Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak abruptly fired manager Mike Shildt soon after the 2021 season. The two had an ongoing dispute about the direction of the team.

Shildt pushed too hard, and Mozeliak sacked him.

And now here comes Shildt, back in St. Louis with his San Diego Padres for a four-game series with the Cardinals. The Padres are 74-58 in his first season as manager, and Shildt has led his team to terrific success (24-9) since the All-Star break.

With Shildt's steady and positive managing, the Padres have overcome substantial injuries and first-half inconsistency. And now he returns to St. Louis and the Padres have a chance to damage STL's already dim postseason hopes.

Are the Cardinals better off without Shildt? No. Does he get the last laugh on the team that fired him? Yes.