ST. LOUIS – The 2023 calendar year marked a time of change in St. Louis professional sports.
St. Louis essentially doubled its professional sports portfolio (from two teams to four), and success didn’t always come where or when expected.
The St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues both navigated through relatively rare losing seasons and parted ways with several key players. The Blues also made a late-year coaching change.
St. Louis CITY SC burst onto the scene as the newest MLS team, enjoying the most sustained success among STL’s squads and riding a historic start to the playoffs before a disappointing end to year one.
And the St. Louis Battlehawks packed record crowds as the XFL reincarnated, though they found themselves just short of playoffs due to a tiebreaker.
That’s the short version of how 2023 unfolded for St. Louis’ big four. Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of key moments and developments for the Cardinals, Blues, Battlehawks and CITY.
January
Blues open the new year with a 6-8-0 record in January. Already struggling to gain ground from a slow start to the 2022-23 season, the Blues start weighing some decisions in roster construction.
Scott Rolen, the Cardinals’ starting third baseman from 2002 to 2007, is officially elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Jan. 24.
CITY SC and Battlehawks both open up training camps for their new seasons in the middle of the month.
February
CITY SC comes up victorious in its MLS debut, defeating Austin FC by a score of 2-1 in a tough road battle.
Battlehawks begin the season on Feb. 19 with a crazy comeback over the San Antonio Brahmas. They improbably score 15 points on two touchdowns in the game’s final two minutes for an 18-15 victory.
Blues make tough decisions to deal three veterans from the 2019 Stanley Cup title-winning roster. Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly and Ivan Barbashev all get moved before the trade deadline, netting two additional first-round draft picks and other assets. Playoff hopes are pretty much dashed after trades.
Cardinals report to spring training just after Super Bowl Sunday. On Feb. 16, the franchise learns that longtime catcher and broadcaster Tim McCarver died at the age of 81.
March
CITY SC builds on momentum from the season debut and wins its home opener 3-1 over Charlotte FC on March 3. By the end of the month, CITY SC makes MLS history with five consecutive wins to open its inaugural season.
Battlehawks set an XFL record in attendance on March 12, packing 38,310 fans into the Dome At America’s Center. Fans were treated to a 24-11 win over the Arlington Renegades.
Blues see some up-and-down results with some new faces in the fold, like Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrana. The most interesting game down the stretch comes on March 15, where goaltender Jordan Binnington shoved down Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Hartman after a goal and nearly incited a fight with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The NHL suspends Binnington two games over his actions.
Cardinals announce that top prospect Jordan Walker will crack the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training after an impressive audition. Thirteen players from the Cardinals compete in the World Baseball Classic. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar earns with a championship with Team Japan.
April
A dreadful start for the Cardinals, who finish April with a 10-18 record and winning only three of their last 13 games in their first full month. Manager Oli Marmol criticizes outfielder Tyler O’Neill for a baserunning blunder, building some early-season tension. Jordan Walker enjoys a 12-game hitting streak to start his career, but gets abruptly sent down at the end of the month. Another longtime Cardinals broadcaster, Mike Shannon, died at the age of 83 on April 30.
Blues officially get eliminated from playoffs on April 2. They finish the 2022-23 season with a 37-38-7 record for 81 points, tenth fewest in the NHL and their worst mark in nearly a decade and a half.
CITY’s historic winning streak comes to an end on April 1, but they build a cushion at the top of the Western Conference with key points in many games, including a 5-1 victory over eventual Eastern Conference top-seed FC Cincinnati.
Battlehawks lose their penultimate regular season game to the Seattle Sea Dragons on April 16, a key outcome to deciding playoffs. Battlehawks bounce back with a big 53-28 win on the brink of elimination, but it’s not enough to clinch playoffs as Seattle advances on a tiebreaker.
May
Struggles mount for the Cardinals, who drop a season-worst eight games between the end of April and an early-stretch of May. Willson Contreras, just one month into a five-year deal to be the Cardinals starting catcher and Yadier Molina’s heir, is temporarily removed from catching duties, adding to team frustrations. Cardinals find some momentum after the losing streak, winning 13 of 18, but they don’t manage to gain much ground in the standings. Adam Wainwright makes his debut for his sendoff season on May 6, needing just five wins for the 200 milestone.
At least 14 Battlehawks players earn invitations to NFL training camps, including lead quarterback and former Heisman runner-up A.J. McCarron.
Not much action for CITY compared to previous months, but they open the St. Louis-Sporting KC rivalry with a 4-0 win on May 20. j
June
The Cardinals-Cubs rivlary heads overseas for the first time with the division foes splitting the two-game series. Wainwright earns his 198th career win on June 18 and (at the time) seems on good pace for 200. Walker returns at the start of the month after some minor-league adjustments. Cardinals largely stumble, winning just 8 of 23 games.
Blues complete a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers for Kevin Hayes on June 27. One early proposal called to send defenseman Torey Krug over to Philadelphia to continue their roster overhaul, but Krug blocked the move with his no-trade clause.
CITY SC finishes the month just one game below .500, but keeps continues to pick up points despite injuries to key players Klauss and Eduard Lowen.
