the bottom of the 10th inning of a 3–2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Matheny's first season as Cardinals manager was an overall success, finishing the regular season with an 88–74 record en route to capturing the National League wild-card game and qualifying for the postseason. The Giants defeated the Cardinals in the NLCS. 2013–14 On February 14, 2013, the Cardinals picked up Matheny's 2014 option. He surpassed the success of his first season by guiding the club in 2013 to a 97–65 record, the best record in the National League, and his first National League Central division title. The Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 3–2 in the NLDS and the Los Angeles Dodgers 4–2 in the NLCS for his first NL pennant. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Cardinals in the World Series in six games, with many similarities to 2004, when Matheny was also a key member of the team (as catcher)—the Cardinals finished with the best record in the NL, and the Red Sox likewise defeated the Cardinals in the World Series. However, in 2013, St. Louis lost four key players to season-ending injuries, including Chris Carpenter, Rafael Furcal, Jaime García and Jason Motte—rookies comprised half of the World Series pitching staff. On November 20, 2013, the Cardinals extended his contract for three more years through 2017. Making his first All-Star appearance as a major leaguer, Matheny was the National League manager in the 2014 game, which the American League won, 5–3. The Cardinals won the NL Central division title in 2014, their second consecutive title, and third consecutive playoff appearance with Matheny as manager. More trends continued as they eliminated the Dodgers from the playoffs for the second consecutive season, this time in the NLDS. Just like in 2012, the Giants eliminated the Cardinals in the NLCS. 2015 After defeating the Chicago Cubs 10–9 on May 4, 2015, the Cardinals sported an MLB-best 19–6 record, which was the best 25-game start for the club since at least 1900. Having won seven in a row, it established a career-high for Matheny. The Cardinals defeated the Cubs again the next game, 7–4, extending the win streak to eight. A 3–1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on May 17, 2015, secured the 300th win of his managerial career. In August 2015, Baseball America published that fellow managers and coaches in the National League rated Matheny the second-best manager in