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games above .500 · final standings
1996 MLB NL Central standings
The St. Louis Cardinals won the 1996 MLB NL Central division race at 88-74, 6 games ahead of the Houston Astros.
🏆How the 1996 playoffs went
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NL Central standings, 1996
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Streak |
|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals (STL) | 88 | 74 | .543 | - | 6-4 | L1 |
| Houston Astros (HOU) | 82 | 80 | .506 | 6 | 4-6 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Reds (CIN) | 81 | 81 | .500 | 7 | 7-3 | W1 |
| Chicago Cubs (CHC) | 76 | 86 | .469 | 12 | 2-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (PIT) | 73 | 89 | .451 | 15 | 6-4 | W2 |
Final standings.
Turning points
- The lead changed hands 32 times.
- The St. Louis Cardinals trailed by as many as 4 games on May 19, 1996.
- The St. Louis Cardinals took first place for good on September 3, 1996.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates won 11 games in a row from September 12, 1996 to September 22, 1996, the longest run of the race.
- The Houston Astros led by 3 games as late as June 10, 1996.
- The St. Louis Cardinals went 16-8 from August 31, 1996 to September 27, 1996, turning a deficit of 2.5 games into a lead of 7 games.
- The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 120 of the 176 days played.
- Five teams held first place.
- The St. Louis Cardinals spent 85 of the season's 183 charted days in first place.