Astros–Cardinals rivalry

The Astros-Cardinals rivalry was a sports rivalry between the MLB teams the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. Although they began play less than a month into the Astros (then called Colt 45') existence in 1962, they weren't considered serious rivals in 1994 when they were moved in the same division. The rivalry lasted until 2012, when the Astros were moved to the American League.
History
The Astros Cardinals rivalry were one of the most intense rivalries in baseball in the 90's and 2000's, as one of the teams won the division from 1996-2006 except 2003. Several Astros players were upset that the Cardinals claimed they were NL Central Co-champs (they had tied for 1st at the end of the season, but did not play a tiebreaker because both teams had a good enough record to win the wildcard. The Astros won the division because they won the head to head record). They met in the postseason in 2004 and 2005, both times in the NLCS, where the Cardinals and Astros won, respectively. The rivalry was intense, but with respect from both teams. For example, Jeff Bagwell congratulated the cardinals for going to the world series after they beat him and the Astros in 2004. Although the rivalry simmered down after 2006 as the Astros were rebuilding, and especially after 2012 when the Astros moved to the A.L., many fans of both teams consider each other to the big rivals of one another.
 
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