It was a chilly night in Missouri on October 28th, 2011. Around 11:15 PM, David Murphy hit a fly ball that landed in Allen Craig's glove. After that play, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the 107th World Series in baseball history. It was the 11th title in Cardinals history, the most of any franchise not named the New York Yankees. David Freese, St. Louis native and NLCS MVP, also took home World Series MVP honors.
This, from the team that was basically eliminated in August. From the team that was 10.5 games back before September began, 3 games back with 5 to play. From the team that knocked the powerhouse Phillies and the beast-mode Brewers out of contention to face the 2-time AL champion Rangers against overwhelming odds. They batted and pitched like every game might be their last...because it just might have been. They kept fighting and never gave an inch. They were down to their final strike not once, but twice during Game 6, and somehow, they still won, and took Game 7 in masterful style.
This, from a team consisting of a slow-footed catcher, an old outfielder, some ragtag rookies and other unconsequential men, a soon-to-be-highest-paid-player-on-the-planet, and a rotation missing its best pitcher, forced to turn to their number 2 to be number 1. They relied not on names like Pujols, Wainwright and Holliday so much as they did on names like Carpenter, Freese and Motte. Twice in the first 2 games, they found themselves celebrating Allen Craig (who?) for his huge RBIs, both off of the previously unhittable Alexi Ogando. They gave the ball to Mark Rzepczynski (didn't even look that up, thank you very much) and Octavio Dotel in the late innings whether they had a lead or not, and they were lights-out. They survived The Bullpen Gaffe, when they lost Game 5 because of some severe miscommunication regarding who should be coming out to pitch. They put a tremendous amount of faith in a common rodent dubbed The Rally Squirrel. They put their trust in players who have never been known for their amazing abilities (or known at all), took immense gambles with the roster and lineups, and still came out on top. I don't know what Tony La Russa's IQ is, but to say he's a genius when it comes to baseball is not a stretch.
This will go down as one of the greatest World Series ever. Much has to be said about the Texas Rangers. Charging into their second straight World Series, and their second one in franchise history, they were strongly favored by almost everyone outside of the Arch...but just like 2010, they just couldn't pull it together and come through in the clutch. Josh Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP who was told by God that he'd hit a huge shot last night, has been battling a hernia for the entire postseason. Nelson Cruz, the ALCS MVP who helped propel the Rangers into The Show, missed a basic catch in the bottom of the 9th of Game 6 that not only sent the game into extra innings but also sent their hopes for a Series win packing. Ian Kinsler, a demon on the basepath, was caught stealing 3 times in this World Series; to put that in perspective, he was caught stealing 4 times the entire season. They also scrapped and fought to get here, but in the end, they couldn't capture lightning in a bottle like the Redbirds did.
This completes the greatest comeback in MLB history. This is a team that was supposed to crash and burn, to fall from grace after flying too close to the sun.
And here they stand, at the precipice of the highest mountain of postseason glory. The St. Louis Cardinals are the 2011 MLB World Series Champions.
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