Cardinals' history with Slim Sallee.[59][60]
Three days after starter Jaime García made his first start in over a year, reliever Jason Motte made his return on May 21, throwing 15 pitches over 1.2 innings after a 19-month absence (October 2012) after Tommy Johnsurgery.[61]
Adam Wainwright was named the NL Co-Players of the Week for May 19–25, along with Josh Beckett, 34, for their superb pitching. Beckett threw the season's first no-hitter on May 25, and was 2-0 for the week with a 2.57 ERA. Wainwright had the same won-loss record but boasted a 0.00 ERA, and led the Major Leagues with 21 strikeouts, 1 walk in 17 IP with nine strikeouts coming in his one-hitter shutout, and the other 12 in eight scoreless innings. He became the first NL pitcher to get to eight wins, and currently leads all Major League starting pitchers with a 1.67 ERA.[63]
In the middle game of the three-game series with the New York Yankees on May 27, Lance Lynn threw his first complete game and first shutout, in a 6-0 win. He had started 74 games previously before throwing his five-hit shutout gem. He walked three and struck out only two, but avoided his typical one bad inning in many prior starts, throwing a career high 126 pitches. The losing pitcher on the Yankees was native St. Louisan David Phelps, now 1-2, from Hazelwood, Missouri, pitching in his home park for the first time. Lynn won his 40th career win against 20 losses for a sterling .667 winning percentage, and a 3.72 ERA. The Cardinals were the first team in the Major Leagues with three six-game winners: Lynn (6), Wainwright (8), and Shelby Miller (6). The nine shutouts tied the Texas Rangers for the lead in that category.[64]
The #2 Prospect[65] in all of MLB, outfielder Oscar Taveras, 21, was recalled to the majors for the first time after the May 30 game, with Matt Adams placed on the 15-day disabled list.[66][67] He was promptly placed in the lineup on May 31 at home, batting sixth, playing right field. He was hitting .325/.373/.524 at Memphis, with 7 HR, 40 RBI, in 49 G and 191 ABs.
On a Saturday afternoon May 31, 2014, Taveras, in his second career at bat (after a fly out) with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, recorded his first career hit, a home run to right field[68] against San Francisco Giants' starter Yusmeiro Petit, in the rain which immediately afterward forced the first rain delay (47 min., later a 51 min. delay) of the game. He struck out in his third at-bat, but the Cardinals won 2-0.[69]
Despite the win on May 31, the team hit only 11 HRs in May, compared to 19 in March/April, for a total of only 30, ranking 15th and last in the NL. The Cardinals did hit better in May with a .266 BA compared to .246 in March/April. With Runners-in-Scoring-Position, they hit .256 in May compared to a pitiful .226 in March/April. They scored an average of 4.2 runs/game in May compared to 3.6 in March/April. The Starters' ERA ballooned to 3.74 in May compared to 2.48 in March/April, and the Relievers' ERA also increased to 4.06 in May compared to 3.73 in March/April, according to a graphic shown on Fox Sports Midwest after the May 31 game.
