2013 World Series fact box

Here are some facts on the two MLB World Series competitors, St Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS

Manager: Mike Matheny

Stadium: Busch Stadium

World Series titles: 11 (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011)

2013 Regular season record: 97-65

How they qualified for the World Series: Won National League Central Division; beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 in the division series; beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in the NL championship.

* The Cardinals are one of Major League Baseball’s oldest and most successful teams. They have won the World Series 11 times, the most by any team in the National League, and second overall to the New York Yankees (27).

* Professional baseball began in St Louis in 1875. The team was originally known as the Browns Stockings, the Browns and the Perfectos before adopting the name of the Cardinals in 1900.

* After years of struggling, the Cardinals broke through to win their first World Series in 1926, their second in 1931, them a third in 1934, with a team that became know as the Gashouse Gang.

* Led by their star hitter Stan Musial, who set a string of batting records and was later elected to the Hall of Fame, they won three more World Series titles in the 1940s.

* They added two more titles in the 1960s and another in 1982 before enduring a 24-year wait.

* The last decade has been another golden era and this year marks their fourth appearance in the World Series in 10 seasons.

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BOSTON RED SOX

Manager: John Farrell

Stadium: Fenway Park

World Series titles: 7 (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007)

2013 regular season record: 97-65

How they qualified for the World Series: Won American League East Division; beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in the divisional series; beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the AL championship.

* The Boston Red Sox were a founding member of the American League in 1901 and won the inaugural World Series in 1903.

* Originally known as the Red Stockings, they changed their name to the Red Sox in 1908.

* They have been based at Fenway Park since 1912, making it the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball.

* The Red Sox won the World Series four times between 1912 and 1918 before entering one of the longest droughts in the sport, which became known as the Curse of the Bambino, after they traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.

* While the Yankees, their greatest rivals, went on an unprecedented run of success, winning the World Series a record 27 times between 1923 and 2009, the Red Sox had to wait 86 years for their next title.

* They broke the drought in 2004, coming from 3-0 behind to beat the Yankees in the best-of-seven American League championship, then sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series.

* The Red Sox won another World Series in 2007, their seventh overall, to be tied for fourth on the all-time list, before some lean years.

* In 2012, the Red Sox finished bottom of the AL East division with a record of 69 wins and 93 losses, their worst season since 1965, when they lost 100 games.

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