October 12 has been a good day for Cardinal baseball over the years. For most other major league teams, whose postseason hopes usually disappear shortly after the All Star break, October 12 has been a good day to get in a round of golf. So there's always a bright side to every situation.
Of course, reaching the postseason isn't easy. The recent success of the Cardinals may have spoiled some fans, who now consider anything less than a World Series championship a disappointing season. Maybe they've forgotten (or too young to remember) the '70's - or most of the '90's. Even '96 - the only time the Cardinals qualified for postseason play in that decade - ended as nightmarish as could be imagined. Let's forget that even happened.
Whether or not 2014 will result in another trip to the Fall Classic for the Cardinals remains to be seen. Luckily, they're playing the Giants in Game Two of the NLCS on one of their favorite days for postseason success - October 12. How can they go wrong?
Top Five Cardinals' Postseason Games Played on October 12 (Since 1964):
5 - 2011 - Game 3 - NLCS vs Milwaukee Brewers
The Cardinals score four runs in the first-inning, then hang on for a 4-3 win over the Brewers.
Chris Carpenter gets the win and the bullpen provides some stellar relief, as St Louis takes a two games to one lead over their division rivals.
4 - 2013 - Game 2 - NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Michael Wacha strikes out eight in 6.2 shutout innings. Four relievers retire the final seven batters in order to preserve a 1-0 St Louis win.
The losing pitcher - Clayton Kershaw - only allowed one run - in the fifth-inning - when David Freese doubled, advanced to third on a passed ball, then scored on Jon Jay's sacrifice fly to left field.
As a side note, Carl Crawford made possibly the worst throw in major league history on the play - one day after Carlos Beltran made one of the greatest throws ever - nailing a runner at the plate (Mark Ellis) trying to tag up from third - in another game won by the Cardinals.
3 - 1964 - Game 5 - World Series vs New York Yankees
At Yankee Stadium - after the Yankees score two unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth, Tim McCarver's three-run tenth-inning home run gives Bob Gibson a complete game 5-2 win.
Taking a shutout into the ninth-inning, the first batter Gibson faces - Mickey Mantle - reaches base when Cards shortstop Dick Groat boots his ground ball. One out later, Gibson made perhaps the greatest fielding play by a pitcher in World Series history - when he pounces on the ball that struck him off the bat of Joe Pepitone - making an off-balance throw to first to barely nab the runner.
Had Pepitone reached base, Tom Tresh's home run would have won the game. Instead it only tied the game - setting up McCarver's tenth-inning heroics.
Gibson got the final three outs in the bottom of the tenth - and became a legend in the process.
2 - 1967 - Game 7 - World Series vs Boston Red Sox
At Fenway Park, the Cardinals become World Champions for the second time in four seasons - with a 7-2 win over the Red Sox.
Bob Gibson goes the distance - allowing two runs on three hits and three walks. He also struck out ten batters.
Boston ace Jim Lonborg - working on just two days rest - is tagged for all seven runs - including a solo home run from Bob Gibson and a three-run bomb by Julian Javier.
Prior to the game, Boston manager Dick Williams was asked by a local beat writer what he expected in this Lonborg vs Gibson showdown. His response would be chanted by a relentless Gibson & company as the Cardinals celebrated in the visitors' clubhouse: "Lonborg and champagne!"
1 - 2012 - Game 5 - NLDS vs Washington Nationals
After the Nats had taken a 6-0 lead over Adam Wainwright and the Cards in the first three-innings of play, a newly retired and bitter Chipper Jones - formerly of the freshly eliminated (by the Cardinals) Atlanta Braves - felt compelled to announce to his Twitter followers what was going on in this game: "It's over!"
Not quite, Chipper. While the Cardinal bullpen kept the Nats at bay, the Redbirds pecked away at that deficit. Matt Holliday's fourth-inning RBI double scored Beltran: 6-1.
In the fifth-inning, the Cards scored two more runs on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch - as Washington starter Gio Gonzalez began to unravel: 6-3.
In the seventh, Matt Holliday's infield ground out scored Jon Jay from third, as the partisan crowd slowly went from raucous party mode to subdued paranoia: 6-4.
Daniel Descalso's eighth-inning lead-off home run drew the Cardinals within one run: 6-5.
The Nationals answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth, as the mood of the crowd shifted to 95% high octane party mode again. As the ninth-inning began, nobody wanted to sit down. They had to savor the final three outs which would send their team to the NLCS: 7-5.
With closer Drew Storen on the mound, Carlos Beltran bounced a lead-off double off the wall in right center field. But then Matt Holliday grounded out to third - and the next batter - Allen Craig struck out on a pitch about a foot off the plate, for out number two.
As the crowd began singing and dancing and hugging one another, Yadier Molina and David Freese both walked to load the bases. The celebratory mood of the crowd once again shifted into stunned silence - although a few brave souls scorned the presence of Daniel Descalso now batting for St Louis. But Daniel was hot - lining a shot up the middle that was hit so hard, it nearly took shortstop Ian Desmond's glove off. Beltran and pinch runner (for Molina) Adron Chambers both scored: 7-7.
