Pujols Deserves More Gold Glove Credit

For eight straight seasons - from 2004 through 2011 - the National League's best defensive first baseman was a player better known for his offensive prowess:  Albert Pujols.  Certainly, Pujols was one of the greatest sluggers of all-time during his 11-year reign in St Louis, but he also happened to be the best defensive first baseman the Cardinals have employed since Keith Hernandez was traded away over 30 years ago.

As we have observed time and time again, the best defensive player at any given position is often passed over when the Gold Glove Awards are doled out.  Such was the case with Pujols, who received his first Gold Glove in 2006, then another in 2010.  That leaves six seasons unaccounted for - when players of lesser defensive prowess managed to claim the award.  Understandably, it's difficult for a player to be chosen in their first season at a position; still, the defensive metrics are clearly indicating it was Phat Albert - not Todd Helton, nor Derek Lee, nor Adrian Gonzalez nor Joey Votto - who should have bagged the Gold Glove Award each and every season between '04 and '11. 

Pujols' Range Factor and Defensive Runs Saved - Compared to League Avg & GG Winner is listed below for all eight seasons in question:

Yr   Pujols' Range Factor vs NL Avg (Run Differential)       GG Winner & RF & Run Dif

'04         10.57       vs 9.51    (+15)                                             Todd Helton         10.22      (+10)

'05         11.22       vs 9.65    (+9)                                               Derek Lee              9.38        (-4)

'06         10.55       vs 9.43    (+14)  GG

'07         9.84         vs 9.21    (+25)                                              Derek Lee              8.84         (-1)

'08         10.61       vs 9.34    (+18)                                              Adrian Gonzalez    9.12        (+1)

'09         10.84       vs 9.29    (+12)                                              Adrian Gonzalez    9.00        (+12)

'10         10.53       vs 9.23     (-3)    GG

'11         10.13       vs 9.33     (+7)                                               Joey Votto              9.54        (+7)

Funny how those Gold Glove Awards work sometimes.  2010 was actually a sub-par defensive season for Pujols, so naturally, he wins the Gold Glove Award.  There may have been a better candidate that year, but when you consider the larceny Derek Lee pulled off in two different seasons, we'll let this one slide.

When Albert flew the coop in 2012, his defensive prowess took a bit of a downward spike, which continued over the next two injury-plagued seasons for the now aging first baseman/DH.  It's unlikely he'll spend enough quality time at first base over the remainder of his career to qualify for another Gold Glove Award.  If he does win another, it's more likely his defensive metrics will be closer to Derek Lee's than the younger version of himself.

October 28, 2011 - The St Louis Cardinals are World Champions!

Friday, October 28, 2011 - World Series - Game Seven vs Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium III - Attendance:  47,399 - Starting Pitchers:  Chris Carpenter vs Matt Harrison

After the Game Six miracle finish, the Cardinals could hardly wait to get back in action again - especially with their ace - Chris Carpenter - on the mound again.  Prior to the start of this game, manager Tony LaRussa gave his players a bit of a motivational speech - making sure they were focused on the business at hand:  Winning Game Seven and not dwelling on what transpired the previous night.

In the other clubhouse, Texas manager Ron Washington tried to rally his team, after that devastating Game Six loss, with a humorous, profanity-laced monologue designed to erase the memory of what happened - so they could focus on the business at hand:  Trying to avoid losing Game Seven.

The Rangers got off to a fast start off Carpenter - when Ian Kinsler started the game with a single to left field.  Then, with Elvis Andrus batting, Cards catcher Yadier Molina quickly noticed that Kinsler had strayed too far off the bag for his own good.  A snap throw to Pujols ended Kinsler's brief stint on the bases.  However, Carpenter was still having trouble with his command, as Andrus drew a base on balls - then back-to-back doubles by Josh Hamilton and Michael Young put Carpenter and the Cardinals in a 2-0 hole.

However, as quickly as Carpenter found himself in trouble, he found a way out - first, by striking out the dangerous Adrian Beltre, then by retiring Nelson Cruz on a ground ball to the legendary David Freese.

Although the Rangers had a couple of runs on the board, they certainly felt like they'd missed a chance for a really big inning - much like what happened the previous night - when they had so many chances to score runs in bunches - but just couldn't get the big hit when they needed it.

Little did they know, those two first-inning runs would be the extent of their offensive production in Game Seven.

The Cardinals evened the score in their half of the first.  After a pair of two-out walks to Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman - David Freese did it again - sending the crowd into an early frenzy with a two-run double to left field - giving him five RBI in his last three trips to the plate - all extra base hits:  Triple, home run and a double.

With the injured Matt Holliday out of the lineup, his replacement - Allen Craig - put the Cardinals on top to stay with a third-inning solo home run to right field:  3-2.

Two innings later, facing reliever Scott Feldman, Craig drew a one-out walk to start a two-run rally.  Next up - Pujols - was hit by a pitch - putting runners on first and second for Berkman - who grounded out to the right side, advancing the runners to second and third.  Feldman wanted no part of Freese, so he was given an intentional walk - to load the bases.  Unfortunately for Feldman, he then issued an unintentional walk to Molina, forcing in Craig from third - scoring the fourth run of the game for St Louis.

In a desperate attempt to stop the inevitable, Washington brought in C.J. Wilson from the bullpen to face Rafael Furcal - but his first pitch was nowhere near the plate - instead,hitting Furcal on the leg - bringing home Wilson's future teammate Pujols with the fifth run of the game for the Redbirds.

It was still a 5-2 Cardinal lead when David Murphy began the seventh-inning with a ground-rule double off a tiring Carpenter.  LaRussa made his first call to the bullpen - bringing in Arthur Rhodes to pitch to Yorvit Torrealba - as Carpenter triumphantly exited to a rousing standing ovation.

Rhodes got his man, giving way to Octavio Dotel, who retired both Kinsler and Andrus to end the threat.

Leading off the bottom of the seventh - facing reliever Mike Adams - was the great Albert Pujols - making his final plate appearance in a Cardinal uniform.  After another standing ovation, an emotional Pujols swung at all five pitches thrown to him - striking out on the last one.  Most of the fans at the ballpark probably expected to see Pujols return - certain their hero would be content to stay loyal to the only franchise he had ever been associated with.  The fact that he left for more money than the Cardinals were willing to pay still bothers many fans - to the point of absurdity.  Get over it.  Just be thankful for the 11 Hall of Fame-caliber seasons he had in St Louis - and for the two World Series championships that never would have happened without his presence in the lineup.  For example:  This one.

After Albert retreated back to the dugout, Berkman reached on an infield hit to the shortstop - bringing Freese to the plate - and naturally, he was given nothing to hit - so he walked again.  Molina then drove in the sixth and final run of the game - scoring Berkman from second on a base hit to center.

Meanwhile, Lance Lynn - who was hit so hard in Game Six - pitched a perfect eighth-inning - setting the stage for Jason Motte to close out this championship season with a flourish.  He too, was perfect - retiring the last Ranger batter to get on base - Murphy - who led-off the seventh-inning with a double.

This time, Murphy's line drive to left was hauled in by a back-peddling Allen Craig - to cap off this improbable championship season for the Cardinals.  As FOX broadcaster Joe Buck proclaimed, "What a team!  What a ride!  The St Louis Cardinals are World Champions!"

To no one's surprise, David Freese was voted World Series Most Valuable Player - but this was truly a team effort.  Offensively, five players had MVP-worthy performances:

Berkman - .423/.516/.577 - 1 HR - 5 RBI
Craig -       .263/.417/.737 - 3 HR - 5 RBI
Freese -      .348/.464/.696 - 1 HR - 7 RBI
Molina -     .333/.414/.417 - 0 HR - 9 RBI
Pujols -       .240/.424/.640 - 3 HR - 6 RBI

Pitching standouts:

Carpenter -     2-0 - 19.0 IP - 2.84 ERA
Garcia -          10.0 IP - 1.80 ERA
Rhodes -         1.0 IP - 0.00 ERA
Rzepczynski - 2.2 IP - 0.00 ERA
Westbrook -    1-0 - 2.0 IP - 0.00 ERA

Had the Rangers managed to win the World Series, Mike Napoli would have surely been MVP with these numbers:  .350/.464/.700 - 2 HR - 10 RBI

Interestingly, in the stolen base department, the Cardinals were 0 for 3 - the Rangers were 1 for 3 (Kinsler's ninth-inning theft of second base in Game Two - which helped Texas win by a 2-1 score).

Otherwise, Freese's Game Six walk-off home run would have been a World Series ending walk-off home run - joining Bill Mazeroski and Joe Carter in that elite category.

Finally, this would prove to be LaRussa's last game as manager of the St Louis Cardinals.  He was at the helm for the greatest resurgence in franchise history - which has continued with his successor - the most frequently second-guessed manager in franchise history - Mike Matheny - at the helm.

2015 should be an interesting and challenging season - and since it's an odd-numbered year...

October 22, 2011 - The Albert Pujols 3-HR Show

Saturday, October 22, 2011 - World Series - Game Three - at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington vs Texas Rangers - Attendance:  51,462 - Starting Pitchers:  Kyle Lohse vs Matt Harrison  

Albert Pujols had grown weary of the relentless media criticism regarding his poor performance in the first two games of the World Series - especially after Game Two's loss to the Rangers, which was greatly facilitated by Pujols' ninth-inning error - resulting in the game-winning (unearned) run crossing the plate.

