| ST. LOUIS Favored by few, the St. Louis
| |
| | threw 23 shutout innings in the
|
| Cardinals used an unlikely cast of
| |
| | postseason, was saved by manager Jim
|
| characters to win their first World
| |
| | Leyland for a possible sixth game
|
| Series in nearly a quarter century.
| |
| | Saturday in Detroit.
|
| Jeff Weaver dominated, David Eckstein
| |
| | Weaver, cast off by the Yankees three
|
| drove in two runs on balls that didn't
| |
| | years ago after a World Series flop,
|
| leave the infield and the Cards took
| |
| | allowed four hits in eight innings,
|
| advantage of another wild throw by a
| |
| | matched his season high with nine
|
| Tigers pitcher to beat Detroit 4-2 on
| |
| | strikeouts and walked one before
|
| Friday night and won the Series in five
| |
| | Wainwright finished for the save. St.
|
| games.
| |
| | Louis pitchers held Detroit to a .205
|
| I think we shocked the world," Cardinals
| |
| | average (33-for-161) over the five games.
|
| center fielder Jim Edmonds said. "It's an
| |
| | Verlander gave up three runs one earned
|
| unbelievable experience."
| |
| | and three hits, recovering from early
|
| Manager Tony La Russa's Cardinals had
| |
| | control problems to give the Tigers a
|
| just 83 regular-season wins, the fewest
| |
| | decent effort.
|
| by a World Series winner, and nearly
| |
| | After a day-long rain, the weather
|
| missed the playoffs after a late-season
| |
| | cleared about two hours before gametime.
|
| slump. But the Cardinals beat San Diego
| |
| | Still, it was 47 degrees when play began,
|
| and the New York Mets in the playoffs,
| |
| | and a brisk wind made it feel that much
|
| then won their first title since 1982 by
| |
| | colder. But the wintry conditions didn't
|
| taming a heavily favored Tigers team that
| |
| | dampen the enthusiasm of the 46,638
|
| entered the Series with six days' rest.
| |
| | mostly red-clad fans.
|
| After closer Adam Wainwright struck out
| |
| | Verlander, throwing up to 100 mph, was
|
| Brandon Inge for the final out, the
| |
| | wild in the first inning, walking the
|
| ballpark erupted. Wainwright raised his
| |
| | bases loaded and throwing two wild
|
| arms in triumph, catcher Yadier Molina
| |
| | pitches. By his fourth batter, Jason
|
| ran to the mound and the pair bounced off
| |
| | Grilli was warming up in the bullpen, but
|
| toward second base, where they were
| |
| | Verlander escaped by the thinnest of
|
| joined by teammates running out from the
| |
| | margins, needing 35 pitches to get
|
| dugout and the bullpen.
| |
| | through the inning.
|
| "I don't think anybody in uniform didn't
| |
| | He walked Duncan with one out, threw a
|
| do something in the postseason. Everyone
| |
| | wild pitch, then walked Albert Pujols.
|
| did," said La Russa, whose uniform number
| |
| | With a 2-0 count on Edmonds, pitching
|
| 10 now matches the team's World Series
| |
| | coach Chuck Hernandez came to the mound.
|
| titles. "The defense was great. The
| |
| | Edmonds fell behind 3-0, then flied out
|
| pitching was great. Timely hitting. The
| |
| | after Verlander worked the count full.
|
| best bench I've had in a long time. They
| |
| | Following another wild pitch, Verlander
|
| just refused for us to lose."
| |
| | walked Rolen, and when he started Ronnie
|
| Minutes later fireworks filled the sky
| |
| | Belliard with a ball, catcher Ivan
|
| above the ballpark.
| |
| | Rodriguez went to the mound.
|
| Eckstein, the 5-foot-7 shortstop who had
| |
| | After fouling off a 3-2 pitch, Belliard
|
| four hits in Game 4, was the Series MVP.
| |
| | hit a grounder up the middle that Carlos
|
| "No one believed in us, but we believed
| |
| | Guillen just got to in time to make an
|
| in ourselves," Eckstein said.
| |
| | off-balance throw to first, beating
|
| On a cold Midwest night more suitable to
| |
| | Belliard by less than a step as Casey
|
| football than baseball, the Tigers made
| |
| | scooped the ball on a bounce. Verlander
|
| two more errors, raising their Series
| |
| | yelled and whipped his arm across his
|
| total to eight three by Inge, the third
| |
| | body excitement.
