ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals are set to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a best-of-three Wild Card series this weekend.
Major League Baseball's 'Wild Card' was first established in 1994, but first used in the 1995 playoffs. The number of MLB teams continued to grow and there became three divisions per league and a Wild Card team was added to postseason play.
The Wild Card postseason field has changed numerous times throughout the years, changing from the best record by a non-division-winner to a one-game playoff to a best-of-three opening round.
The St. Louis Cardinals have made the playoffs as a Wild Card team twice in the pre-2012 era of one wild card team per league by having the best record by a division runner-up in the National League.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been a part of four Wild Card showdowns in the expanded history: 2012, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Here is a look back at the Cardinals' Wild Card postseason history:
2001 Postseason
The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the Wild Card seed with a record of 93-69, tying with the Houston Astros, who were in the NL Central until 2013.
The Cards played the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, the opening round at the time, in a best-of-five series.
The two teams faced off, going to a decisive Game 5. Cardinals lost that elimination game 2-1 in Phoenix, ending their season. The Diamondbacks went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.
2011 Postseason
The Cardinals fairytale-like story started well before the 2011 playoffs. Their fate came down to Game 162 of the regular season with the Wild Card spot still up for grabs.
St. Louis beat the Houston Astros and ended the season 90-72 while the Atlanta Braves, also fighting for a postseason bid, lost their final game and ended their season 89-73.
After sneaking into the playoffs, the Cardinals met the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS in the best-of-five matchup. The Wild Card Cardinals went on to beat the 102-60 team in five games.
The story didn't end there. The Cardinals continued their journey through the NLCS, beating the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in six games to move on to the World Series.
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers in seven games to win the 2011 World Series Championship at Busch Stadium. As one of the most memorable World Series, the Cardinals became the fifth Wild Card team to win the World Series, at that time.
2012 Postseason
The first season of the expanded, two Wild Card era saw the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals enter the postseason as the fifth seed, facing off against the Atlanta Braves in a Wild Card game.
The stage was set for a one-game playoff to determine who would move on to the National League Division Series.
The one-game matchup saw St. Louis win over Atlanta in a 6-3 win after a controversial infield fly ruling in the eighth inning.
Andrelton Simmons hit a routine fly ball to shallow left field, and left-field umpire Sam Holbrook had signaled for an infield fly, meaning a catch or not, Simmons would be called out. Even though Matt Holliday and Pete Kozma did not catch the ball, Simmons was called out.
Atlanta committed three errors during the game and the Cardinals used it to their advantage.
In the end, the Cardinals went on to win the game and move on to face the No. 1 seed Washington Nationals in the NLDS. The Cardinals ended that series with a dramatic, four-run rally in the ninth inning to eliminate the Nationals.
Their run came to an end at the hands of the 2012 World Series champion San Fransico Giants in the National League Championship Series, where they lost in Game 7.
2020 Postseason
The Cardinals made the postseason four other times by claiming the NL Central championship before returning to the Wild Card matchup in 2020.
The postseason field was expanded to eight teams per league during the COVID-19 shortened season.
Each team played in a Wild Card Series, which was expanded to a best-of-three matchup.
The Cardinals entered play as the fifth seed in the National League, playing against the fourth-seeded San Diego Padres.
In Game 1, The Cardinals' offense produced a four-run first inning to lead off against the Padres. They eventually won in San Diego, 7-4.
Games 2 and 3 did not go the Cardinals' way, they lost 11-9 and were shutout 4-0 to end the season.
The Padres moved on to face eventual 2020 World Series winner, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and were swept in a best-of-five series.
2021 Postseason
Postseason play returned to the pre-2020 format with two Wild Cards in each league facing off in a one-game matchup.
After a 17-game win streak boosted the Cardinals' playoff chances, they were able to claim the second NL Wild Card spot and reach the 2021 postseason.
The fairytale-like story ended quickly for the Cardinals as they played the 2020 World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The game was tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning when the Dodgers' Chris Taylor hit a walk-off, two-run homer to send the Dodgers to the NLDS and the Cardinals into the offseason.
The Dodgers went on to the NLCS but lost to eventual World Series winner, the Atlanta Braves.
2022 Postseason
The 2022 postseason will start on Friday, Oct. 7, as the St. Louis Cardinals will host the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium in a best-of-three matchup.
MLB added a third wild card team in each league for the 2022 season. The top two division winners in each league receive a bye into the Division Series, while the lowest-seeded division winner and three Wild Card teams play in the best-of-three matchup.
The Cardinals enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed, taking on the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Phillies. This is the first time the Cardinals have played the Phillies in the playoffs since the 2011 NLDS matchup.
While the Phillies hold the edge in regular-season play versus the Cardinals, the team is ready to give one last ride to Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols in postseason play.
