On June 17, 2023, the Cardinals announced that the hero of the 2011 World Series, who just a month earlier had been elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame, had respectfully declined induction.

“This is something that I have given an extreme amount of thought to, humbly, even before the voting process began,” Freese said in a statement. “I am aware of the impact I had in helping the team bring great memories to the city I grew up in, including the 11^th championship, but this honor means more to me.

“I look at who I was during my tenure, and that weighs heavily on me. The Cardinals and the entire city have always had my back in every way. I’m forever grateful to be part of such an amazing organization and fan base then, now, and in the future. I’m especially sorry to the fans that took the time to cast their votes. Cardinal Nation is basically the reason why I’ve unfortunately waited so long for this decision and made it more of a headache for so many people. I feel strongly about my decision and understand how some people might feel about this. I get it. I’ll wear it. Thank you for always being there for me, and I am excited to be around the Cardinals as we move forward.”[1]

Freese had been elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame via a fan vote that drew more than 40,000 ballots.[2] Freese had been the top vote getter from a pool that included Joaquin Andujar, Steve Carlton, Matt Morris, and Edgar Renteria.

Without Freese, the Class of 2023 consisted of Max Lanier, the Red Ribbon Committee choice, and Jose Oquendo, the owners’ selection. At the induction ceremony, the Cardinals also honored Scott Rolen, who recently had been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“I know David well, and I can hear his thought processes behind that, and I know his heart behind it,” said Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, the only member of the 2023 Cardinals roster remaining from 2011. “I think it’s incredibly genuine. It’s a huge honor. On one side, you have to realize that fans voted for that because that’s who moments – really a whole postseason – that he delivered that was unlike anything we’ve almost ever seen. One or two of the biggest moments in Cardinals history. You have to recognize that, and he does. I also know where he’s coming from with his heart when he says looking at the other players and their career there, and I feel like I don’t belong. I know what he’s saying because if you take those couple of moments out, he’s thinking he doesn’t belong there. I just don’t know if you can minimize those two moments.”[3]

In their statement regarding Freese’s decision, the Cardinals made clear that there was no ill will between the team and player, and that Freese would continue to appear at Cardinals events.

“Although we are disappointed that David has declined to be inducted into our Hall of Fame, we respect his decision and look forward to celebrating his great Cardinals career in other ways going forward,” Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III said. “He is always welcome at Busch Stadium.”[4]

Freese’s professional career began as a ninth-round draft pick of the Padres in 2006. On December 14, 2007, he was traded to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds, and in 2009 the graduate of Lafayette High School made him MLB debut for the Cardinals, appearing in 17 games.

In 2010, Freese opened the season as the Cardinals’ opening-day third baseman. Limited by a June ankle injury that required two surgeries, Freese hit .296 with four homers and 36 RBIs in just 240 at-bats.

In 2011, Freese again opened the season as the starting third baseman and hit .297 with 10 homers and 55 RBIs despite a broken left hand that forced him to miss 51 games. That postseason, Freese emerged as a star.

In Game 4 of the NLDS, the game in which the Rally Squirrel made its appearance, Freese hit a two-run homer off Roy Oswalt that proved to be the game winner in a 5-3 Cardinals victory. Freese’s hot hitting continued against the Brewers in the NLCS, as he went 12-for-22 with three homers and nine RBIs, posting a .545/.600/1.091 batting line on his way to NLCS MVP honors.

Of course, nothing topped Freese’s performance in Game 6 of the World Series. With the Rangers leading 7-5 with two outs in the ninth inning, Freese hit a two-run triple to tie the game and halt the Rangers’ championship celebration. Two innings later, he led off the bottom of the 11^th inning with a walk-off home run that sent the Cardinals to Game 7 and the World Series title.

Freese followed up his 2011 heroics with an all-star season in 2012, batting .293 with career highs in home runs (20) and RBIs (79). In 2013, he helped the Cardinals win another National League pennant, this time batting .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs.

That December, the Cardinals traded Freese and reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels for Randal Grichuk and Peter Bourjos. In five seasons with the Cardinals, Freese totaled 44 homers, 237 RBIs, and posted a .286 batting average.

“Those memories will never be diminished if he doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of it,” Wainwright said. “I certainly understand what he’s saying. If he had been given more time here, he probably would have earned his way there anyway. I love Dave. I know the heart he has. He’s doing this because he knows that players who are in there were great players for a long time.”[5]

In reflecting upon the former star’s decision, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson alluded to Freese’s battles with depression and anxiety during his tenure as a Cardinals player.

“Freese has been candid in the past about the depression and anxiety he dealt with long before he became a Cardinals postseason hero, and how the baseball fame he found in his hometown hurt instead of helping problematic drinking that endangered his life and others,” Frederickson wrote. “Freese became a player so many wanted to be, but a person he did not like. That’s a very hard place to exist.

“Freese’s story got happier, fortunately. He found a fresh start after he was traded. He got help sorting out the feelings that were influencing his actions. He made big changes. He found peace, found comfort, found meaning far beyond the World Series highlights that don’t define him. … If joining the ranks of the red coats didn’t make that life better, or if it threatened to stir up things Freese is happy to have put in his past, then he made the right call, one that should not just be respected, but applauded.”[6]

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[1] Jeff Jones, “David Freese declines induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 19, 2023.

[2] Jeff Jones, “David Freese declines induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 19, 2023.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Nootbaar’s return should improve defense,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 19, 2023.

[4] Jeff Jones, “David Freese declines induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Belleville News-Democrat, June 19, 2023.

[5] Derrick Goold, “Nootbaar’s return should improve defense,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 19, 2023.

[6] Ben Frederickson, “If Freese is at peace, he should be applauded,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 20, 2023.

The post Why David Freese declined the Cardinals Hall of Fame first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On November 22, 2013, the Cardinals traded Freese and relief pitcher Fernando Salas to the Angels for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.

“It’s bittersweet in a sense – closing this chapter on my hometown,” Freese said.^[1]

The Cardinals and Angels had been discussing the deal for several weeks before it was finalized. While the deal always included Freese and Bourjos, at times the negotiations included Angels shortstop Erick Aybar, who would have replaced the light-hitting Pete Kozma in the Cardinals’ lineup. The Cardinals, however, were unwilling to include the pitchers the Angels sought in exchange. ^[2]

By moving Freese, who had made $3.15 million in 2013 and was projected to make $4.4 million through arbitration in 2014,^[3] the Cardinals freed up third base for Matt Carpenter, who had hit .318 with 78 RBIs as an all-star second baseman that season. Carpenter’s shift, in turn, opened second base for rookie Kolten Wong, who had hit .303 in Memphis and represented a defensive upgrade over Carpenter at second base.

The addition of Bourjos in center field also improved the Cardinals’ outfield defense.

“It appears that we improved at three positions,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “What the makeup of this club is offensively, I don’t know what we’ve given up yet or what we’re gaining. We haven’t finished putting this roster together yet. … Peter Bourjos has a unique skill set. He’s probably one of the faster guys in the league. He can steal bases. Didn’t get a lot of opportunities in Anaheim. Different league, different place.”^[4]

The 26-year-old Bourjos had played in 354 games for the Angels over four seasons with mixed results. In 2011, he enjoyed a breakthrough, batting .271/.327/.438 with 26 doubles, a league-high 11 triples, and 12 homers. In 2012, however, he hit just .167 in March and April and lost his job to Mike Trout.

“In the end, it’s probably better to get a fresh start somewhere else,” Bourjos said. “I had a good year in 2011, but things didn’t work out after that.”^[5]

Even after Bourjos struggled in 2012, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto continued to believe in him, so much so that he allowed Torii Hunter to leave as a free agent. Reinserted into the starting lineup, Bourjos hit .313/.392/.457 in April 2013 before he strained his hamstring and missed seven weeks. When he returned, he hit .370/.431/.457 in 18 games before he was hit by a pitch that broke his wrist. He missed a month and a half, and when he returned in August, he hit just .109 in 15 games before he required surgery to insert a pin in his wrist.^[6]

“It didn’t play out the way we or Peter hoped,” Dipoto said. “This gives him a chance to play.”^[7]

At the time of the trade, Bourjos was still a few weeks away from swinging a bat as he recovered from wrist surgery.