Descalso could also run - swiping second, uncontested. Two runners now in scoring position.
Next up - Pete Kozma - smacked a belt-high fastball on the outside corner down the right field line - scoring Freese and Chambers to give the Cardinals a shocking 9-7 lead. No one was more thrilled about this than the on-deck hitter - Jason Motte - who had allowed that insurance run the Nats had scored in the eighth-inning. But it wasn't enough insurance.
A reprieved Motte retired the Nats in order in the ninth to seal this improbable come-from-behind division series clincher. Bryce Harper, who fanned for the second out in the inning, was so thrilled about blowing this game, he defiantly grabbed his crotch while staring down a bemused Motte.
Undaunted, Jason then induced Ryan Zimmerman to pop out to the biggest hero of the night - second baseman Daniel Descalso - to seal the deal.
The Wild Cards had beaten the number-one team in the National League in the division series for the second consecutive year (the Phillies and now the Nats) - in a deciding fifth game on enemy turf.
It's no wonder so many opposing fans hate the Cardinals.
Let's hope the Giants fans will hate the Cardinals just a little bit more after this particular October 12 game.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Saturday, October 11, 2014
October 11, 1964 - World Series - Game 4: Boyer Slams Door on Yankees, 4-3
Sunday, October 11, 1964 - World Series - Game 4 - St Louis Cardinals vs New York Yankees - At Yankee Stadium - Ray Sadecki vs Al Downing - Attendance: 66,312
The Cardinals were in desperate need for a win today, after losing a 2-1 heart-breaker to the Yankees in Saturday's Game 3 - although fifty years later, that doesn't seem like such a bad way to lose - on a Mickey Mantle walk-off home run off a Barney Schultz knuckle ball. It doesn't get much more iconic than that.
Iconic or not, the Bronx Bombers held a two games to one advantage over the upstart Cardinals in this best-of-seven Fall Classic, heading into Sunday's crucial Game 4. It had been eighteen years since the Cardinals had won a World Series championship. It had been eighteen years since they had even appeared in a World Series, for that matter.
The Yankees, on the other hand, had won ten world championships over that same time span. That seemed like enough, although New York apparently had a different point of view, as this game began like a Twilight Zone episode for the beleaguered Redbirds.
Ray Sadecki, the winning pitcher in Game One, didn't fare so well this time around. After the Cardinals went quietly in their first turn at bat against southpaw Al Downing, the Yankees began their half of the first with a bang. Phil Linz opened with a double. Then, with Bobby Richardson batting, Linz tried to steal third. Catcher Tim McCarver's throw was in time to nail Linz, but the normally sure-handed Ken Boyer - a nine-time Gold Glove winner - simply dropped the ball. With that, the floodgates opened.
Richardson followed with a double of his own - scoring Linz. Roger Maris then lined a single to right - temporarily advancing Richardson to third - who then scored when Mickey Mantle lined another single to right field. While Maris advanced to third on the hit, Mantle tried to stretch it into a double - unsuccessfully. A strong throw from Mike Shannon to second baseman Dal Maxvill recorded the first out of the inning - but if the Cardinals hoped to get two more outs to end this mess, an immediate pitching change was in order.
Manager Johnny Keane summoned Roger Craig in from the bullpen to face Elston Howard, who promptly singled to center - scoring Maris with the third run of the inning. Unbeknownst to anyone watching this game, that would prove to be the last run the Yankees would score in this one.
Craig then struck out Tom Tresh before retiring Joe Pepitone on a fly ball to right field, to finally end this madness.
In the meantime, the Cardinals could do nothing with Downing, who had blanked St Louis on just one hit through the first five innings. That all changed in the sixth-inning, however. Carl Warwick - pinch hitting for Roger Craig - singled to left. Curt Flood followed suit - putting runners on first and second for Lou Brock. But Lou was an easy out, on a fly ball to Mantle in center field. When Dick Groat hit a ground ball towards second baseman Bobby Richardson - a five-time Gold Glove winner -it seemed likely an inning-ending double play would ensue.
Instead, Richardson booted it.
With the bases now loaded, Ken Boyer - trying to atone for his error that facilitated a three-run first-inning rally for the Yankees - did some serious atoning with one swing of the bat.
Boyer's drive down the left field line refused to hook into foul territory - instead landing in the bleachers among the stunned partisan crowd, as a smiling Boyer circled the bases on what may have been the most significant postseason home run in St Louis Cardinals history. Suddenly, the Cardinals had a 4-3 lead - a lead they would not relinquish.
Journeyman reliever Ron Taylor kept the Yankees in check over the final four innings - allowing only a two-out eighth-inning walk to Mickey Mantle. There was no need for a setup guy to pitch the eighth-inning, because he was his own closer today - saving it for Roger Craig, who of course, saved the day for the Cardinals when they absolutely had to win this game.