And oh, by the way, "Why aren't you getting any hits, Albert?"

To the casual observer - which includes the vast majority of media covering this Fall Classic - Pujols was clearly in a slump.  Well, after going 0 for 4 in Game Two, Albert's postseason slash line had dropped all the way down to .367/.456/.633.  That's quite a slump.

Truth is, the Cardinals were well aware that letting Game Two get away from them could have dire consequences - especially, if they also happened to lose Game Three in Arlington, Texas.

Fortunately, Game Three got off to a nice start, with a one-out first-inning solo home run off the bat of Allen Craig - earning a spot in the starting lineup after delivering two run-scoring pinch hit singles in each of the two previous games.  He now had three hits and three RBI in his first three World Series AB's.  Meanwhile, after Albert Pujols came up empty again in his first plate appearance, he was now 0 for 7.  But that would change after his next trip to the plate.

The Cardinals were still clinging to that precarious 1-0 lead when Pujols got his first World Series hit - leading-off the fourth-inning with a line drive single to left field.  The Cardinals then got a huge break when Matt Holliday's double-play grounder to shortstop Elvis Andrus was lackadaisically turned by second baseman Ian Kinsler.  His throw to first baseman Mike Napoli pulled him off the bag, forcing him to tag Holliday on the shoulder to complete the double play.  Napoli did just that, but first base umpire Ron Kulpa blew the call.

Instant replay hadn't been implemented back in those days, so there was nothing anyone could do except maybe argue, kick some dirt, shout profanities, carry the first base bag back to the dugout, shout some more profanities, kick some more dirt, and get two or three players tossed out of the game.  But that didn't happen, either.

Now, instead of two out and nobody on, the Cardinals had a sheepish Holliday (who obviously knew he was out) on first with just one out.  That's the kind of situation good teams capitalize on.

Next up - Lance Berkman lined a single to right, advancing Holliday to second.  Next up - the hottest hitter on the planet at this time - David Freese - poked an outside fastball down the right field line for a double - scoring Holliday with a gift run, as Berkman stopped at third.

With first base open, Harrison walked Yadier Molina intentionally, to set up the double play.  Jon Jay appeared to oblige with a routine grounder to Napoli at first, but his throw to home sailed past catcher Yorvit Torrealba - allowing both Berkman and Freese to score two (official) unearned runs.  On the play, Molina raced to third and Jay found himself standing on second base.

Another unearned run scored on Ryan Theriot's base hit to left - but that would conclude the scoring for now.  Harrison would be removed from the game after getting another out, as Scott Feldman took over for a while.  When the fourth-inning was in the books, the Cardinals had a comfortable 5-0 lead.

However, Kyle Lohse suddenly ran afoul in the Rangers' half of the fourth-inning.  Michael Young got Texas on the board with a lead-off home run.  Adrian Beltre followed with a single to left, which was followed by a Nelson Cruz home run, which was followed by a Mike Napoli single to center.

Following all that, Lohse was relieved of his duties by Fernando Salas who retired David Murphy on a tap just in front of home which Molina grabbed and fired to Pujols for out number one.

However, Torrealba singled to right field, advancing Napoli to third.  At this point in the game, it seemed the Cardinals were in danger of blowing the lead - which was now just a two-run advantage.

However, when Ian Kinsler lifted a fly ball to Matt Holliday in medium left, near the line, Napoli gambled, tagged up from third, but was nailed at the plate on a strong throw by Holliday.  Just like that, the inning was over, as St Louis was still clinging to a 5-3 lead.

With Feldman still on the mound for Texas to begin the fifth-inning, Pujols greeted him with a lead-off single to center.  After both Holliday and Berkman walked to load the bases, Freese moved all runners up a notch with an RBI ground out to third.  Molina then raked a two-run double to left to regain that original five-run lead they had just an inning before.  It was now 8-3 - but not for long.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Rangers knocked Salas out of the game with consecutive singles by Andrus and Hamilton, and an RBI double by Young.

Lance Lynn was the next reliever out of the Cards bullpen, and he was greeted with a run-scoring single by Beltre, cutting the deficit to 8-5 - still nobody out, with runners on first and third.  Lynn then struck out the menacing Cruz - representing the tying run - on some high heat, for the first out of the inning.  Napoli's sacrifice fly to right scored Young - then back-to-back walks to Murphy and Torrealba loaded the bases for Ian Kinsler in what was now a tight 8-6 game.

With the partisan Texas crowd raising all kinds of commotion, Lynn got Kinsler out on a pop fly to shortstop Furcal to end the nerve-wracking inning.

With the flame-throwing Alexi Ogando now pitching for the Rangers to start the sixth-inning, Theriot drew a lead-off walk, then advanced to second on Rafael Furcal's single to right.  Next up - Allen Craig - who had burned Ogando with run-scoring pinch hits on successive nights, to give the Cardinals the lead each time - didn't fare so well this time around - striking out on a high fastball.

Pujols was now batting - and he was ready for the fastball - crushing it deep to left field for a three-run home run.  FOX broadcaster Joe Buck commented, "That ball was absolutely murdered!"

After St Louis added another unearned run (error, single, walk to load the bases) on Molina's sacrifice fly, they were finally in control of this wild game - leading, 12-6.

Pujols was just getting warmed up.  With Mike Gonzalez now mopping up for Texas in the seventh-inning, he managed to walk Craig with two out and nobody on.  By this time, the crowd was fascinated with the show Pujols was staging.  As if on cue, he launched one out to left center field - a two-run home run:  14-6.

After Texas pushed across their final run in the bottom of the seventh, St Louis added one more in the eighth - on a run-scoring double by Molina - his fourth RBI on the night:  15-7.

The stage was set for Act III.  With two out in the top of the ninth, veteran lefty Darren Oliver served one up to Pujols - which was deposited in the left center field bleachers, for his third straight home run - his fifth straight hit.  Joe Buck acknowledged that Pujols had tied Reggie Jackson with that third home run, but he failed to mention the first guy to do it:  Babe Ruth (1926 vs the Cardinals).

Meanwhile, Buck's loquacious broadcast partner, Tim McCarver gushed, "Wow!  That's a wow!"

After Mitchell Boggs' anti-climactic 1-2-3 ninth-inning of work, the Cardinals had won the pivotal Game Three to take a two games to one lead in this amazing World Series.  Final score:  16-7.

Only the 1936 New York Yankees - Game Two vs New York Giants - scored more than the Cardinals did tonight - with 18 runs.

The combined two-team total of 23 runs scored is the third highest in World Series history.  '93 World Series - Game 4:  Toronto 15 - Philadelphia 14 (29 runs), followed by '97 World Series - Game 3:  Florida 14 - Cleveland 11 (25 runs).

Lance Lynn (2.1 IP - 3 H - 1 R - 2 BB - 2 SO) recorded his second postseason win in '11.

Pujols was out of his slump:  6 AB - 5 H (3 HR) - 4 R - 6 RBI.

The Cardinals would return home to Busch Stadium after dropping the next two games in Texas - trailing three games to two in the series.  Game Six would be played on October 27...

October 21, 2006 - Cards Pound Verlander in Game One World Series Shocker

Saturday, October 21, 2006 - World Series - Game One vs Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park - Attendance:  42,479 - Starting Pitchers:  Anthony Reyes vs Justin Verlander

The Cardinals - just two days after shocking the Mets at Shea Stadium in Game Seven of the NLCS - stun the baseball world again in Game One of the World Series, with a decisive 7-2 drubbing of Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers.

This wasn't supposed to happen.  Detroit had already won seven of eight postseason games against the best competition in the American League (Not to mention, they had already swept a three-game series over the visiting Cards back in June).

By contrast, St Louis stumbled and bumbled their way into the postseason with a stretch run so wretched, they seemed destined for doom - at least eventually.  Fortunately, that destiny at least waited until 2007 - after becoming World Champions.

Game One began as planned.  Initially.  After Verlander easily dispatched the Cardinals in their first at bat, the Tigers immediately pounced on rookie Anthony Reyes.  A one-out double by Craig Monroe and a two-out walk to Magglio Ordonez preceded a Carlos Guillen run-scoring single to right field.  When Juan Encarnacion booted the ball, the runners - Guillen and Ordonez - moved up to second and third for hot-hitting Ivan Rodriguez - who hit the ball hard - but right at third baseman Scott Rolen to end the threat.

Instead of being in at least a 3-0 hole, the Cardinals trailed by a mere run when Scott Rolen - who speared that Rodriguez liner - hit a one-out home run deep to left field.  Just like that, this game was tied.  It was all downhill for the Tigers after that.

The Cardinals continued their assault in the third inning.  Game Seven NLCS hero Yadier Molina stroked a lead-off single to right - then, after advancing to second on an infield out - Verlander caught David Eckstein looking at a called third strike.

However, DH Chris Duncan got the two-out RBI - a double to right field - to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

Next up - Albert Pujols, who struck out his first time up - got some revenge this time off Verlander - with an opposite field two-run blast over the right field wall - to suddenly give the Cards a 4-1 lead.

Meanwhile, after that shaky first-inning, Reyes was nearly perfect over his next seven-innings of work, protecting that lead - which grew to 7-1 by the time the Cardinals were done in the sixth.

In that fateful sixth-inning, after Pujols drew a lead-off walk, Verlander had him picked off, but threw the ball away - the first of five throwing errors Tiger pitchers would accumulate in the five game series.  They had some help from their third baseman, Brandon Inge - especially a bit later in this inning.

