2021 St. Louis Cardinals season

The 2021 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 140th for the St. Louis Cardinals of the Major League Baseball, a franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. It also was the 130th season for the Cardinals in the National League, and their 16th at Busch Stadium III. They advanced to the playoffs but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLWC Game. The season included a 17-game winning streak in September, which was the longest in franchise history.

Game log

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 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss       = Postponement Bold = Cardinals team member

Awards
The Cardinals became the first team to have five players win Gold Glove Awards: first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, second baseman Tommy Edman, third baseman Nolan Arenado, left fielder Tyler O'Neill and center fielder Harrison Bader.

Winning streak
In September, the Cardinals went on a franchise record 17-game winning streak. The streak started with two wins in St. Louis against the Cincinnati Reds, followed by three-game sweeps of the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, and continued with four-game sweeps of the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals won their 17th consecutive game in St. Louis against Milwaukee, marking the longest win streak in the National League since 1937 and longest in the MLB since the 2017 Cleveland Indians. The streak, which began on September 11, came to an end on September 29 with a 4–0 loss to the Brewers. The 17 straight wins for the Cardinals broke the previous franchise record of 14 consecutive wins in 1935. This 17-game stretch vaulted the Cardinals into a commanding lead in the NL Wild Card race, and helped them reach the 2021 MLB playoffs.

Gold Gloves
On defense, the Cardinals were the first team in MLB history to win five Gold Glove Awards. The five National League Gold Glove winners for the Cardinals were first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, second baseman Tommy Edman, third baseman Nolan Arenado, center fielder Harrison Bader, and left fielder Tyler O'Neill. Arenado won his fifth National League Platinum Glove Award in a row and first as a Cardinal, which is given to the best fielder in each respective league.

Rookie of the Year
St. Louis outfielder, Dylan Carlson was a nominee for the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Carlson finished third in votes for the NL Rookie of Year, behind Trevor Rogers of the Miami Marlins and Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds. India won the Rookie of Year, playing infield for a division rival of the Cardinals. In his first full season with the team, Carlson played in 149 games and hit for an average of .266 with 18 home runs.

Manager of the Year
Cardinal manager, Mike Shildt, was named a finalist for the 2021 National League Manager of the Year Award. Shildt received one first-place vote, and finished third overall behind San Francisco Giants manager, Gabe Kapler, and Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers. Kapler, who won the award, led his team to the best record in the MLB, while Counsell's Brewers won the NL Central division over the Cardinals. Shildt managed the Cardinals to a 90–72 record and playoff berth. This was Shildt's second nomination for NL Manager of the Year, having won the award in 2019.

Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging average Source:

Pitching
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; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts Source:

Major League Baseball draft
The 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on Sunday, July 11, and ended on Tuesday, July 13. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams.

2021 Draft Order

2021 Draft Tracker (StL Cardinals)