12 of the most anonymous Cardinal killers of the 21st century

These six hitters and six pitchers weren’t superstars, but they took on that role when they faced the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs | Jamie Sabau/GettyImages
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Jesse Winker

In 199 at-bats against St. Louis, longtime Cincinnati Red Jesse Winker holds a 1.007 OPS and a .352 average along with 11 home runs since 2017. Winker broke out across the league in 2021, hitting .301, but he had always done well against the Cardinals, batting .319 from 2017 to 2020. In 2023 with Seattle, Winker is hitting only .199 but has continued to clobber the Cardinals, netting five hits in 14 at-bats versus St. Louis.

Tony Watson

Of all pitchers with at least 50 innings against the Cardinals since 2001, reliever Tony Watson boasts the lowest ERA, at 1.93. Watson also has the second-fewest walks surrendered over those innings against the Cardinals, with 10, trailing only Ricky Nolasco’s eight in 61 innings. The longtime Pittsburgh Pirate retired with a career 2.90 ERA after the San Francisco Giants released him in 2021. 

Every team has opponents whom it can’t seem to solve, and these six players proved over their careers that they weren’t fazed when they faced the National League's most historically successful team.

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