The St. Louis Cardinals season ended over the weekend with a thud at Busch Stadium.
The Philadelphia Phillies swept the Cards out of the playoffs with a 2-0 victory Saturday night and a 6-3 win the day before. St. Louis gave up 6 runs in a ninth-inning collapse Friday.
The losses followed a regular season in which St. Louis won the National League Central Division, giving many fans hope that the team could once again achieve World Series glory.
A year of striking numbers
Slugger Albert Pujols became only the fourth player in major league history to hit 700 career home runs, and catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright set a record for starting combinations with their 325th game together.
But the success didn鈥檛 extend into the postseason against Philadelphia.
鈥淲e didn't beat ourselves. They beat us,鈥� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said shortly after his first season guiding the team came to an end in front of 48,515 fans.
That鈥檚 the largest crowd in playoff history at Busch Stadium, and not everyone in the stands went home disappointed.
鈥淚 mean, you鈥檙e in baseball heaven, watching two teams battle. I鈥檓 just glad we鈥檙e on the winning side for once," said Phillies fan Jon Wells, a student at St. Louis University.
He grew up near Philadelphia and vividly remembers 2011, when St. Louis knocked Philadelphia out of the playoffs.
鈥淲e are Cardinals fans, unless they鈥檙e playing the Phillies," Wells said. "We keep the allegiances close to home.鈥�
A time for Phillies fans
Philadelphia native Alex Hammell drove to St. Louis from Nashville for Saturday鈥檚 game, which he regarded as a typical performance for this year鈥檚 Phillies.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e the resilient Phillies. They don鈥檛 back out of games. They come back. The fightin鈥� Phillies we call them,鈥� he said.
Hammell was wearing a Phillies shirt in a sea of Cardinals red after Saturday鈥檚 series clincher.
Lisa DeWitt was in that throng of St. Louis fans. She and her husband, Bradley, drove from Iowa to spend their third anniversary weekend watching playoff baseball at Busch.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just diehard fans of the game,鈥� she said, noting a magical final season for Molina and Pujols.
鈥淲e could always say we saw their last all-time game at Busch Stadium. That鈥檚 something I鈥檒l always remember.鈥�
Somber departures
Molina has fond memories of Cardinals followers now that his career is over.
鈥淚 appreciate all the fans for all their support for many years,鈥� he said shortly after Saturday鈥檚 loss.
鈥淚鈥檒l miss them.鈥�
Pujols will remember his teammates. He admits the weekend was a disappointing way for his Hall of Fame career to end.
鈥淭he team that we had and the chance that we had this year to hopefully bring a championship, and it didn鈥檛 happen,鈥� he said.
As Pujols and Molina move on, St. Louis fans are reflecting on their accomplishments, while thinking about next season.
The Cardinals' first 2023 spring training game is Feb. 25 in Florida.
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