2011 World Series
2011 World Series | ||
---|---|---|
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Texas) | ||
MVP | David Freese (St. Louis) | |
Umpires | Jerry Layne (crew chief), Greg Gibson, Alfonso Márquez, Ron Kulpa, Ted Barrett, Gary Cederstrom | |
Hall of Famers | Cardinals: Tony La Russa (manager) Rangers: Adrián Beltré | |
Broadcast | ||
Television | Fox (United States) MLB International (International) | |
TV announcers | Joe Buck and Tim McCarver (Fox) Gary Thorne and Rick Sutcliffe (MLB International) | |
Radio | ESPN KMOX (STL) KESN (TEX) | |
Radio announcers | Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine (ESPN) Mike Shannon and John Rooney (KMOX) Eric Nadel and Steve Busby (KESN) | |
ALCS | Texas Rangers over Detroit Tigers (4–2) | |
NLCS | St. Louis Cardinals over Milwaukee Brewers (4–2) | |
World Series program | ||
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The 2011 World Series was the
The Series was noted for its back-and-forth Game 6, in which the Cardinals erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning, then did it again in the 10th. In both innings, the Rangers were one strike away from their first World Series championship. The Cardinals won the game in the 11th inning on a
The Series began on October 19, earlier than the previous season, so that no games would be played in November.[5] The Cardinals enjoyed home-field advantage for the series because the NL won the 2011 All-Star Game 5–1 on July 12.[6] The 2011 World Series was the first World Series to go all seven games since the 2002 Series.
Background
The Rangers were appearing in their second consecutive World Series; they lost the 2010 Series to the San Francisco Giants in five games. They were the first American League team to play in consecutive World Series since the New York Yankees did it from 1998 to 2001.[7] They earned their postseason berth by winning the American League West division, then defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series and the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth.
The Cardinals were appearing in their 18th World Series, and third in eight years.[8] They lost to the Boston Red Sox in 2004, but won in 2006 against the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals earned their postseason berth by winning the National League Wild Card on the last day of the regular season, then defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series and the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth.
This Series was only the second time the Rangers and the Cardinals played each other; they met in regular-season interleague play in 2004, when the Cardinals won two of a three-game series in Texas.[9] This was the first World Series assignment for umpires Greg Gibson and Ron Kulpa. Each of the other umpires had previously worked one World Series.[10]
The Cardinals were supported by fans brandishing Rally Squirrel memorabilia that alluded to a squirrel that ran across the field during a playoff game.
National anthem singers featured Game one: Scotty McCreery, Game two: Trace Adkins, Game three: Ronnie Dunn, Game four: Zooey Deschanel, Game five: Demi Lovato, Game six: Joe, and Game seven: Chris Daughtry (from Daughtry)
Texas Rangers
This was the Rangers' second appearance in the World Series. Heading into 2010, their 50th season as a franchise (counting its time as the Washington Senators), the team was the only one in Major League Baseball never to win a postseason series,[9] and was among three teams (along with the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals) never to appear in the World Series. That season, however, the Rangers won their first postseason series and made their first appearance in the World Series, only to lose to the San Francisco Giants in five games.
During the offseason,
With the exception of one day in late April and a brief stretch in early May, the Rangers led the American League West for most of the season. They finished the season with a franchise record 96–66 (.593 winning percentage) and won their second consecutive and 5th overall division title, 10 games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They also set a franchise record for home attendance of 2,946,949.[14] Texas also earned the most shutouts in the American League. All 5 members of the opening day starting rotation stayed in the rotation for the entire year. C. J. Wilson tied for the league lead in starts with 34 while Derek Holland tied for second in shutouts with 4 (tied for first in the American League), with each pitcher racking up at least 13 wins. The offense also had another good year with 3 players getting 30-plus home runs for the first time in team history, and Ian Kinsler completing his second 30–30 season.