“From where I was at the end of the season to where I am right now, it’s night and day,” he said. “I was in a lot of pain swinging a bat. … When I came back I felt like I had to cheat to catch up to anything. I was in pain when I checked my swing. Even when I made contact, it didn’t feel right.”^[8]

In analyzing the trade, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz focused on Bourjos’s elite defensive skill.

“Bourjos is among the best center fielders in baseball,” he wrote. “As Dave Cameron pointed out at FanGraphs, Bourjos is the majors’ highest-rated center fielder (defensively) since 2010. The Cardinals’ outfield defense was horrendous in 2013 – analyst Bill James estimates that poor outfield defense cost the pitchers 27 runs last season – and Bourjos can go get the ball as well, if not better, than anyone.”^[9]

In Grichuk, the Cardinals obtained a power-hitting outfielder who won a minor league Gold Glove at Class AA Arkansas the previous year. Grichuk famously was selected 24^th overall – one position ahead of Trout – in the 2009 draft. He was coming off a .256/.306/.474 season with 22 homers and 64 RBIs in Class AA after batting .298/.335/.488 in High-A Inland Empire in 2012.

Ultimately, however, the trade was largely about Freese. Mozeliak had brought the Lafayette High School grad back to St. Louis in his first trade as the Cardinals’ general manager, sending Jim Edmonds to the Padres in exchange.

After winning the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2011, Freese followed up with an all-star 2012 campaign, batting .293/.372/.467 with 20 homers and 79 RBIs. In 2013, however, Freese was limited by a back injury.^[10] His batting line dropped to .262/.340/.381 with nine homers and 60 RBIs, and though the Cardinals returned to the World Series, Freese was unable to replicate his 2011 postseason magic, batting .188 in the NLDS, .190 in the NLCS, and .158 in the World Series.

“You think back to ’11 and our memory of David gets captured in a four-week period when he was just one of the hottest hitters on earth,” Mozeliak said. “Our expectations rose. What we wanted to keep seeing and believed we could see – at some point it’s hard to live up to those expectations. David growing up in St. Louis, this could not have been the easiest place for him to play given those circumstances.”^[11]

Miklasz wrote that during the 2013 World Series, he thought Freese looked dejected, though the hometown hero insisted he was having the time of his life.^[12] To Miklasz, the trade was not only good for the Cardinals – it was also good for Freese.

“I truly believe this trade is the best thing for Freese now,” Miklasz wrote. “It wasn’t always easy being David Freese in St. Louis. … In a roundabout way, the fame came to work against him. You can’t be Mr. October in every game. The goodwill evaporates during slumps. The home-run bat goes cold. Then the backlash kicks up.”^[13]

In 2019, Freese, who had undergone two reconstructive surgeries on his ankles in 2010,^[14] told St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Derrick Goold that his foot injuries made it impossible for the Cardinals to give him the long-term security he wanted.

“I think two things were inevitable,” he said. “Getting traded and never getting a multi-year deal from St. Louis because of my feet. I think that was a crushing thing for me. Especially after 2011, 2012, and 2013. I had a rough year (in) ’13. But in the back of my mind (I was) assuming that this was all going to come to an end when no one else really understood that. I know my chronic (injury was) going on. So did the Cardinals. I was seeing ahead of where I probably should have been, and should have taken it as it was coming. And really embrace it and enjoy it more, instead of understanding what’s probably coming. I wanted the storybook ending. I wanted 10 years in St. Louis. Hell yeah. That just was never going to happen.”^[15]

In Los Angeles, the trade allowed Trout to take over center field, Kole Calhoun to take over the everyday job in right, and Josh Hamilton to man left field. Meanwhile, Freese took over a third base position that previously had been filled by Alberto Callaspo.

“Third base was a question mark and this provides a more than acceptable solution,” Dipoto said. “David knows how to drive in the important runs. That’s something that really fits our lineup.”^[16]

In Los Angeles, Freese and Salas were reunited with another member of the Cardinals’ 2011 world championship team – Albert Pujols.^[17]

“He welcomed me to the Angels family and I said, ‘Remember what we did the last time we played together? Let’s try to do that again,’” Freese said. “It’s going to be good to get back with him and the rest of the guys. They’re going to want to rebound and get after it from day one.”^[18]

Salas had enjoyed his best season with the Cardinals as a rookie in 2011. Saving 24 games before Jason Motte emerged to claim the closer’s role, Salas posted a 3.16 ERA and struck out 75 batters over 75 innings. In 2012, he posted a 3.59 ERA over 58 2/3 innings, then pitched just 28 innings in 2013.

“Mozeliak traded expendable talent to freshen his roster with more youth, speed, and increased range on defense,” Miklasz wrote. “He reduced payroll and maintained flexibility for future moves. And he likely lowered his pitching staff’s ERA by tightening a defense that won’t give away so many runs in 2014.”^[19]

Bourjos spent two seasons in St. Louis, batting .231/.294/.348 in 264 at-bats in 2014, then hitting just .200/.290/.333 in 2015. After the season, the Phillies signed him off waivers. He played for the Phillies, Rays, and Braves before playing his final major-league season with the Angels in 2019.

Grichuk played four seasons in St. Louis, batting .249/.297/.488 with 66 homers and 182 RBIs. After posting a career-high .877 OPS in 2015, he hit 24 homers and drove in 68 RBIs in 2016. In January 2018, the Cardinals traded Grichuk to the Blue Jays for Dominic Leone and Conner Greene. In Toronto, he hit a career-high 31 homers in 2019.

Salas pitched four seasons with the Angels, posting a 3.93 ERA over 192 1/3 innings. He pitched for the Mets, Diamondbacks, and Phillies, making his most recent big-league appearance in 2019.

Freese played two seasons in Los Angeles, batting .258/.322/.401 with 24 homers and 111 RBIs over that span. In 2016, he signed with the Pirates and made his return to the National League. With each return to St. Louis, he was greeted by standing ovations and warm welcomes.

In 2018, the Pirates traded him to the Dodgers. He played his final season with the Dodgers in 2019. He retired after 11 major-league seasons, totaling 113 homers, 535 RBIs, and a storied place in Cardinals lore.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Freese Gone,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Freese Gone,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[3] Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels trade Bourjos, ease logjam,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2013.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Freese Gone,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[5] Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels trade Bourjos, ease logjam,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2013.

[6] Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels trade Bourjos, ease logjam,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2013.

[7] Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels trade Bourjos, ease logjam,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2013.

[8] Derrick Goold, “Freese Gone,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[9] Bernie Miklasz, “Redbirds look like big winners with this deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[10] Derrick Goold, “Freese Gone,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[11] Bernie Miklasz, “For Freese, Game 6 was mixed blessing,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 24, 2013.

[12] Bernie Miklasz, “For Freese, Game 6 was mixed blessing,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 24, 2013.

[13] Bernie Miklasz, “For Freese, Game 6 was mixed blessing,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 24, 2013.

[14] Rick Hummel, “David Freese undergoes reconstructive surgery on ankle,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 7, 2010.

[15] Derrick Goold, “Freese frames his career,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 11, 2019.

[16] Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels trade Bourjos, ease logjam,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2013.

[17] Derrick Goold, “Freese Gone,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

[18] Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels trade Bourjos, ease logjam,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 2013.

[19] Bernie Miklasz, “Redbirds look like big winners with this deal,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 23, 2013.

The post Why David Freese was traded to the Angels first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Six unanswered runs later, the Cardinals had a 6-2 victory in World Series Game 7 and the 11^th world championship in franchise history.