At the moment, with Pujols standing on third base, the next hitter - Jim Edmonds - drove him in with a single to right field.  After Scott Rolen's opposite field ground rule double into the right field seats put runners on second and third, manager Jim Leyland brought in a relative unknown reliever - Jason Grilli - who induced Encarnacion into hitting a routine ground ball to third baseman Inge.

However, Inge - apparently auditioning for a spot on the pitching staff - threw it away trying to nail Edmonds at home - allowing both Edmonds and Rolen to score - then, on the same play Inge threw it away again, but Encarnacion could only make it as far as third - just missing a rare Little League home run in a World Series game.

After Reyes gave up a lead-off home run to Craig Monroe in the bottom of the ninth, manager Tony LaRussa took no chances - bringing in a new arm to finish the job.  Braden Looper retired the side to preserve this surprisingly easy 7-2 Game One winner for St Louis.

Meanwhile, distraught FOX Network television executives are ruefully anticipating the downward spike in ratings this supremely boring World Series will create.  Another Subway Series vanished when the Yankees disappeared in the ALDS, followed by the big market Bay Area ousting of Oakland in the ALCS.  Then the Cardinals had the audacity to bounce the other New York team out of the picture, while Detroit was on a five day vacation.

Sure enough, this would become the lowest rated World Series in television history.  Much to the delight of the greater St Louis area and other remote points throughout Cardinal Nation.

October 17, 2005 - The Albert Pujols Game

Monday, October 17, 2005 - NLCS Game 5 vs Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park - Attendance:  43,470 - Starting Pitchers:  Chris Carpenter vs Andy Pettitte

The Cardinals certainly have had their share of postseason success, with eleven World Series championships as proof.  Number twelve will have to wait at least one more year, however, after Thursday's disappointing elimination game loss to the Giants - in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

Obviously, the Cardinals were already in a three games to one hole to begin with, so harping on that loss serves no purpose.  For the record, the franchise has now lost all five postseason best-of-seven series when trailing three games to one.  Here they are:

1943 World Series vs New York Yankees
2000 NLCS vs (Wild Card) New York Mets
2002 NLCS vs (Wild Card) San Francisco Giants
2005 NLCS vs (Wild Card) Houston Astros
2014 NLCS vs (Wild Card) Giants again.

Yes, those Wild Card teams are deadly in the NLCS.  Maybe don't play them anymore, unless it's in the NLDS, which means they'd have to have the best record in the National League.  However, having the best record in NL hasn't resulted in a World Series championship for a NL team since the Clinton administration (pre-Lewinsky):  1995 - when the Atlanta Braves did it.  Go figure.

Although the Cards have never come back from a three games to one deficit to win a series, they have won four out of the six times they trailed by a three games to two deficit (most recently, in the 2011 World Series).  Go figure again.

In all but one series when the Cardinals were trailing three games to one, they went on to lose Game 5.  There was only one instance when the Redbirds were able win Game 5 - and that happened exactly nine years ago - in the 2005 National League Championship Series vs the Houston Astros - aka The Albert Pujols-Brad Lidge Game.

With the Cardinals on the brink of elimination, their desperate mission to win this game and send the series back to St Louis, got off to a frustrating start.  The very first batter in the game - David Eckstein - was hit by a pitch from Houston starter Andy Pettitte - then promptly stole second while Jim Edmonds was in the process of drawing a base on balls.

Two on, nobody out - however, Pettitte escaped the jam by getting Pujols on a pop fly to third, Reggie Sanders on a fly ball to left and Larry Walker on a ball that barely made it into fair territory, which catcher Brad Ausmus grabbed and fired to first to retire the side.

Chris Carpenter ran into some trouble of his own in the bottom of the second.  Leading-off, Jason Lane singled - then Ausmus hit a bullet that deflected off Eckstein's glove at short, which went for a double.  With runners on second and third, Carpenter struck out Adam Everett, then induced Pettitte to hit a grounder to Pujols at first, who fired to Molina to nail Lane at home.

But Craig Biggio got the two-out RBI with a line drive single to left.  Houston was on the board first, with a 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals answered back in the third inning, when Eckstein singled to center - stole second - then advanced to third on Edmonds' single to right.  This time, a frustrated Pujols struck out, as did Sanders.  Pettitte then pitched carefully to the dangerous Larry Walker - eventually walking him to load the bases.  The next batter - Mark Grudzielanek - came through with a bases loaded single to right - scoring both Eckstein and Walker - to put the Redbirds on top, 2-1.

St Louis failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the sixth and seventh-innings, while Pujols' personal frustration continued - grounding out in the seventh - stranding yet another runner on the bases - his fifth of the game - and three of 'em were in scoring position.

Houston seemingly delivered the knockout blow to the Cardinals' postseason run with Lance Berkman's three-run seventh-inning home run - in Carpenter's final inning of work (7 IP - 9 H - 4 R - 3 ER - 1 BB - 6 SO - 1 HR).

With Astros closer Brad Lidge on the mound trying to protect a 4-2 ninth-inning lead, the chances for a Cardinal comeback seemed as remote as remote could be - especially when Lidge struck out both John Rodriguez and John Mabry to start the inning.

Down to their last out, lead-off hitter Eckstein once again reached base - with a single to left - and with Edmonds batting, Eckstein took advantage of Houston's defensive indifference by taking second.  In the meantime, Edmonds - determined not to make the final out of the season - drew another base on balls.

This brought you-know-who to the plate with two more runners on base.  Pujols was 0 for 4 when he stepped into the batter's box to face the hard-throwing Lidge.  After taking the first pitch for a strike - mentally gauging his opponent's fastball - Pujols was ready to do some damage on the second offering - a belt-high fastball, middle-in.

With one vicious, yet compact and efficient swing, Pujols had suddenly propelled the Cardinals to a 5-4 lead - on a blast so prodigious, an awe-struck Andy Pettitte, perched in the Astros dugout at the time of the launch, offered an on-camera "Wow!" for the millions of television viewers to enjoy.  Meanwhile, the ball finally landed on that silly little train track way, way out there in left field.

Ironically, Lidge struck out the next batter - Sanders - to retire the side - all on strikes.  But the damage had been done.

Jason Isringhausen picked up the win with his second perfect inning of relief work.

For optimistic Cardinal fans looking forward to Game 6 back home at Busch Stadium II on Wednesday - this thrilling victory kept the postseason dream alive - at least for one more game at the old ballpark.

But it was fun while it lasted.

October 10, 2011 - Game 2 - NLCS: Pujols Powers Cards to 12-3 Win Over Brewers

Monday, October 10, 2011 - Game 2 - NLCS vs Milwaukee Brewers - At Miller Park - Starting Pitchers:  Edwin Jackson vs Shaun Marcum - Attendance:  43,937 

Albert Pujols, nearing the end of his remarkable 11-year run with the St Louis Cardinals - led the assault on Milwaukee pitching in Game Two of the NLCS - with a home run, three doubles, five RBI and three runs scored - as the Cardinals evened this best-of-seven showdown with their newest bitter rivals:  T-Plush's Brew Crew - Final score:  12-3.

My, how time flies.  It was only a month or so ago when Nyjer Morgan's inexplicable on-field confrontation with the entire Cardinals team only added fuel to the Redbirds' postseason quest.  Thanks to social media, Morgan decided to take things one step further, posting a @TheRealTPlush rant on Twitter, that went vaguely like this (grammar & misspellings approximated):

"WHERE STILL IN FIRST & I HOPE THOSE CRYIN' BIRDS INJOY WATCHIN' THA CREW IN THA PLAYOFFS.  AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"  Or something to that effect.

Of course, those cryin' birds would not only get to injoy watchin' tha Crew in tha playoffs - they were also able to injoy eliminating tha Crew from the playoffs.  Aaaaaahhhhhh!

So it must have been with great pleasure for everyone associated with the Cardinals - when Albert Pujols blasted a first-inning two-run bomb off Brewers starter Shaun Marcum to get the festivities under way.

Pujols was just getting warmed up.  No doubt inspired by additional commentary from the irascible T-Plush on Twitter after Morgan's Busch Stadium meltdown (cleverly referring to Pujols as "Alberta"), the Cardinal first baseman's turn at bat in the third-inning coincided with a two-on (Edwin Jackson on second and Jon Jay on first) - one out situation - in what was still just a 2-0 ballgame.

This time Alberta launched a rocket to dead-center field - in the general vicinity of Nyjer Morgan. T-Gumbo helplessly sprinted towards the wall, staggered on the warning track, flailed at the ball which was sailing past him, then after crashing into the fence, frantically looked around for the projectile which had suddenly changed directions - now rolling back towards the infield.  Both runners had scored, as Pujols glided into second - refusing to even look in the direction of his zany adversary, who appeared to be a bit flustered by this shocking development:  Cards 4 - Brewers 0.

In the fourth-inning, the Cardinals tacked on another run, as Yadier Molina led-off with a double and later scored on Nick Punto's RBI single to center:  5-0.

The Brewers got a fourth-inning two-run home run from Rickey Weeks (scoring Prince Fielder who doubled) - to cut the deficit to three runs:  5-2.

The Redbirds responded in the fifth-inning off reliever Marco Estrada.  Back-to-back doubles by Jay and Pujols brought in the first run of the inning (Alberta's fifth RBI of the game) - and a ground ball and a wild pitch later, Pujols also scored:  7-2.

