Wow, what a Game 6! Texas continually took advantage of mistakes by the Cardinals to take a lead, but every time they did, St. Louis stormed back to tie the game up. Then David Freese was able to come up big in the 9th inning with one strike left to send the game into extras, allowing Freese then hit a bomb to Center Field, forcing the first World Series Game 7 since the 2002 series between the Angels and Giants.
The Cardinals made some history last night; there have only been two teams in history that have fought back from a deficit in the 8th inning to force a Game 7. These two teams are the ’75 Red Sox and the ’86 Mets. However, no team has ever come back in the 9th inning and then in extras in a World Series. You want to talk about going back and forth? This was also the first time that there were three blown saves in one game of the Fall Classic.
On the flip side, just think about how frustrating it must be for Ron Washington and co. to now have to come back for a Game 7, especially since they were within one strike on two different occasions of clinching the franchise’s fist ever World Series. Now, onto Game 7; Chris Carpenter will go for St. Louis on three days rest to face Matt Harrison on regular rest. Washington stuck by his starter even though they got an extra day off on Wednesday, saying that he was not going to change how he does things now because they’ve gotten this far. However, after going through this entire postseason, I would take Carpenter on short rest instead of any other pitcher on regular rest.
Either way, it’s safe to assume that tonight’s Game 7 will be an epic one; neither team goes down without a fight (as you can see in Game 6) and both of them are hungry to grab a piece of history. The reason that I’m even talking about a Game 7 is because of the crucial line-up change made by Tony LaRussa last night. He decided to put the hot-hitting Lance Berman behind Pujols in the line-up and move the struggling Matt Holliday and got rewarded with a 3-4, 3 RBI, and 4 runs scored performance by his right fielder.
Who ya got tonight? I’m taking the Cardinals because I have from the beginning, and there is not a doubt in my mind that they are a team of destiny. The only way I’ll change my thinking is if the Rangers are actually able to put them away tonight when the game is on the line. For those who have decided that baseball has been over for a while now since your team isn’t in it anymore, tune in tonight, because you’ve missed an amazing series so far.
For all of those who have been watching throughout, soak in this last game and make the feeling last until Valentine’s Day when pitchers and catchers start to report!