In the postseason, the Rangers were the #2 seed in the AL. They defeated the wild-card Tampa Bay Rays in four games in the American League Division Series. They then defeated the third-seeded Detroit Tigers in six games in the American League Championship Series to reach their second consecutive appearance in the World Series.
The Rangers lost home-field advantage in the World Series as a result of the AL team, managed by Rangers manager Ron Washington, losing the 2011 All-Star Game, when Ranger ace C. J. Wilson surrendered the game-winning three-run homer to Prince Fielder.[6]
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals made their first World Series appearance since 2006, when they defeated the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1 to win their National League-leading 10th World Series title. This was manager Tony La Russa's 6th World Series appearance as manager and his third with the Cardinals. The Cardinals' last postseason appearance was in 2009, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. They finished the 2010 season with a record of 86–76 (.531), finishing in second place in the National League Central standings, 5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds.
During the 2010 offseason, the team signed new contracts with
The Cardinals spent much of the early part of the 2011 season in first place in the NL Central standings but dropped to second place for good on July 27. On August 25, the team trailed the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild card standings by 10+1⁄2 games. The Cardinals amassed a 21–9 record from August 26 to September 27, while the Braves were 10–19 over that same interval. Meanwhile, on September 23, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central division title. On September 28, with the Cardinals and Braves tied atop the Wild Card standings on the last day of the regular season, the Cardinals routed the Houston Astros 8–0 in Houston, while the Braves lost at home to the Philadelphia Phillies 4–3 in 13 innings, securing the Cardinals' second wild card postseason berth in franchise history. St. Louis finished with a record of 90–72, 6 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central but one ahead of the Braves in the Wild Card. They defeated the overall #1 seed Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series 3 games to 2, and then defeated the second-seeded Milwaukee Brewers (who were the first team in history to reach both NLCS and ALCS and the team the Cardinals faced in the 1982 World Series) in six games in the National League Championship Series.
Summary
St. Louis won the series, 4–3.
Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 19 | Texas Rangers – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 3 | Busch Stadium | 3:06 | 46,406[15] |
2 | October 20 | Texas Rangers – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 1 | Busch Stadium | 3:04 | 47,288[16] |
3 | October 22 | St. Louis Cardinals – 16, Texas Rangers – 7 | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington |
4:04 | 51,462[17] |
4 | October 23 | St. Louis Cardinals – 0, Texas Rangers – 4 | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington | 3:07 | 51,539[18] |
5 | October 24 | St. Louis Cardinals – 2, Texas Rangers – 4 | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington | 3:31 | 51,459[19] |
6 | October 27† | Texas Rangers – 9, St. Louis Cardinals – 10 (11) | Busch Stadium | 4:33 | 47,325[20] |
7 | October 28 | Texas Rangers – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 6 | Busch Stadium | 3:17 | 47,399[21] |
†: Postponed from October 26 due to rain[22]
Game summaries
Game 1
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Chris Carpenter (1–0) LP: C. J. Wilson (0–1) Sv: Jason Motte (1) Home runs: TEX: Mike Napoli (1) STL: None Attendance: 46,406 Boxscore |
Aces were on the mound for Game 1 as C. J. Wilson faced Chris Carpenter. Both starters kept the game scoreless through the first three innings. In the fourth, Albert Pujols was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a double by Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman hit a single to drive both runners in. The lead wouldn't last long. Mike Napoli hit a two-run home run to tie the game in the very next inning. David Freese doubled in the sixth with one out, and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Yadier Molina struck out, and Nick Punto walked, Allen Craig entered the game, pinch-hitting for Carpenter. Alexi Ogando relieved Wilson, and tried to finish off the inning. Craig hit a 1–2 pitch down the right field line that was just out of reach of a sliding Nelson Cruz. Freese scored to give St. Louis the lead. In the seventh, the Cardinals ran into trouble as Cruz singled and Napoli walked to put two on with one out. Marc Rzepczynski came on to face pinch-hitter Craig Gentry and struck him out. Pinch-hitter Esteban Germán was the next batter. Rzepczynski struck him out as well. In the ninth, closer Jason Motte pitched an easy 1–2–3 inning to give St. Louis the win. Controversy surrounded the inning, as Adrián Beltré was the victim of a blown call. Beltré grounded a ball to third, and Descalso threw the ball to first for the out, but replays showed he fouled the ball off his foot.
