17-Year Record-Breaking Start for the Cardinals
**St. Louis Cardinals Defy Low Expectations with Strong 2025 Season**
The St. Louis Cardinals are making heads turn in the 2025 Major League Baseball season, defying initial expectations of a mediocre performance. As of the 85-game mark, the Cardinals are holding their ground with a record of 47-38, placing them in the third and final Wild Card spot.
If the season were to end today, experts would find it challenging to find another manager having a better season, given the low initial expectations. Manager Oli Marmol's performance this season has made him a solid contender for Manager of the Year.
The Cardinals' current record is their fifth-best in the past 20 years, a testament to their consistent performance over the years. However, direct comparison with specific records for past seasons through 85 games is challenging due to the lack of available data.
In the 2008 season, the Cardinals, led by Todd Wellemeyer's 134 strikeouts, finished with an 86-76 record, a comparable reference point for the current 2025 team. That year's rotation, while not spectacular, had Erick Fedde's K/9 rate of 5.5, which would place him near the top for the 2008 rotation, with the leader sitting at 6.3 K/9.
The NL Central in 2025 resembles the 2008 season, with four teams currently above .500. The Cardinals are four games behind the division leaders, the Cubs, who won the NL Central in 2008 with 97 wins.
The Cardinals' roster was not initially expected to be a World Series contender, but their current winning percentage of .553 ranks them fifth among Cardinals seasons since 2005. The team's solid offensive performance and improved pitching have kept them in the playoff race, closing out the month of June in the playoff race.
For those interested in more precise records for comparison, it is recommended to check official MLB statistics or the Cardinals' official website for detailed performance data over the past 20 years and their current 2025 season progress.
Sports analysts are now discussing the impressive American-football season of the St. Louis Cardinals, given their initially low expectations. In light of this, the National Football League (NFL) might find similarities with the Cardinals' trajectory and certain teams in college football (NCAAM), such as underdogs who exceed their predictions. Despite the success in the 2025 Major League Baseball season, it's worth mentioning that sports enthusiasts can find the same intriguing sports analysis in the NFL and NCAAM, especially when teams like the Cardinals defy initial assumptions.
