Cubs vs. Cardinals Tickets

Cardinals vs. Cubs Details

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs

With over two thousand games played between the two teams, the Cardinals and Cubs have one of the longest-running and most contentious rivalries in sports. The rivalry between the two teams is sometimes called the Route 66 Rivalry, after the historic road that runs between St. Louis and Chicago. Locals of the territory between St. Louis and Chicago (mostly southern and central Illinois) are divided in loyalty between the two teams: some root for the Cubs; others pick the Cardinals. This division among the fans living between the two ballparks leads to a large number of road-team fans at the ballpark for games between the two teams.

The Cubs and Cardinals have been playing each other for over a century. Their first game against each other took place in St. Louis in 1892. The Cubs have a slight edge in the head-to-head matchup over St. Louis, but the Cardinals have had more postseason success. They have 11 total World Series wins, including two since the year 2000. The Cubs have won just three World Series titles, but they recently snapped a record-long 107 year title drought and were World Series champions in 2016.

Historic Cardinals vs. Cubs Games

Home Run Race between Sosa and McGwire: Going into the 1998 season, Roger Maris held Major League Baseball’s record for home runs in a single season with 61. Though many fans expected Cardinals first baseman McGwire to compete with Ken Griffey Jr (who hit 40 home runs in a lockout-shortened season) for the home run crown, the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa hit a record 20 home runs in the month of June to nearly pull even with McGwire. McGwire hit his record-breaking 62nd home run in a game against the Cubs. The Cubs shook hands with McGwire as he rounded the bases, and Sosa came in from the outfield to congratulate him. Sosa passed Roger Maris later in the season and finished the season with 66 home runs. McGwire finished the season with 70 home runs.

Game 4, 2015 National League Division Series: Despite the long history between the two teams, it took until 2015 for the Cubs and Cardinals to play a playoff series against each other. The Cardinals came into the best-of-five series as the NL Central Division Champion, and the Cubs were the NL Wildcard team. The Cardinals shut out the Cubs in Game One, but the Cubs came back to win the next three games. St. Louis took a two run lead in the first inning, but the Cubs responded with four runs in the second and ultimately won 6-4. The Cubs advanced to the NLCS but lost to the Mets. But the Cubs’ playoff victory over the Cardinals marked a resurgence for the team. They were the best team in the National League the next season and won the 2016 World Series.

When do the Cubs play the Cardinals?

The Cubs and Cardinals are division rivals, which means they’ll play each other a lot during the season. Both teams play in the National League Central Division, and 76 out of the 162 games in an MLB schedule are played within a team’s division, so the Cubs and Cardinals will play about 18 games against each other each season.

The Cardinals play at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. The Cubs have played at Wrigley Field, one of the sport’s most famous ballparks, since 1916.