Game 2
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Mike Adams (1–0) LP: Jason Motte (0–1) Sv: Neftalí Feliz (1) Attendance: 47,288 Boxscore |
Game 2 saw a pitchers' duel between
Game 3
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 15 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Texas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Lance Lynn (1–0) LP: Matt Harrison (0–1) Home runs: STL: Allen Craig (1), Albert Pujols 3 (3) TEX: Michael Young (1), Nelson Cruz (1) Attendance: 51,462 Boxscore |
After a total of just eight runs scored in the first two games in St. Louis, the offense of the two lineups scored a combined 23 runs on a historic night in Arlington in which Albert Pujols had what was described as "the greatest individual hitting performance in World Series history".[23]
Allen Craig hit a home run in the first to put the Cardinals up 1–0. In the fourth after a controversial call at first base by umpire Ron Kulpa on a force play and subsequent single put runners on first and second with one out, David Freese's RBI double made it 2–0 Cardinals. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, two runs scored on a throwing error by Mike Napoli before Ryan Theriot's RBI single made it 5–0 Cardinals. Starter Matt Harrison was pulled from the game after the inning's second out. In the bottom of the inning, a lead-off home run by Michael Young and, two batters later, a two-run home run by Nelson Cruz, made it 5–3 Cardinals. Napoli then singled to knock starter Kyle Lohse out of the game. Napoli moved to third on a groundout and single, but was tagged out at home trying to score on Ian Kinsler's fly out to end the inning.
In the fifth, the Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs on a single and two walks off of
Albert Pujols, who had been hitless through the first two games, then hit a 423 ft (129 m) home run off Alexi Ogando in the sixth inning after a leadoff single and walk to make it 11–6 Cardinals. An error, single and walk loaded the bases before Mike Gonzalez relieved Ogando and allowed a sacrifice fly to Molina. Next inning, Pujols's two-run home run after a two-out walk off of Gonzalez made it 14–6 Cardinals. The Rangers scored their last run of the game in the bottom of the inning when Beltre hit a leadoff double off of Lynn, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Napoli's sacrifice fly off of Octavio Dotel.
The Cardinals added to their lead in the eighth when Freese singled with one out off of Mark Lowe and pinch-runner Daniel Descalso scored on Molina's double. Then in the ninth, Pujols hit his third home run of the game, giving him six RBIs, off of Darren Oliver. Mitchell Boggs retired Texas in order in the bottom of the ninth as the Cardinals won 16–7, leading the Series by 2–1.
Albert Pujols joined Babe Ruth (1926, 1928) and Reggie Jackson (1977) as the only players in baseball history up to that time to hit three home runs in a World Series game. (Pablo Sandoval would also accomplish the feat the following year.) Pujols was 5-for-6 with two singles, three HRs, four runs scored, and six RBIs. Yadier Molina added two doubles, driving in four runs. David Freese continued his postseason 13-game hitting streak getting two hits (one double), driving in two runs. Pujols became the first player in World Series history[24] to get hits in four consecutive innings: fourth (single), fifth (single), sixth (HR, three RBIs), and seventh (HR, two RBIs). He tied records for most HRs (3), most hits (5), and most RBIs (6) in a World Series game, and established a new record with 14 total bases.[25]
The 16 runs scored by the Cardinals were the most runs scored in a World Series game since 2002, when the San Francisco Giants scored 16 against the Anaheim Angels in Game 5.
