4 best seasons for a closer in St. Louis Cardinals' history

Jason Isringhausen - 2004

Jason Isringhausen is the all-time saves leader in St. Louis Cardinals' franchise history. He has 217 saves to his name while Lee Smith in second place has 160 saves. Izzy is the best closer in Cardinals' history, bar none. His 2004 campaign stands tall amongst his other seasons wearing the birds on the bat, though.

Isringhausen saved a National League-leading 47 games that year -- tied for second most in franchise history. He appeared in 74 games, finishing 66 of them. He threw a total of 75.1 innings in 2004, but he wasn't elected to the All-Star game, nor did he finish with any other accolades. Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Brad Lidge of the Houston Astros were the only two relievers to receive Cy Young votes in the National League that year, though neither eclipsed Isringhausen's save total.

Izzy finished the year with a 2.87 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.035 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 199, a figure 11 points higher than Gagne's. He struck out 23.1% of the batters he faced, and he walked just 7.5% of them. Hitters slashed .199/.265/.319 against the Cardinals' closer. He was virtually unhittable late in games. Isringhausen did blow seven saves that year, but he played a role in 65 of the team's 105 wins.

Isringhausen threw 11.2 innings in the postseason that year, and he allowed five runs across nine appearances. The bulk of his work was against the Houston Astros, and he logged three saves in the National League Championship Series that year. Fans of the Cardinals in the 2000s fondly remember Jason Isringhausen and his performances in 2004 stand amongst the greatest in franchise history for a closer.