“It’s unbelievable, amazing, incredible,” said manager Tony La Russa. “The teams we played in the playoffs were all great teams.”^[1]

Shortly after the madness of Game 6, including David Freese’s game-winning home run in the bottom of the 11^th inning, La Russa turned his attention to Game 7. With Game 6 postponed a day due to weather, the Cardinals planned to pitch ace Chris Carpenter on short rest.

As La Russa recalled in his book, One Last Strike, “It was fun to relive that sixth game, but about the middle of the dinner I started to get distracted, turning my attention to Game 7. Dunc (pitching coach Dave Duncan) and I had decided that Carp was going to start. But just to make sure, I called Dunc later that morning and said, “Let’s discuss the alternatives.” He said, “Carp’s pitching.” And then he hung up on me.”[2]

Game 7 would mark the sixth start of the postseason for the 36-year-old Carpenter. After pitching just three innings in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies, Carpenter bounced back with a dominant showing in Game 5, throwing a complete-game, three-hit shutout opposite Roy Halladay to send the Cardinals to the NLCS.

Since then, he had picked up two more wins, including Game 1 of the World Series. In Game 5, he allowed two runs over seven innings and received no decision.

“Dave and I had a heart-to-heart with him to gauge just how ready he was to pitch, not mentally but physically,” La Russa said. “He’s the guy our club wants to have out there. He’s our guy.”^[3]

The Rangers, meanwhile, turned to Matt Harrison, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound left-hander from North Carolina. The 25-year-old won 14 games during the regular season and picked up another during Game 4 of the ALDS. He had taken the loss for the Rangers in World Series Game 3, allowing three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

In the top of the first, the Rangers gave Harrison an early lead, though Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina did his part to limit the damage. After Ian Kinsler led off with a single into left, Molina picked him off for the first out of the game.

“That was huge,” Carpenter said. “Unbelievable. That’s Yadi doing his thing. That’s what makes him so great.”^[4]

Elvis Andrus followed with a walk before Josh Hamilton and Michael Young hit back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

“He had to settle down,” Hamilton said. “We caught him a little by surprise there in the first, but he did settle down, started getting some guys out.”^[5]

“My command wasn’t great to begin with, but I thought I made some pretty good pitches also, and they hit them,” Carpenter said. “But I felt good, I made some adjustments. I continued to make pitches and do what I needed to do, and fortunately we were able to come back and win the game.”^[6]

That comeback began in the bottom of the first. After Harrison walked Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman, Freese hit a two-run double into left field to tie the game.

“To me,” Berkman said, “that kind of gets lost in the shuffle. They jump out to a lead, and we come right back? At that point, we’re like ‘We’re winning, we’re winning this thing.’”[7]

Carpenter worked around a hit and an error in the second, then threw a scoreless third inning. In the bottom of the third, Allen Craig, in the lineup due to an injury to Matt Holliday in Game 6, homered on a 3-2 pitch.

“It’s phenomenal,” Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire said. “Here’s a guy who was having a great year and then unfortunately broke his kneecap. He’s still got a problem with his knee, but he played through it.”^[8]

Scott Feldman entered the game for the Rangers in the fifth and loaded the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch, and an intentional walk. He issued a six-pitch walk to Molina to bring the go-ahead run home before he was replaced by C.J. Wilson. Wilson hit the first batter he faced, Rafael Furcal, to make the score 4-2.

“Walks hurt us,” Rangers reliever Mike Adams said. “It’s tough to get away with that many walks. You walk people, you pay for it, especially against a team like this. That’s what made the difference in who won the Series. Maybe we tried to be a little too fine, maybe trying to be too perfect and it came back and bit us.”^[9]

With two outs in the sixth, Nelson Cruz hit a deep fly ball to left field. Craig, who already hit a home run, made a leaping catch at the wall to take one away.

“The whole experience was awesome,” Craig said. “Hitting a home run was awesome and I’ve never robbed a home run like that. I was glad to do it in the seventh game of the World Series. It’s all about making the best of your opportunities. You can’t let opportunities slip.”^[10]

In the seventh, another opportunity slipped by the Rangers. After outfielder David Murphy led off the inning with a ground-rule double, veteran left-hander Arthur Rhodes entered the game in place of Carpenter and got Yorvit Torrealba to fly out to center field. Octavio Dotel followed, striking out Kinsler and getting Andrus to fly out to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the inning, Molina added an RBI single to make the score 6-2.

From there, the game was in the hands of the Cardinals’ bullpen. Lance Lynn retired the side in order in the eighth, placing the Cardinals three outs away from the world championship.

Closer Jason Motte took the mound for the ninth inning.

“Sitting at first base with three outs left and thinking about all the things that we went through this year, just how special this group of guys that we have is – to do that and bring another championship to the city of St. Louis is just amazing,” Pujols said.^[11]

Motte started the inning by getting Cruz to fly out to center, then getting Mike Napoli to ground out to third base.

“I just remember standing out in left field and looking up into the crowd,” Craig said. “They’re chanting ‘Let’s go Cards. Let’s go Cards!’ over and over again. It just gives me goose bumps to this day remembering that and feeling that moment.”[12]

After Motte fired a first strike past Murphy, the Rangers outfielder lifted the second pitch to Craig in left field. Craig caught it to clinch the World Series. Molina raced out from behind the plate to embrace Motte and begin the celebration.

“After the final out was made, I turned to Yadi and was like, ‘Hey, come get some, baby!’” Motte recalled. “He was running out, and I remember going to put my arms around him, as he’s jumping in the air, and then next thing you know, I’m getting sideswiped from the rest of the bench! And I completely had blinders on. I hadn’t been looking at anyone else, just seeing Yadi. And I know my joy and my emotion in that moment was pretty awesome, but for me I got to see Yadi’s face. He’s got that smile, running out at me, and it’s one of those things I’ll never forget, baseball-wise. It’s burned into my mind.”[13]

“When it finally happened, it was just pandemonium,” Wainwright said. “You’re just running and you don’t know where to go or who to hug and you just realize you’re going to jump into everyone and hug everyone. You’re going to scream as loud as you can for as long as you can. And that’s what we did.”[14]

The victory capped as unlikely a championship as baseball had ever seen. No team had ever won the championship after being 10 ½ games back so late in the season.^[15] At one point, the Cardinals had a less than 4% chance of even making the playoffs, and Las Vegas was offering 500-to-1 odds on the team winning the World Series.[16]

Somehow, St. Louis defied the odds.

“We’ve got character, that’s why,” Carpenter said. “The personalities in our clubhouse are unbelievable. I’ll never forget them. I’ll never forget this.”^[17]

As the scoreboard flashed graphics declaring the Cardinals World Series champions and confetti fell from the sky, backup catcher Gerald Laird couldn’t believe it.

“Man, Carp, can you believe this?” he said.

“Yeah, I can,” Carpenter said. “This is unbelievable, but we all kept battling and now look at us.”^[18]

With two runs allowed over six innings, Carpenter claimed his fourth win of the postseason without a loss. For the playoffs, he had a 2.72 ERA, including two wins and a 2.79 ERA across 19 1/3 World Series innings.

Freese, the Lafayette High School alum, became the first position player since Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter in 1982 to win both the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP in the same year. Along with the World Series MVP trophy, Freese also received a sports car.

“He also shouldn’t have to buy a meal in this town for four years,” Wainwright said.^[19]

“It’s a dream come true,” Freese said. “Every step of the way has been incredible. We really had to work hard for this. We believed. We wanted it, but we stayed humble. We had to fight our way into the playoffs, but once you get in it gives you a special feeling. We just kept our heads down and worked hard.”^[20]

For the Rangers, who had lost to the Giants in a five-game World Series the year prior, the loss was doubly devastating.

