Better Know a Playoff Team: St. Louis Cardinals

I decided to just give 3 truths about the Cardinals.  Or did I?

1. Albert Pujols this season became the first player to post 3 seasons with an OPS+ of 185 or better by the age of 29 since Mickey Mantle posted his 3rd such season in 1958 at the age of 26.  Of the 8 players who have done the deed at least 3 times by the age of 29, only Joe Jackson is not in the Hall of Fame.

2. Manager Tony LaRussa's hair is actually a wig that is sewn into his hat.

3. At 17-4, Chris Carpenter has the highest single season winning percentage by a Cardinals pitcher since Dizzy Dean went 30-7 in 1934 (min 20 deciscions).  He fell short of Greg Maddux's .905 winning percentage in 1995 when Maddux went 19-2 in a shortened season.

The Cardinals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers starting tonight in L.A.  It is the 7th time the Cardinals have made the playoffs since 2000, but the first time since the won the World Series in 2006.  This will be the third time the Cardinals have faced the Dodgers in the playoffs.  Each of the previous 2 times the Cardinals made it to the World Series (1985, 2004) but lost.