By ,
Published January 13, 2015
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Cardinals revealed on Wednesday they have agreed to a three-year contract extension with manager Mike Matheny.
"I've always taken the position that the best way to operate a franchise and maintain continuity is to maintain the core personnel responsible for our success," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said at a press conference announcing the deal. "Whether it's on-field, front office, elsewhere, we've tried to do that through the years and this is another example of that."
Hired in November of 2011 shortly after the Cards claimed their latest of 11 World Series titles and then-manager Tony La Russa announced his retirement, Matheny has guided St. Louis to a 185-139 record and last year's NL Central crown in two seasons at the helm. That includes a pair of playoff berths -- a loss in the 2012 NLCS to eventual champion San Francisco and a six-game defeat to the Boston Red Sox in the 2013 Fall Classic.
"I do love what I do, but to do it here in a place I call home is extremely special. I'm very grateful," Matheny said. "You come in and try to do your job and want to try to represent the organization as a whole the best you can. Fortunately, we've had a group of guys who've played extremely well in the two years I've been here."
Matheny played in the majors for Milwaukee, Toronto, St. Louis and San Francisco from 1994 through the 2006 season. A four-time Gold Glove winner, he was a career .239 hitter with 67 home runs and 443 RBI in 1,305 games.
Also on Wednesday, the Cardinals announced the retirement of pitcher Chris Carpenter.
The 38-year-old right-hander has been sidelined for the bulk of the last two seasons thanks to troubles with his throwing shoulder, which had been surgically repaired to deal with a nerve-related issue.
"We wish Chris all the best, and I'm hopeful we'll identify a future role that will allow the organization to utilize his valuable insights," said Cards GM John Mozeliak.
Carpenter, a three-time All-Star, won the Cy Young in 2005 and after missing large chunks of the 2007 and '08 campaigns due to ongoing elbow problems, returned in 2009 to finish 17-4 with a career-best 2.24 earned run average and claim the Comeback Player of the Year award. He was also a major contributor in helping St. Louis to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.
Over his 15-year career, Carpenter has pitched more than 2200 innings in amassing a 144-94 overall record and a career 3.76 ERA with the Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/cardinals-extend-matheny-through-2017