“This will never be a good feeling,” Murphy said. “It hurts. It’s hard to go through a full season and play so well and get to Game 7 of a World Series and not get it done. There are so many positive things we can take away from this year but right now it hurts. That’s the easiest way to put it.”^[21]

Ultimately, the Cardinals timely hitting and the Rangers’ untimely walks proved the difference in the series. Texas pitchers walked six batters in Game 7 and a record 41 batters in the series.^[22]

Afterwards, Harrison insisted that the Rangers weren’t feeling a hangover from Game 7.

“We knew we had a chance to put it away and we didn’t,” Harrison said, “but last night was over with. Nobody was saying anything about it when we got here today.”[23]

Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton wasn’t convinced.

“The Rangers played … like a team that knew it had let its best chance to win the World Series slip away,” he wrote.^[24]

With his third World Series title, La Russa became the ninth manager to capture three championships, joining Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Connie Mack, Walter Alston, Joe Torre, Sparky Anderson, Miller Huggins, and John McGraw.[25]

On October 31, after the conclusion of the World Series parade, La Russa gathered his team in the clubhouse for one final meeting. There, he announced something only a small handful of people had known since he made his decision back in August: he was retiring from the game. Craig, who had held onto the baseball from the final out of Game 7, immediately went to his locker to give the ball to La Russa.^[26]

“I think this just feels like time to end it,” said La Russa, the winner of 2,728 games, including a franchise-record 1,408 with the Cardinals.^[27]

Game 7 also proved to be the final game in Cardinal red for Albert Pujols, who signed with the Angels that offseason. It was a heck of a way to end an era.

“They just would not go away,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “They just wouldn’t go away, and that’s the heart of a champion.”[28]

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[1] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals Rule,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[2] Tony La Russa (2012), One Last Strike, [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 576.

[3] Dan O’Neill, “Carp Is ‘Our Guy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[4] Dan O’Neill, “Carp Is ‘Our Guy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[5] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[6] Dan O’Neill, “Carp Is ‘Our Guy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[7] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 211.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Craig’s Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[9] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[10] Rick Hummel, “Craig’s Time,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[11] “They Said It,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 29, 2011, Page 6CC.

[12] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 211.

[13] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 213.

[14] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 213.

[15] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[16] Joe Strauss, “Cardinals Rule,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[17] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[18] Bryan Burwell, “Incredible dream realized,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[19] Derrick Goold, “Banner Year,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[20] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[21] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[22] Tom Timmerman, “Doubly Painful,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[23] Gil LeBreton, “Rangers’ pitching never even came close,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 29, 2011.

[24] Gil LeBreton, “Rangers’ pitching never even came close,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 29, 2011.

[25] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards win like never before,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 29, 2011.

[26] Benjamin Hochman (2021) 11 in ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com, Page 214.

[27] Joe Strauss, “‘I have no regrets,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 1, 2011.

[28] Kevin Baxter, “Ultimate wild Cards,” Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2011.

The post 2011 World Series Game 7: Cardinals clinch their 11th title first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

It was well worth the wait.

The 47,325 fans at Busch Stadium that evening saw David Freese cement his legacy with a game-tying, two-run triple in the ninth inning and a game-winning solo home run in the 11^th. Along the way, the Cardinals became the first team in World Series history to score in the eighth, ninth, 10^th, and 11^th innings.[1] With their 10-9, 11-inning win, the Cardinals forced a decisive seventh game despite twice coming one strike away from elimination.

“If that’s not the best postseason game of all time, I don’t know what could top it,” said outfielder Lance Berkman. “That was unbelievable.”^[2]

After Albert Pujols hit three home runs in Game 3 to lift St. Louis to a 2-1 Series advantage, the Rangers rallied with 4-0 and 4-2 victories in Games 4 and 5. One more loss, and the Cardinals’ late-season rally to claim the wild card would be little more than a footnote to baseball history. At various points in the game, it looked as though that was exactly what would happen.

“It was nothing pretty, but an absolute sight to see,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell. “It was terrible execution but enthralling drama. It was joy and pain, up and down, fun and frustration all balled up into 11 of the wackiest innings of championship baseball I’ve ever seen.”[3]

The Rangers took the lead five separate times in the game, beginning in the first inning when Josh Hamilton hit an RBI single off Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia. Berkman responded with a two-run homer off Colby Lewis in the bottom of the first to give the Cardinals a brief 2-1 lead.

Texas tied the game in the second when Ian Kinsler came to the plate with runners on first and second and hit a two-out, ground-rule double into the left-field gap. With Garcia removed after three innings, Fernando Salas entered the game in the fourth and fell victim to a fielding error by Matt Holliday in left field.

Nelson hit a fly ball into shallow left field, and with shortstop Rafael Furcal racing back to try to make a difficult play, Holliday made a late stab for the ball and dropped it. With Cruz safely on second base, Mike Napoli followed with a single into right that gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

“Things happen. That’s part of the game,” Holliday said. “Obviously it’s no fun, but it’s part of it. Plays like that happen.”[4]

The Cardinals tied the score in the bottom half of the inning. Berkman reached on an error by Michael Young at first base and Holliday drew a walk before Yadier Molina drove in a run with a ground ball to Adrian Beltre at third base.

Once again, the Rangers responded. After Freese dropped a pop fly off the bat of Josh Hamilton, Young doubled into left field to give Texas a 4-3 lead.

In the fifth, La Russa entered Jon Jay into the game as a pinch hitter for Salas, and when the Cardinals took the field in the sixth, La Russa placed Jay in center field and had incoming pitcher Lance Lynn take Skip Schumaker’s spot in the lineup. The move gave the Cardinals two more at-bats before the pitcher’s spot would come up again, but also meant that Schumaker – who had made solid contact in each of his three at-bats – would be unavailable the remainder of the game.

“If Schu had stayed in the game and I took Jay out, then Lynn wouldn’t have been able to pitch another inning,” La Russa explained. “You need innings from as many relievers as you could.”[5]

Lynn threw a scoreless sixth inning, and the Cardinals tied the score again in the bottom half of the frame, sending seven hitters to the plate without getting the ball out of the infield. After Lewis struck out Pujols, Berkman reached on an infield single, Holliday reached on an error, and Freese drew a one-out walk.

Alexi Ogando entered the game in place of Lewis and immediately walked Molina, tying the score once again. The Cardinals might have taken the lead, but Ogando picked off Holliday at third base before walking Nick Punto.

“I thought I was safe,” Holliday said. “You’re trying to be aggressive there because if the ball gets away, you want to score. They did a good job of selling it.”[6]

Left-hander Derek Holland entered the game and retired Jay to end the inning.

In the seventh, Allen Craig entered the game in place of Holliday, who had injured his right pinky finger while diving back into third base. Lynn, meanwhile, struggled in his second inning of work, allowing home runs to Beltre and Cruz. After David Murphy singled to center field and Holland’s attempt at a sacrifice resulted in a force out at second, La Russa turned to Octavio Dotel.

Although the 37-year-old reliever had been effective throughout the postseason, he threw a wild pitch that advanced Holland to second base before Kinsler singled to give the Rangers a 7-4 lead.

Holland was still on the mound for Texas in the bottom of the eighth when Craig, in the game due to Holliday’s injury, hit a solo home run to cut the deficit to 7-5.

As the game headed into the ninth inning, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, one of just a few people who knew that La Russa planned to retire at the end of the season, was trying to gather his thoughts.

“Throughout the ebb and flow of that game, multiple times I was writing what I was going to tell the club on Tony’s departure,” Mozeliak said. “On the sheet of paper, I was writing down what I thought the messaging should be. One time I even rolled it up and threw it out in the trash can—and then I had to pick it back up.”[7]

Neftali Feliz opened the ninth by striking out Ryan Theriot. Pujols came to the plate next and hit the first pitch over Hamilton’s head in center field. Berkman drew a four-pitch walk before Feliz struck out Craig for the second out.

