Three memorable aspects of the Cardinals 2013 season

Michael Wacha's run

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the 2013 season was the emergence of Michael Wacha. He made his MLB debut in May of 2013 but kept going back and forth between St. Louis and Memphis.

By September, he was in St. Louis again and he was there to stay. He came just one out short of a no-hitter against the Nationals on September 24, which ended up being a harbinger of things to come.

With the Cardinals facing elimination in the NLDS against the Pirates, Wacha took the ball in Game 4 against Charlie Morton. With Wacha having no postseason experience whatsoever, the odds were stacked against the Cardinals.

But he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and allowed just one run on a Pedro Alvarez home run. The Cardinals won 2-1 to set up Wainwright's dominant performance in the clinching Game 5.

Fast forward to the NLCS, and Wacha pitched two gems against the Dodgers, not allowing a single run as he won Games 2 and 6. Even more impressive was the fact that he did it against Kershaw, twice.

When the Cardinals finished off the series, Wacha was named the NLCS MVP. He went on to win Game 2 of the World Series against the Red Sox as well.

He couldn't save the Cardinals in Game 6, but the team wouldn't have even made it to the World Series if not for him.