# 2004 St. Louis Cardinals season

The 2004 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 123rd season for the St. Louis Cardinals, a Major League Baseball franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the 113th season for the Cardinals in the National League and their 39th in Busch Memorial Stadium.
The Cardinals went 105–57 during the season (the team's best record in the La Russa era), 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.
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

vteNL 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 recordvte Source: :
| 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)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1April 5Brewers6–8Burba (1–0)Morris (0–1)Kolb (1)49,1490–1
2April 6Brewers5–7Davis (1–0)Marquis (0–1)Kolb (2)23,9660–2
3April 7Brewers9–4Lincoln (1–0)Hernandez (0–1)—23,4881–2
4April 8Brewers5–11Capuano (1–0)Suppan (0–1)Burba (1)27,4331–3
5April 9@ Diamondbacks13–6Carpenter (1–0)Daigle (0–1)—35,9302–3
6April 10@ Diamondbacks10–2Morris (1–1)Sparks (0–1)—38,8423–3
7April 11@ Diamondbacks6–5Lincoln (2–0)Mantei (0–1)Isringhausen (1)32,0724–3
8April 12Astros5–10Stone (1–0)Lincoln (2–1)—26,6544–4
9April 13Astros3–5Clemens (2–0)Suppan (0–2)Dotel (1)24,9394–5
10April 14Astros1–11Miller (2–0)Carpenter (1–1)—26,6054–6
11April 16Rockies13–5Morris (2–1)Stark (0–2)—34,5415–6
12April 17Rockies8–4Marquis (1–1)Estes (2–1)—46,4716–6
13April 18Rockies5–8Jennings (1–1)Williams (0–1)Chacon (3)34,6976–7
14April 20@ Astros5–3Suppan (1–2)Miller (2–1)Isringhausen (2)29,6257–7
15April 21@ Astros12–6Morris (3–1)Redding (0–3)—27,3548–7
16April 22@ Astros2–1 (12)Isringhausen (1–0)Miceli (0–1)Tavarez (1)33,7069–7
17April 23@ Brewers1–2Kieschnick (1–0)Kline (0–1)—17,1079–8
18April 24@ Brewers1–3Saenz (1–0)Williams (0–2)Kolb (5)22,2229–9
19April 25@ Brewers5–2Suppan (2–2)Sheets (3–1)—18,13510–9
20April 27Phillies3–7Milton (2–0)Morris (3–2)—25,18510–10
21April 28Phillies3–6Madson (1–1)Lincoln (2–2)Wagner (6)26,34810–11
22April 29Phillies5–4 (13)Lincoln (3–2)Telemaco (0–1)—29,76811–11
23April 30Cubs4–3Kline (1–1)Farnsworth (0–1)—44,22412–11 :
May: (15–12)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
24May 1Cubs2–4Clement (4–1)Suppan (2–3)Borowski (6)49,50512–12
25May 2Cubs1–0 (10)Isringhausen (2–0)Farnsworth (0–2)—47,75713–12
26May 3Cubs3–7Maddux (2–2)Marquis (1–2)—40,34013–13
27May 4@ Phillies6–5Carpenter (2–1)Myers (0–2)Isringhausen (3)33,29414–13
28May 5@ Phillies4–5Millwood (3–2)Williams (0–3)Wagner (7)35,94414–14
29May 6@ Phillies7–4Suppan (3–3)Wolf (2–2)Isringhausen (4)44,37615–14
30May 7@ Expos2–4Kim (2–0)Morris (3–3)Biddle (6)5,33215–15
31May 8@ Expos0–2Ohka (1–5)Marquis (1–3)Biddle (7)5,61115–16
32May 9@ Expos5–2Carpenter (3–1)Vargas (2–2)Isringhausen (5)12,30116–16
33May 11Braves5–1Williams (1–3)Wright (2–3)—35,00017–16
34May 12Braves5–2Morris (4–3)Hampton (0–4)Isringhausen (6)28,92118–16
35May 13Braves5–6Alfonseca (4–0)Suppan (3–4)Smoltz (5)40,47218–17