That brought Freese to the plate as the Cardinals’ final hope. Feliz missed with his first pitch but threw back-to-back strikes to get ahead in the count 1-and-2. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Freese hit a 98-mph fastball over Cruz’s head in right field. Pujols and Berkman both scored to tie the game, 7-7.

“It’s Cardinal baseball,” Freese said. “This is how they teach us. You never give up.”^[8]

In the 10^th, the Rangers took the lead for the fifth time in the game. With Cardinals closer Jason Motte on the mound, Elvis Andrus hit a one-out single and Josh Hamilton launched a two-run homer to put the Rangers back on top, 9-7.

“I remember when Hamilton hit it, I literally thought to myself on the mound, ‘Man, I just lost the World Series,’” recalled Motte.[9]

Berkman, the veteran of 13 major-league seasons, shared Motte’s feeling that this might not be the Cardinals’ night.

“It was miraculous that we came back from a two-run deficit,” Berkman said, “and against their closer, who was really good. Then we go down two runs again the very next inning and you’re like: there’s no way. It’s practically speaking as a baseball player. You have enough experience to know that—hey, this is not looking good. The chances of us coming back twice from two-run deficits are not good against a talented team. So when Hamilton hit that home run, I thought, Well, they deserve it. They had a great year, they got a great team. And then you start thinking, Okay, well, wait a minute, am I coming up next inning? You start thinking about your offensive inning and what you need to do to try to tie the game again.”[10]

Daniel Descalso led off the 10^th inning for the Cardinals.

“I kind of had to get over [the Hamilton homer] pretty quick,” he said. “I’m thinking, I just need to get myself on base. I thought I was going to be facing Neftali Feliz, who had given up the triple to Freese the inning before. This is one of the best closers in the league, throws high-90s, 100 mph. But I get into the on-deck circle and I see Darren Oliver coming in from the bullpen. And no offense to Darren Oliver, but he was a left-handed pitcher who throws 88 or 89. I’d much rather face him than their closer. So I had a little bit of extra confidence going up there, even though I’d never faced him before. I was telling myself, ‘Have a good at-bat. Find a way to get on base.’ I knew if I could find a way to get on base and the tying run comes to bat, we at least have a shot.”[11]

Descalso did find a way to get on base, pulling a single into right field, and Jay followed with a single of his own. Kyle Lohse’s sacrifice bunt advanced Descalso and Jay to second and third, respectively.

With Theriot up next, Rangers manager Ron Washington replaced Oliver with Scott Feldman. When Theriot hit a ground ball out to third base, it scored Descalso to cut the lead to 9-8, but also resulted in the second out of the inning. The Cardinals were down to their final out as the Rangers intentionally walked Pujols to bring Berkman to the plate.

It was just like Berkman had imagined before the game.

“I knew that I’d be hitting behind Albert and I just had this funny feeling that the season is going to come down to one of my at-bats,” he said. “So I prayed. ‘Lord, If that happens, just don’t let the moment be too big. Let me be able to focus and concentrate. I’m not praying for success. I’m not praying for a hit. But Lord just let me be able to focus and really concentrate on what I’m doing and just use the ability that you’ve given me.’ And what’s crazy is that when I was in the dugout in the 10th inning, I was a nervous wreck. But I just knew: here it comes. I got in the on-deck circle, and the place is going nuts. And when you see him start to intentionally walk Albert, you just know that: okay, it’s on me now.

“And from the second I took that donut off my bat and as I was striding up to the plate, it was like, I can’t explain it, but just a calm and focus. I’ve never really had that level of focus before in my life and you can just see it. When I watched it the other night, I can see on my face this incredible calm focus. The first pitch was a fastball, kind of up and in, and I took a huge rip at it. There was no fear, there was no tentativeness. It was all focused aggression, and what’s great is the competition was pure because he didn’t make a bad pitch. If you go back and watch that at-bat, every pitch he threw was either a ball or it was like right on the corners. He was making really tough pitches.”

Feldman’s tough pitches weren’t enough, as Berkman singled into center field to score Jay and tie the game, 9-9. It was the first time in major-league history that a team’s season twice came down to the final out and it came through each time.[12]

Jake Westbrook, who had been left off the Cardinals’ NLCS roster, entered the game for the Cardinals in the 11^th and worked around a one-out Napoli single for a scoreless inning of relief. That brought Freese to the plate to lead off the bottom of the 11^th.

Mark Lowe, in the game to pitch in place of Feldman, threw three consecutive balls before he got a questionable called strike. Freese fouled the next pitch off. Then, down to his final strike, he got a 3-2 curveball.

It was arguably the biggest home run in Cardinals history.

As St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz described the scene:

Freese, the hometown hero, sent a miracle soaring above the diamond, rising above the wall in center field to land in the beautiful green grass that no glove, no Ranger, could reach. Freese circled the bases, his right arm raised in triumph, taking a victory lap, and all of St. Louis wanted to be at his side, running with him.^[13]

“It’s not that easy to win a world championship, as we found out tonight,” Washington said. “We had the right people in the right spots and they beat us. We’ll bounce back tomorrow. We’ve been in some tough spots before, and we’ve responded. I expect us to respond tomorrow.”^[14]

Young shared similar sentiments.

“We thought we had them a couple of times, but give them credit,” he said. “They had some great at-bats when they needed to, so we’ll see them in Game 7. It’s been a classic World Series the entire time, so it’s down to one game for all the marbles. It should be fun. We’re looking forward to it. We thought we had it done, you obviously have to make the final out. Down to the final strike twice. Give them credit. We’ll regroup and be ready tomorrow.”^[15]

As the Rangers put on a brave face in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a Baseball Hall of Fame representative made their way to the Cardinals’ clubhouse to collect Freese’s bat and jersey for the museum’s collection.^[16]

“It was all about surviving,” Freese said. “It was all about getting to tomorrow, and Game 7.”^[17]

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak placed the game in the context of the Cardinals’ comeback to claim the National League wild-card berth.

“It was an epic game in a lot of ways,” he said. “It captures our season in one night. Nobody ever quit.”^[18]

Meanwhile, Burwell chronicled the fans’ reaction in the Post-Dispatch:

And by the end of the night, this was the soundtrack of the evening: All of Cardinal Nation joyfully exhaling, dancing in the aisles, hugging everyone and partying because this most improbable season of all will live on for one more incredible, historic night. And if you never believed in baseball miracles before, here’s one for the ages: The lights are still on at Busch. Game 7 tonight.[19]

Even as the Cardinals celebrated, they had their eyes set on Game 7 and the opportunity it presented.

“It’s awesome, but the main game is tomorrow,” Pujols said. “After tomorrow, someone is going to be a champion.”[20]

Enjoy this post? Find similar stories listed by decade or by player.

[1] Joe Strauss, “Comeback Special,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[2] Joe Strauss, “Comeback Special,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[3] Bryan Burwell, “What an unbelievable ride,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[4] Dan O’Neill, “Holliday’s Troubles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Escalating Drama,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[6] Dan O’Neill, “Holliday’s Troubles,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[7] Hochman, Benjamin (2021), 11 In ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. Triumph Books, 188.

[8] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards pass their greatest test,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[9] Hochman, Benjamin (2021), 11 In ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. Triumph Books, 187.

[10] Hochman, Benjamin (2021), 11 In ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. Triumph Books, 187.

[11] Hochman, Benjamin (2021), 11 In ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. Triumph Books, 188.

[12] Hochman, Benjamin (2021), 11 In ’11: A Hometown Hero, La Russa’s Last Ride in Red, and a Miracle World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. Triumph Books, 190.

[13] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards pass their greatest test,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[14] Jeff Wilson, “Rangers can’t close it out,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 28, 2011.

[15] Tom Timmerman, “Rangers Regroup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[16] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards pass their greatest test,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[17] Bernie Miklasz, “Cards pass their greatest test,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[18] Joe Strauss, “Comeback Special,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[19] Bryan Burwell, “What an unbelievable ride,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2011.