Game 4
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Texas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Derek Holland (1–0) LP: Edwin Jackson (0–1) Home runs: STL: None TEX: Mike Napoli (2) Attendance: 51,539 Boxscore |
After a high-scoring affair the night before, Derek Holland quieted the Cardinals' bats as he pitched 8+1⁄3 innings of two-hit baseball. Lance Berkman had both of the Cardinals' two hits. Josh Hamilton's first-inning RBI double put the Rangers in front for only the second time in the Series. A three-run home run by Mike Napoli provided Holland a comfortable 4–0 lead. The Cardinals managed a small rally in the ninth, but were unable to score against closer Neftalí Feliz.[26]
Coincidentally, this game was one of two major DFW vs. St. Louis sporting events taking place in Arlington on that day, as the
Game 5
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Texas | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | X | 4 | 9 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Darren Oliver (1–0) LP: Octavio Dotel (0–1) Sv: Neftalí Feliz (2) Home runs: STL: None TEX: Mitch Moreland (1), Adrián Beltré (1) Attendance: 51,459 Boxscore |
The Rangers' half of the eighth featured a series of bullpen mix-ups by the Cardinals, leaving Tony La Russa without closer Jason Motte in a crucial situation. After Michael Young led off the inning with a double, La Russa sent both Motte (a right-hander) and left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski to begin warmups. However, Cardinals bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist later stated that he only heard Rzepczynski's name called. When La Russa saw that Motte was not warming up, he made a second call to the bullpen, but this time Lilliquist thought he heard La Russa call for reliever Lance Lynn, who was supposedly unavailable for the game due to throwing 47 pitches in Game 3.[28]
Dotel intentionally walked
Neftalí Feliz came in to save the game in the ninth, his second save of the Series.
Game 6
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 15 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
St. Louis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 13 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
WP: Jake Westbrook (1–0) LP: Mark Lowe (0–1) Home runs: TEX: Adrián Beltré (2), Nelson Cruz (2), Josh Hamilton (1) STL: Lance Berkman (1), Allen Craig (2), David Freese (1) Attendance: 47,325 Boxscore |
Game 6, moved from October 26 to 27 due to rain and because the stadium was not domed, was a rematch of Game 2's starters: Cardinals lefty
The Cardinals jumped right back in the game, taking advantage of a Michael Young error and scoring on a Yadier Molina groundout to knot the game at three. David Freese started off the top of the fifth by dropping a routine pop fly (the third consecutive half-inning to begin with an error), which immediately turned into the go-ahead run for Texas on Young's double. Colby Lewis was cruising for the Rangers until the bottom of the sixth. After an Albert Pujols strikeout, Berkman singled to third. Matt Holliday grounded into a possible double play which was mishandled at first by Michael Young (his second error of the game), leaving all runners safe. Lewis walked the bases loaded and was pulled for Alexi Ogando, who promptly walked Yadier Molina to force in a run. With the Cardinals in a prime position to rally ahead, Matt Holliday, standing 90 feet (27 m) away as the possible go-ahead run, was picked off at third by catcher Mike Napoli. Holliday injured his finger sliding in on the play and was forced to leave the game. After Ogando walked Nick Punto, Derek Holland came in to pitch and the Rangers were able to slip out of the inning with the score still tied.
Lance Lynn came on to pitch for the Cardinals in the top of the seventh and was promptly greeted with back-to-back home runs by Adrián Beltré and Nelson Cruz to put Texas up by two. Ian Kinsler added his second RBI later in the inning to make the score 7–4, Rangers. In the bottom of the eighth, Allen Craig (who entered the game as Holliday's replacement) hit a home run to pull the Cardinals within two. Rangers closer Neftalí Feliz entered in the bottom of the ninth to deliver the Rangers their first ever World Series Championship. After striking out Ryan Theriot, Feliz faced Albert Pujols. Facing possibly his last at-bat as a Cardinal, Pujols hit Feliz's first pitch into left field for a double. Feliz walked Lance Berkman to put the tying run on first, but got Craig to take a called third strike. The Rangers were one out away from their first-ever World Series championship title as David Freese stepped to the plate. Down to his last strike, Freese hit Feliz's pitch past a leaping Nelson Cruz off the right field wall for a triple, tying the game at seven. (To this day baseball fans debate whether or not Cruz should have been replaced by Endy Chavez and whether or not Cruz could have caught the ball, thereby winning the world series for Texas, had he positioned himself differently, timed his leap differently, or had a better read on the ball.)
