St. Louis Cardinals are hitting full stride as October approaches

Like clockwork, the St. Louis Cardinals are hitting full stride under manager Mike Matheny, as October approaches.

Under the reins of Mike Matheny the past four-plus seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals have entered uncharted territory, which is saying a lot for this historic franchise, who have ten World Series titles, 19 total appearances in the Fall Classic, 13 division titles, and 28 total playoff appearances.

Matheny has added to the legacy, setting the record for most consecutive playoff appearances to start a career, until that streak ended in the 2016, missing the playoffs by just one game. His overall winning percentage as a Major League Baseball skipper is .563 as of Thursday, with a record of 538- 418, which is the best in the Majors (2012-16) since he took over, as well as an MLB best 43 postseason games over that same span.

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Unlike Tony La Russa, who had Albert Pujols in his prime, Matheny’s first season was without the (formerly) beloved slugger. Tack on the countless injuries Matheny has been faced with, especially to All-Star caliber and vital members of the squad, what he’s achieved on the baseball diamond is flat-out impressive.

The only accomplishment Matheny has yet to achieve is the biggest and most important. Winning the Fall Classic and hoisting a World Series championship trophy. Even with these amazing accomplishments, according to many fans, Matheny is on the hot seat. That’s ridiculous, not only because of his daunting records as skipper, but of the chemistry within his own clubhouse. Even when things get heated, like they (sort of) did when he and future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina got into it during the dog days of summer, the group still stayed tightly knit. They are a family, and families feud, at times.

Given an opportunity to stick around, which I believe his job is secure no matter what those keyboard warriors suggest, the Cardinals will win a World Series under Matheny’s guidance within the next five seasons. With the current format of the Major League Baseball playoffs — having 10 total participants — it’s much more difficult than ever to accomplish that goal.

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All one can ask for is putting yourself in position to compete for the ultimate prize and Matheny does that year in and year out. Once again, as September draws to a close, Matheny has his Redbirds in position to compete for another World Series title.

The Cardinals travel to Wrigley Field to face their hated rivals, the Chicago Cubs, with first place in the N.L. Central on the line this weekend.