The pitching lines tell the story:
IP H R ER BB SO
Sadecki 0.1 4 3 2 0 0
Craig (1-0) 4.2 2 0 0 3 8
Taylor S (1) 4.0 0 0 0 1 2
Boyer's clutch grand salami - along with the nearly flawless relief work from two unflappable veterans - evened the World Series at two games apiece. Otherwise, they would have been forced into an untenable three games to one deficit.
And that would have been no fun at all.
The Cardinals were in desperate need for a win today, after losing a 2-1 heart-breaker to the Yankees in Saturday's Game 3 - although fifty years later, that doesn't seem like such a bad way to lose - on a Mickey Mantle walk-off home run off a Barney Schultz knuckle ball. It doesn't get much more iconic than that.
Iconic or not, the Bronx Bombers held a two games to one advantage over the upstart Cardinals in this best-of-seven Fall Classic, heading into Sunday's crucial Game 4. It had been eighteen years since the Cardinals had won a World Series championship. It had been eighteen years since they had even appeared in a World Series, for that matter.
The Yankees, on the other hand, had won ten world championships over that same time span. That seemed like enough, although New York apparently had a different point of view, as this game began like a Twilight Zone episode for the beleaguered Redbirds.
Ray Sadecki, the winning pitcher in Game One, didn't fare so well this time around. After the Cardinals went quietly in their first turn at bat against southpaw Al Downing, the Yankees began their half of the first with a bang. Phil Linz opened with a double. Then, with Bobby Richardson batting, Linz tried to steal third. Catcher Tim McCarver's throw was in time to nail Linz, but the normally sure-handed Ken Boyer - a nine-time Gold Glove winner - simply dropped the ball. With that, the floodgates opened.
Richardson followed with a double of his own - scoring Linz. Roger Maris then lined a single to right - temporarily advancing Richardson to third - who then scored when Mickey Mantle lined another single to right field. While Maris advanced to third on the hit, Mantle tried to stretch it into a double - unsuccessfully. A strong throw from Mike Shannon to second baseman Dal Maxvill recorded the first out of the inning - but if the Cardinals hoped to get two more outs to end this mess, an immediate pitching change was in order.
Manager Johnny Keane summoned Roger Craig in from the bullpen to face Elston Howard, who promptly singled to center - scoring Maris with the third run of the inning. Unbeknownst to anyone watching this game, that would prove to be the last run the Yankees would score in this one.
Craig then struck out Tom Tresh before retiring Joe Pepitone on a fly ball to right field, to finally end this madness.
In the meantime, the Cardinals could do nothing with Downing, who had blanked St Louis on just one hit through the first five innings. That all changed in the sixth-inning, however. Carl Warwick - pinch hitting for Roger Craig - singled to left. Curt Flood followed suit - putting runners on first and second for Lou Brock. But Lou was an easy out, on a fly ball to Mantle in center field. When Dick Groat hit a ground ball towards second baseman Bobby Richardson - a five-time Gold Glove winner -it seemed likely an inning-ending double play would ensue.
Instead, Richardson booted it.
With the bases now loaded, Ken Boyer - trying to atone for his error that facilitated a three-run first-inning rally for the Yankees - did some serious atoning with one swing of the bat.
Boyer's drive down the left field line refused to hook into foul territory - instead landing in the bleachers among the stunned partisan crowd, as a smiling Boyer circled the bases on what may have been the most significant postseason home run in St Louis Cardinals history. Suddenly, the Cardinals had a 4-3 lead - a lead they would not relinquish.
Journeyman reliever Ron Taylor kept the Yankees in check over the final four innings - allowing only a two-out eighth-inning walk to Mickey Mantle. There was no need for a setup guy to pitch the eighth-inning, because he was his own closer today - saving it for Roger Craig, who of course, saved the day for the Cardinals when they absolutely had to win this game.
The pitching lines tell the story:
IP H R ER BB SO
Sadecki 0.1 4 3 2 0 0
Craig (1-0) 4.2 2 0 0 3 8
Taylor S (1) 4.0 0 0 0 1 2
Boyer's clutch grand salami - along with the nearly flawless relief work from two unflappable veterans - evened the World Series at two games apiece. Otherwise, they would have been forced into an untenable three games to one deficit.
And that would have been no fun at all.
Friday, October 10, 2014
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.
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.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
October 9, 1982 - Game 2 NLCS 4-3 Walk-Off Winner Over Braves
Saturday, October 9, 1982 - Game 2 NLCS - At Busch Stadium II (John Stuper - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Atlanta Braves (Phil Niekro - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 53,408
After scoring an eighth-inning run to tie the game, the Cardinals got the walk-off win in the ninth - by the slimmest of margins - to steal Game Two of the National League Championship Series vs the Atlanta Braves - by a score of 4-3. St Louis also won Game One, so now have a commanding two games to none lead in this best-of-five championship showdown.