[20] Mark Feinsand, “Triumph is a St. Loo-Loo to force Texas to Game 7,” New York Daily News, October 28, 2011.

The post 10/27/2011: David Freese home run caps historic World Series Game 6 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Not after Adam Wainwright went down with a season-ending injury in spring training. Not after they fell 10 games behind the Brewers in the National League Central Division and 10 ½ games behind the Braves in the wild card standings by August 24.

Yet somehow, they had gone 23-9 over their final 32 games to erase the Braves’ advantage and claim the wild card. Then they defeated the Phillies and their vaunted pitching staff in the NLDS. Now, with a 12-6 win in Game 6 of the NLCS over the Central Division champion Brewers, the Cardinals were headed to the World Series for the 18^th time in franchise history.

“We had a long road,” said third baseman David Freese, the newly minted NLCS MVP. “We had to take the long way back after falling behind by 10 ½ games. We really had to work for this. We had to have a ton of heart, and this team deserves this reward.”^[1]

“Improbably, incredible, overwhelming,” manager Tony La Russa said. “If you never lose your heart, and you keep trying, sometimes you can pull off something like this.”^[2]

To pull it off, the Cardinals started Edwin Jackson, the right-hander they had acquired in a July trade with the Blue Jays that had included seven total players, including 24-year-old center fielder Colby Rasmus, who served as the centerpiece of the Blue Jays’ acquisitions in the trade.

Once in St. Louis, Jackson went 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA, helping the Cardinals make their late-season surge. Facing the Phillies in the NLDS, he allowed just two runs in six innings to earn the first playoff win of his career. In Game 2 of the NLCS, he pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs in a game the Cardinals went on to win 12-3.

The Brewers started right-hander Shaun Marcum, who had struggled in each of his two previous playoff appearances for the Brewers. Despite going 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 200 2/3 regular-season innings, Marcum had allowed seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLDS. In Game 2 of the NLCS, the Cardinals roughed up Marcum for five runs in four innings.

Marcum’s struggles only continued in the first inning of Game 6 as Lance Berkman hit an RBI single and Freese followed with a two-out, three-run homer that gave St. Louis a 4-0 lead.

“They were some kind of team in the first inning,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “We couldn’t get away with anything.”[3]

With his one-inning appearance, Marcum finished with a 14.89 ERA in his three playoff starts, including a 16.20 ERA against the Cardinals.

“I’m not second-guessing anything there,” Roenicke said of starting Marcum. “It was the right decision.”[4]

Corey Hart led off the Brewers’ half of the first inning with a home run to cut the Cardinals’ advantage to 4-1.

In the second, former Cardinal Chris Narveson took the mound for the Brewers. The left-hander, whom the Cardinals had traded to Colorado in 2004 as part of a package for Larry Walker, had started 28 of his 30 appearances during the regular season, going 11-8 with a 4.45 ERA.

Narveson struck out Nick Punto and Jackson before Rafael Furcal hit a solo home run to make the score 5-1.

The Brewers answered with two home runs in the second inning. Rickie Weeks led off the frame with a solo homer, and after third baseman Jerry Hairston reached on an infield single, Jonathan Lucroy launched a two-run homer to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 5-4.

“When we got it to one run, everybody was excited, but we just couldn’t hold them down,” Lucroy said. “For me, calling pitches, it felt like Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams were all hitting against us. They were hot, real hot.”[5]

Albert Pujols started the Cardinals’ four-run third-inning rally with a line-drive home run. With the bases loaded, Nick Punto hit a sacrifice fly to score Matt Holliday. After LaTroy Hawkins replaced Narveson on the mound, Allen Craig hit a two-run single that extended the Cardinals’ lead to 9-4.

Fernando Salas entered the game in relief of Jackson in the third inning. He retired the side in order in the third, but allowed an RBI double to Yuniesky Betancourt in the fourth inning.

The Cardinals continued to add runs against the Brewers’ bullpen in the fifth inning. After Matt Holliday and Freese each singled to begin the inning, Yadier Molina hit a ground ball to Hairston at third base. Hairston misplayed the ball, allowing Holliday to score, and two batters later, pinch-hitter Adron Chambers hit a sacrifice fly that scored Freese and extended the Cardinals’ lead to 11-5.

The Brewers added one more run in the sixth off St. Louis reliever Marc Rzepczynski and Pujols added an RBI single in the eighth to make the final score 12-6.

“Did they do anything wrong in this series?” Roenicke asked.[6]

Freese, who had gone 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored in the game, was named the NLCS MVP after going 12-for-22 (.545) with three doubles, three homers, and nine RBIs in the series.

“It means the world to me,” Freese said. “Not too many people get a chance to do this in their hometown. It’s an unbelievable feeling. To be a part of this group of guys and this organization, it’s a dream come true.”[7]

Rzepczynski was credited with the win after throwing 2 1/3 innings of relief. Lance Lynn threw a scoreless eighth inning and Jason Motte shut the door in the ninth. When Motte struck out Mark Kotsay to end the game, he received a big hug from Molina.

“When I heard that ‘strike three’ called, I looked at Yadi behind the plate, and he’s standing there with his hands stretched out wide, so I figured I’d do the same thing,” said Motte, who threw the final inning in each of the Cardinals’ four wins in the series.[8]

For the series, the Cardinals’ bullpen threw 28 2/3 innings, more than the 24 1/3 innings thrown by St. Louis starting pitchers. Despite the workload, they posted a 1.88 ERA while holding the Brewers to just a .155 batting average.

“I wish I could chop the award up into pieces and give it to the bullpen. They deserve it,” Freese said.^[9]

Pujols, Holliday, and Molina each had two hits in Game 6. For the series, Pujols went 11-for-23 (.478) with two homers and nine RBIs. Holliday was 10-for-23 (.435) with a homer and five RBIs, and Molina was 8-for-24 (.333) with two RBIs.

Now, they looked to carry that momentum into the World Series, where they were set to face the American League champion Texas Rangers and win the 11th title in franchise history.

“They earned this. They deserved this. And they will always be remembered for this,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote.^[10]

Give the gift of Cardinals history! The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals is available now on Amazon.

[1] Bernie Miklasz, “A memorable journey,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[2] Bernie Miklasz, “A memorable journey,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Redbirds win slugfest; Freese earns MVP honor,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[4] Dennis Punzel, “Fright from the start,” Wisconsin State Journal, October 17, 2011.

[5] Dennis Punzel, “Fright from the start,” Wisconsin State Journal, October 17, 2011.

[6] Joe Strauss, “Redbirds win slugfest; Freese earns MVP honor,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[7] Dan O’Neill, “MVP Freese says winning is a dream,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[8] Bryan Burwell, “Improbably pennant wasn’t easy for Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Redbirds win slugfest; Freese earns MVP honor,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

[10] Bernie Miklasz, “A memorable journey,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 17, 2011.

The post 2011 NLCS Game 6: Cardinals advance, Freese named MVP first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Down two games to one in the best-of-five series following a 3-2 loss in Game 3, the Cardinals needed back-to-back wins to keep their season alive. That was a tall task against the National League East Division champion Phillies, who had won 102 games during the regular season behind the strength of baseball’s best rotation.

Starting Game 4 for the Phillies was Roy Oswalt, the Astros’ former ace who was now working the back half of the rotation for a Philadelphia staff that included Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels, each of whom already had pitched in the series. Oswalt went 9-10 during the regular season with a 3.69 ERA across 139 innings.

The Cardinals answered with Edwin Jackson, a 27-year-old right-hander who came to St. Louis in July alongside Octavio Dotel, Corey Patterson, and Marc Rzepczynski in a trade for Trever Miller, Colby Rasmus, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters. Since arriving in St. Louis, Jackson had gone 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 78 innings, and Game 4 marked the first postseason start of his career.