36May 14Marlins6–3Marquis (2–3)Beckett (3–3)Isringhausen (7)36,81019–17
37May 15Marlins4–0Carpenter (4–1)Oliver (2–2)Tavarez (2)42,95820–17
38May 16Marlins2–3Penny (4–2)Williams (1–4)Benitez (15)46,88920–18
39May 18@ Mets4–5Bottalico (1–0)Isringhausen (2–1)—28,88020–19
40May 19@ Mets1–0Eldred (1–0)Stanton (0–1)Kline (1)20,22921–19
41May 20@ Mets11–4Marquis (3–3)Seo (2–4)—21,87422–19
42May 21@ Cubs7–6Carpenter (5–1)Mitre (2–3)Isringhausen (8)39,29823–19
43May 22@ Cubs1–7Rusch (2–0)Williams (1–5)—40,13123–20
44May 23@ Cubs3–4Clement (6–3)Morris (4–4)Borowski (8)40,09023–21
–May 25PiratesPostponed (snow); rescheduled for August 20
45May 26Pirates8–11Benson (4–3)Marquis (3–4)—29,52623–22
46May 27Pirates6–3Suppan (4–4)Vogelsong (1–4)Isringhausen (9)31,10724–22
47May 28@ Astros2–1 (10)Isringhausen (3–1)Dotel (0–3)—41,39925–22
48May 29@ Astros10–3Williams (2–5)Miller (5–5)—41,14126–22
49May 30@ Astros1–7Redding (3–3)Morris (4–5)—41,11726–23
50May 31@ Pirates8–3Marquis (4–4)Benson (4–4)—12,58227–23 :
June: (19–9)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
51June 1@ Pirates8–1Suppan (5–4)Vogelsong (1–5)—11,54028–23
52June 2@ Pirates5–3Carpenter (6–1)Johnston (0–2)Isringhausen (10)12,10029–23
53June 3@ Pirates4–2Williams (3–5)Perez (3–3)Isringhausen (11)15,38630–23
54June 4Astros5–3Morris (5–5)Miller (5–6)Isringhausen (12)47,37331–23
55June 5Astros10–4Marquis (5–4)Redding (3–4)—46,00332–23
56June 6Astros2–3Oswalt (4–4)Suppan (5–5)Dotel (9)40,47632–24
57June 7@ Cubs4–3Carpenter (7–1)Rusch (2–1)Isringhausen (13)39,22633–24
58June 8@ Cubs3–7Clement (7–4)Williams (3–6)—39,33833–25
59June 9@ Cubs12–4Morris (6–5)Prior (0–1)—38,69334–25
60June 10@ Cubs3–12Zambrano (7–2)Haren (0–1)—38,70734–26
61June 11@ Rangers12–7Suppan (6–5)Dominguez (1–2)—32,96235–26
62June 12@ Rangers2–7Drese (3–3)Carpenter (7–2)—42,17335–27
63June 13@ Rangers13–2Williams (4–6)Dickey (4–6)—41,08736–27
64June 15Athletics8–4Morris (7–5)Bradford (3–3)Isringhausen (14)33,86637–27
65June 16Athletics6–2Marquis (6–4)Harden (3–4)Calero (1)33,38638–27
66June 17Athletics5–4King (1–0)Mecir (0–5)—32,52839–27
67June 18Reds4–3 (10)Tavarez (1–0)Matthews (1–1)—37,94640–27
68June 19Reds9–2Williams (5–6)Acevedo (3–6)Isringhausen (15)48,64141–27
69June 20Reds0–6Bong (1–1)Morris (7–6)—45,62041–28
70June 22Cubs4–5Farnsworth (3–3)Isringhausen (3–2)Hawkins (9)45,07041–29
71June 23Cubs10–9Kline (2–1)Remlinger (0–1)—43,12742–29
72June 24Cubs4–0Carpenter (8–2)Clement (7–6)—48,04243–29
73June 25@ Royals5–2Morris (8–6)Greinke (1–4)Isringhausen (16)40,62844–29
74June 26@ Royals3–1 (10)Tavarez (2–0)Seanez (0–1)Isringhausen (17)40,96345–29
75June 27@ Royals10–3Marquis (7–4)Gobble (4–5)—36,65146–29
76June 28@ Pirates1–2Mesa (1–0)Tavarez (2–1)—15,54446–30
77June 29@ Pirates0–3Burnett (1–2)Carpenter (8–3)Mesa (18)18,15246–31
78June 30@ Pirates5–6Mesa (2–0)Tavarez (2–2)—22,36846–32 :
July: (20–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
79July 2Mariners11–2Williams (6–6)Thornton (0–1)—35,18647–32
80July 3Mariners8–1Marquis (8–4)Franklin (3–7)—38,05548–32