When Jackson issued a lead-off walk to Corey Hart in the bottom half of the fifth, manager Tony LaRussa wasted no time in getting the bullpen prepared for action.  Jackson was able to retire the one and only T-Plush on a routine fly to center, for the first out.  Next up - everybody's favorite liar - Ryan Braun - who muscled up for a ground-rule double - putting two runners in scoring position.

Jackson may have been a bit surprised when the call to the bullpen was made - but LaRussa wasn't going to let this game slip away, tying to coax a starter through the five-innings needed to qualify for the win.  Left-handed specialist Arthur Rhodes came in to face one batter - Prince Fielder - but he walked him to load the bases.

Goodbye, Arthur.  Hello Lance Lynn - the hard-throwing rookie who would pitch his way onto the starting rotation by the following season, thanks to efforts like this:  One pitch to Rickey Weeks - one 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.  Lynn's reward:  A record-tying (by many) one-pitch-two-thirds of an inning "win".

Realizing a five-run lead is never a safe lead at Miller Park, the Cardinals went on the offensive again off a new reliever - Kameron Loe.  With one-out in the seventh-inning - Pujols floated a ground rule double (his third straight double) down the right field line .  Matt Holliday's single to right field scored Pujols:  8-2.

After Lance Berkman reached on an infield single down the third base line, advancing Holliday to second - the wheels really fell off tha Crew.  Molina - trying to check his swing - instead poked one into right field, as Holliday scored.  Next up - NLCS MVP-in waiting - David Freese - lined one right the middle, scoring Berkman, as a dazed Loe was just happy to survive long enough to serve up another meatball to Punto, who hit a more polite single to center - scoring Molina:  11-2.

Loe was mercifully relieved of his duties after one-third of an inning pitched.  Six consecutive hits and four runs.  LaTroy Hawkins got the final two outs in the seventh to keep Loe's ERA at 108.00.  Well, it could have risen to 162.00 if the inherited runners had scored.  And that's really high.

Milwaukee got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, off Mitchell Boggs - who served up a lead-off home run to the soon-to-be-departed Fielder before retiring the next three batters in order:  11-3.

With one out in the top of the ninth, David Freese effortlessly lifted one out to right field and over the wall for a solo home run to make it a 12-3 ballgame.

This would be the type of offensive attack that would become Freese's 2011 postseason trademark.  He was about to become a Cardinal legend.  Of course, with the constantly changing nature of major league baseball, legends are only preserved for the fans to worship if they continue to produce at high levels.  Unfortunately, after a nice 2012 season, Freese had a lackluster 2013 - prompting his relocation to laid-back Anaheim prior to the start of the 2014 season.

Most fans felt some measure of remorse when the likable St Louis-area native was shipped off to the Angles for Peter Bourjos and Randall Grichuk.  Many of those same fans routinely watch replays of his 2011 Game 6 heroics - just to remind themselves how good it felt to have that actually happen to their team.

One thing is certain.  If and when Freese ever happens to stop by any St Louis area restaurant or tavern for the next fifty years, the tab - if so chooses - will be picked up by somebody else.  Although he'll probably turn around and buy a round or two for everyone else, instead.

After Jason Motte retired Milwaukee in order in the ninth, the Cardinals were taking a happy flight home to resume play for Game Three on Wednesday - tied at one game apiece in this NLCS - with a suddenly shaky opponent.

From all accounts, there were no official comments from @TheRealTPlush about this revolting development.

October 2, 2011 - Game 2 - NLDS: Cards Rally for Crucial 5-4 Win Over Phillies

Sunday, October 2, 2011 - At Citizens Bank Park (Chis Carpenter - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Philadelphia Phillies (Cliff Lee - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  46,575

The 2011 postseason for the St Louis Cardinals began - as most experts predicted - with a Game One NLDS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies - and Game Two seemed destined for defeat, as well.

The Cardinals were down 4-0 after three innings of play.

Cliff Lee - one of the game's best pitchers - was on the mound for the Phillies.

Trying to mount a comeback under those circumstances required two highly unlikely conditions to be fulfilled:  (1) The Cardinals would have to score at least five runs while (2) the bullpen would have to prevent the potent Phillies lineup from any further scoring.

Of course, that's exactly what happened, as the Cardinals shocked the Phillies, their fans and the experts, with a come-from-behind 5-4 win - to even this best-of-five playoff series at one game apiece.

Prevailing in the face of adversity became a trademark for the 2011 St Louis Cardinals - and this game was no exception.  Its frustrating beginning featured a lead-off triple off the bat of Rafael Furcal to start the game.  But Cliff Lee struck out Allen Craig, got Albert Pujols on a popup to the second baseman, then induced Lance Berkman to ground out to the third baseman to end the threat.

With that wasted opportunity came more frustration, as the Phillies scored three first-inning runs off Chris Carpenter - starting this game on four - not the usual five - days' rest.  A lead-off double by Jimmy Rollins preceded back-to-back walks to Chase Utley and Hunter Pence.  Ryan Howard scored J-Rol and Utley with a single to center, before the Flyin' Hawaiian - Shane Victorino - made the first out of the inning - on a fly ball to Jon Jay in center.

Tobacco-chewing Raul Ibanez then stroked a single to left - scoring Pence with the Phillies' third run of the game, as Howard stopped at second.  This game - along with the Cardinals' postseason - seemed to be slipping away very quickly.  However, Placido Polanco obligingly grounded into a Furcal-to-Theriot-to-Pujols double play to keep the deficit at three runs.

Leading-off the second-inning for the Redbirds was David Freese.  He doubled, but like Furcal an inning earlier, would be stranded.  Lee struck out Yadier Molina and Ryan Theriot - then got Jon Jay on a tap right back to the mound to retire the side.

The Phillies added to the Cardinals' frustration in the bottom of the second.  With two out, Rollins lined his second straight double into left field - then stole third while Utley was drawing a base on balls.  Pense got the RBI on a base hit to right before Carpenter escaped further damage by retiring Howard on a fly ball to left.  Still, the Phillies had a formidable 4-0 lead with a former Cy Young Award winner on the mound.  As Whitey Herzog might have said, "It don't look good on paper."

After an uneventful third-inning, the Cardinals finally got something started in the fourth.  Lance Berkman walked to lead-off the frame.  After Freese looked at a called third strike, Molina reached on an infield single to short - advancing Berkman to second.  Ryan Theriot then got perhaps the biggest hit of his career - a double to right field to score Berkman with the first run of the game for St Louis.  Jay then scored Molina with a single to right - as Theriot advanced to third, while Jay moved up to second on the throw to the plate.

With Carpenter due to bat, manager Tony LaRusssa sent Nick Punto in to pinch hit - and he struck out.  However, Furcal lined a two-out single to left, scoring Theriot - but left fielder Ibanez nailed Jay at the plate, trying to score.  The Cardinals were only down by a single run, as the Citizens Bank Ballpark mood suddenly shifted from frivolity to paranoia.

Carpenter's night was over after three arm-weary innings:  five hits - four runs - thee walks - two strikeouts - not a typical game for the Cardinal ace - but the early exit would help him recover sufficiently for his next start.

Now, it was up to the bullpen to keep the Phillies in check for the next six innings.  Six relievers - Salas, Dotel, Rzepczynski, Boggs, Rhodes and Motte - did just that - shutting out the Phillies on one hit while striking out six.

Meanwhile, with Cliff Lee still toiling for Philadelphia, the Cardinals tied the game in the sixth-inning.  It all started with a two-out double by Theriot - who scored on Jay's opposite-field single to left.  Once again, the Cardinals tested the arm of left fielder Ibanez - and this time, Theriot slid in safely on a high throw to the plate.  Momentarily sprawled across home plate, the jubilant Theriot jumped to his feet and was given a hero's welcome in the animated Redbird dugout - given a new lease on postseason life - this game was tied, 4-4.

Manager Charlie Manuel continued to trust his starter, heading into the seventh-inning of this suddenly tied ballgame.  That may have been a mistake.  This time, Allen Craig got the lead-off extra base hit for the Redbirds - a triple, deep to left field.

This time, the Cardinals didn't squander a golden scoring opportunity.  Pujols lined the first pitch from Lee just over the leaping Rollins' outstretched glove at shortstop - into left field with the base hit that put the Cardinals in the lead for the first time in the game.

After Berkman blooped a single just out of Utley's reach at second base - advancing Pujols to third - Manuel finally decided Lee had run out of gas.  His pitching line:  6 IP - 12 H - 5 R - 2 BB - 9 SO

Ironically, reliever Brad Lidge managed to work his way out of that first and third-nobody out mess - to keep the score where it was - a 5-4 Cardinal advantage.  Relievers Bastardo, Worley and Madson worked the final two scoreless innings for Philadelphia.  But it was too late.  The damage had been done.

Jason Motte closed out the Phillies in order in the ninth, to earn his first postseason save.  Octavial Dotel (1-0) pitched 1.1 innings of perfect relief to record the win - and keep the Cardinals' postseason dreams alive.

St Louis had last appeared in the postseason in 2009 - eliminated in three straight agonizing losses to the Dodgers in the first round.  This crucial win prevented a similar calamity from occurring this year.

The faces of the distraught fans still lingering around after their team's stunning defeat told the story:  They were very concerned about the outcome of this best-of-five series - and they had every reason to feel that way.