June
The team won in 11 innings against Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium on June 4 for a 31-29 (.517) won-loss record, bringing them to four games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. This happened after suffering a blown 6–0 lead in an eventual 8–7 loss in St. Louis on June 3, after a humiliating 6–0 shutout loss the night before in getting only three hits. Matt Carpenter got his fifth hit, a double, his second of the game in the top of the inning that drove in the go-ahead run in the eventual 5-2 win after a Trevor Rosenthal blown save attempt for Adam Wainwright in the bottom of the ninth with a 2-0 lead and no outs. Wainwright would have been the first nine-game winner in the NL, but remained tied for the lead with eight. Mark Buehrle (Toronto Blue Jays) led the majors with 10 wins. It was the first five-hit game of Carpenter's career, and with a walk, a perfect night. His average jumped from .292 to .307, 11th in the NL. He was hitting only .256 on May 17, but his 14-game hitting streak (ended on June 2), plus his two-game hit streak since, added 51 points. His .395 on-base average (7th in NL) was the same as his slugging percentage. Carpenter became the first Cardinals' player to record a five-hit game since Ryan Ludwick on September 4, 2009. He led the NL with 73 hits, was fifth with 40 runs scored, and eighth in doubles with 16. Pat Neshek got his first major league save in 255 games.[70][71]
The pitchers threw three consecutive scoreless games June 7–8, and 10, giving them 13 for the season in leading the majors. It was the most in franchise history after 65 games, beating the 1968 Cardinals who had 11 at that point while on their way to an NL-leading 30.[73]
Double-A Springfield Cardinals sensational starting LH-pitcher Marco Gonzales, the club's #4 prospect in the minorsArchived July 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, a standout for his changeup and his command (3-2, 2.33 ERA in 7 G, 38.2 IP, 33 H, 2 HR, 10 W, 46 SO), made the long jump to make his major league debut on June 25, at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies, near where he grew up in Fort Collins. He pitched five innings, facing 24 batters, giving up seven hits, two walks, a home run, and five runs, while striking out three, including two in the first inning, including NL-batting leader Troy Tulowitzki (.353). He doubled in his first at-bat, and scored the game's first run. Leaving after five innings with the team trailing 5-1, the team rallied for five runs over the last three innings, and won the game, 9-6 with Pat Neshek getting his second win of the season.[74] The game was the first for the Cardinals since 1980 to receive four sacrifice flies.[75] Gonzales became the first Cardinals' starter to make his debut without playing at the Triple A level since Cliff Politte in April 1998.[76]
At the half-way point of the season on June 27, after 81 games the Cardinals were 44-37 (.543) with 306 runs scored, and 274 runs allowed. In the previous year (2013), the Cardinals scored 783 runs, with 596 runs allowed.
July
On July 2, Adam Wainwright became the NL's first 11-game winner, pitching 7.2 innings in shutting out the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, 2-0, giving up only four hits all singles, walking two, but striking out only one in the seventh inning. He also lowered his ERA from 2.01 to 1.89 taking the NL-lead on that category after 124 innings for the season. The start was Wainwright's eighth scoreless of 17 total starts against opponents going at least seven innings.[77]
Starting pitcher Jaime García announced on July 5 that he would have season-ending surgery to correct the thoracic outlet syndrome condition. It is the same nerve condition that caused the end of former pitcher Chris Carpenter's career with the Cardinals.[78]
The Cardinals, and all 30 teams, had their schedules released by Major League Baseball on September 10, 2013.
The Cardinals' Opening Day game will be away against the Cincinnati Reds on March 31.[79] It will be broadcast on ESPN along with others that day.[80]
Please be sure to replace the home/away background color with the appropriate win/loss/postponement background color (see "Past Games Legend") when entering a completed game in the game log.
St. Louis Cardinals 2014 Season Game Log — Season Record: 90–72 (.556) — Home: 51–30 — Road: 39–42
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GF = Games finished; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; HBP = Hit by pitch; BF = Batters faced; WHIP = Walks+hits per inning pitched; OBA = Opponents batting average; OBP = Opponents on-base percentage; SLG = Opponents slugging percentage
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; HBP = Hit by pitch; BF = Batters faced; WHIP = Walks+hits per inning pitched; OBA = Opponents batting average; OBP = Opponents on-base percentage; SLG = Opponents slugging percentage
At the end of March, Forbes released their annual valuation list of all Major League franchises and placed the Cardinals eighth. Their estimated value of $820 million was an increase of more than $100 million from the season before, when they ranked tenth. St. Louis' revenue in 2013 was $283 million, with an operating income of $65.2 million.[83][84]
The Cardinals' first draft pick for the 2014 draft will be pick #31 of round 1, which is the last pick. The team's place in the order may change – meaning more likely to move up – depending on if free agent Carlos Beltrán signs with another team because the Cardinals advanced him a qualifying offer (QO).[21][87] As of November 9, Beltrán declined the QO, slotting the Cardinals for the 44th pick in the supplemental first round.[88]
The Cardinals now have in addition to pick #31 in round 1, and the 44th pick in the supplemental first round: second round pick #81, and #84 from the Competitive Balance Lottery. The 2014 Draft takes place from June 5–7.[89]