81July 4Mariners2–1Suppan (7–5)Pineiro (4–9)Isringhausen (18)37,18349–32
82July 5Reds4–1Carpenter (9–3)Lidle (6–6)Isringhausen (19)41,85250–32
83July 6Reds5–3Morris (9–6)White (0–2)Kline (2)29,78651–32
84July 7Reds4–2King (2–0)Riedling (4–2)Isringhausen (20)34,99952–32
85July 9Cubs6–1Marquis (9–4)Maddux (7–7)—49,67553–32
86July 10Cubs5–2Suppan (8–5)Clement (7–8)Isringhausen (21)50,56954–32
87July 11Cubs4–8Wood (4–3)Carpenter (9–4)—49,25054–33
75th All-Star Game in Houston, Texas
88July 15@ Reds7–2Morris (10–6)Sanchez (0–2)—31,96155–33
89July 16@ Reds7–5Calero (1–0)Graves (1–4)Isringhausen (22)39,14056–33
90July 17@ Reds5–7Jones (8–2)Tavarez (2–3)Graves (34)36,07956–34
91July 18@ Reds10–4Suppan (9–5)Acevedo (4–8)—31,69957–34
92July 19@ Cubs5–4Carpenter (10–4)Zambrano (9–5)Isringhausen (23)40,03358–34
93July 20@ Cubs11–8King (3–0)Hawkins (2–2)Isringhausen (24)39,37159–34
94July 21Brewers1–0Williams (7–6)Santos (9–4)Isringhausen (25)37,10460–34
95July 22Brewers4–0Marquis (10–4)Sheets (9–7)—35,10061–34
96July 23Giants2–7Hermanson (4–3)Suppan (9–6)—45,89261–35
97July 24Giants3–5 (10)Rodriguez (3–4)King (3–1)Christiansen (2)48,14561–36
98July 25Giants6–0Morris (11–6)Williams (9–7)—42,31562–36
99July 26@ Reds9–6 (11)King (4–1)Norton (1–3)—23,15563–36
100July 27@ Reds6–0Marquis (11–4)Lidle (6–9)—25,36664–36
101July 28@ Reds11–10Eldred (2–0)Acevedo (4–10)Isringhausen (26)33,28265–36
102July 30@ Giants7–4Carpenter (11–4)Brower (6–6)Isringhausen (27)42,62266–36
103July 31@ Giants7–8Rueter (6–8)Morris (11–7)Christiansen (3)42,63366–37 :
August: (21–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
104August 1@ Giants6–1Williams (8–6)Schmidt (13–4)—41,88067–37
105August 3Expos6–10 (12)Cordero (3–1)Haren (0–2)—33,69667–38
106August 4Expos5–4Tavarez (3–3)Cordero (3–2)—35,77968–38
107August 5Expos2–1Carpenter (12–4)Ayala (3–7)Isringhausen (28)31,96169–38
108August 6Mets6–4Morris (12–7)Glavine (8–10)Isringhausen (29)43,94970–38
109August 7Mets2–1Tavarez (4–3)Stanton (0–5)—45,36471–38
110August 8Mets6–2Marquis (12–4)Leiter (8–4)Tavarez (3)43,57872–38
111August 10@ Marlins2–1 (10)Tavarez (5–3)Mota (8–5)Isringhausen (30)17,41373–38
112August 11@ Marlins1–0Suppan (10–6)Pavano (12–5)Isringhausen (31)18,68674–38
113August 12@ Marlins2–8Burnett (3–5)Morris (12–8)—16,18774–39
114August 13@ Braves4–1Williams (9–6)Byrd (4–4)Isringhausen (32)38,84375–39
115August 14@ Braves7–9Alfonseca (6–4)King (4–2)Smoltz (29)44,41375–40
116August 15@ Braves10–4Haren (1–2)Thomson (9–8)—28,98376–40
117August 16Reds10–5Suppan (11–6)Harang (7–5)Isringhausen (33)33,95777–40
118August 17Reds7–2Eldred (3–0)Graves (1–5)—33,46678–40
119August 18Reds4–5Hancock (3–1)Williams (9–7)Graves (37)35,96078–41
120August 19Pirates2–3 (10)Mesa (5–1)Kline (2–2)Grabow (1)33,85478–42
121August 20 (1)Pirates5–4Haren (2–2)Fogg (7–9)Isringhausen (34)32,06279–42
122August 20 (2)Pirates5–3Carpenter (13–4)Gonzalez (3–1)Isringhausen (35)38,64080–42
123August 21Pirates10–6Suppan (12–6)Burnett (5–5)—46,01781–42
