So I didn't get to see what is already being called the greatest World Series game ever played. I am, being a huge baseball fan, very disappointed by this. Thanks to the sports news shows and the Internet, I have been able to piece together what, truly, may have been the greatest World Series game ever played! But beyond the phenomenal theatrics of the game itself is the story of The St. Louis Cardinals in this 2011 baseball season. If they were to lose tonight's Game 7, it would be a giant downer for any baseball fan. After being down 10 games to Atlanta in August and coming back to get a WildCard spot in the playoffs; after beating the heavily favoured Philadelphia Phillies to move on to the National League Pennant; after beating the heavily favoured Milwaukee Brewers to move on to the World Series; after last night's miracle - this team deserves to win it all! A few highlights of last night's game:
- Down by 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, with only one strike left, David Freese hits a 2 run triple to right field, tying the game 7-7. This was already the third time the Cardinals came back to tie the game. No doubt, the shoddy defence of the Texas Rangers outfield helped with this outcome.
- After losing the lead to a 2-run home run by Josh Hamilton in the top of the tenth inning, Lance Berkman, a man that just about every team passed over during his free-agency for thought of being too old, hits a game-tying single in the bottom of tenth. The Cardinals, again, were down to their last strike! Berkman, by the way, is hitting .435 for the Series and very well may end up winning the World Series MVP Award.
- In the bottom of the eleventh inning, David Freese, who prolonged the game once already in the bottom of the ninth, hits a solo walk-off home run to win the game, forcing a Game 7 that will hopefully be even half as exciting as Game 6...and I'll be watching tonight!
Hearing about this game and watching the highlights has me thinking about other great moments in World Series history. Each of these moments make my heart swell when I think of them. These are just a few of the reasons why I think baseball is the greatest game in the world!
October 21, 1975 - Game 6
Everyone who claims to know baseball has the image burned in their brain - Carlton Fisk frantically waiving his arms in an effort to will the ball he just smacked to stay fair as he hops down the first base line. One of the most dramatic home runs ever hit gave the Boston Red Sox a 12th inning win to go to Game 7 against the might Cincinnati Reds. Alas, at the time, The Curse was still alive and after taking an early lead in the deciding game, The Reds would come out on top.
October 18, 1977 - Game 6
Why was Reggie Jackson nicknamed "Mr. October"? It all stems from this game, when Reggie became only the second player in World Series history to hit 3 home runs in one game. (Babe Ruth did it before him, twice, and Albert Pujols equalled the feat this year). The really amazing thing about this feat was how Reggie did it. He hit three home runs off of three different pitchers...ALL ON THE FIRST PITCH! Most players will take a few pitches to get a feel for what the movement and velocity of the ball is. Not Reggie! This is a feat that may never be equalled at any time, regular season or post-season. Quite a display.
October 15, 1988 - Game 1
Was the fate of the Los Angeles Dodgers written off the mighty swing of a near crippled man in the first game of the Series? Kirk Gibson, hobbled by two bad knees, gets the call from manager Tommy Lasorda to pinch hit with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Oakland A's ahead 4-3. Mike Davis was walked a batter before so that A's ace closer, Dennis Eckersley, would face weak hitting Mike Anderson, who was standing on the on-deck circle. All of a sudden Kirk Gibson pops up out of the dugout and approaches the plate. His first two swings looked so bad it was almost hard to watch. He fell to his knees on his second strike, barely able to get back up and take his spot for the rest of the at-bat. Two strikes against him, knees almost unable to hold his frame, he swings at the next pitch and puts it over the right field fence for a walk-off 2-run home run. Everybody, except for the A's, went nuts! Gibson, finding enough strength to round the bases, pumps his arm as he rounds first base to create an image that will never leave my brain. Gibson would not play at all for the rest of the Series, but the Dodgers went on to win 4 games to 1, no doubt off the momentum of this historic moment.
October 13, 1960 - Game 7
It was the most unlikely World Series outcome, with the most unlikely hero. This would mark the first time a World Series was won with a walk-off home run. The Pittsburgh Pirates were taking on the powerhouse New York Yankees. Bill Mazeroski, who ended up a career .260 hitter and who's highest season home run total was 19, became that unlikely hero when he hit a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall to win the game 10-9 and the World Series for the Pirates. The Pirates were outscored in the series 55-27, but found a way to win, on the shoulders of a thin, light-hitting, second baseman.
October 23, 1993 - Game 6
The second time in World Series history, and last so far, where a walk-off home run wins the series...and it takes place in my hometown! After winning the Series the previous year, there was little doubt that the Toronto Blue Jays would repeat. The team was stacked with future Hall Of Famers. What nobody could have predicted was the way it was won. Joe Carter, looked upon by Toronto fans as a man that could do no wrong, hits a line drive off a 2-2 pitch that clears the left field wall. The city of Toronto, nay, the whole country went crazy. Immortalized by Tom Cheek's "Touch 'em all, Joe", this is definitely a baseball moment I will never forget.
There are many more grand moments that I haven't listed, but these were the ones that hopped into my head after last night's game. Go Cards!!!
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