September 21, 2011 - Freese Burns Mets: 2-Run Triple, 3-Run HR in 6-5 Comeback Win

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 - At Busch Stadium III (Jaime Garcia - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  New York Mets (Chris Schwinden - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  40,658

David Freese gave fans a postseason preview tonight - his two-out two-run first-inning triple to right field - which scored Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman - was eerily similar to what happened in Game Six - when the Cardinals were one strike away from World Series defeat.  Freese later won that game with, arguably, the most dramatic home run in franchise history.

In this particular game, with the Cardinals down 4-3 in the seventh-inning to the New York Mets - with two out and two on (Pujols and Berkman - naturally), Freese smacked an opposite-field home deep to right field off Mets reliever Danny Herrera - to provide just enough cushion for an eventual 6-5 win.

Meanwhile, down in Miami, the Marlins had already beaten the suddenly hapless Braves, 4-0 - whose lead over the Cardinals for the one and only wild card spot in the postseason had shrunk to 1.5 games.  They were doomed -  and they probably knew it.

The Cardinals were red hot - by far the best offensive team in the National League all season long - on the verge of taking it up another notch - just in time for the postseason.

Defensively, however, the Cardinals were well below average - and it was some bad glove work that nearly cost them this game.

After Freese had staked Jaime Garcia to that early 2-0 lead, Allen Craig added a second-inning run -scoring Yadier Molina from third with a single off Mets starter Chris Schwinden.

That 3-0 lead immediately evaporated as the Mets took their turn at bat in a nightmarish third-inning for Garcia - and especially for shortstop Rafael Furcal.  After retiring the first two batters on strikes, Garcia couldn't put his mound rival away.  Schwinden grounded one up the middle, just off second baseman Skip Schumaker's glove for an infield single - then all hell broke loose.

Jose Reyes doubled down the left field line - advancing Schwinden to third.  Next up - Angel Pagan - hit a routine grounder to Furcal at shortstop, which should have ended the inning.  Instead, the ball squirted under his glove and through his legs into shallow left center field - as two unearned runs crossed the plate.

Next up - David Wright advanced Pagan to second with a legitimate infield single off Furcal's glove.

Mets manager Terry Collins then sent Josh Satin in to pinch hit for Lucas Duda - and the strategy paid off, as Satin laced one down the left field line - scoring both runners - to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

That's where the score remained until the Cardinals displayed their own brand of two-out-nobody-on magic.  After reliever Miguel Batista - who briefly toiled for St Louis earlier in this season - retired the first two batters in the seventh, Pujols kept the inning alive with a base hit to center.

Exit Batista - enter Danny Herrera - who immediately served up a Lance Berkman single to left field.

Up to this point in the season, Freese had been a good - but far from great - hitter.  He was most effective when he didn't try to pull every pitch - when he would drive the ball to dead center - or to the opposite field - as he did in this game.  His blast into the Cardinals' bullpen suddenly turned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead.

The postseason dream, which seemed to be a complete fantasy at the beginning of the month, had come alive - as the crowd came alive - with one swing of the bat.

The Mets made things interesting in the ninth-inning - when the unofficial closer - Jason Motte - yielded a two-out solo home run to Willie Harris.  Motte then sent the crowd into a frenzy by striking out Josh Thole to earn his eighth save of the season - preserving the 6-5 win for Jaime Garcia (7.2 IP - 6 H - 4 R - 0 ER - 0 BB - 5 SO), who improved to 13-7 on the season.

David Freese - in what had been his finest performance in any game during his brief career - was just getting started.

September 12, 2006 - Come-From-Behind Walk-Off Win Over Houston

Tuesday, September 12, 2006 - At Busch Stadium III (Jeff Weaver - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Houston Astros (Andy Pettitte - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  41,453

Albert Pujols' two-out two-run ninth-inning double scored Skip Schumaker from second and Scott Spiezio from first - to lift the Cardinals to a dramatic 6-5 walk-off win over the Houston Astros.

Houston closer Brad Lidge - who gave up that famous game-winning three-run home run to Pujols in Game Five of the 2005 NLCS - was victimized once again by his nemesis.  As the rest of the regular season unfolded, this particular game-winning Pujols hit was - quite simply - the difference between postseason play for the Redbirds in 2006 - or going home.

At the time, this win over Houston merely padded the Cardinals' lead to five games over their division rivals - with just eighteen games remaining on the schedule.  However, that comfortable five-game lead would dwindle to a half-game - thanks in large part to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Astros - September 21 - 24 (Games 151-154).

Yes, it was unnerving to be a Cardinal fan at that time.  But the Cardinals were a resilient team - as we all found out for sure, by the time the postseason rolled around.

Before all that ninth-inning excitement, this game was a see-saw battle throughout - with Houston striking first - on a first-inning solo home run by Mike Lamb off St Louis starter Jeff Weaver.

The Cardinals grabbed the lead in the third-inning - on Preston Wilson's two-out two-run home run off Astros starter Andy Pettitte.  When the next batter - Scott Spiezio reached on an error by shortstop Eric Bruntlett, manager Phil Garner abruptly removed his starter - apparently due to some sort of injury.  Pettitte had worked just 2.2 innings in this game - and that home run was the only hit he allowed.  He walked one (who scored) and struck out two - but now he was suddenly out of the game.

Pettitte wouldn't appear in another game for the Astros until September 21 - when he worked five innings in a start vs the Cardinals - allowing five runs - in a game eventually won by Houston.  Whether or not his absence from the Houston starting rotation played a role in the outcome of this crazy division race is just another topic in the "what if" game for 2006.

What we do know is that the Astros took the lead once again in this game - on pinch hitter Orlando Palmeiro's bases loaded two-run single in the fourth-inning:  Houston 3 - St Louis 2.

The Cardinals tied it again in their half of the fourth, when the young, light-hitting catcher - Yadier Molina - singled with two out to bring home Edwin Encarnacion - who had previously tripled.

The Cardinals then took a short-lived lead in the fifth-inning - when Encarnacion come through again - with a two-out single - scoring Scott Spiezio from second:  St Louis 4 - Houston 3.

Weaver's night would be over after facing two batters in the sixth-inning.  The first one - Luke Scott - walked.  The second one - Chris Burke - hit a two-run home run - giving Houston a 5-4 lead.

Reliever Josh Hancock struck out all three Houston batters - Bruntlett, Ausmus and Jimerson - to end the top half of the sixth.  Two other relievers - Tyler Johnson (one inning pitched) and Braden Looper (two innings pitched) - also contained the Astros offense - allowing the Cardinals the opportunity to pull this one out of the fire.

The fateful bottom of the ninth began with pinch hitter John Rodriguez (batting for Molina) singled off Astros closer Brad Lidge to right field.  Again, imagine the consequences if J Rod had failed to reach base safely.  Luckily, he got that hit to start the game winning rally.  Skip Schumaker then entered the game to pinch run for our unsung hero - then advanced to second when pinch hitter Jose Vizcaino (batting for Looper) laid down a sacrifice bunt.

But Lidge struck out Preston Wilson for the second out of the inning - then, the Cardinals got a break, when the next batter - Scott Spiezio - was hit by a pitch.

With runners on first and second - and the Cardinals down to their last out - Pujols stepped into the batter's box.  After getting burned by Albert in last season's NLCS, Lidge had only faced his nemesis two times in '06 prior to this particular at bat.  On both occasions, Pujols was retired on fly balls to deep center.

Not this time.  Pujols lined a Lidge fastball down the left field line - into the corner.  Spiezio got a great jump off first base - and was already rounding third - heading for home - by the time the left fielder had retrieved the ball.  A jubilant Skip Schumaker - who scored the tying run - motioned for Spiezio to slide - and he did - with the winning run.

The significance of this win wouldn't be determined until the final week of the season.  But this was the kind of thing Pujols did so often, Cardinal fans may have started taking it for granted.  The truth of the matter is, without him, those eleven seasons (2001 - 2011) would have been nowhere near as exciting as they turned out to be.  And there's no way the Cardinals would have even qualified for postseason play - let alone win the World Series - in '06 or '11.

September 10, 2011 - Bullpen Nails Down 4-3 Win Over Braves

Saturday, September 10, 2011 - At Busch Stadium III (Jaime Garcia - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Atlanta Braves (Derek Lowe - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  40,689

In the second game of a crucial three-game series with the Braves - the Cardinals jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, then held on for a 4-3 win, thanks to three solid innings of relief from the back-end of a now very formidable bullpen.

Jaime Garcia (12-7) allowed three runs in six innings for the win, which was preserved by one inning of scoreless relief from each of three relievers:  Marc Rzepczynski (1 H - 1 SO), Fernando Salas (0 H - 2 SO) and Jason Motte (0 H - 1 BB).  Motte, who had unofficially become the Cards' closer - earned his 4th save of 2011.

Atlanta starter Derek Lowe (9-14) gave up an RBI single to Albert Pujols and an RBI double to David Freese in the first-inning - to stake Garcia to a quick 2-0 lead.

Then in the third, back-to-back doubles by Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman - plus an RBI single off the bat of Yadier Molina gave the Redbirds a 4-0 lead.  That was just enough tonight.

Freddie Freeman made things interesting with a fourth-inning two-run home run - then Brian McCann made things even more interesting with a fifth-inning RBI single - to make it a 4-3 game - and that's where it stayed.

After Garcia pitched a scoreless sixth-inning, manager Tony LaRussa went to the bullpen to nail this one down - a formula he used to eventually earn the Cardinals a World Series championship.

