Sports in Perspective
I don’t live in Cleveland, nor do I live in St. Louis, but trust me I feel those cities pains’ with the announcement of superstar Albert Pujols joining the Los Angeles Angels for an eye popping 10 years and $254 million…trust me, I know what Cleveland went thru with LeBron James recently. I’ve been to St. Louis several times too and I know how they feel about their Cardinals and, more specifically, Albert Pujols.
In perhaps the wildest World Series game in the history of the sport, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 10-9 in 11 innings and, in the process, forced a deciding game seven to be played tonight.
In a game that saw three lead changes, 28 hits, 19 runs scored and an eye popping 5 errors, The Cardinals, and David Freese, overcame one of their sloppiest games of the year. They committed three errors, a costly wild pitch and lost a runner on a critical pickoff but the Redbirds simply refused to lose.
You know, I’ve been looking at the match ups for the 2011 World Series, that pits the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Texas Rangers, since about an hour after the Cardinals recorded the final out in the NLCS against the Brewers and I have to tell you…..these teams are pretty evenly matched and, I don’t know about you, but I am having a difficult time separating them or picking a winner if you will.
The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals clinched their 18th World Series berth last night with a 12-6 win atMillerPark inMilwaukee against the Brewers. The Cardinals vaunted offense exploded early (and often) and hammered the Brewers with an eye popping 14 hits to go along with the 12 runs scored.
The Cardinals, who scored nine times in the first three innings, got things started early. In the first inning Jon Jay singled to left with one out, Albert Pujols walked, and then Lance Berkman singled in the first run. After Matt Holliday hit into a fielder’s choice, NLCS MVP David Freese dropped a haymaker with a three run homerun to quickly make it 4-0St. Louis.
Human beings are creatures of habit, apparently so is Tony LaRussa and the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. I mean, there is definitely a recurring theme going on in the 2011 NLCS. The combination of jumping out to an early lead, getting 5 innings (or less) from the starting pitcher and shut down relief work once again added up to another Cardinals win on Friday night in taking game five of the best of seven series 7-1 over the Milwaukee Brewers. With the win,St. Louis is now one win away from a trip to the World Series.
The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals won one of the more intense, closely matched playoff games in recent memory 1-0 last night to take the deciding game of the National League Divisional Series and in doing so, will now move on to face the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Championship beginning Sunday.
Starter Chris Carpenter showed why he is one of the best “big game” pitchers in all of MLB with a 9 inning, 3 hit, 3 strikeout, 110 pitch and no run performance.
Fast forward to the sixth inning, where the Cardinals tied the game after another Theroit double was followed by a single by Jon Jay. The St. Louis Cardinals then surged to the lead in the seventh inning after Allen Craig, filling in for injured All Star LF Matt Holliday, triple and superstar Albert Pujols followed with an RBI, line drive single to make it 5-4 St. Louis
After a lopsided 8-0 blowout of the lowly Houston Astros combined with another Atlanta Braves loss, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Wildcard playoff position yesterday. In doing so, it marked one of the biggest comebacks in baseball history.
As late as August 25, the Redbirds trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 games in the NL Wild Card race, and were 10 behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Since then, they’ve gone 23-9, while Atlanta went 11-20.
St. Louis came out swinging last night as the first five Cardinals reached base, and three scored, before a single out was recorded in a five run first inning. They put it on cruise control from that point on.
Manager Tony La Russa set up the rotation on purpose to have Chris Carpenter pitching the last day of the season and Carpenter, who was masterful, did not disappoint. After struggling during parts of the season, Carpenter needed just 106 pitches (75 strikes) in his complete game shutout as he allowed just two hits while striking out an eye popping 11.
The St. Louis Cardinals and OF Lance Berkman have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the 36 year old in St. Louis thru the 2012 season.
