What a team. What a ride — the Cardinals, the world champs.
And so it was that the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the seventh game of the 2011 World Series, a contest where they seemed to fly on their adrenaline from last night’s game six comeback, while the Texas Rangers just never got going.
The Cards were never supposed to be there in the first place. Down ten games in the wildcard race, they popped back into the playoffs. Down a couple of runs, twice, in Game Six, they rallied to force a seventh game. And tonight, they finished the mission. After a two-run Texas lead in the first inning, the Rangers never scored again, and it was the Cards’ game all the way.
Cardinals’ Outfielder Allen Craig caught the final out.
“I was just hoping I could finish it right there,” he said. “When the ball went up, I was like, ‘Just catch it and it’s over.’ And I got it and it was over. It’s unbelievable.”
The hometown energy in Busch Stadium would have been enough to help any team along to an 11th Series win for the franchise, the first since 2006, and the first to go to a Game Seven in MLB since 2002.
St. Louis was ready. The stands were a sea of red and white, and the screams never stopped.
It was General Manager Tony LaRussa’s third World Series win. David Freese, St. Louis native and Game Six home run star closer, walked away with the Most Valuable Player title.
And everyone else on Twitter just wants you to know that it’s this many days until pitchers and catchers report: too many.
Images: Courtesy of St. Louis Cardinals Official Site
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