ST. LOUIS – Former St. Louis Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt, returning to Busch Stadium for the first time as an opposing manager, marked the occasion with a victory Monday evening. And it seems he has turned the page since his abrupt firing after the 2021 season.
Shildt spoke with several St. Louis media members at length ahead of Monday’s game, addressing his opportunities with the San Diego Padres and memories within the Cardinals organization.
One comment in particular, following a question from FOX 2’s Martin Kilcoyne, suggested he has no regrets about his time with the Cardinals.
“I haven’t lost any sleep with how I did for 18 years here,” said Shildt. “I can rest comfortably knowing that. I did my best to be a caretaker of the organization. Tried to do my part, put my little piece in. As I got more opportunities, the pieces became a little bit bigger. But I always wanted to do the very best I could, and I’ve had a pure heart for making sure this organization moved forward. I have a lot of peace with that.”
A longtime scout, minor league manager and assistant coach in the Cardinals organization, Shildt took over as manager of the big-league squad in July 2018 when the team parted ways with Mike Matheny. He then managed St. Louis to the postseason in each of his first three full seasons.
Shildt earned NL Manager of the Year honors in 2019 and fared 252-199 (.559 winning percentage) over parts of four seasons. In 2021, Shildt guided the Cardinals to a franchise-record 17-game winning streak in September, lifting a team that performed around .500 for most of the season to a NL Wild Card spot in the final week. He was also a NL Manager of the Year finalist, taking third place.
Despite that remarkable run, Shildt wouldn’t serve as Cardinals skipper much longer. He managed his final game on Oct. 6, 2021, a walkoff loss in a winner-take-all NL Wild Card Game. Shildt was fired eight days later over what Cardinals lead executive John Mozeliak called “philosophical differences.” Shildt says his dismissal caught him off guard and left him with a “broken heart.”
Shildt joined the Padres organization as a third base coach ahead of the 2023 season and was promoted to manager last offseason. San Diego is currently 75-58 with a strong odds of making this year’s postseason race, either via Wild Card or possibly an NL West division title.
Shildt’s successor, Oli Marmol, is managing his third season with the Cardinals. St. Louis won 93 games in 2022, his first season as manager. Marmol had a tough sophomore season with just 71 wins. The Cardinals have hovered around .500 for much of Marmol’s third season managing (currently 65-66) and are at risk of missing postseason for a second straight year, barring a strong September.
Marmol is 229-226 (.503 winning percentage) with almost three full years managing under his belt.
