Cardinals Announce 2026 Hall of Fame Class: Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and Bill Sherdel to Be Enshrined

The St. Louis Cardinals officially announced today their 2026 Hall of Fame inductees: franchise icons Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and pioneering pitcher Bill Sherdel. The trio will be honored during a special induction ceremony at Busch Stadium on Saturday, September 12, 2026, as part of the team’s annual Hall of Fame Weekend.

The announcement caps a historic voting period that saw fans and a select committee overwhelmingly select these three legends who helped define Cardinals baseball across more than a century of franchise excellence. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak called the class “a celebration of leadership, power, and grit — the very heart of what it means to wear the Birds on the Bat.”

Yadier Molina: The Captain Behind the Mask (Modern Era Player – Fan Selection)

Seasons: 2004–2022

.277/.327/.399, 2168 H, 176 HR, 408 2B, 1022 RBI, 777 R, 40.3 CS%, .726 OPS, 41.7 bWAR         (2226 Games)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball history, Yadier Molina spent all 19 of his big-league seasons (2004–2022) in a Cardinals uniform. The nine-time Gold Glove winner and 10-time All-Star anchored St. Louis’ pitching staffs while providing clutch offense and unmatched game-calling. Molina helped lead the Cardinals to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011, batting .333 with a home run in the 2006 Fall Classic and delivering one of the most memorable playoff throws in franchise history during the 2011 NLCS.

A St. Louis native by adoption, Molina finished his Cardinals career with a .277 batting average, 2,168 hits, 176 home runs, and 1,022 RBIs. His 41.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a Cardinal ranks among the highest in team history for a catcher. “Yadi wasn’t just a player — he was the soul of our clubhouse for two decades,” Mozeliak said. “His leadership and defensive mastery set the standard for a generation.”

Albert Pujols: “The Machine” Who Redefined Greatness (Modern Era Player – Fan Selection)        

Seasons: 2001–2011, 2022         

.326/.417/.614, 2156 H, 469 HR, 469 2B, 1397 RBI, 1333 R, 117 SB, 1.031 OPS, 88.7 bWAR         (1814 Games)

Albert Pujols needs no introduction. The first 11 seasons of his Hall of Fame career (2001–2011) were spent in St. Louis, where he became one of the most feared hitters in baseball. A three-time National League MVP (2005, 2008, 2009), 11-time All-Star, and six-time Silver Slugger, Pujols powered the Cardinals to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011 while capturing the 2001 NL Rookie of the Year Award.

In 1,705 games as a Cardinal, Pujols posted a slash line of .328/.420/.617 with 445 home runs and 1,329 RBIs — numbers that still rank among the most prolific in franchise annals. His iconic home run in Game 5 of the 2011 World Series remains etched in Cardinals lore. “Albert was the face of the franchise during one of its most successful eras,” said team owner William O. DeWitt III. “To have him and Yadi enter the Hall together feels poetic — two legends who retired side by side and now will be forever linked in red.”

Bill Sherdel: The Left-Handed Ace of the Roaring Twenties (Veteran Era Player – Red Ribbon Committee Selection)     

Seasons: 1918-1930, 1932

153-131, 3.64 ERA, 145 CG, 153 GF, 1.35 WHIP, 779 SO, 2450.2 IP (465 Games)

Bill Sherdel excelled as both a starter and reliever for the Cardinals. The winningest left-hander in franchise history, he ranks fourth among all pitchers with 465 games and 145 complete games, fifth with 153 wins and 2,450.2 innings, sixth with 243 games started and 11th with 153 games finished. Sherdel was the winning pitcher in the Cardinals’ first two National League pennant-clinching games, in 1926 and 1928, and started Game 1 of both World Series against the New York Yankees. Known for his tantalizing slowball, Sherdel won a career-high 21 games (tied for the most all-time by a Cardinals southpaw) with a 2.86 ERA in 1928.

Rounding out the class is Bill “Wee Willie” Sherdel, one of the most durable and effective pitchers of the Cardinals’ early golden era. The southpaw spent the majority of his 15-year career (1918–1932) with St. Louis, compiling a 153-118 record and 3.58 ERA in 13 seasons with the club. Sherdel led the National League in wins (21) in 1928 and twice finished in the top five in ERA. He was a key member of the 1926 World Series championship team, starting Games 1, 4, and 7 of the Fall Classic.

Sherdel’s 839 career strikeouts and 2,807 innings pitched for the Cardinals reflect an era when pitchers routinely logged heavy workloads. His steady excellence helped bridge the Dead Ball and Live Ball eras and laid the foundation for the Cardinals’ rise as a National League powerhouse. Though his name may be less familiar to younger fans, Sherdel’s contributions to the franchise’s first World Series title make his induction long overdue.

With this year’s inductees, the Cardinals Hall of Fame continues to celebrate the players who built the franchise’s unparalleled tradition of excellence — from the roaring 1920s to the modern dynasty years. As Molina, Pujols, and Sherdel take their places alongside Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, and the rest of the immortals, one thing is certain: Cardinals baseball is forever defined by greatness like theirs.

Cardinals Hall of Fame Members (58)

2026 Cardinals Hall of Fame Red Ribbon Committee (12)

Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum

The 8,000-square-foot St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village celebrates the rich history of baseball in St. Louis and the legacy of one of baseball’s most storied franchises.  Since its creation in 2014, the Cardinals Hall of Fame presented by Edward Jones, has inducted 55 former Cardinal players, coaches and executives.  The Cardinals’ museum collection is the largest team-held collection in baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with over 22,000 memorabilia items and hundreds of thousands of archived photos.  Fans can learn more about the museum at cardinals.com/museum.