Looking back on the last time the Cardinals finished under .500

World Series Hangover/The Death Of Josh Hancock

The season was already off to a rough start, as the Cardinals were playing an uninspiring brand of baseball on the heels of their 2006 title. But that was only the beginning of the team's woes. On April 29, tragedy struck when reliever Josh Hancock was killed in a car accident. Their game the next day against the Cubs was postponed and later rescheduled for a doubleheader on September 15.

From there, the Cardinals continued to struggle, ending the month of April with a poor record of 10-14. To honor Hancock's memory, the Cardinals added a black patch with the reliever's number 32 in the center on their left sleeve.

The Cardinals simply couldn't find consistency for most of the year, being unable to match their postseason magic from the previous year. Unlike this year, however, there were glimmers of hope. The team got hot in August and actually forced their way back into the conversation for an NL Central title. On September 7, they had Adam Wainwright on the mound to start a series against the Diamondbacks. They also came into that series a game over .500 and just one game back of first.

However, a three-game sweep began a nine-game skid that the Cardinals never recovered from, as they were ultimately eliminated on September 21 after falling to 71-82, securing their first losing season since 1999.