The St. Louis Cardinals have parted ways with manager Mike Shildt, the team announced on Thursday.
The move comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the Cardinals had an impressive second-half surge in 2021 that resulted in an NL Wild Card berth. St. Louis was 52-52 at the All-Star break – but they only lost 20 games for the rest of the season, at one point compiling a 17-game win streak.
The Cardinals lost in the Wild Card game to the Dodgers, but the situation seemed promising enough to keep the status quo. Management apparently felt differently.
Cardinals president John Mozeliak cited “philosophical differences” and noted that the decision involved “something that popped up recently” in a press conference on Thursday.
Shildt had managed the Cardinals since the 2018 season, when he took over as interim manager after the team parted ways with Mike Matheny halfway through the season. He had come up through the St. Louis organization, having gotten his managerial start with the Johnson City Cardinals (AA) in 2009.
He compiled a 252-199 record in three-plus seasons at the helm.