Certainly, the Cardinals knew they needed to sweep the Braves in this three-game series if they were to have any chance of overtaking Atlanta in the wild card race.  They won the first game on Friday night, after a rare blown save by closer Craig Kimbrell kept the Cardinals alive - en route to a ten-inning walk-off win.  They would also take the final game on Sunday, to move within 4.5 games of the Braves - with sixteen left to play.

The wildest finish since 1964 was well under way.  Nothing would be decided until Game 162 - aka Wild Card Wednesday.  You know what happened.  Nearly three years later, it's still hard to believe.

September 6, 2002 - Cards' 11-Run Inning Almost a Franchise Record

Friday, September 6, 2002 - At Busch Stadium II (Andy Benes - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Chicago Cubs (Alan Benes - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  38,661

In a rare brother vs brother pitching match-up, older brother Andy got the better of his younger sibling - on the mound and even in the batter's box.  Andy's third-inning lead-off single off his kid brother started an amazing eleven-run rally - and just to prove it was no fluke - Andy did it again, with two out, to drive in the sixth run of the inning - which also ended Alan's night.  When the dust had settled, the younger Benes (1-1) was charged with eight runs in 2.2 innings - not to mention, his first loss of the season.

Meanwhile, Andy (5-4)  pitched the only complete game he'd log in seventeen starts in '02 - allowing two meaningless runs in the last two innings - good for an easy 11-2 win over the Cubs.

The eleven run outburst was just one run shy of tying the franchise record for most runs in an inning - which was tied on July 21, 2012 - in a game at Busch Stadium III against - who else? - the Cubs.

What made this big inning especially unusual - aside from having an opposing pitcher get two base hits off his brother - was the fact that Scott Rolen made the first and last outs - striking out both times.  Go figure.  Mike Matheny had the distinction of making out number two in the third, when he flew out to right field.  Strangely enough, Rolen and Matheny were a combined 0 for 8 in the game, and were the only players in the starting lineup without scoring at least one run - but I'm sure none of their teammates brought up that embarrassing fact in the post game revelry.

Here's what the rest of the lineup did:

Benes - 2 singles - 2 runs scored - 1 RBI
Vina - 2 singles - 2 runs scored - 1 RBI
Marrero - 1 single, 1 base on balls - 2 runs scored - 1 RBI
Edmonds - 1 base on balls, 1 double - 2 runs scored - 2 RBI
Pujols - 1 single, 1 double - 1 run scored - 4 RBI
Martinez - 1 double - 1 run scored - 2 RBI
Renteria - 1 base on balls (intentional) - 1 run scored

With this win, the Cardinals improved to 79-61 on the season - 5.5 games ahead of the second-place Houston Astros.  They would complete a three-game sweep of the Cubs en route to closing out the season with a NL-best 18-4 record, before sweeping the Diamondbacks in three straight NLDS games.

Alas, they may have been too hot for their own good - cooling off quickly in the NLCS loss to the Giants in five games.

September 5, 2001 - Woody Williams Nearly Perfect in Blankng Padres

Wednesday, September 5, 2001 - At Qualcomm Stadium (Woody Williams - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  San Diego Padres (Kevin Jarvis - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  19,075

 Woody Williams shut out his former team - the San Diego Padres - on two hits, as the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep of San Diego, with a 2-0 win - featuring solo home runs from Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols.

Williams was the big story tonight, however - flirting with a perfect game until D'Angelo Jiminez led-off the seventh-inning with a base hit to center field - but when he tried to stretch it into a double, he was nailed at second on a strong throw by Jim Edmonds.

Williams - who struck out six and walked none - surrendered just one other hit in the game - a ninth-inning lead-off single by Ben Davis.  After pinch hitter Tony Gwynn was retired on a fly ball to right field, Woody induced another pinch hitter - Wiki Gonzalez - into grounding one sharply to Pujols - a defensive replacement for McGwire at first base - who fired a strike to Edgar Renteria, covering the bag at second.  Renteria's return throw to Pujols completed the 3-6-3 double play - and just like that - the game was over.

Cardinal pitching had dominated this series - limiting the Padres to just one run on ten hits in three games.  In pitching a compete-game shutout, Woody Williams faced the minimum - 27 batters.  There probably aren't more than a handful of pitchers in franchise history that have managed  this feat.

Williams - who came over to the Cardinals in a trade for Ray Lankford on August 2 - pitched brilliantly in eleven starts for his new team - winning seven with just one loss.  Without his late season contributions, it's doubtful the Redbirds would have qualified for postseason play.  With this victory, the Cardinals (76-63) were in third place in the NL Central - six games behind the Houston Astros.  The two teams would finish the 2001 season with identical 93-69 records - but the tiebreaker went to the Astros - winning nine of sixteen games in head-to-head competition with the Cardinals.

Of course, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cardinals in a five-game NLDS - before ultimately beating the Yankees in a classic seven-game World Series.

Nevertheless, 2001 was still a successful season for St Louis - and with the emergence of NL Rookie of the Year - Albert Pujols - the Cardinals would become the most successful franchise of the current millennium - even after Pujols' departure following the 2011 world championship season.

August 31, 2002 - Cards Sweep Doubleheader - Hammer Cubs at Wrigley

Saturday, August 31, 2002 - At Wrigley Field (Game One Starting Pitcher - Luther Hackman - Opponent:  Chicago Cubs (Game One Starting Pitcher - Mark Prior) - Attendance:  37,639

On paper, the pitching match-up in the first game of this doubleheader between the Cards and Cubs would seem to favor the Cubs - with their up-and-coming young starter - Mark Prior (6-6) - going up against a guy who is normally used in relief - Luther Hackman (4-4).  Although Prior pitched well - allowing just two runs in five innings - Hackman was a little better - yielding no runs in his five innings of work.

The big difference was in the quality of work performed by bullpens over the final four innings.  The Cubs could only score once - on an eighth-inning solo home run by Mark Bellhorn off Jeff Fassero - while the Cardinals scored a pair of sixth-inning runs (one unearned run) off Joe Borowski - then really teed off on Francis Beltran, who gave up a solo home run to Eli Marrero in the eighth, then a three-run bomb to Eduardo Perez in the ninth.

Along with Marrero and Perez, Albert Pujols also went deep - connecting on a solo shot off Prior in the fifth - one of three hits the sophomore slugger would tally in this rout - a decisive 8-1 drubbing of the Cubbies.

Game Two Starting Pitchers - Andy Benes vs Jason Bere

Even though Benes (4-4) was in the twilight of his career, this pitching match-up clearly favored the Cardinals - on paper and where it counts - on the playing field.  The Redbirds torched Bere (1-10) for eight runs (seven earned runs) in just four innings of work - four of those runs scoring on Eli Marrero's grand slam home run in the third.  Even pitcher Andy Benes got into the home run derby act today - hitting a solo blast off the battered Bere in the fifth.  It would be the only home run for Benes in 2002 - and it would be the last home run he'd ever hit (8 career home runs in 14 seasons).

While St Louis nicked three Chicago relievers for one run apiece over the final five innings (including a seventh-inning home run by Jim Edmonds) - the only serious chink in the armor for the Cardinal bullpen was the three runs Steve Kline coughed up in the sixth-inning.  It didn't matter - the Cardinals cruised to an easy 10-4 win, to complete the doubleheader sweep.

After today's action, the first-place Cardinals had improved to 76-59 on the season - and they would finish with a NL-best 21-6 record over the final month - and manager Tony LaRussa would later be named NL Manager of the Year - in what was certainly his most trying season as a major league manager.

After the tragic death of pitcher Darryl Kile, LaRussa guided his team through a period of profound sorrow.  Undoubtedly, their fallen teammate was on the minds of the Cardinal players throughout the day.  After all, the reason they were playing a doubleheader was to make up the game that had been cancelled in June - in the wake of Kile's passing.

July 29, 2011 - Pujols Joins 2000 Hit Club in 9-2 Clubbing of Cubs

Friday, July 29, 2011 - At Busch Stadium III (Edwin Jackson - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Chicago Cubs (Matt Garza - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  42,042

Recently acquired pitcher Edwin Jackson (8-7) was making his St Louis Cardinals debut - and it was a good one - allowing just one run in seven innings, as the Cardinals cruised to a convincing 9-2 win over the Cubs.

After David Freese's three-run fourth-inning home run off Matt Garza (4-8) erased an early 1-0 deficit, the focus of the fans' attention was definitely centered on Albert Pujols and his quest for career hit number 2000.  Pujols started the fourth-inning rally with hit number 1999 - a double - which was immediately followed by Matt Holliday's infield single, then the Freese blast to left center field.

The Cardinals tacked on three more runs in the sixth to build a comfortable 6-1 lead, as Jackson, who escaped from a second-inning bases-loaded-no-out jam with just one run allowed - settled down to blank the Cubs over his final five innings of work.  He turned the ball over to the guy he displaced in the starting rotation - Kyle McClellan - to start the eighth-inning.  Kyle then proceeded to demonstrate why he became the odd-man out, after giving up one run on a pair of hits and a walk, while getting just one batter out.

Jason Motte then came in from the bullpen to record the final two outs of the inning - minimizing the damage to just a single run.  In the process, he gave a nice demonstration of the type of quality pitching the Cardinals were looking for in the back-end of the bullpen, as he eventually became the unofficial closer for Tony LaRussa all the way through Game Seven of the World Series.