|
| baseman, and a record five by their
| |
| | But St. Louis went ahead in the second,
|
| pitchers. Eight of the 22 runs allowed by
| |
| | after Molina looped a single to center
|
| the Tigers were unearned, the most by a
| |
| | leading off, took second on So Taguchi's
|
| team since the 1956 New York Yankees
| |
| | bunt and third on Weaver's groundout.
|
| against Brooklyn.
| |
| | Eckstein hit a smash, and both the ball
|
| While the Tigers tossed the ball to the
| |
| | and a chunk of his bat headed toward
|
| tarp, the Cardinals were mostly crisp,
| |
| | third. Inge dived and grabbed the ball as
|
| with the notable exception of right
| |
| | it went over the base and then, even
|
| fielder Chris Duncan, who dropped a fly
| |
| | though he had plenty of time, rushed his
|
| ball just before Sean Casey's two-run
| |
| | throw. It bounced and went up the line as
|
| homer in the fourth put Detroit ahead
| |
| | Molina scored. Eckstein was given a hit
|
| 2-1.
| |
| | on the play and advanced on the bad throw
|
| St. Louis came right back to take a 3-2
| |
| | by Inge.
|
| lead in the bottom half as pitcher Justin
| |
| | Weaver held the Tigers to two hits in the
|
| Verlander threw away a ball for the
| |
| | first three innings. With one out in the
|
| second time in two starts, and Scott
| |
| | fourth, Magglio Ordonez lofted a fly to
|
| Rolen added a big run with a two-out RBI
| |
| | right and Duncan, calling off center
|
| single in the seventh off reliever
| |
| | fielder Edmonds, allowed it to kick off
|
| Fernando Rodney, extending his postseason
| |
| | his glove for a two-base error.
|
| hitting streak to 10 games.
| |
| | Casey sent the next pitch into the seats
|
| It was the Cardinals' first title since
| |
| | down the right-field line for a two-run
|
| 1982 and the first for the NL since the
| |
| | homer that put Detroit ahead. Then it was
|
| 2003 Florida Marlins. La Russa, who led
| |
| | the Tigers' turn to make a key mistake.
|
| the Oakland Athletics to a sweep in the
| |
| | Molina and Taguchi singled with one out
|
| earthquake-interrupted 1989 Bay Bridge
| |
| | in the bottom half and Weaver bunted back
|
| Series, joined Sparky Anderson
| |
| | to Verlander. He had an easy force at
|
| (Cincinnati and Detroit) as the only
| |
| | third, but sidearmed the ball and it
|
| managers to win Series titles in each
| |
| | bounced past Inge for an error that
|
| league.
| |
| | allowed Molina to score the tying run and
|
| It marked the first time since the 1912
| |
| | left runners on second and third.
|
| Red Sox at Boston's Fenway Park that a
| |
| | Eckstein followed with a grounder to
|
| team won the Series at home in a
| |
| | shortstop that drove in Taguchi for a 3-2
|
| first-year ballpark. And the Cardinals
| |
| | lead.
|
| (83-78) almost didn't even make it to the
| |
| | Duncan had another adventure in the
|
| postseason. They had a seven-game NL
| |
| | fifth, letting Casey's catchable two-out
|
| Central lead with 12 to go but lost eight
| |
| | fly drop behind him on the warning track
|
| of nine before recovering to finish 1
| |
| | for a double. But Weaver struck out
|
| games ahead of Houston, the defending NL
| |
| | Rodriguez on a checked swing.
|
| champion.
| |
| | Pujols turned in the niftiest play,
|
| Minnesota, in 1987, had set the previous
| |
| | sprawling to snare Placido Polanco's
|
| low for wins by a Series winner, going
| |
| | grounder to first leading off the
|
| 85-77.
| |
| | seventh, then making a one-bounce throw
|
| "The team that wins a world championship
| |
| | from his back to Weaver covering the
|
| is the team that played the best," La
| |
| | base.
|
| Russa said.
| |
| | Notes: The record for unearned runs
|
| As the Tigers failed in their bid for
| |
| | allowed in the Series is 13, shared by
|
| their first title since 1984, their
| |
| | the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1909
|
| season ended with Kenny Rogers rested and
| |
| | Tigers. ... Verlander's two wild pitches
|
| ready with no place to pitch. Rogers, who
| |
| | in an inning tied the Series record.
|
