The St. Louis Cardinals’ Worst Enemies

5 Hitters who Absolutely Kill St. Louis Cardinals Pitching

Ever heard the expression, “they’ve got your number?” It happens. Sometimes a hitter just gets on a roll against a certain team and never stops. Jim Thome never did when he hit against the St. Louis Cardinals. As a member of the Philadelphia Phillies (and, to a lesser extent, the Los Angeles Dodgers) Thome hit over .400, slugged over 1.000 and hit 18 homers against the Redbirds.

Sometimes the best thing to do is acquire the nemesis, which is what the Cardinals did at the 2009 trade

The St. Louis Cardinals are sure glad Jim Thome waved good-bye to his playing days. Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

deadline, sending a trio of prospects to the Oakland Athletics for rightfielder Matt Holliday. Holliday terrorized St. Louis Cardinals pitchers during his tenure with the Colorado Rockies.

Now, Holliday is doing his damage against more appropriate foes. His .450 batting average against the Chicago Cubs last year, for instance, was second highest to the Colorado Rockies’ D.J. LeMahieu’s .550. Oh, and did I mention the Cubbies drafted LeMahieu in 2009 and practically gave him away to Colorado in a 2011 multi-player swap? I’m sure that’s a big motivator.

Holliday and Thome may not be a problem for St. Louis anymore, but other hitters are rising to the occasion. Looking back those who had at least 25 plate appearances against the Cardinals last year, these are the guys we don’t want to see at the plate against the St. Louis Cardinals in key situations next year. Or in any situation, for that matter.