Who is Bill Sherdel? The Forgotten 2026 Cardinals Hall of Fame Inductee

Every year, the St. Louis Cardinals induct several prominent figures in the organization's history to their Hall of Fame and have a ceremony to celebrate these figures. This year, both Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will be inducted. But there is a third inductee that nobody is talking about.

Pitcher Bill Sherdel is that inductee. He pitched 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, but is being overshadowed by Pujols and Molina. Of course, everybody is aware of the weight Pujols and Molina's names carry, but nobody is talking about Sherdel and his contributions to the Cardinals organization over his 15-year MLB career.

Who is Bill Sherdel?

Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sherdel was born in McSherrytown, Pennsylvania on August 15, 1896. He made it to the big leagues before there was a draft and before the days of the farm system.

The left-hander made his debut with St. Louis on April 22, 1918 at the age of 21. Over the course of his career, Sherdel was never an All-Star, but he was a consistent presence on the Cardinals' pitching staff.

His best season came in 1928, when he won 21 games and posted a 2.86 ERA. He even threw 20 complete games, which is unheard of in today's game, as pitchers don't typically go very deep into ballgames anymore.

The Cardinals won their first ever World Series title in 1926 against the New York Yankees, and Sherdel played a key role in getting that time to the Fall Classic, winning 16 games, posting a 3.49 ERA and throwing 17 complete games, with three of them being shutouts.

The left-hander was with St. Louis until the 1930 season, when he was ultimately traded to the Boston Braves. By then, he was towards the end of his career, but he ultimately came back to the Cardinals for one last ride in 1932.

The Braves traded him back to St. Louis and he got to finish out his career where he began it. He retired at the age of 35.

So, while Pujols and Molina are going to get a lot of attention, it's worth it for fans of the younger generations to know a little something about Sherdel and what he meant to the Cardinals. He was an innings eater back in the day and played a key role in St. Louis winning its first title.

He may not be the headliner of this year's Hall of Fame class, but he still is a prominent figure in Cardinals history.

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