The Phillies, however, jumped on Jackson before the right-hander could get his first out. Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a ground-rule double before Chase Utley tripled and Hunter Pence singled to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. After a double play in which Jackson struck out Ryan Howard and Yadier Molina threw out Pence as he tried to steal second, Shane Victorino flied out to left field to end the inning.

Facing an early two-run deficit, the Cardinals went to work. Skip Schumaker hit a one-out single. When Lance Berkman doubled into center field, Victorino slipped as he fielded the ball, allowing Schumaker to score from first.

In the fourth inning, after Berkman drew a leadoff walk and Matt Holliday was hit by a pitch, bringing Freese to the plate. The 28-year-old Freese had hit .297 with 10 homers and 55 RBIs during the regular season, but was just 2-for-13 with seven strikeouts in the playoffs, including three K’s in Game 3 and another in his first at-bat of Game 4. In fact, prior to the game La Russa and the Cardinals coaching staff had debated whether to replace Freese with Daniel Descalso.

“The vote was for David because we knew David was going to take a really tough at-bat, whether he strikes out or whatever,” La Russa said. “That’s just what he is.”[1]

After Oswalt struck Freese out in the second inning, Freese headed to the clubhouse video room, where it was clear that he hadn’t gotten his front foot down in time to contend with Oswalt’s fastball. With that adjustment in mind, Freese pulled a two-run double down the left-field line to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead.

“I thought my worst pitch was probably the curveball to Freese for the double down the line,” Oswalt said. “That was probably bad pitch selection.”[2]

Two innings later, the graduate of Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri, launched a 424-foot, two-run homer off Oswalt to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2.

“I got (my front foot) down and stayed back,” Freese said. “I did it again on the home run. It’s a big thing that sometimes I forget about, but I try and go back to. The coaches remind me that when I get my foot down I’m a different hitter.”[3]

“It’s fun to watch,” Holliday said. “I really enjoyed watching him come up with the key hits like that, especially in his hometown in a big spot. He basically won the game for us.”[4]

Freese became just the 11^th Cardinal to have four RBIs in a postseason game and the first since Reggie Sanders drove in six runs against the Padres in 2005.

“It’s crazy,” said Freese, who attended the University of Missouri but didn’t play baseball until transferring to South Alabama. “To think 10 years ago I was at Mizzou and didn’t have a baseball within 100 miles of me. Just doing this is crazy, but I’ve been dreaming about the World Series, not the division series. We’ve got to keep going.”[5]

Berkman offered a prescient assessment of Freese’s potential.

“He may not be a household name yet, but he’s going to be,” Berkman said. “This club is going to get a lot of big hits like we did tonight from David. That’s what he’s capable of. He’s a special player. He had two big hits and consequently we’re playing Game 5.”^[6]

 Freese wasn’t the only breakout star of Game 4. In the fifth inning, as Schumaker was at the plate against Oswalt, a gray squirrel ran across home plate. Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called the pitch a ball and Oswalt and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel each argued that it should have been ruled no pitch due to the distraction caused by the squirrel.

“I told him as I was throwing the ball I saw (the squirrel) out of the corner of my eye,” Oswalt said. “I didn’t want to stop in the middle of my motion, so I threw it.”[7]

One inning later, Freese hit his two-run homer, and almost immediately, the “Rally Squirrel” captured the imagination of fans. Within days, there were T-shirts, costumes, and even chocolate rally squirrel candies.[8]

Jackson, meanwhile, continued to roll. After escaping the first inning, he allowed just two singles and walked one batter. In Jackson’s sixth and final inning, Utley drew a leadoff walk. When Pence followed with a ground ball to shortstop, first baseman Albert Pujols came off the bag to throw out Utley, who attempted to round second and take third base on the play. With Utley off the base paths and Pence at first, Jackson retired the next two Phillies to end the inning.

“I thought it would be tough if I stayed on the bag to get him at third too, so I decided, nobody out, to get the guy running to third,” Pujols said. “Obviously, that killed the rally.”[9]

After six innings and 77 pitches from Jackson, La Russa turned to his bullpen, beginning with left-hander Arthur Rhodes, who struck out Raul Ibanez to begin the seventh. Dotel retired the next two batters to wrap up the seventh inning.

Fernando Salas, who had played a key role in the Cardinals’ Game 2 win, allowed one run in the eighth on two singles, a balk, and a wild pitch. When the left-handed-hitting Howard stepped to the plate with two outs, La Russa responded with the lefty Rzepczynski, who struck out the Phillies slugger to end the inning.

With a 5-3 lead, the ninth inning belonged to Jason Motte, who retired Victorino, Ibanez, and former Cardinal Placido Polanco in order to secure the win.

“It seems like the next game has been make-or-break the last two months,” Motte said. “There’s nothing new about this situation. We were in a position where nobody outside of here gave us a chance and probably some people in here didn’t think much of it either. We’re used to it.”[10]

Jackson earned the win after allowing two earned runs over six innings. Oswalt took the loss for the Phillies after allowing five earned runs over six innings. It was his first defeat in 10 career postseason starts.

With their seasons on the line, both teams were slated to start their respective aces, Chris Carpenter and Halladay, in the fifth and final game of the series.

“We’re going to go out and play our game,” Berkman said. “If it’s good enough, great. If not, we’ve got nothing to hang our heads about. No matter what happens Friday, we’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”[11]

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[1] Tom Timmermann, “Freese breaks out in Game 4,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[2] Ray Parrillo, “A postseason first for Oswalt,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 6, 2011.

[3] Joe Strauss, “Winner-take-all game looms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[4] Joe Strauss, “Winner-take-all game looms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[5] Joe Strauss, “Winner-take-all game looms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[6] Tom Timmermann, “Freese breaks out in Game 4,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[7] Ray Parrillo, “A postseason first for Oswalt,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 6, 2011.

[8] Steve Gardner, “Cardinals fans go nuts for the Rally Squirrel,” USA Today, October 19, 2011.

[9] Joe Strauss, “Winner-take-all game looms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[10] Joe Strauss, “Winner-take-all game looms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

[11] Joe Strauss, “Winner-take-all game looms,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 6, 2011.

The post October 5, 2011: Rally Squirrel and David Freese emerge as postseason heroes first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

Heading into that contest, the Cardinals remained 2 ½ games behind the Braves. St. Louis swept Atlanta in a three-game series earlier that month, part of a 13-5 run since the start of September. The Braves, meanwhile, were 8-12 in September.

With just eight games remaining on the schedule, the Cardinals needed every win they could get. For the Wednesday evening start against the Mets, St. Louis turned to left-hander Jaime Garcia, who entered the contest with a 12-7 record and 3.59 ERA over 183 innings. The 24-year-old southpaw placed third in the NL Rookie of the Year Award voting the previous year.

The Mets, who were out of playoff contention with a 73-81 record, answered with Chris Schwinden, a 24-year-old rookie making the third start of his career. Schwinden was still pursuing his first win after taking the loss in both his previous appearances.

It didn’t appear likely that he would get that win in the early-going. Schwinden retired the first two batters he faced before Albert Pujols smacked a double into the right-field gap. Schwinden intentionally walked Lance Berkman before Freese tripled down the right-field line to drive in two runs. An inning later, Allen Craig added an RBI single to make it 3-0.

In the top of the third, Schwinden started a four-run rally when he reached on an infield single. Jose Reyes doubled and two runs scored on an error by Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal. After David Wright singled, pinch hitter Josh Satin doubled to left field  to score two more runs and give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

From there, Schwinden and Garcia took control of the game, as each pitcher retired eight consecutive batters at one point.

“What Jaime did to keep his concentration and keep competing was as impressive as anything he’s done for a couple of years,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, “and he’s done a lot of impressive things.”[1]

Relief pitcher Miguel Batista entered the game for the Mets in the seventh and retired Furcal and Craig before Pujols singled up the middle. Mets manager Terry Collins turned to left-hander Danny Herrera to pitch to the left-handed hitting Lance Berkman, but the 35-year-old veteran slapped a single to left field.

