Cards stun Texas to force series decider
Source: Agencies |
October 29, 2011, Saturday
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David Freese homered in the 11th inning to cap an incredible comeback that lifted the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-9 victory over the Texas Rangers late on Thursday and forced a decisive World Series Game 7.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings and two more in the 10th to stay alive before Freese led off the 11th with a 429-foot blast to center that ended the titanic, four-hour 33-minute battle.
Texas had held a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and was looking to close out the Cardinals. The entire St. Louis team met Freese at home plate to celebrate the most fantastic World Series finish in recent memory as a frenzied crowd at Busch Stadium roared in delight.
"Man that was incredible," said Freese, who also tied the game with two outs in the ninth with a two-run triple that got over the head of rightfielder Nelson Cruz. "I was glad I had a chance. We fought back."
"That's the character of this team... we're not going anywhere. We will fight to the end," added Freese, whose jersey was torn off by teammates as they celebrated at home plate as if they had won the Fall Classic.
The tumultuous late innings raised and shattered hopes twice for the Rangers, who were on the brink of claiming the first World Series crown in their 51 years of existence.
"It's not that easy to win a world championship," said Texas manager Ron Washington, whose team lost the World Series last year in five games to the Giants. "You've got to give them credit. They fought tonight. They came back, and they won the ball game."
Back-to-back home runs by Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz in the seventh inning gave Texas a late lead after an early see-saw struggle that produced four unearned runs between the teams on some bizarre fielding errors during the chilly night.
Freese tied it with his triple to right off Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, but Texas bounced right back when Josh Hamilton, who had struggled at the plate in the series with a strained groin, walloped the first pitch he saw in the 10th from reliever Jason Motte for a two-run homer and a 9-7 lead.
The Cardinals, who overcame a 10-1/2 game deficit in the last month of Major League Baseball's regular season to claim a wildcard playoff berth on the final day, stormed back again with two runs in the 10th, the tying run scoring on a single by Lance Berkman.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings and two more in the 10th to stay alive before Freese led off the 11th with a 429-foot blast to center that ended the titanic, four-hour 33-minute battle.
Texas had held a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and was looking to close out the Cardinals. The entire St. Louis team met Freese at home plate to celebrate the most fantastic World Series finish in recent memory as a frenzied crowd at Busch Stadium roared in delight.
"Man that was incredible," said Freese, who also tied the game with two outs in the ninth with a two-run triple that got over the head of rightfielder Nelson Cruz. "I was glad I had a chance. We fought back."
"That's the character of this team... we're not going anywhere. We will fight to the end," added Freese, whose jersey was torn off by teammates as they celebrated at home plate as if they had won the Fall Classic.
The tumultuous late innings raised and shattered hopes twice for the Rangers, who were on the brink of claiming the first World Series crown in their 51 years of existence.
"It's not that easy to win a world championship," said Texas manager Ron Washington, whose team lost the World Series last year in five games to the Giants. "You've got to give them credit. They fought tonight. They came back, and they won the ball game."
Back-to-back home runs by Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz in the seventh inning gave Texas a late lead after an early see-saw struggle that produced four unearned runs between the teams on some bizarre fielding errors during the chilly night.
Freese tied it with his triple to right off Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, but Texas bounced right back when Josh Hamilton, who had struggled at the plate in the series with a strained groin, walloped the first pitch he saw in the 10th from reliever Jason Motte for a two-run homer and a 9-7 lead.
The Cardinals, who overcame a 10-1/2 game deficit in the last month of Major League Baseball's regular season to claim a wildcard playoff berth on the final day, stormed back again with two runs in the 10th, the tying run scoring on a single by Lance Berkman.
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