July
An action-packed month as the Cardinals brace for unprecedented times. Wainwright lands on the injured list on July 4 after three blowup outings, citing some shoulder discomfort. Rolen becomes enshrined in Cooperstown on July 23. Miles Mikolas plunks Cubs outfielder Ian Happ after an errant swing hit Contreras, leading to an ejection and an eventual five-game suspension. On July 30, the Cardinals begin a roster retool as trade deadline sellers, dealing pitchers Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton to contenders.
Blues stay committed to building from within due to limited cap space, but bring back one key Cup-winning piece, Oskar Sundqvist, with a one-year deal on July 12.
CITY misses an opportunity to host soccer legend Lionel Messi by just a matter of weeks, but stays atop the Western Conference. Roman Burki and Tim Parker represented the City Boys in the MLS All-Star game in mid-July.
August
A new month begins with trade deadline day for the Cardinals, and they complete a buzzer-beater deal to send Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles. Wainwright returns to the rotation as Flaherty and Montgomery depart, but he goes winless over five August starts, putting his hopes for 200 wins in serious jeopardy. Masyn Winn, another top prospect and close friend to Walker, gets his MLB call on Aug. 18. Tommy Edman enjoys walk-off hits in back-to-back games against the San Diego Padres near the end of the month.
CITY returns from a lengthy schedule break with a 6-3 home victory over Austin FC on August 20. It’s their highest-scoring game of the season and comes during one of the hottest nights of the year in St. Louis.
September
Cardinals officially drop their 82nd game on Sept. 15, ending a streak of 15 seasons above .500. They are officially eliminated from postseason contention days later, ending a four-year streak of extra baseball. Arguably the best moment of the tough season comes on Sept. 18. Adam Wainwright fulfills his quest for 200 career wins, firing seven scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in what eventually proved to be his last MLB start. Wainwright had gone 11 straight starts without a win before earning his 199th victory in Baltimore one week earlier.
Blues name Brayden Schenn as the franchise’s 24th captain on Sept. 19, earning the honor just before training camp and several months after the Blues traded their previous captain O’Reilly.
CITY SC begins to show some signs of exhaustion as their first regular season comes to a close, winning just two of six games. They do, however, clinch playoffs on Sept. 20 with help from others.
October
CITY clinches the top seed in the Western Conference on Oct. 4, and finishes the regular season with a 17-5-12 record. The 17 victories set an MLS record for most wins by an expansion team in their first season. CITY falls just two points short of setting the record for most points by an expansion team. Despite the accomplishment, some late-season struggles keep building up. CITY goes winless in October and drops its playoff debut at home to Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 29.
Blues begin the regular season with a 2-1 shootout loss in the season opener on Oct. 12 to the Dallas Stars, but win their home opener in reverse fashion two nights later against the Seattle Kraken.
Cardinals win their final game of the 2023 regular season on Oct. 1, finishing in a tie for MLB’s fifth-worst record at 71-91. Wainwright ends his career with a surprise at-bat and a huge ovation from tens of thousands at Busch Stadium.
November
CITY faces Sporting KC one more time on the brink of elimination from playoffs. Their first season comes to an end with a 2-1 road loss on Nov. 5. Burki earns honors as the 2023 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year on Nov. 9.
Blues rattle off dominant wins over recent Stanley Cup champions in the Colorado Avalanche (8-2 on Nov. 11) and Tampa Bay Lightning (5-0 on Nov. 14). In the Colorado game, Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich each collect hat tricks, marking just the third time in Blues history and the first since 1986 with two tricks in one game.
Coming off a season plagued by pitching problems, the Cardinals are aggressive in the early weeks of MLB free agency, adding three likely rotation pieces for 2024. Former Cardinal Lance Lynn and Mizzou alum Kyle Gibson sign before Thanksgiving and AL Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray joins just days later.
The XFL confirms the return of the St. Louis Battlehawks for 2024 and announces a merger announcement with the USFL that calls for a new football season to begin March 30 next year.
December
A tough goodbye as the Blues fire head coach Craig Berube, the only coach to lead them to a Stanley Cup title. He departs on Dec. 12 after the Blues’ season-worst fourth straight loss, with general manager Doug Armstrong defending it as a decision to get more out of his players. Drew Bannister takes over on an interim basis and has a 3-1-0 record through Dec. 23. Remarks from forward Jordan Kyrou on Berube draw some big boos from fans on Dec. 14 and leads to an emotional postgame presser, to which he follows up with a three-point night and cheers in a comeback win against Dallas on Dec. 16.
Cardinals trade O’Neill to the Boston Red Sox after back-to-back injury-riddled seasons, clearing a log jam in the outfield.
CITY SC completes its first offseason trade on Dec. 13, moving Jared Stroud and Lucas Bartlett to DC United.
One week and some change remain in the 2023 calendar year for the St. Louis professional sports scene. Videos attached above show look back at Craig Berube’s departure, Adam Wainwright’s sendoff and St. Louis CITY SC’s playoff experience.
Will the Cardinals and Blues bounce back from their inconsistencies for more success next year? Will CITY be able to maintain its momentum from year one? Will the Battlehawks continue to put St. Louis on the map as a town that loves football?
Those questions and many more will be answered in 2024. Happy holidays!