As we all know, baseball is a game of inches. For Braves' manager Joe Torre, his defensive maneuvers late in this game sacrificed some precious inches - and probably cost his team a chance to avoid the ninth-inning calamity which turned a line drive off the bat of Ken Oberkfell into the walk-off game-winning hit.
Before all that unfolded, pitching from both sides did a nice job of keeping the opposing lineups from doing much damage. Sloppy defense cost the Cardinals an early run, while Niekro's erratic knuckle ball cost his team an early run, as well.
After Cards starter John Stuper made it through the first-inning unscathed, Niekro wasn't quite as lucky. With two out and Lonnie Smith on second and Oberkfell on third - Niekro uncorked a wild pitch with Darrell Porter at the plate - allowing Oberkfell to race home with the game's first run - and that was the extent of the scoring for the Cardinals until the sixth-inning.
By that time, the Braves had scored three runs - with one very costly unearned run added to the mix. Bruce Benedict started a third-inning rally by drawing a lead-off walk. After Niekro advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt, it appeared Stuper might be able to navigate through a scoreless inning when he struck out Claudell Washington. But disaster struck when Rafael Ramirez singled to center. Willie McGee, in his haste to prevent Benedict from scoring from second, charged the ball aggressively, but missed it completely - allowing Ramirez to zip all the way around the bases to give the Braves a shocking 2-1 lead.
Atlanta tacked on another run in the fifth when Niekro batted with runners on second and third and nobody out. He helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly - scoring Glenn Hubbard from third - but the runner on second - Benedict - would eventually be stranded. Atlanta would also squander another scoring opportunity later in the game, which further killed their chances of pulling this one out of the fire.
The Redbirds finally got another run home in the sixth, but probably should have scored more. Keith Hernandez started the rally with a base hit to right - then scored on Porter's double down the right field line. Porter himself would be thrown out at the plate, trying to score on an Ozzie Smith single to right. An unusual 9-6-5 assist nailed Porter - so despite collecting four hits in the inning, the Cards had just one run to show for it.
After Atlanta had runners on first and second and nobody out in the eighth, manager Whitey Herzog brought in Bruce Sutter from the bullpen to work his magic. Stuper had pitched well enough, but was on the hook for the loss already - and the situation looked grim with the two runners on base being his responsibility, as well (Chris Chambliss on first and Dale Murphy on second).
Sutter struck out the first batter - Bob Horner - then with Jerry Royster batting - Murphy tried to steal third - but was nailed on a great throw from Porter to Oberkfell. Royster then bounced out to end the threat and shift the momentum in favor of the home team.
The Cardinals immediately cashed in on the opportunity, off reliever Gene Garber. With one out in the eighth, Porter walked. George Hendrick - quiet in the game to this point - let his bat do the talking with a singe to right - advancing Porter to third. McGee then hit a slow roller to the shortstop who got the force out at second - unassisted - but McGee easily beat the relay to first, as Porter scored the tying run.
By that time, in a series of lineup changes and manuevers, center fielder Dale Murphy moved over to left field, as Brett Butler became the new center fielder. As it would play out, that move cost the Braves the game, although probably nobody thought much about it at the time. Thirty-two years later, it seems obvious.
The fateful ninth-inning rally began with a single off the bat of David Green, who was immediately pushed to second on Herr's sacrifice bunt. Next up - Ken Oberkfell - hit a line drive to center field which 5' 10" Brett Butler couldn't quite reach. Cardinal play-by-play broadcaster Jack Buck's description of the play: "Butler came within an eyelash - within an eyelash - of catching that ball!"
Meanwhile, out in left field, 6' 4" Dale Murphy - who probably would have caught that ball had he remained in center field - could only helplessly watch the ball land safely, as a jubilant Green dashed home with the winning run.
Heading back to Atlanta down two games to none was too much to overcome. Putting Butler in center field - simply because he was speedy - was a routine practice throughout his seventeen-year major league career. Defensive metrics tell a different story, however. He was a far better left fielder, so really, he had no business playing center field. Murphy, on the other hand, was a far better center fielder who had no business playing left field.
Especially in the most important game of his career, when a game of inches - six to be exact - proved to be the difference between a game-winning hit or a routine putout.
The opportunistic Cardinals, were of course, very glad to put this one in the postseason win column. They'd find a way to win five more games in October - good for another World Series trophy.
After scoring an eighth-inning run to tie the game, the Cardinals got the walk-off win in the ninth - by the slimmest of margins - to steal Game Two of the National League Championship Series vs the Atlanta Braves - by a score of 4-3. St Louis also won Game One, so now have a commanding two games to none lead in this best-of-five championship showdown.
As we all know, baseball is a game of inches. For Braves' manager Joe Torre, his defensive maneuvers late in this game sacrificed some precious inches - and probably cost his team a chance to avoid the ninth-inning calamity which turned a line drive off the bat of Ken Oberkfell into the walk-off game-winning hit.
