The Cardinals were robbed in 1981 as a result of the players' strike. They won more games during the regular season than any team in the National League East Division, but were denied a playoff berth because of the split season invention of Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in which the Redbirds finished second in both halves. They would not be denied in 1982.

The Cardinals started strong with an early 12 game winning streak and played consistently well all season, ending with a regular season record of 92-70. They did this by playing "Whitey Ball," which was based on playing fundamentally sound baseball relying on superior speed, defense, and pitching (especially in the bullpen, which was anchored by Bruce Sutter). The infield was by far the best fielding infield in the league, committing only 44 errors between them, and the running Redbirds drove many a team to distraction on their way to the World Series.