Cardinals receive sobering message from MLB with their holiday schedule

It's been a shocking fall from grace for a team whose success led to a rocking stadium of more than 40,000 fans even on weekdays and a spot in the top 5 of attendance almost every single year. The St. Louis Cardinals currently rank 19th in league attendance at Busch Stadium in 2025, and the league has clearly taken notice.

In recent seasons, the Cardinals have been light on home games that take place on holidays, and 2026 will take that to the extreme, as MLB.com's John Denton pointed out that the Cardinals will be away from Busch Stadium on every major holiday that takes place during the baseball season.

This season, the Cardinals' only holiday home game will fall on Labor Day, when they host the Athletics. In 2024, the Cardinals were similarly blocked out of every holiday home game, playing every one of them on the road. And in 2023, the Cardinals only played at home on Memorial Day.

The Cardinals will play on their home soil on some baseball-themed holidays. They'll host the Cleveland Guardians on Jackie Robinson Day, the Texas Rangers on Lou Gehrig Day, and the San Francisco Giants on Roberto Clemente Day.

With the attendance at Cardinals games cratering to a level not seen in 30 years, it shouldn't be too surprising that Major League Baseball doesn't think it's worth placing any noteworthy holiday games in St. Louis. On Aug. 25, Busch Stadium III sank to its lowest announced attendance in its 20-year history, at 17,675, and there was plenty of scorn directed at those who had been christened the best fans in baseball.

The Cardinals will begin 2026 with an interleague matchup for the third consecutive season, this time at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. It will be interesting to see if Opening Day, traditionally a slam-dunk sellout, will have a leaner turnout than in in previous years.

The absence of games on holidays in St. Louis is a disappointment and a reminder of the drastic downturn of a once-proud organization. If incoming president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom can't whip the Cardinals back into shape immediately, expect Busch Stadium to remain desolate on some of the most meaningful days of future seasons.