If you walk into a bar in south St. Louis wearing a blue hat with a red "C" on it, you’re going to hear about it. Quickly. It’s not just a game; it's a century-old grudge that smells like toasted ravioli and Old Style beer. Honestly, being a fan of the birds on the bat means inheriting a specific list of enemies. Some of these grudges are born from proximity, others from heartbreak, and a few just because someone decided to kick a catcher in the face during a bunt play.
The North Side Obsession: Chicago Cubs
Let’s not kid ourselves. When anyone talks about st louis cardinals rivals, the conversation starts and ends with the Chicago Cubs. They call it the Route 66 rivalry or the I-55 series, but mostly it's just pure, unadulterated loathing. It’s been going on since 1885 back when they were the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Stockings. They actually tied a World Series back then because of a forfeit. Talk about a weird way to start a century of fighting.
You've got the geography, which is the obvious part. Chicago is the big, flashy city with the skyscrapers; St. Louis is the blue-collar hub with the Arch. But the real heat comes from the sheer volume of games. They’ve played over 2,500 times. Think about that. That is a lot of opportunities to get mad at a middle infielder for sliding too hard into second.
The 1984 "Sandberg Game" still haunts older Redbird fans. Ryne Sandberg hitting two home runs off Bruce Sutter—the guy who eventually went to the Hall of Fame in a Cardinals cap—to tie the game twice? Brutal. Then you have the 1998 home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. For one summer, the rivalry sorta turned into a bromance, but that was just a glitch in the matrix. By the time the 2015 NLDS rolled around, and Kyle Schwarber parked a ball on top of the scoreboard at Wrigley, the hatred was back in full force.
The I-70 Showdown: Kansas City Royals
This one is different. It’s like a sibling rivalry where the younger brother finally got a punch in, and the older brother never let it go. The 1985 World Series is the epicenter of this. Ask any Cardinals fan over the age of 50 about Don Denkinger.
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"He was out. Everyone saw he was out."
That’s basically the unofficial motto of the city. For those who weren't born yet, Jorge Orta was called safe at first base in the 9th inning of Game 6 when he was clearly out. The Royals rallied, won the game, and then absolutely crushed the Cardinals 11-0 in Game 7. It’s been decades, but that wound has never fully closed. Even though they play in different leagues, the natural "Show-Me State" friction keeps this alive. It’s about who owns Missouri.
The New Blood and Division Foes
While the Cubs are the "forever" rival, the intensity with other teams tends to ebb and flow based on who is actually good.
The Cincinnati Reds jumped to the top of the list around 2010. Remember the brawl at home plate? Brandon Phillips said he hated the Cardinals, Yadier Molina took exception, and suddenly there were bodies flying everywhere. It was chaotic. Johnny Cueto ended up ending Jason LaRue’s career with a kick to the head during that pile-up. That isn't the kind of thing you just forget over a handshake.
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Then you have the Milwaukee Brewers. Since they moved to the NL Central, they’ve been a constant thorn. In 2011, the "Beast Mode" Brewers and the "Happy Flight" Cardinals went at it in the NLCS. St. Louis won that one, but Milwaukee fans still treat every series against the Cards like it's the seventh game of the World Series. It's a proximity thing, too. It's easy for fans to make that drive up or down I-94.
Why St. Louis is the "Villain"
Sometimes, the rivalry isn't about a specific event. It’s about the "Cardinals Way." Opposing fanbases hate that phrase. They see it as arrogant. The Cardinals have 11 World Series titles—the most in the National League—and that kind of sustained success breeds contempt. When you’re constantly winning, everyone else in the division naturally starts looking at you as the final boss.
The 2026 Landscape: Trading Icons
It’s a weird time to be a fan in the Lou. As of early 2026, the roster looks nothing like it did even two years ago. The "fire sale" is real. Trading away Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Red Sox was a gut punch. But the biggest shocker? Seeing Nolan Arenado get shipped to the Diamondbacks just this week for Jack Martinez.
When your team is rebuilding, the rivalries feel a bit different. The Cubs are currently trying to flex their big-market muscles by signing guys like Alex Bregman and trading for Edward Cabrera. It’s frustrating for St. Louis fans to watch. For the first time in a long time, the Cardinals aren't the favorites in the Central. They’re the scrappy underdogs trying to find a new identity under Chaim Bloom’s prospect-heavy strategy.
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What Most People Get Wrong
People think a rivalry dies when one team is bad. It doesn't. If anything, it gets pettier. Even if the Cardinals lose 90 games this year, beating the Cubs in a random July series will still feel like winning the lottery for the fans at Busch Stadium.
There's also this misconception that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a "rival." They aren't, really. Sure, the Cardinals have a weird history of knocking them out of the playoffs (thanks, Matt Carpenter and Matt Adams), but that’s more of a "Dodgers problem" than a back-and-forth rivalry. A real rivalry requires mutual, year-round spite.
How to Follow the Rivalry This Season
If you’re planning on catching a game to see these st louis cardinals rivals in person, keep a few things in mind.
- Check the Schedule for Mid-Week Day Games: The Cubs and Cardinals love their tradition. Wrigley still plays a lot of day baseball, and there's nothing quite like a 1:20 PM start on a Friday to see the bleacher creatures in full form.
- Monitor the Trade Deadline: With the Cardinals in a "reset" phase, keep an eye on guys like Brendan Donovan. If he gets moved to a contender like the Giants or—heaven forbid—the Cubs, the dynamic shifts again.
- Watch the Prospects: Look for JJ Wetherholt. The future of these rivalries depends on how the new kids handle the pressure of the spotlight.
The reality is that baseball is better when these teams hate each other. Whether it's a blown call from 1985 or a trade in 2026, the friction is what keeps the turnstiles moving. St. Louis fans might be frustrated with the current rebuild, but the moment that blue jersey walks into the stadium, the record doesn't matter. It’s just about winning that one game.
To truly understand the depth of these conflicts, start by tracking the head-to-head records during the first half of the season. Pay close attention to the ERA of the new young pitchers like Richard Fitts when they face the Cubs' veteran lineup; these early matchups will define the "new era" of the rivalry.