124August 22Pirates11–4Morris (13–8)Vogelsong (4–10)Kline (3)35,34582–42
125August 24@ Reds3–4 (10)Valentine (1–1)Tavarez (5–4)—20,16382–43
126August 25@ Reds6–5Tavarez (6–4)Valentine (1–2)Isringhausen (36)18,96283–43
127August 26@ Reds0–1Harang (8–6)Carpenter (13–5)—19,42183–44
128August 27@ Pirates8–5Suppan (13–6)Vogelsong (4–11)Isringhausen (37)27,47584–44
129August 28@ Pirates6–4Morris (14–8)Figueroa (0–1)Isringhausen (38)19,16785–44
130August 29@ Pirates4–0Marquis (13–4)Perez (9–7)Tavarez (4)25,00586–44
131August 31Padres9–3Williams (10–7)Lawrence (13–11)—30,81687–44 :
September: (16–12)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
132September 1Padres4–2Carpenter (14–5)Eaton (9–12)Isringhausen (39)32,39088–44
133September 2Padres7–2Suppan (14–6)Peavy (11–4)—32,78589–44
134September 3Dodgers3–0Morris (15–8)Lima (11–5)—37,52490–44
135September 4Dodgers5–1Marquis (14–4)Ishii (13–7)—45,69291–44
136September 5Dodgers6–5 (11)King (5–2)Carrara (4–2)—43,61192–44
137September 6@ Padres3–7Linebrink (7–1)Eldred (3–1)Hoffman (35)34,38292–45
138September 7@ Padres4–2Suppan (15–6)Peavy (11–5)Isringhausen (40)32,73893–45
139September 8@ Padres5–10Wells (10–7)Morris (15–9)—34,27793–46
140September 10@ Dodgers6–7Carrara (5–2)Calero (1–1)Gagne (39)54,11993–47
141September 11@ Dodgers5–6Stewart (1–2)Eldred (3–2)Gagne (40)53,49493–48
142September 12@ Dodgers7–6Carpenter (15–5)Jackson (2–1)Isringhausen (41)54,00094–48
143September 14Astros5–7Clemens (17–4)Suppan (15–7)Lidge (22)29,52894–49
144September 15Astros4–2Calero (2–1)Springer (0–1)Isringhausen (42)32,89195–49
145September 16Astros3–8Harville (2–2)Marquis (14–5)—28,70495–50
146September 17Diamondbacks4–3Isringhausen (4–2)Service (1–1)—37,28096–50
147September 18Diamondbacks7–0Haren (3–2)Fossum (4–14)—43,79197–50
148September 19Diamondbacks2–3Gosling (1–0)Suppan (15–8)Aquino (13)41,27997–51
149September 20@ Brewers7–4Tavarez (7–4)Kolb (0–4)Isringhausen (43)14,21398–51
150September 21@ Brewers4–6Santos (11–11)Marquis (14–6)Kolb (38)25,67598–52
151September 22@ Brewers3–2Williams (11–7)Sheets (11–13)Isringhausen (44)21,46199–52
152September 23@ Brewers4–2Eldred (4–2)Wise (1–2)Isringhausen (45)15,200100–52
153September 24@ Rockies5–4Suppan (16–8)Jennings (11–12)Calero (2)45,053101–52
154September 25@ Rockies10–6Flores (1–0)Harikkala (6–5)Isringhausen (46)29,751102–52
155September 26@ Rockies9–3Marquis (15–6)Gissell (0–1)Eldred (1)26,866103–52
156September 27@ Astros3–10Oswalt (19–10)Williams (11–8)—37,651103–53
157September 28@ Astros1–2Backe (4–3)Haren (3–3)Lidge (26)36,230103–54
158September 29@ Astros4–6Qualls (4–0)Suppan (16–9)Lidge (27)43,186103–55
159September 30Brewers6–7Davis (12–12)Morris (15–10)Kolb (39)24,893103–56 :
October: (2–1)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
160October 1Brewers4–1Ankiel (1–0)Hendrickson (1–8)Isringhausen (47)32,605104–56
161October 2Brewers1–5Sheets (12–14)Marquis (15–7)—41,219104–57
162October 3Brewers9–4Calero (3–1)de la Rosa (0–3)—39,849105–57 :

