Cardinals take the World Series four games to one. Some general notes: It’s their first World Series Championship since 1982, the year that Jim Edmonds was 12; when Chris Carpenter was 7; five years after the Cardinals released Tony LaRussa as a player, ending his major league career after never playing a game for ST. Louis. The Cardinals have set a record for the World Series winner with the fewest wins in the regular season (83). The Cardinals are the second team in Major League history to win a World Series in the first year they occupy a new ballpark (Yankees won in 1923, the first year of Yankee Stadium) The Cardinals ended a 12-game winning streak against National League teams by American League teams in the World series when they won game 2 of this series. St. Louis finished the regular season winning only 6 of their last 16 games, then roared through the playoffs and the series by winning 11 of 17. We have for you a medley of post-game comments by: David Eckstein, Jeff Weaver, LaRussa, Albert Pujols, Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, Adam Wainwright, and finally, LaRussa again.
Eckstein Earns MVP Honors
Only three shortstops have ever won the World Series MVP Award. All three played for American League teams during their run to baseball glory. A shortstop has never won the MVP while playing for a National League champion. Until now.
David Eckstein, the St. Louis Cardinals shortstop and leadoff hitter, struggled out of the gate, going 0-for-11 to begin the Fall Classic. But much in the same way fans had written off his team, no one could have expected the 5-foot-7 righty to hoist the MVP Award at Series end. But that is just the way it happened.
Flashing a shiny .364 average in the Series, Eckstein has now played on two different World Champion teams. He was the shortstop and leadoff hitter (sound familiar?) for the 2002 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Eckstein’s efforts earned him a brand-new yellow Corvette. Not bad for a former walk-on at the University of Florida.
Related web sites:
Cardinals’ Official Website
Cards Clinch Tenth World Series Title
Pop the champagne and set-off the fireworks. Against all odds, the St. Louis Cardinals are the champions of baseball.
The Redbirds earned their tenth World Series title and first since 1982 by defeating the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 4-2 Friday. David Eckstein, one of just a few Cardinal players who had already owned a ring, took home the Series MVP thanks to a .364 batting average.
Jeff Weaver threw eight strong innings, allowing just two runs while striking out nine. Adam Wainright, the team’s rookie pitcher who had practically no experience as a closer prior to this year, worked the ninth inning for his second save of the series, finally finishing off Detroit by striking out Brandon Inge to clinch it.
The Cardinals took advantage of numerous Tiger errors throughout the Series, and last night was no exception. In the second inning, Inge made a great diving stop on Eckstein’s hit down the third base line, but threw wildly to first, allowing Yadier Molina to score. And after Sean Casey’s two-run homer in the fourth made it 2-1 Detroit, Tiger pitcher Justin Verlander made the eighth Detroit error of the Series, leading to two more St. Louis runs.
Scott Rolen drove in an insurance run in the seventh inning. Rolen led the team with a .421 average in the Fall Classic.
Related web sites:
Cardinals’ Official Website