With Carlos Marmol now pitching for the Cubs in the eighth-inning, the Cardinals put another three spot on the board - but the scoring was incidental to the historical milestone that occurred.  With two runs already in and Ryan Theriot on second base with two out, Albert Pujols lined his second double of the game to score Theriot.  It was career hit number 2000 for Albert - a milestone that had previously been reached just three times in franchise history - by Hornsby, Musial and Brock.  For the 42,042 fans now giving their hero a standing ovation, the possibility that Pujols would actually be leaving them at the conclusion of this season - was unthinkable.

For the fans still bitter about that - get over it.  Think about the eleven Hall of Fame-caliber seasons Albert Pujols produced with the Cardinals.  The eight postseason appearances.  The three National League championships.  The two World Series championships.  Sure, he has a large ego and felt slighted when he didn't think the front office really wanted him to stay.  So he left for more money and more perceived recognition.  That was his decision.

But in reality, the front office didn't want him to stay.  Not at that price, anyway.  And that was a good business decision.

July 26, 2004 - Cards' Power-Hitting Trio Keys Extra-Inning Win Over Reds

Monday, July 26, 2004 - At Great American Ballpark (Woody Williams - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Cincinnati Reds (Paul Wilson - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  23,155

The Tremendous Trio - Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds - each homered and scored two runs, as the Cardinals won an eleven-inning war of attrition over the Cincinnati Reds, by a final score of 9-6.  The three Redbird home runs were required to send the game to extra innings - deadlocked at five runs apiece.

Cincinnati also went yard three times; however, it would be a dropped fly ball by Reds' right fielder, Wily Mo Pena, which opened the floodgates in the eleventh-inning - allowing the opportunistic Cardinals to score four unearned runs to ensure victory.

St Louis starter - Woody Williams - had better games.  He got off to a shaky start when a Sean Casey RBI double and a two-run home run off the bat of D'Angelo Jiminez gave the Reds a quick 3-0 lead after one inning.

The Cardinals got one run back in the second, when Scott Rolen led-off with a double - but only advanced to third when Jim Edmonds hit a long fly ball to center which Rolen thought was going to be caught - but it landed safely - causing a red-faced Rolen to hear Edmonds chirping from second base about being deprived of an RBI.  Instead, Reggie Sanders had the honor - scoring Rolen with a sacrifice fly, to make it a 3-1 game.

In the fourth-inning, Rolen took matters into his own hands with a one-out solo home run - his 21st of the season - to trim the deficit to a 3-2 Cincinnati advantage.

Edmonds responded in the sixth-inning - jumping on the first pitch from Reds starter Paul Wilson for a two-out two-run home run - his 25th of the season - to give the Cardinals a brief 4-3 lead.

The Reds regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, on a pair of solo home runs - the first from Adam Dunn, leading-off the inning - and one out later, a blast from Wily Mo Pena.

After Wilson retired the first two Cardinal batters in the eighth-inning, Pujols tied the game in dramatic fashion - by bashing his 29th home run of the season.  At that point, Reds manager Dave Miley went to the bullpen - first bringing in Todd Jones, then Danny Graves - to keep the Cardinals scoreless until the eleventh.

Likewise, Tony LaRussa went to the bullpen after Williams completed his six innings of work - using Calero, Kline, Tavarz, Eldred and King (4-1) to keep the Reds in check through ten-innings.

With Phil Norton (1-3) on the mound for the Reds to begin the eleventh-inning, Edmonds coaxed a lead-off walk.  That would be the only batter Norton would face, as John Riedling was summoned in from the bullpen to face Sanders - and he got his man on, a fly ball to right field.  However, John Mabry couldn't be contained - lining a single to left, as Edmonds stopped at second.

Then, Mike Matheny cleverly lined one to Wily Mo Pena in right field - who dropped the ball.  The clanging sound of ball meeting glove reverberated throughout the vast confines of Great American Ballpark - as the opportunistic Redbirds now had the bases loaded with just one out.

The Cardinal batters decided right field was the place to hit it - and they did just that to score four unearned runs.

Tony Womack drove in the first unearned run for the Cardinals, with a single to Wily Mo - scoring Edmonds.  Next up, pinch hitter So Taguchi (batting for winning pitcher Ray King) hit a long sacrifice fly to Wily Mo - not only scoring Mabry with the second unearned run of the inning - it also advanced the clever and speedy Matheny to third.  Womack then stole second with Edgar Renteria at bat.  With first base open, Riedling, not so cleverly decided to pitch to the Cardinals' shortstop - and Edgar rewarded him with a two-run single to Wily Mo - to conclude the scoring for St Louis:  Four unearned runs, to take a 9-5 lead, heading into the bottom of the eleventh.

Jason Isringhausen - in a non-save situation - closed the game out - although he allowed an unearned run of his own - but that was it.  John Mabry - a good hitter but not a great left fielder - dropped Adam Dunn's line drive to open the bottom of the eleventh.  The clanging sound reverberated nicely from the acoustical splendor of left field.  Then one out later, with Dunn on second base, Wily Mo tried to atone for his earlier gaffe - lining a ground rule double to score the final run of the game for Cincinnati.

In the end, the game that began as a six-home run slug-fest in regulation, became an extra-inning comedy of errors.  The Cardinals had the last laugh - improving to 63-36 - first place in the NL Central - now 10 games ahead of the second-place Cubs.

July 22, 2011 - Pujols, Freese & Molina Go Deep in 6-4 Win Over Pirates

Friday, July 22, 2011 - At PNC Park (Chris Carpenter - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Pittsburgh Pirates (Paul Maholm - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  38,490

The Cardinals staked Chris Carpenter to a 4-0 first-inning lead - on a pair of two-run home runs - then Carpenter later helped his own cause with a run-scoring single - as St Louis held on for the win, to move into a virtual tie with Pittsburgh for second-place in the NL Central - one game behind first-place Milwaukee.

Jon Jay started the first-inning rally against Pirates starter Paul Maholm with a one-out triple to right field, bringing Albert Pujols to the plate - in his favorite ballpark to hit.  As if on cue, Pujols launched one to deep right-center field - three rows deep - to put the Redbirds quickly on top, 2-0.

One out later, after Lance Berkman doubled down the left field line, David Freese belted an opposite-field home run deep to right field to give the Cardinals a four run advantage right off the bat.

The Pirates cut that deficit in half in the second-inning.  With two out, Garrett Jones doubled, followed by a run-scoring single from Ronnie Cedeno, a scratch infield single from Michael McHenry, then an RBI single from Maholm - trying to help his own cause.

Carpenter returned the favor in the third-inning - lining a two-out base hit to right-center field, to score Yadier Molina, who had doubled.

Pittsburgh scored two more runs in the sixth-inning - but questionable base-running took them out of a potentially big-inning, when they collected five hits off a tiring Carpenter.

With one out, and runners on second and third, Garrett Jones brought both home with a bloop single near the line in left field - but was nailed by a strong throw from Matt Holliday when he tried to stretch it into a double.  That play loomed large when the next two batters - Cedeno and McHenry - also singled; however, the inning ended when pinch hitter Xavier Paul grounded out to Pujols at first base - unassisted.

Then Yadi gave the Cardinals a bit more breathing room with a two-out solo home run in the eighth-inning - giving the Cardinals a 6-4 lead - and that's where it finished, after Fernando Salas worked a scoreless ninth-inning for his 18th save of the season.

Carpenter, who had gotten off to a slow start, improved to 6-7.  By the time the regular season ended, it's safe to say he had his "A" game going.

July 15, 2005 - 13-Innings: Pujols Powers Come-From-Behind-Walk-Off Winner Over Astros

Friday, July 15, 2005 - At Busch Stadium II (Mark Mulder - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent:  Houston Astros (Andy Pettitte - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  48,420

In a marathon thirteen-inning game that would take four hours and twenty-three minutes to complete, Albert Pujols' two-run home run lifted the Cardinals to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Houston Astros.  That was his only hit (along with one walk) in six plate appearances - so it's safe to say he was due.

Both starting pitchers - Mark Mulder (8 IP) and Andy Pettitte (7 IP) - had strong outings - both allowing just one run while they were in there.

The Cardinals scored first, when second baseman Mark Grudzielanek hit his fifth home run of the season in the second-inning.

The Astros tied the game in the fifth-inning.  After loading the bases on three singles, Mulder uncorked a wild pitch with Craig Biggio batting - scoring Chris Burke, who had the first of the three singles.  But Mulder escaped with no further damage - despite walking Biggio to load the bases again - this time for the ever-dangerous Lance Berkman - who lined out to Jim Edmonds in center.  Lance would fail to get a hit in five plate appearances - although he did walk once.  In fact, Biggio had just two walks - and no hits - in seven plate appearances.

Keeping that one-two tandem in check was one of the big keys for a Cardinal victory - which would have ended in regulation, had closer Jason Isringhausen managed to get through the ninth, unscathed.  By then, the Cardinals added another run in the eighth-inning when reserve catcher Einar Diaz connected for his first and only home run of the season - off reliever Chad Qualls - giving the Redbirds a 2-1 lead heading into the fateful ninth-inning.

However, Orlando Palmiero's lead-off double turned into a run (after advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt) when Mike Lamb scored him on a sacrifice fly to left field.

From this point, the bullpens took over, keeping the other team in check until the thirteenth-inning rolled around.  Julian Taverez pitched a scoreless tenth and eleventh for St Louis, then Reyes made it through the twelfth unscathed - while Gallo, Wheeler, Lidge and Springer foiled the Cardinals' attempts to walk-off with a win through twelve.