Before all that unfolded, pitching from both sides did a nice job of keeping the opposing lineups from doing much damage. Sloppy defense cost the Cardinals an early run, while Niekro's erratic knuckle ball cost his team an early run, as well.
After Cards starter John Stuper made it through the first-inning unscathed, Niekro wasn't quite as lucky. With two out and Lonnie Smith on second and Oberkfell on third - Niekro uncorked a wild pitch with Darrell Porter at the plate - allowing Oberkfell to race home with the game's first run - and that was the extent of the scoring for the Cardinals until the sixth-inning.
By that time, the Braves had scored three runs - with one very costly unearned run added to the mix. Bruce Benedict started a third-inning rally by drawing a lead-off walk. After Niekro advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt, it appeared Stuper might be able to navigate through a scoreless inning when he struck out Claudell Washington. But disaster struck when Rafael Ramirez singled to center. Willie McGee, in his haste to prevent Benedict from scoring from second, charged the ball aggressively, but missed it completely - allowing Ramirez to zip all the way around the bases to give the Braves a shocking 2-1 lead.
Atlanta tacked on another run in the fifth when Niekro batted with runners on second and third and nobody out. He helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly - scoring Glenn Hubbard from third - but the runner on second - Benedict - would eventually be stranded. Atlanta would also squander another scoring opportunity later in the game, which further killed their chances of pulling this one out of the fire.
The Redbirds finally got another run home in the sixth, but probably should have scored more. Keith Hernandez started the rally with a base hit to right - then scored on Porter's double down the right field line. Porter himself would be thrown out at the plate, trying to score on an Ozzie Smith single to right. An unusual 9-6-5 assist nailed Porter - so despite collecting four hits in the inning, the Cards had just one run to show for it.
After Atlanta had runners on first and second and nobody out in the eighth, manager Whitey Herzog brought in Bruce Sutter from the bullpen to work his magic. Stuper had pitched well enough, but was on the hook for the loss already - and the situation looked grim with the two runners on base being his responsibility, as well (Chris Chambliss on first and Dale Murphy on second).
Sutter struck out the first batter - Bob Horner - then with Jerry Royster batting - Murphy tried to steal third - but was nailed on a great throw from Porter to Oberkfell. Royster then bounced out to end the threat and shift the momentum in favor of the home team.
The Cardinals immediately cashed in on the opportunity, off reliever Gene Garber. With one out in the eighth, Porter walked. George Hendrick - quiet in the game to this point - let his bat do the talking with a singe to right - advancing Porter to third. McGee then hit a slow roller to the shortstop who got the force out at second - unassisted - but McGee easily beat the relay to first, as Porter scored the tying run.
By that time, in a series of lineup changes and manuevers, center fielder Dale Murphy moved over to left field, as Brett Butler became the new center fielder. As it would play out, that move cost the Braves the game, although probably nobody thought much about it at the time. Thirty-two years later, it seems obvious.
The fateful ninth-inning rally began with a single off the bat of David Green, who was immediately pushed to second on Herr's sacrifice bunt. Next up - Ken Oberkfell - hit a line drive to center field which 5' 10" Brett Butler couldn't quite reach. Cardinal play-by-play broadcaster Jack Buck's description of the play: "Butler came within an eyelash - within an eyelash - of catching that ball!"
Meanwhile, out in left field, 6' 4" Dale Murphy - who probably would have caught that ball had he remained in center field - could only helplessly watch the ball land safely, as a jubilant Green dashed home with the winning run.
Heading back to Atlanta down two games to none was too much to overcome. Putting Butler in center field - simply because he was speedy - was a routine practice throughout his seventeen-year major league career. Defensive metrics tell a different story, however. He was a far better left fielder, so really, he had no business playing center field. Murphy, on the other hand, was a far better center fielder who had no business playing left field.
Especially in the most important game of his career, when a game of inches - six to be exact - proved to be the difference between a game-winning hit or a routine putout.
The opportunistic Cardinals, were of course, very glad to put this one in the postseason win column. They'd find a way to win five more games in October - good for another World Series trophy.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
October 8, 1967 - World Series - Game 4: Gibson's 1st World Series Shutout
Sunday, October 8, 1967 - World Series - Game 4 - At Busch Stadium II (Bob Gibson - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Boston Red Sox (Jose Santiago - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 54, 575
Bob Gibson - who allowed just one run in defeating the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Game One - trumped that effort in Game Four at Busch Stadium by blanking Boston, 6-0. It was his first career World Series shutout, and it gave St Louis a commanding three games to one lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.
Gibson got all the runs he needed in the first-inning off Boston starter Jose Santiago. After Lou Brock and Curt Flood both singled to start the frame, Roger Maris scored 'em both with a double to left field.
After advancing to third on Orlando Cepeda's fly ball deep to right field, Maris scored on Tim McCarver's single to right field - to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. One out later, Julian Javier singled to left - bringing up the weak-hitting Dal Maxvill with runners on first and second.
