Cardinals Just Hit 67-Year Low Amid Back-to-Back Losing Seasons

The St. Louis Cardinals officially will finish the 2026 Major League Baseball season below .500 for the second straight year.

St. Louis dropped its 82nd game of the year on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 2-1. Now, with three games remaining in the regular season, the best St. Louis can do is finish with an 80-82 record, if it sweeps the National League-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Last year, the Cardinals finished the season with a 78-84 record. The Cardinals are 77-82 right now and can at least surpass last year's mark. That would be positive, but the Cardinals are still in unexpected territory for the franchise.

Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat pointed out that this Cardinals team is the first since 1958-59 to put together back-to-back losing seasons in a full season.

"With today’s loss in Pittsburgh, the 25-26 Cardinals officially become the first (full-season) teams to post back-to-back losing seasons since 1958-59," Jones wrote.

It's Been A Tough Few Years For St. Louis

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That's pretty shocking. In 1994 and 1995, the Cardinals finished below .500. But there were 115 games in 1994 (53-61) and just 143 games in 1995 (62-81).

When you dig deeper it gets even more surprising. The Cardinals were very close to four straight seasons below .500. The run that St. Louis is on right now began in 2023 when the club went 71-91, despite winning 90 or more games in the previous two seasons. In 2024, the Cardinals scratched and clawed their way above .500 and finished the season with an 83-79 record.

So, right now, the Cardinals already are in uncharted waters. It's been almost 70 years since the last time St. Louis had back-to-back losing seasons. Those two extra wins in 2024 are the only things that are making this run not look even more historically bad by the organization.

Heading into the 2026 season, the expectations were that it wouldn't be a year to contend. The Cardinals traded Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray away and ripped the Band-Aid off towards a true rebuild. The farm system is great. Baseball America ranked it as the second-best in baseball. There are pieces who showed in 2026 that they are worth building around, like Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt and arguably Alec Burleson, among others.

There are pieces here that should give the Cardinals fanbase hope. But there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get this team back to contention. These last four seasons have been uncharacteristic for St. Louis. The Cardinals are a team that has forever been in contention. That hasn't been the case for years at this point. The Cardinals did a good job bolstering the farm system, but with four tough years behind the club, it's easy to wonder how long a leash the club has with the fanbase. Two straight losing seasons and four tough campaigns overall haven't happened much in Cardinals history. Or, at least not to this point.

The offseason is just days away for St. Louis. It's time to make a move and pair these young guys with a few veterans again and see if the streak can be snapped in 2027.

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