Cardinals stomp out Rangers, win World Series

CARDINALS 6
RANGERS 2
STL wins 4-3

The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals are the epitome of the old saying "it 'aint over 'till the fat lady sings." Throughout the course of this season, the Cardinals have found ways to perceiver in the most perilous of times, and now find themselves as the world champions of professional baseball in the United States.

They trailed the Atlanta Braves by 10 games for the wild card, erasing that deficit over the month of September to capture the playoff spot. Then they outlasted the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, and beat up their rivals the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS to get to this World Series. Down three games to two, and facing elimination the Cardinals came back to beat the Texas Rangers in game six, coming back twice on their final strike to force ties in a game St. Louis eventually won 10-9.

So it was fitting that the Cardinals did away with the Rangers in easy fashion on Friday night to capture the franchise's 11th World Series title, and second title in five years.

Game seven felt more like a coronation of a true world champion after the heroics the Cardinals pulled on Thursday night in game six. Even though the Rangers grabbed an early 2-0 lead in game seven, they played the game like a team waiting for the shoe the drop. Once the Cardinals came back to tie the game on David Freese's double, which scored Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman to tie it at two, the series was, for all intents and purposes, over.

In the third inning, it was the Cardinals other young star, Allen Craig who put the cap on what has been a great series for himself, as he cracked a solo shot to right to give the Cards a 3-2 advantage. Craig had a huge World Series, and even though David Freese deservedly won the series MVP, Craig hit .286 with two homers and four RBI over the seven game set.

In the fifth the Cardinals tacked on in a big way as Scott Feldman imploded in relief of Matt Harrison. He walked Craig, hit Pujols and walked Freese intentionally to load the bases. Yadier Molina ran the count to 3-0, before Feldman came back with two strikes, but couldn't get his fastball over on the sixth pitch of the at bat, as Molina walked to score a runner. Feldman was removed after the walk for C.J. Wilson, who didn't do himself any favors when he hit Rafeal Furcal with a pitch to drive another runner in to make it 5-2.

From that point the party was on in St. Louis. Chris Carpenter was masterful. Six strong innings, surrendering two runs on six hits with five strikeout. The Cardinals bullpen was brilliant. The combination of Arthur Rhodes, Octavio Dotel, Lance Lynn, and Jason Motte didn't give up a hit in three innings of relief; in fact Lynn's eighth inning looked effortless.

Finally in the ninth, Motte got David Murphy to fly out to Allen Craig in left to clinch the title.

The victory concluded an incredible baseball season for the St. Louis Cardinals, and with the way this team is built, it will be hard to bet against them in 2012. If they can re-sign Albert Pujols, and combine him again with veterans like Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, and budding super stars in Craig and Freese the Cards will have a lethal line-up next season. The big addition to St. Louis next season will come from within when the get Adam Wainwright back from Tommy Johns' surgery -- a starter they didn't have this year, a year they won it all.

So congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, deserving champions of baseball.