After Maxvill's single to left field scored McCarver to make it a 4-0 lead - manager Dick Williams had seen enough - yanking his beleaguered starter after just two-thirds of an inning. Gary Bell - one of Jim Bouton's buddies frequently mentioned in his controversial and entertaining memoir, Ball Four - restored order for the next 1.1 innings.
Bell's replacement - Jerry Stephenson - didn't fare so well.
In the third inning, Orlando Cepeda greeted Stephenson with a lead-off double to left field. With McCarver batting, Stephenson uncorked a wild pitch - moving Cepeda to third. McCarver's sacrifice fly to center padded the lead to 5-0 - but the Cardinals weren't quite through.
Mike Shannon then coaxed a base on balls, then a red-hot Javier brought him in with a double to left field, scoring the sixth and final run of the game.
Stephenson regrouped to pitch a scoreless fourth-inning - then the next two Boston relievers - Dave Morehead and Ken Brett - pitched a combined four-inning no-hitter which nobody really noticed.
Bob Gibson was on center stage today - scattering five hits and one walk to keep the Red Sox from scoring all day long. He struck out a relatively modest total of six batters - but Boston never threatened to score until their last turn at bat.
Carl Yastrzemski - the AL Triple Crown winner - stayed hot all throughout the World Series. He led-off the ninth-inning with a double into the right-center field gap - becoming the first runner in scoring position Gibson had allowed in the entire game. He got as far as third base but that's where he remained, as Gibson closed the door on the threat to preserve the shutout.
The Red Sox were down, but far from out. They would go on to win the next two games to force a seventh and deciding game back home at Fenway Park. When asked by a Boston beat writer what he expected for the classic Lonborg vs Gibson Game Seven duel, Dick Williams uttered the words which would become the rallying cry for the soon-to-be World Champion Cardinals: "Lonborg and champagne."
Gibson of course, had other ideas.
Bob Gibson - who allowed just one run in defeating the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Game One - trumped that effort in Game Four at Busch Stadium by blanking Boston, 6-0. It was his first career World Series shutout, and it gave St Louis a commanding three games to one lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.
Gibson got all the runs he needed in the first-inning off Boston starter Jose Santiago. After Lou Brock and Curt Flood both singled to start the frame, Roger Maris scored 'em both with a double to left field.
After advancing to third on Orlando Cepeda's fly ball deep to right field, Maris scored on Tim McCarver's single to right field - to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. One out later, Julian Javier singled to left - bringing up the weak-hitting Dal Maxvill with runners on first and second.
After Maxvill's single to left field scored McCarver to make it a 4-0 lead - manager Dick Williams had seen enough - yanking his beleaguered starter after just two-thirds of an inning. Gary Bell - one of Jim Bouton's buddies frequently mentioned in his controversial and entertaining memoir, Ball Four - restored order for the next 1.1 innings.
Bell's replacement - Jerry Stephenson - didn't fare so well.
In the third inning, Orlando Cepeda greeted Stephenson with a lead-off double to left field. With McCarver batting, Stephenson uncorked a wild pitch - moving Cepeda to third. McCarver's sacrifice fly to center padded the lead to 5-0 - but the Cardinals weren't quite through.
Mike Shannon then coaxed a base on balls, then a red-hot Javier brought him in with a double to left field, scoring the sixth and final run of the game.
Stephenson regrouped to pitch a scoreless fourth-inning - then the next two Boston relievers - Dave Morehead and Ken Brett - pitched a combined four-inning no-hitter which nobody really noticed.
Bob Gibson was on center stage today - scattering five hits and one walk to keep the Red Sox from scoring all day long. He struck out a relatively modest total of six batters - but Boston never threatened to score until their last turn at bat.
Carl Yastrzemski - the AL Triple Crown winner - stayed hot all throughout the World Series. He led-off the ninth-inning with a double into the right-center field gap - becoming the first runner in scoring position Gibson had allowed in the entire game. He got as far as third base but that's where he remained, as Gibson closed the door on the threat to preserve the shutout.
The Red Sox were down, but far from out. They would go on to win the next two games to force a seventh and deciding game back home at Fenway Park. When asked by a Boston beat writer what he expected for the classic Lonborg vs Gibson Game Seven duel, Dick Williams uttered the words which would become the rallying cry for the soon-to-be World Champion Cardinals: "Lonborg and champagne."
Gibson of course, had other ideas.
Monday, October 6, 2014
October 7, 2011 - Game 5 - NLDS - One For the Ages - Carpenter's Remarkable 1-0 Clincher Over Phillies
Friday, October 7, 2011 - Game 5 - NLDS - At Citizens Bank Park (Chris Carpenter) - Opponent: Philadelphia Phillies (Roy Halladay - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 46,530
It was a game for the ages: Game 5 - NLDS - The winner advances to the National League Championship Series. The loser goes home. Two former teammates and current good pals - Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter - engaged in a classic pitching duel - but the Phillies starter allowed the only run in the game in the first-inning, as Carpenter kept the Philadelphia hitters off balance just enough to secure the most important win of the 2011 season - at least up to this point.
