CARDINALS 10RANGERS 9
Series tied 3-3
It will be remembered as the greatest World Series game, probably ever. Chalk this one right up their with Kirby Puckett's late heroics in the 1991 World Series. Put it up there with Mookie Wilson's ground ball down the first base line underneath the outstretched glove of Bill Buckner in game six of the 1986 Fall Classic.
Yes, game six of the 2011 World Series, may have eclipsed them all with the kind of effort both the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals displayed in 11 back-and-forth innings, as St. Louis averted death, twice, to comeback and beat the Rangers 10-9 last night.
For the Texas Rangers they were this close to winning the World Series, in fact, they were this close TWICE! In the ninth and tenth innings, the Rangers held a two run lead on the Cardinals, and had St. Louis down to their final strike, only to blow it twice. For a franchise that has waited 50 years to win their first World Series, this has to be one of the most devastating losses in Rangers history, one they will never forget if they should lose a game seven.
From the onset, this one had the feeling of a wild night. The Rangers had St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia on the chopping block after Josh Hamilton singled home Ian Kinsler to give Texas a 1-0 lead with two on and none out. However, Garica reared back and struck out Michael Young and Adrian Beltre, and forced Nelson Cruz into a ground out to end the inning. An inning that could have been so much more for Texas.
In the bottom half of the inning, St. Louis took control when Lance Berkman, the native Texan, and former Houston Astro, blasted a two run shot to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
With the score tied at two in the fourth inning, the bizzare factor took over in this incredible baseball game. With Fernando Salas on the mound for the Cards, Nelson Cruz popped up to left field, however, Matt Holliday dropped the ball, allowing Cruz to reach. Mike Napoli, who is sure to be the series MVP, if Texas wins, drove in his 10th run of this classic with a single to left to give Texas a 3-2 lead.
Fast forward to the sixth inning, and St. Louis was once again knocking on the door; with one on and one out, Holliday's weak grounder to Michael Young at first was bobbled by the sure-handed veteran. It was Young's second error of the night, and fifth error made on the night between the two teams. The extra life line gave St. Louis life. David Freese walked to load the bases, forcing Texas manager Ron Washington to remove starter Colby Lewis for Alexi Ogando.
Ogando, who has had a terrible series walked potent Cardinals clutch hitter Yadier Molina to drive in the tying run, and from that point on all hell would break loose.
Texas grabbed a two run lead on back-to-back homers by Beltre and Cruz. For Beltre it was his second homer of the series, and the biggest hit of his career. Cruz, who hit six homers in the ALCS, was quiet up to this point in the World Series. His hit appeared to be the icing on the cake for Texas.
The Rangers would tack on with a Kinsler RBI single to score Derek Holland, and with Holland now on the mound it appeared that the party was inevitable. Holland, who cruised past St. Louis in game four, retired four straight Cardinals before Allen Craig blasted a solo shot in the eighth to cut the deficit to 7-5. But even with that it didn't look good for St. Louis.
That being said, never once did it seem that the Cardinals would go away quietly in this baseball game. Even to the final out, there was a strange sense that St. Louis would find a way to prevail in the most incredible fashion. Heck, this was a team that defied the odds all season. They got into the playoffs as a wild card, erasing a 10 game deficit to the Atlanta Braves. They beat up on the seemingly unstoppable Philadelphia Phillies, and bulldozed past their NL Central bully, Milwaukee Brewers in the LCS. Comebacks are nothing new to the Cardinals.
In the ninth with Neteli Feliz on the mound for the Rangers, the All Star closer struck out Ryan Theriot for the first out. A huge out, considering Albert Pujols was on deck. Pujols could have hit the ball 600 feet, and Rangers wouldn't have cared, but instead the free-agent-to-be stroked a double to right center, and Lance Berkman walked.
After Allen Craig struck out, Feliz had Freese on a 1-2 count, before the son of St. Louis cracked a triple over the head of Cruz, as the ball went up against the right field wall, and trickled away from the right fielder, as Pujols and Berkman scored to tie it at seven.
Then in the tenth inning, it was Hamilton who rose from the dead. Hamilton whose bat has been silenced in the World Series due to a groin injury hit his first homerun of the playoffs, when he smacked a two run shot to center to give the Rangers a 9-7 lead.
Washington then turned the ball over to former Met Darren Oliver in the bottom of the inning to close it out. Lesson learned, never rely on a Met to close anything out.
Oliver gave up singles to David Descalso and John Jay to get things rolling. After a Kyle Loshe sacrifice, and an RBI ground out by Theriot, reliever Scott Feldman came in for Oliver and walked Pujols. What appeared to be a smart move came back to bite the Rangers. Feldman had Berkman on a 1-2 count. Again the Rangers were a strike away from winning it all, but the veteran lifted the pitch into center field allowing Jay to score the tying run. Busch Stadium was electric.
After Jake Westbrook did away with the Rangers in the top of the eleventh, it was Freese who put the Rangers on ice, as he blasted a solo home run off Mark Lowe to send St. Louis into total bedlam. Fox broadcaster Joe Buck, a former Cardinals local TV commentator, and son of the late Jack Buck, who was the Cardinals play-by-play man concluded the telecast by signing off with his father's famous "We'll see you tomorrow night," which he used during Cardinal victories.
Freese was met at home plate by his teammates who ripped his jersey into pieces; it was like they already won the World Series. Instead St. Louis lives to play another day. A day nobody will ever forget. Game six box score.
Keep in mind, that Chris Carpenter will start game seven for the Cardinals against Matt Harrison. Both Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli are listed as questionable for the game, after they suffered injuries in the game for the Rangers. Texas hasn't lost two in a row since August 23.
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