Top 10 facts about 90-win Cardinals teams:
_ The 2011 Cardinals are the 29th team in franchise history to win 90 or more regular-season games since 1900.
_ With 29, the Cardinals rank third in the National League in most 90-win seasons since 1900, following the Giants (41) and Dodgers (32), and just ahead of the Pirates (27).
_ In his 16 seasons as Cardinals manager, Tony La Russa has led seven teams to 90-win seasons. All made the postseason. Those seven are: 2000 (95-67), 2001 (93-69), 2002 (97-65), 2004 (105-57), 2005 (100-62), 2009 (91-71) and 2011 (90-72).
_ It’s been 40 years since a Cardinals team won 90 games and failed to qualify for the postseason. The 1971 Cardinals, managed by Red Schoendienst, were 90-72 and finished second to the Pirates (97-65) in the six-team National League East. The Cardinals had the same record as the NL West champion Giants and would have qualified for the postseason if a wild-card spot existed then.
_ Eight 90-win Cardinals teams failed to qualify for the postseason. Besides the 1971 Cardinals, the other seven played before the National League was broken into divisions. Those seven Cardinals teams: 1927 (92-61), 1935 (96-58), 1939 (92-61), 1941 (97-56), 1945 (95-59), 1949 (96-58) and 1963 (93-69).
_ Ten Cardinals teams have won World Series championships. Only two didn’t win 90 games in the regular season: 1926 (89-65) and 2006 (83-78).
_ The most dominant stretch of 90-win Cardinals seasons occurred from 1939-1946. The Cardinals had seven 90-win teams in those eight years: 1939 (92-61), 1941 (97-56), 1942 (106-48), 1943 (105-49), 1944 (105-49), 1945 (95-59) and 1946 (98-58). Next best are the La Russa teams that had five 90-win seasons in a six-year stretch from 2000-2005.
_ Since their 92-61 season in 1927, the longest period the Cardinals have gone without a 90-win season was 13 years: 1950 through 1962. The 1952 Cardinals came close, finishing 88-66 after losing their last two games of the season.
_ The 1944 Cardinals reached 90 wins sooner than any other in franchise history. On Aug. 28, 1944, the Cardinals improved to 90-30 with a 3-2 win over the Reds behind a three-hitter by Mort Cooper.
_ The 2011 Cardinals are the only team in franchise history to win its 90th on the last day of the regular season.
