The Cardinals will renew a red-white-and-blue rivalry July 4 when they play the Reds.
Since 1900, the Cardinals and Reds have played 34 games (including 13 doubleheaders) against one another on July 4. The Reds have won 19 of those and the Cardinals, 14. One ended in a tie.
All but six of those games were played before 1949. In the six times the Cardinals and Reds have played one another on Independence Day since then, St. Louis has won only once.
In the most recent July 4 matchup between the Reds and Cardinals, starting pitcher Micah Owings got the win and hit a home run in Cincinnati’s 5-2 victory in 2009. Boxscore
(Update: The Cardinals beat the Reds, 1-0, on July 4, 2011. Cincinnati leads 19-15-1 in Cardinals-Reds games played on Independence Day since 1900).
Here is a look at some of the most notable Cardinals games against the Reds on July 4:
_ 2000, Cardinals 14, Reds 3: Jim Edmonds hit two home runs and had four RBI, but backup catcher Keith McDonald stole the show. Pinch-hitting for Edgar Renteria in the eighth, McDonald belted a homer in his first big-league at-bat. Boxscore
_ 1998, Reds 5, Cardinals 4: The Cardinals led by scores of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3, but Cincinnati broke a 4-4 tie with a run in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Rich Croushore. Boxscore
_ 1972, Reds 6, Cardinals 1: St. Louis right-hander Scipio Spinks was 5-4 with a 2.33 ERA and ranked third in the National League in strikeouts, behind Steve Carlton and Tom Seaver. On a rainy Independence Day in Cincinnati, Spinks was on first with one out when Luis Melendez doubled. Spinks, ignoring the stop sign from third-base coach Vern Benson, scored but tore ligaments in his right knee when he collided with catcher Johnny Bench. Boxscore Spinks needed knee surgery and missed the rest of the season.
_ 1967, Reds 1, Cardinals 0: Gary Nolan pitched a three-hit shutout for Cincinnati, winning a duel with Larry Jaster. The lone run scored in the ninth, when Deron Johnson doubled in Pete Rose from second base. Boxscore
_ 1964, Reds 3, Cardinals 2: In the ninth, Billy McCool, 19, a left-hander, struck out Bill White, Charlie James and Tim McCarver, stranding the tying run at second and preserving the win for Cincinnati starter Jim O’Toole. Boxscore
_ 1948: Cardinals 8, Reds 1 (Game 2): After going 3-for-5 in the opener (8-6 Reds win), Stan Musial went 3-for-5 with four RBI in the second game. Boxscore
_ 1937: Cardinals 1, Reds 0 (Game 1): Dizzy Dean pitched the shutout and Leo Durocher drove in the run. Boxscore
_ 1936: Reds 10, Cardinals 9 (Game 2): St. Louis led 6-0 after three innings and 9-4 after seven. But Cincinnati scored a run in the eighth, four in the ninth and one in the 10th. The last two Reds runs came against Dizzy Dean, who relieved in the ninth (just two days after he had earned a complete-game win against the Pirates). Cincinnati had 18 hits and no home runs. Boxscore
_ 1930: Cardinals 15, Reds 4 (Game 1): Charlie Gelbert went 3-for-4 with five RBI for St. Louis. In the second game, a 6-2 Cardinals victory, the shortstop drove in two more runs. Boxscore
