2005 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 2005 St. Louis Cardinals had a strong season, finishing 100–62 to win the National League Central by 11 games. It was their 40th and final season at Busch Memorial Stadium before moving to Busch Stadium III in 2006.
In the playoffs, the Cardinals swept the San Diego Padres 3–0 in the NL Division Series, but lost to the Houston Astros 4–2 in the National League Championship Series.
Key players and honors
- Albert Pujols won the MVP, batting .330 with 41 home runs and 117 RBIs.
- Chris Carpenter won the Cy Young, going 21–5 with a 2.83 ERA and 213 strikeouts.
- Jim Edmonds won a Gold Glove.
Team strength
- The pitching staff led MLB with a 3.49 ERA, allowed the fewest earned runs (560), and threw 15 complete games.
Notable moments
- Larry Walker battled a neck disc injury and hinted at retirement after the season.
- On August 4, the Cardinals announced they would buy half of the KTRS radio station and move flagship broadcasts from KMOX to KTRS in 2006.
- They clinched the division on September 17 with a 5–1 win over the Cubs.
- The final regular-season game at Busch Memorial Stadium was October 2, a 7–5 win over the Reds, with rookie Chris Duncan hitting the last regular-season home run there.
In the NLCS against Houston, the Cardinals won Game 5 to extend the series, helped by Eckstein’s clutch single and Pujols’ go-ahead homer. But Houston won Game 6 to advance to the World Series. After the season, Walker retired from baseball.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:47 (CET).