Stlcards - Ballpark

Ballpark

The Cardinals play their home games at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. Busch Stadium, also called Busch III, opened for the 2006 season at a cost of $346 million and can hold 46,861 people. Due to increased demand, Game 7 of the 2011 World Series accommodated a record 47,399 by increasing the number of standing room only tickets. The Cardinals finished their inaugural season in the new Busch Stadium by winning the 2006 World Series, the first team since the 1923 New York Yankees to do so. Outside of Busch Stadium stand numerous statues of former Cardinal players who are Hall of Fame inductees, including the iconic statue of Stan Musial in front of the third base entrance.

Busch Stadium is the Cardinals' fourth home ballpark and the third of that namesake. The Cardinals' original home ballpark was Sportsman's Park from 1882–1892 when they played in the American Association and were known as the Browns. In 1893, the Browns moved to a new ballpark five blocks northwest of Sportsman's Park which would serve as their home from 1893-1920. The new park was originally called New Sportsman's Park but became more commonly referred to as Robison Field. Midway through the 1920 season the Cardinals abandoned Robison Field and returned to the original Sportsman's Park and became tenants of their American League rivals, the St. Louis Browns. In 1953, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery purchased the Cardinals and the new owner subsequently also purchased Sportsman's Park from the Browns and renamed it Busch Stadium, later becoming Busch I. The Browns then left St. Louis for Baltimore after the season. The Cardinals built Busch Memorial Stadium, or Busch II, in downtown St. Louis, opened it during the 1966 season and played there until 2005. It was built as the multi-purpose home of both the baseball Cardinals and the St. Louis football Cardinals, now the Arizona Cardinals. The current Busch Stadium was constructed adjacently south, and partly on top, of the site of Busch Memorial Stadium.

The Cardinals home field in spring training is Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. They share the complex, which opened in 1998, with the Miami Marlins. Before moving to Jupiter, the Cardinals hosted spring training at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1937–1997.

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