With Reyes still pitching for the Cardinals in the thirteenth-inning - with one out, Orlando Palmiero walked.  Ausmus then bunted him over to second.  With Lamb the next battter, manager Tony LaRussa replaced Reyes with Ray King - but the strategy failed, as Lamb stroked an RBI single to center, giving Houston a 3-2 lead.  After yielding another hit, Brad Thompson was summoned from the bullpen to retire the only batter he would face.  Little did he know, his 0.1 IP would earn him his first win of the year.

In the bottom of the thirteenth - with Springer pitching for the Astros - David Eckstein coaxed a lead-off walk.  Then Edmonds, trying to end it in one swing, struck out.  At this point, Houston manager Phil Garner brought in Chad Harville - a fresh arm - to pitch to Albert Pujols.

Pujols worked the count full, fouling off a couple of nasty sliders to stay alive.  On Harville's seventh pitch - a fastball that caught too much of the plate - Pujols launched it deep to left-center field - and when it finally landed - the Cardinals had walked-off with the win.  It took Albert six plate appearances before getting his first hit of the game - but for the Cardinal fans now going crazy, it was worth the wait.

July 8, 2006 - Improbable Extra-Inning Winner in Houston

Saturday, July 8, 2006 - At Minute Maid Park (Anthony Reyes - Starting Pitcher) -Opponent:  Houston Astros (Roger Clemens - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  43,424

In 2006, the Cardinals managed to sneak into the postseason by the slimmest of margins - just a game and a half ahead of the second-place Houston Astros.  Thanks to an improbable two-out two-run ninth-inning rally to tie this game, the Cardinals were able to win it on an almost predictable tenth-inning Albert Pujols home run.  He used to do this sort of thing on a regular basis - especially in 2006.

The Cardinals actually scored first in this game - with two first-inning unearned runs off Roger Clemens.  With one out, John Rodriguez started the rally with a single to center field, which was followed by an Albert Pujols single to left field.  With the runners on first and second, Scott Rolen's ground ball to first baseman Mike Lamb was booted - allowing Rodriguez to score, while Pujols pulled up at third.  Jim Edmonds then hit a ground ball to second baseman Craig Biggio, whose only play was to force Rolen at second, as Pujols scored the second unearned run of the game for the Redbirds.

Looking back on that first-inning error by Lamb - had he fielded it cleanly, the Cardinals would not have scored at all.  If that's the case, they would have lost this game, which more than likely would have cost St Louis a chance for postseason play - or at the very least - made it extremely difficult to win the division title.  Of course, errors are a part of the game; but this one in particular really helped facilitate the Cardinals' quest for postseason play.

Meanwhile, the Astros got one of those runs back on Cardinal-killer Lance Berkman's RBI single in the bottom of the first.

The Cardinals made some more noise in the fourth-inning - as Rolen led-off with a single to right field, and came all the way around to score on Edmonds' double to center field.  After Juan Encarnacion was retired on a fly ball to right field, Hector Luna walked - then backup catcher Gary Bennett scored Edmonds with a single to right field - to give the Cardinals a brief 4-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth-inning, Craig Biggio's three-run home run tied the game - as the momentum definitely shifted in favor of the home team.  Reyes' night was over after finally retiring the side with no further damage.

The next pitcher - Josh Kinney - pitched a scoreless sixth-inning, but after a lead-off walk to Orlando Palmeiro in the seventh and a hit batsman - Biggio - Randy Flores was summoned from the Cardinal bullpen to face Mike Lamb - who promptly loaded the bases with a single to left field.

Rookie Adam Wainwright was then brought into the game, and he got his first man - Morgan Ensberg - on a pop fly to the second baseman.  But then, Lance Berkman drove in two runs with a single to center field.  Wainwright kept the damage at two runs by inducing Preston Wilson to ground into a Rolen-to-Miles-to-Pujols inning-ending double play.

The Cardinals still trailed, 6-4 heading into the ninth-inning, with Houston closer Brad Lidge trying to do his job, and close out the game.  After getting the first two batters - Edmonds on strikes and Juan Encarnacion on a fly ball to left field - this one appeared to be all but over.

Then suddenly, Scott Spiezio launched one out to right - making it a 6-5 game now.  Still, with two out and nobody on base, the chances for the Redbirds to extend this game seemed remote.  However, pinch hitter Chris Duncan kept the inning alive with a base hit to center.  David Eckstein followed that by drawing a base on balls.  Finally, Aaron Miles became the fourth straight St Louis batter to reach base - by lining a run-scoring single to right field, to tie the game, 6-6. Unbelievable.

Roy Oswald was the new Houston pitcher as the Cardinals hit in the tenth-inning, with all the momentum in the world working for them.  It also didn't hurt to have Albert Pujols leading-off with a home run, to give the Redbirds a shocking 7-6 win - after Jason Isringhausen pitched a second perfect inning of relief to nail it down.

At the time, the significance of this long-shot extra-inning win at Minute Maid Park could not be fully appreciated.  With it, the Cardinals finished the season with a record of 83-78, while the Astros finished at 82-80.  Without it, the Cardinals would have ended up at 82-79 - while the Astros would have been 83-79.  The division title would have gone to Houston since they won the season series - in reality, Houston won 9 of 16, but in this altered reality, it would have been 10 of 16.

Instead, Spezio, Duncan, Eckstein and Miles were unsung heroes for the Cardinals - along with Mike Lamb and his not-so Golden first-inning Glove.

June 28, 2005- Sanders' 2-Run 1st-Inning HR Enough to Beat Reds

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - At Busch Stadium II (Mark Mulder - Starting Pitcher) - Opposition:  Cincinnati Reds (Brandon Clausen - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance:  38,640

In this game, the Cardinals only had two hits that were meaningful - but one of them was a first-inning two-run home run off the bat of cleanup hitter Reggie Sanders.  The other was the two-out single by Albert Pujols which preceded that two-run blast.

The Reds, on the other hand, could only score one first-inning run - then spent the rest of the game squandering their scoring opportunities until the bitter end - when Jason Isringhausen struck out Jacob Cruz -  with a runner in scoring position - to save the 2-1 win for Mark Mulder (9-5).

Meanwhile, the Cardinal lineup could only muster two more hits for the entire game after the first inning - but the damage had been done.

After Mulder's shaky three-hit / one run  first-inning, the Cardinal lefty settled down to throw zeroes through the next five innings - escaping a thee hit mess in the third-inning, which was greatly aided by a 5-4-3 double play - and another in the sixth-inning, when he induced Jason LaRue to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play with runners on the corners.

By the time the seventh-inning rolled around, with a pitch count that was already over 100 - when Mulder issued a one-out walk to Encarnacion, manager Tony LaRussa brought in reliever Brad Thompson - who got the second out of the inning.

However, Rich Aurilia's infield hit moved the tying run into scoring position, prompting another pitching change - Ray King - to face the dangerous left-handed hitting Sean Casey - who already had two hits in the game and was looking for a third.

Behind the plate was a rookie catcher with a penchant for picking runners off base - Yadier Molina.  With a one ball - one strike count on Casey, Yadi caught Aurilia wandering too far off the bag - nailing the stunned base runner with a snap throw that would become legendary over the years.

Sean Casey - the perpetually-talking first baseman whose RBI opportunity had suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye - was speechless, although his mouth was agape.

In the end, the Cardinals had beaten the Reds by letting the Reds beat themselves.  Cincinnati had twice as many hits (8 to 4), twice as many walks (4 to 2), but half the runs (1 to 2).  But that's baseball.

June 16, 2009 - Cards Clobber Verlander - Waino Tames Tigers

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - At Busch Stadium III:  A classic pitching match-up between Cardinals' ace -  Adam Wainwright - and the Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander - for all intents and purposes, was over after one inning.  Whereas Wainwright was able to escape a two-out bases loaded first-inning jam - retiring Brandon Inge on a long fly ball to the deepest reaches of center field - Verlander could not.

Yadier Molina's two-out bases loaded single off Verlander in the bottom of the first-inning scored two runs - and opened the floodgates.  Unnerved, Verlander then balked in another run.  His misfortune continued as light-hitting Joe Thurston brought in the fourth - and final - run of the inning with a double.

The rest of the game was elementary.  Wainwright controlled the Detroit lineup, while St Louis scored another run off Verlander before he was relieved of duty after just four innings - then continued the assault on three relievers - Robertson, Perry and Lyon - to tack on another six runs - featuring back-to back home runs by Albert Pujols (23) and Chris Duncan (5).

The only run Wainwright allowed came on a two-out sixth-inning home run by Brandon Inge (15).  As far as Wainwright and the Cardinals were concerned, they were happy that long ball didn't happen with the bases juiced - when Inge just missed hitting it out in the first-inning.  Yes, timing is everything.

The only other Detroit run came off reliever P.J. Walters - when Miguel Cabrera went deep in the eighth-inning - his 12th home run and 40th RBI of the season.  Strangely enough, the long since departed Inge had more home runs (15) and RBI (42) at this point in the season than the player widely regarded nowadays as the best hitter in the game.

In baseball, five years can - and usually does - bring about a lot of changes.  Some players improve with age, while others regress, even before hitting 30.

Tony Gwynn, who lost his battle with cancer earlier today, hit .394 at the age of 34, during the strike-shortened 1994 season - so people tend to forget how close he came to hitting .400, twenty years ago.  Seems like only yesterday.

By the way,  he should have won the '87 NL MVP Award - just for the record.