9 Hall of Famers who you might have forgotten were Cardinals

Cy Young

The man whose name adorns the annual award for the best pitcher in each league played for 22 years, with only two of them coming in St. Louis. But in Cy Young's short tenure with the team, he pitched to the elite level that those around the game had grown accustomed to seeing.

Young debuted in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders and was the only pitcher with a winning record on the futile 44-88 team, going 9-7 and ascending to the role of ace the next season, where he won 27 games. In 1892, Young led the major leagues with 36 wins and a 1.93 ERA.

After the 1892 season, MLB moved the mound back five feet, to the modern 60 feet, 6 inches, and his pitching stats predictably took a hit. Still, from 1893 to 1898, Young held a 168-94 record and a 3.35 ERA while displaying superior control, as he held a league-leading 1.7 walks per nine innings over that stretch.

Prior to the 1899 season, Spiders owner Frank Robison bought the St. Louis Browns and transferred the Spiders' top talent to St. Louis, including Young. The Browns were renamed the Perfectos and, with Young and fellow future Hall of Famers Jesse Burkett and Bobby Wallace, appeared poised for a contending season. But they only managed to finish fifth in the National League, with an 84-67 record. Young remained exceptional, working to a 26-16 record and a 2.58 ERA. In St. Louis, Young met catcher Lou Criger, who would be Young's favorite battery mate for the next decade after both had left the team.

The Perfectos were rebranded to the Cardinals in 1900, and Young failed to win 20 games for the first time in his career since his rookie season because of a bruised rib caused by a collision with the New York Giants' Ed Doheny. He finished the season 19-19 on a Cardinals team that ended the year with a 65-75 record. Young did his part when healthy, owning a 3.00 ERA and leading the major leagues with four shutouts and a 7.5 WAR.

Frustrated, Young jumped ship to the new American League and played with the Boston Americans. In seven years with Boston, Young held a 2.06 ERA and, in 1903, threw the first pitch in the inaugural World Series, which Boston won. In 1904, he pitched the American League's first perfect game, at age 37. It was the first perfect game since the mound had been moved back 11 years prior.

Young pitched eight more seasons, retiring in 1911 and holding a slew of records, many of which still stand today and are unlikely to fall, including 7,356 innings pitched and a jaw-dropping 749 complete games. His time in St. Louis saw him pitch to his usual brilliance, but the 1900 Cardinals failed to deliver around him, leading to Young's dissatisfaction and search for greener pastures.

The Cardinals' history is nearly unparalleled, and while these players did not spend their best years in St. Louis, they remain pivotal to the fabric of baseball and a nice little piece of trivia for the Cardinals faithful.