Two former Cardinals - Rafael Furcal - who started the game with a booming triple to center field - and Skip Schumaker - whose ten-pitch at bat ended with an RBI double down the right field line - provided all the offense the Cardinals could muster tonight. Luckily, it was just enough to continue their improbable postseason run.
Meanwhile, Carpenter, who was roughed up in his abbreviated Game Two start - working on just four days rest - rebounded nicely for the clincher. He scattered three hits, walked nobody and struck out three. Philadelphia had a couple of long outs to the outfield wall - proving that any game can hinge on a few feet - give or take.
The Redbirds - not known for their defensive prowess in 2011 - pulled off some remarkable web gems in a game where the stakes were the highest.
Yadier Molina nailed the only Phillies runner attempting to steal tonight - Chase Utley in the fourth-inning on a perfect throw to second baseman Nick Punto. Utley got a great jump, got a great pitch to run on - a curve - but the laser from home to second made up for some lost time.
The other defensive play of the evening: Furcal's diving stop - and throw - on a Carlos Ruiz eighth-inning ground ball up the middle, that seemed destined for center field.
Then, to end the eighth, Jimmy Rolins hit a bullet back up the middle which deflected off Carpenter's glove to Punto - who made a nice play to end the inning. The ball was definitely bouncing in the right direction tonight.
As the stunned Philadelphia crowd watched in a comic blend of shock, horror, and loathing - Chase Utley made the first out in the ninth-inning - on a towering fly ball which backed center fielder Jon Jay up to the wall for the putout. After Hunter Pence grounded out to defensive replacement Dan Descalso at third base - Carpenter got the last batter - Ryan Howard - on a Punto to Pujols putout. Unfortunately, Howard tore his Achilles tendon on that final play of the 102-win Phillies season - essentially ending the slugging first baseman's career as an elite hitter. For the rest of this aging Philadelphia team, 2011 would be their last hurrah, with three straight seasons of mediocrity - and counting.
The Cardinals' fate has been far more fortuitous since the 2011 postseason ended - although they've come up just a bit short in their quest for another World Series championship.
Yet, here they are again - still very much in the World Series hunt in 2014. Their Game 1 NLDS miracle off Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers could well be the catalyst to ultimate postseason glory. Of course, their Game 3 nerve-racking NLDS victory didn't hurt their chances, either.
And to think, a little over a week ago, many loyal minions in Cardinal Nation were ready to throw in the towel - thinking the Pittsburgh Pirates were going to supplant the Redbirds for the division crown - and go deep into the postseason. Of course that didn't happen. Let's see what happens next year.
It was a game for the ages: Game 5 - NLDS - The winner advances to the National League Championship Series. The loser goes home. Two former teammates and current good pals - Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter - engaged in a classic pitching duel - but the Phillies starter allowed the only run in the game in the first-inning, as Carpenter kept the Philadelphia hitters off balance just enough to secure the most important win of the 2011 season - at least up to this point.
Two former Cardinals - Rafael Furcal - who started the game with a booming triple to center field - and Skip Schumaker - whose ten-pitch at bat ended with an RBI double down the right field line - provided all the offense the Cardinals could muster tonight. Luckily, it was just enough to continue their improbable postseason run.
Meanwhile, Carpenter, who was roughed up in his abbreviated Game Two start - working on just four days rest - rebounded nicely for the clincher. He scattered three hits, walked nobody and struck out three. Philadelphia had a couple of long outs to the outfield wall - proving that any game can hinge on a few feet - give or take.
The Redbirds - not known for their defensive prowess in 2011 - pulled off some remarkable web gems in a game where the stakes were the highest.
Yadier Molina nailed the only Phillies runner attempting to steal tonight - Chase Utley in the fourth-inning on a perfect throw to second baseman Nick Punto. Utley got a great jump, got a great pitch to run on - a curve - but the laser from home to second made up for some lost time.
The other defensive play of the evening: Furcal's diving stop - and throw - on a Carlos Ruiz eighth-inning ground ball up the middle, that seemed destined for center field.
Then, to end the eighth, Jimmy Rolins hit a bullet back up the middle which deflected off Carpenter's glove to Punto - who made a nice play to end the inning. The ball was definitely bouncing in the right direction tonight.
As the stunned Philadelphia crowd watched in a comic blend of shock, horror, and loathing - Chase Utley made the first out in the ninth-inning - on a towering fly ball which backed center fielder Jon Jay up to the wall for the putout. After Hunter Pence grounded out to defensive replacement Dan Descalso at third base - Carpenter got the last batter - Ryan Howard - on a Punto to Pujols putout. Unfortunately, Howard tore his Achilles tendon on that final play of the 102-win Phillies season - essentially ending the slugging first baseman's career as an elite hitter. For the rest of this aging Philadelphia team, 2011 would be their last hurrah, with three straight seasons of mediocrity - and counting.