### Postseason Game Log

2004 St. Louis Cardinals Postseason Game Log (7–8) :
NLDS: (3–1)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1October 5Dodgers8–3Williams (1–0)Perez (0–1)—52,1271–0
2October 7Dodgers8–3Haren (1–0)Weaver (0–1)—52,2282–0
3October 9@ Dodgers0–4Lima (1–0)Morris (0–1)—55,9922–1
4October 10@ Dodgers6–2Suppan (1–0)Alvarez (0–1)—56,2683–1 :
NLCS: (4–3)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1October 13Astros10–7Williams (2–0)Qualls (0–1)Isringhausen (1)52,3231–0
2October 14Astros6–4Tavarez (1–0)Miceli (0–2)Isringhausen (2)52,3472–0
3October 16@ Astros2–5Clemens (2–0)Suppan (1–1)Lidge (2)42,8962–1
4October 17@ Astros5–6Wheeler (1–0)Tavarez (1–1)Lidge (3)42,7602–2
5October 18@ Astros0–3Lidge (1–0)Isringhausen (0–1)—43,0452–3
6October 20Astros6–4 (12)Tavarez (2–1)Miceli (0–3)—52,1443–3
7October 21Astros5–2Suppan (2–1)Clemens (2–1)Isringhausen (3)52,1404–3 :
World Series: (0–4)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1October 23@ Red Sox9–11Foulke (1–0)Tavarez (2–2)—35,0350–1
2October 24@ Red Sox2–6Schilling (3–1)Morris (0–2)—35,0010–2
3October 26Red Sox1–4Martínez (2–1)Suppan (2–2)—52,0150–3
4October 27Red Sox0–3Lowe (3–0)Marquis (0–1)Foulke (3)52,0370–4 :

### Roster
## 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

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

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

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

| 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