ST. LOUIS – Two of baseball’s most-storied franchises are set for battle this weekend at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis Cardinals will host the New York Yankees for a three-game series that begins Friday.
The Cardinals and Yankees have established themselves as the top title-leading teams in National League and American League history with a combined 38 World Series championships.
Just how dominant have both franchises been? A few fascinating facts help paint the picture.
- The Cardinals and Yankees have won 38 World Series titles. With 117 matchups of baseball’s biggest stage, the two franchises account for nearly one-third of all World Series championships.
- At least one of the Cardinals or the Yankees have participated in 54 of the 117 World Series matchups, competing in nearly 46% of all World Series.
- The Cardinals and Yankees have combined for 37 Most Valuable Player Awards. They have the most MVPs among their respective leagues and combine nearly 20% of all such awards in MLB history.
- The Cardinals and Yankees have combined for 94 Gold Glove Awards. They have the most winners among their respective leagues and combine for nearly 11% of all Gold Glove honors in MLB history.
- The Cardinals and Yankees have combined for eight Cy Young Awards. While neither lead their respective leagues, they have combined for nearly 6% of all Cy Young winners in MLB history.
- 169 players have taken the field as a hitter or pitcher for both the Cardinals and Yankees.
- 33 MLB Hall of Famers have selected Cardinals or Yankees as their primary teams.
What else to know ahead of Cardinals-Yankees series
Coming into Friday’s matchup, the Cardinals and Yankees both have players making strong MVP cases this year. New York’s Aaron Judge leads all of baseball with 43 home runs,, 89 runs scored and 93 RBIs. St. Louis’ Paul Goldschmidt leads the National League in batting average (.332), on-base percentage (.413) and slugging percentage (.614).
The upcoming series will mark a few friendly reunions. Matt Carpenter, who spent his first 11 seasons with the Cardinals, will make his first trip back as an opponent. He is enjoying a resurgence in the batter’s box, hitting .322 with 15 home runs and 36 RBIs through just 43 games this season.
Jordan Montgomery, who the Cardinals just acquired Tuesday from the Yankees in a last-minute trade deadline deal, will start Saturday’s game against the Yankees. He brings a 22-20 record and a 3.94 ERA over six seasons into his Cardinals debut.
Outfielder Harrison Bader, who was just dealt to the Yankees in the Montgomery deal, is sidelined with injury this weekend and will not play in the series. There is a chance he could be back at the ballpark in the visitor’s dugout. Bader provided steady defense for the Cardinals over the last six years along with a .246 batting average, 52 home runs and 168 RBIs over six seasons.
The New York Yankees lead the all-time regular season series against the Cardinals with a 9-3 record but the teams have only met outside of the Fall Classic four times prior to this series. Their only other time at Busch Stadium III came in 2014, the sendoff season for longtime shortstop Derek Jeter.
The Cardinals have had better luck against the Yankees in the World Series, winning three of five matchups, including the most recent head-to-head Fall Classic matchup in 1964.