The Cardinals' fate has been far more fortuitous since the 2011 postseason ended - although they've come up just a bit short in their quest for another World Series championship.
Yet, here they are again - still very much in the World Series hunt in 2014. Their Game 1 NLDS miracle off Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers could well be the catalyst to ultimate postseason glory. Of course, their Game 3 nerve-racking NLDS victory didn't hurt their chances, either.
And to think, a little over a week ago, many loyal minions in Cardinal Nation were ready to throw in the towel - thinking the Pittsburgh Pirates were going to supplant the Redbirds for the division crown - and go deep into the postseason. Of course that didn't happen. Let's see what happens next year.
Why a World Series Win on OCTOBER 6 Was Bad for the Cards - A Loss Good
The following memo was recently discovered at a garage sale in Henderson, Nevada. It sheds some light on a very strange phenomenon that had occurred on October 6 - whenever the Cardinals happened to appear in a World Series and played a game on that date.
MEMO
To: Major League Baseball Date: April 1, 1926
From: The Baseball Gods
Subject: World Series Games Played on October 6
It has come to our attention that the team that calls itself The Saint Louis Cardinals is going to win the National League Pennant at the conclusion of the 1926 Major League Baseball Season. How on earth that is going to happen, we can't really explain. But there's a first time for everything.
In any event, any World Series Games played by The Cardinals on October 6, 1926 - and any future World Series Games played by The Cardinals on the aforementioned date - shall be deemed - actually, we're not sure what to call it.
But here's the deal: If The Cardinals win any October 6 encounters vs the American League in the World Series - they must forfeit their right to win the World's Championship of Major League Baseball - or The World Championship, as some may call it.
On the other hand, if The Cardinals lose any October 6 encounters vs the American League in the aforementioned Series, the American League team hereby forfeits their rights to attain the World's Championship of Major League Baseball. The only exception to that rule is in case of a Loss by Shutout in an even-numbered year - The Cardinals wouldn't deserve to win the World Series every time they're Shutout on October 6, now would they?
We realize this may cause some cynical Baseball Executives to question the integrity of the two competing Ball Clubs playing on October 6. Neither team would find it in their best interests to actually "Win" any Games played on October 6. In essence, one might think each team would be tempted to deliberately "Lose" any Games played on the aforementioned date. Of course, that's a distinct possibility. But we figured that those negative efforts would just cancel each other out.
Consequently, the Fans would be treated to a real humdinger of a Ballgame - and that's all that matters. Most importantly, the temporary despair the Losing Team's loyal Fans endure on October 6 will be replaced by a slightly more permanent feeling of rapture by winning the whole Shebang.
This new policy only applies to World Series Games played on October 6. Any future Postseason Games - "Division Series" and/or "League Championship Series" - do not apply for some reason.
We certainly appreciate your cooperation in attaining full compliance in this matter. We don't normally share the future, but thought it would be helpful to give you some examples of what's in store for the next forty-some-odd years in World Series Games to be played on October 6 involving the aforementioned National League Ball Club (hereinafter referred to as "Cards")
1926 - Game 3 - New York Yankees 10 - Cards 5 - We thought it might be fun to have a guy like Babe Ruth hitting three home runs in this Game - just to give the Saint Louis Fans something to appreciate as they temporarily drown their sorrows in their bootleg beer. Cards in 7.
1930 - Game 5 - Philadelphia Athletics 2 - Cards 0 - That's what I'm talking about. No runs on October 6 - no Championship Trophy. A's in 6.
1931 - Game 4 - Philadelphia Athletics 3 - Cards 0 - Odd-numbered year. We'll let it slide. Cards in 7.
1934 - Game 4 - Detroit Tigers 10 - Cards 4. Cards in 7 - Winning the last 2 on the road, no less.
1943 - Game 2 - Cards 4 - New York Yankees 3 - Sorry, that one Win = a World Series Defeat. Yanks in 5.
1944 - Game 3 - St Louis Browns 6 - Cards 2 - The Browns? Welcome to WW II - Cards in 6.
1946 - Game 1 - Boston Red Sox 3 - Cards 2 (10-Innings) - Such a devastating defeat makes this all the more compelling for the vanquished. Besides, The Curse of The Bambino still in effect. Cards in 7.
1968 - Game 4 - Cards 10 - Detroit Tigers 1 - Turnabout is fair play (See "1934") - Also, the Baseball Gods don't like it when Lou Brock steals third with a nine-run lead in the eighth-inning. That gives him seven stolen bases in the first four Games. How many do you think he'll get in the next three Games? 0 - Tigers in 7.
We'll share our thoughts on other matters in the future - such as excessive braggadocio and/or demeaning comments directed at opposing Teams and/or Players. Hint: We frown upon such activity, along with silly self-imposed nicknames (such as "T-PLush", "T-Gumbo", etc).
You'll see.
Yours truly, The Baseball Gods - The National Pastime, Inc
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