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The Cardinals fell to the New York Yankees 8-4 during a miserable three-hour, 12-minute slog. Spectators roasted in temperatures that soared into the upper 90s as their undermanned team plodded to another defeat.

Paid attendance was just 25,265 for a marquee weekend matchup that would have drawn more than 40,000 just a few years ago.

This was a jarring sight, totally unfamiliar to an entire generation of fans.

From 1998 through 2023, the Cardinals drew more than 3 million fans in all but one non-pandemic season: 2003, when the team drew 2.91 million.

The Cardinals鈥� success made them a marvel within the industry. Such massive attendance in such a small market was surreal.

Now, the franchise is enduring a reality check. Its attendance is plunging toward the bottom third in the sport. This is what Our National Pastime looks like in many lesser markets during most seasons.

This is why Bill DeWitt Jr.鈥檚 ownership defied the industry鈥檚 prevailing trend by seeking perennial contention for more than two decades. As this franchise proved by earning outsized fan support year after year, continually chasing playoff berths is good business.

This long-running success made DeWitt鈥檚 decision to pull the chute this season so baffling. Yes, the team had to cycle out a few bad contracts and sort its young veterans. Yes, revitalizing the franchise鈥檚 player development under new leadership would take time. True, the potential for labor trouble after next season clouds the future.

The Milwaukee Brewers keep proving it鈥檚 possible to contend year after year in flyover country by staying committed to success. For the Cardinals to back away by cutting payroll and settling for a transition season under lame duck management 鈥� that didn鈥檛 make sense, given the high financial cost of mediocrity.

Baseball was woven into the fabric of life throughout this region. From 鈥淲hiteyball鈥� through McGwiremania and the 16 playoff berths in the 2000s, the Cardinals remained a cultural focal point here.

DeWitt wisely eschewed the tank-and-rebuild model used by the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and others. He also declined to accept mere cyclical contention that is more common outside baseball鈥檚 major markets.

From 2000 to 2022, the Cardinals suffered just one losing season, a 78-84 finish in 2007. The Best Fans in Baseball became accustomed to their team contending every season. They did their part by digging deep to buy tickets and underwrite payroll.

Things were so good for so long that the biggest fan beef was a first-world problem: the lack of deeper playoff runs after the 2011 World Championship. Fans complained that the Cardinals were content to merely make the playoff bracket and hope for the best rather than go 鈥渁ll in鈥� to win.

Meanwhile, long-suffering fans in places like Pittsburgh and Cincinnati wished they had it so bad.

My experiences growing up as a fan in Motown and then working as sportswriter in other markets made me appreciate the Cardinals phenomenon.

Now those experiences make me wonder why ownership risked ending it.

My beloved Tigers won the World Series in 1984 with Sparky Anderson鈥檚 鈥淏less You Boys.鈥� They made the playoffs again in 1987 鈥� then they didn鈥檛 return until 2006, when the Cardinals upset them in the World Series.

Detroit has endured 15 losing seasons since that span, and attendance has dipped below 1.2 million several times. Pizza maven Mike Ilitch鈥檚 ambitious ownership produced a nice run in Motown, including four straight playoff trips, but more recently, the franchise suffered seven straight losing seasons.

After my career path took me to Kansas City after college, I saw that even a model small-market franchise could crumble. The Royals capped a run of impressive late 鈥�70s and early 鈥�80s success by winning the 1985 Don Denkinger World Series.

Then they didn鈥檛 make it back to the playoffs until 2014. They posted a losing record 19 times during that span, and their attendance bottomed out below 1.4 million. Kansas City got another championship parade in 2015, but it has enjoyed just one winning season since.

Then it was on to Baltimore, where I saw how even East Coast teams can go south. Oriole Magic culminated in a 1983 World Championship, then the O鈥檚 didn鈥檛 return to the postseason until 1996.

The franchise enjoyed sporadic breakthroughs over the decades, but it also suffered 25 losing seasons between 1986 to 2021. Attendance bottomed out below 1.4 million even before the pandemic.

Now, the Cardinals are threatening to travel a similar path as they fade from the chase for a third straight year.

We鈥檒l know soon enough if the DeWitts will recommit to achieving perennial playoff contention after suffering these revenue losses.

Until then, fans will keep asking the same questions fans of other downtrodden teams ask during the dog days of summer: Who wants to spend serious money to watch a team play meaningless baseball?