With Freese coming to the plate, Collins again went to his bullpen, this time calling upon right-hander Pedro Beato. Once again, the move was unsuccessful. Ahead in the count 3-1, Freese launched an opposite-field, three-run homer over the right-field wall to put the Cardinals ahead, 6-4.

“I tried to go fastball low and away,” Beato said. “I was behind in the count and trying not to walk him in that situation. I left the pitch right out over the middle of the plate and he took a good swing at it.”[2]

It was Freese’s 10^th home run of the season.

“I had a feeling he was going to get it done right there,” Berkman said. “He is a really big-money player. He’s clutch. Whatever ‘it’ is, he’s got it. You don’t see ‘it’ in everybody.”[3]

The graduate of Lafayette High School in nearby Wildwood acknowledged the fans with the first curtain call of his career.

“As a kid in St. Louis growing up you watch Big Mac (Mark McGwire) do them, and you watch Albert do them, but going out there and the fans wanting you? That was special, very special,” Freese said. “Obviously the biggest hit of my career. Getting that win was huge. Getting it down to 1 ½ is a big leap from 2 ½. Losing is not an option, and we know that.”[4]

Garcia retired the first two batters he faced in the eighth before the Cardinals turned to their closer, Jason Motte, to strike out Wright and end the inning. Willie Harris hit a home run in the ninth to pull the Mets within a run, 6-5, but Motte struck out Josh Thole for his eighth save of the season.

“They got a good team,” Collins said. “The lineup’s tough. … They’ve got a lot of weapons. Coming off the bench they got speed and defense.”[5]

With the Braves’ 4-0 loss to the Marlins that evening, the Cardinals had just pulled within 1 ½ games of the wild-card playoff spot with seven games remaining.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Berkman said. “We’ve made it awful close.”[6]

Garcia claimed his 13^th win of the season, allowing four unearned runs on six hits. He finished the game with five strikeouts, giving him 151 for the season and making him the first left-hander to reach 150 strikeouts in a season since Rick Ankiel struck out 194 in 2000.[7]

Freese, meanwhile, finished the game 2-for-4 with five RBIs. He finished the regular season with a .297/.350/.441 batting line, including 10 homers and 55 RBIs. Of course, he had reserved his biggest hits for the postseason, earning NLCS and World Series MVP awards while helping to lead the Cardinals to their 11^th world championship in franchise history.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals are hot on Braves’ heels,” https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-are-hot-on-braves-heels/article_e67d9dd1-5512-5ece-9112-06a7d88f95e3.html.

[2] Associated Press, “Cardinals narrow deficit,” Decatur Herald and Review, September 22, 2011.

[3] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals are hot on Braves’ heels,” https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-are-hot-on-braves-heels/article_e67d9dd1-5512-5ece-9112-06a7d88f95e3.html.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals are hot on Braves’ heels,” https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-are-hot-on-braves-heels/article_e67d9dd1-5512-5ece-9112-06a7d88f95e3.html.

[5] Associated Press, “Cardinals narrow deficit,” Decatur Herald and Review, September 22, 2011.

[6] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals are hot on Braves’ heels,” https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-are-hot-on-braves-heels/article_e67d9dd1-5512-5ece-9112-06a7d88f95e3.html.

[7] Associated Press, “Cardinals narrow deficit,” Decatur Herald and Review, September 22, 2011.

The post How David Freese pulled the Cardinals within 1 1/2 games of the 2011 wild card first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The Cardinals broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning with a 12-run, 10-hit outburst that led to a 12-0 win and launched the Redbirds into the record books. The 12 runs tied the franchise mark set in 1926, when the Cardinals scored a dozen in the third inning of a double-header against the Phillies. The seven doubles in an inning tied a major league record the Boston Bees set in Game 1 of a double-header against the Cardinals in 1936.[1]

“Sometimes those innings get crazy,” David Freese said. “I think we kept our focus and we kept pushing, and the next thing you know we had 12 runs.”[2]

The game began as a pitcher’s duel between St. Louis’s Jake Westbrook and Chicago’s Matt Garza. Garza, who was the subject of trade rumors, held the Cardinals to just two hits through three innings before manager Dale Sveum removed him from the game. Speculation briefly swirled that Garza had been traded, but he actually left the game due to cramping in his right triceps.[3]

With Garza out of the game, the Cubs called on right-hander Justin Germano, who had been purchased from the Red Sox just a few days earlier. Matching Westbrook pitch for pitch, Germano held the Cardinals scoreless until the seventh, when he allowed an infield single to David Freese.

Entering the game in relief of Germano, James Russell retired Jon Jay on a popped-up bunt attempt that third baseman Luis Valbuena dove to catch. Allen Craig, pinch-hitting for Westbrook, lined a double into the left-field corner before Rafael Furcal followed with a single into left that scored Freese. Skip Schumaker hit a triple over the head of Cubs center fielder David DeJesus to drive in two more runs.

“Until that point, we were really trying to figure out how to get a run in,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “It comes down to the big hit. We talked about that. Rafi comes up with the big hit, and then Skip comes up with a big triple and then everybody followed suit. That’s standard with this team. It seems like if somebody gets going, then it really gets fun to watch.”^[4]

Matt Holliday followed Schumaker’s triple with a walk. Beltran hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the right-field wall, and Russell intentionally walked Yadier Molina to load the bases for Lance Berkman.

Russell got Berkman to hit an infield fly for the second out of the inning before Sveum called on Manny Corpas. Freese greeted Corpas with his second hit of the inning, a double down the right-field line that scored Holliday and Beltran. Jay followed with a double into the left-field corner that scored two more runs, and Craig, making his second pinch-hit at-bat of the inning, hit the Cardinals’ third consecutive double to make it 9-0.

“It was crazy,” Craig said. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that in the big leagues. I came into the game in a big spot and I was glad I could make something happen.”[5]

After Corpas walked Furcal, Sveum turned to his fourth pitcher of the inning, Rafael Dolis. Schumaker hit an RBI double and Holliday drove in the final two runs of the inning with a double to right. Beltran reached on a strikeout when Dolis’s wild pitch got away from Cubs catcher Geovany Soto, but Dolis struck out pinch hitter Tony Cruz to end the rally.

“That’s really a tough lineup there,” Sveum said. “Five doubles down the right-field line. Two doubles down the left-field line. Quality hitters do that stuff.”[6]

Barret Browning and Victor Marte pitched the eighth inning and Trevor Rosenthal handled ninth-inning duties to finish the game.

Westbrook earned his eighth win of the season with seven shutout innings, allowing just three Cub hits. He walked two and struck out five while lowering his ERA to 3.60.

“The first couple of innings, I was a little erratic. I might have been a little geeked up,” Westbrook said. “After that, I felt really strong.”[7]

Freese finished the game with three hits while Furcal, Schumaker, Holliday, Beltran, Berkman, and Craig each had two.

The 2012 Cardinals went on to an 88-74 record on the season to finish second in the National League Central. After beating the Braves in the NL wild-card game, the Cardinals beat the Nationals in a five-game NLDS but lost to the Giants in seven games in the NLCS.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Seventh Heaven,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 2012.

[2] Derrick Goold, “Seventh Heaven,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 2012.

[3] Associated Press, “Cardinals tie MLB record with 7 doubles in an inning, win in rout,” ESPN, www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320721124.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Seventh Heaven,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 2012.

[5] Associated Press, “Cardinals tie MLB record with 7 doubles in an inning, win in rout,” ESPN, www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320721124.

[6] Derrick Goold, “Seventh Heaven,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 23, 2012.

[7] Associated Press, “Cardinals tie MLB record with 7 doubles in an inning, win in rout,” ESPN, www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320721124.

The post Cardinals’ 12-run rally vs. Cubs ties franchise record: July 21, 2012 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.