The St. Louis Cardinals was a team that defied the odds. They were a team that was 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the standings in late August and was anything but a favorite to win the 2011 World Series title. For anyone who enjoys a thrilling baseball game, the 2011 World Series is one for the memory book. Chris Carpenter, the Cardinal’s ace pitcher, pitched his way to a World Series ring in 2011. This is the man who beat Matt Harrison in game seven of the World Series. The same man who went pitch-for-pitch with Roy Holladay, of the Phillies, defeating him 1-0 in game five of the National League Division Series. This is the same man who shut out the Houston Astros in the 162nd game of the season to put the Cardinals into the post-season.The resilient Cardinals shocked the world when they beat the Phillies, the favorite to win it all, who won a league high 102 games this season. The Phillies led the Cardinals 2-1 in the series, before the Cards finished the job, winning the next two and moving on to face Milwaukee. The Cards, while on the road through most of the playoffs, then defeated the red hot Milwaukee Brewers in six games to win the National League Championship Series. Chris Carpenter picked up another 4-3 win in a crucial game three.The Cards were down to the Texas Rangers, three games to two. The Rangers, who were heart broken last year when they lost to the San Fransisco Giants, would have loved nothing more than to snag a ring in 2011. The Rangers have never won the World Series. However, the Cards just would not quit. On two occasions, the Rangers were one strike away from celebrating a World Series title, and sending the Cards to the showers, hoping for another chance at the title next year.
However, David Freese, the MVP of the World Series, let his bat do the talking for him and for the Cardinal team, who would not say die. Game six of the World Series was by far the most thrilling game I have ever watched. Freese hit a two out, two strike, two run triple off the right field wall to tie the game in the ninth. And in his next at bat, Freese hit a walk off homerun in the eleventh inning to win game six for the Cardinals. After game six, there was no doubt in my mind that the Rangers did not stand a chance. The Cardinals displayed a tenacity that is contagious to anyone who loves the game of baseball. Not only, will I never forget the World Series games, but I also had a chance to see grown men act like children, ripping the jersey off the World Series MVP David Freese while celebrating on the field. You could feel the excitement.The 2011 World Series is the first such Series to go the full seven games since 2002. It was also a see-saw battle between two very good teams, Texas and St. Louis. It gave every baseball fan anything they could ever want: great hitting, great pitching, amazing comebacks, great plays in the field, lots of errors, and truly exciting baseball. The 2011 World Series is a perfect demonstration of what we love about the game of baseball.