Sent into extra innings, Jason Motte went out for his second inning of work. Elvis Andrus singled, then the Rangers' MVP candidate Josh Hamilton put Texas up again with a towering two-run home run. Down 9–7, and out of bench players, the Cardinals once again faced only three outs until elimination. Left-hander Darren Oliver came in to pitch for the Rangers. St. Louis players Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay hit back-to-back singles, and starting pitcher Kyle Lohse was called to bunt. Lohse's sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position. With right-handers coming up, right-hander Scott Feldman replaced Oliver on the mound. Ryan Theriot's sacrifice groundout scored Descalso, cutting the Rangers' lead to 9–8, and following an intentional walk to Pujols, Berkman stepped up to the plate. Feldman got ahead on the count 1–2 on a foul ball. Berkman worked the count to 2–2, and the Rangers were once again one strike away from their first championship title. Berkman then smacked Feldman's next pitch into center field for a single, scoring Jay and tying the game once again. It was the first time in World Series history that a team came back from two different two-run deficits in the ninth inning or later in the same game.[citation needed] The Rangers failed to score in the top of the 11th, bringing David Freese to lead off the bottom of the inning. Freese hit Mark Lowe's 3–2 pitch into the grass of the center field batter's eye for a game-winning home run, forcing the World Series to a Game 7 for the first time since 2002.
Of the last 13 instances in which a Major League team won a Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 in the postseason, all but two went on to win Game 7. The exceptions were the
Freese's walk-off home run was the fourth that won[30] in a Game 6 in World Series history.[31][32]
The Cardinals set two World Series milestones in their Game 6 win—the first team to come back from deficits in both the 9th and 10th innings, and the first team to score in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings.
Game 6 was originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, but was postponed due to heavy rain in the forecast; this was the first time that a World Series game was postponed since 2006. Although rain was only falling fairly lightly in St. Louis when this decision was made, MLB officials did not want a repeat of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series (which was suspended after the top of the sixth inning and resumed two days later).[22]
David Freese and Lance Berkman became the third and fourth players[35] in World Series history to get game-tying hits with their team one out from elimination.[36]
Freese, who grew up a Cardinal fan in the suburbs of St. Louis, said that as he was circling the bases after his home run, he was thinking about a similar walk-off homer by Jim Edmonds for the Cardinals in Game 6 of the 2004 National League Championship Series in Busch Stadium II. After Freese said he remembered that home run, Lance Berkman, who played for the losing Houston Astros in that series, said "So do I."[37]
Game 7
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
St. Louis | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 6 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Chris Carpenter (2–0) LP: Matt Harrison (0–2) Home runs: TEX: None STL: Allen Craig (3) Attendance: 47,399 Boxscore |
Before Game 7, the Cardinals replaced Matt Holliday, who sprained his wrist in Game 6, on their roster with Adron Chambers.[38]
Josh Hamilton and Michael Young had RBI doubles in the first inning against Chris Carpenter, who became the first pitcher in a decade[39] to make three starts in one Series thanks to the unnecessary postponement of Game 6 due to forecasted rain that did not occur. David Freese had a game-tying two-run double in the bottom of the first, breaking the postseason RBI record, and Allen Craig hit a go-ahead homer in the third. Craig even robbed a home run from Nelson Cruz in the sixth. St. Louis added two runs off Scott Feldman in the fifth inning without getting a hit. Yadier Molina walked with the bases loaded, C. J. Wilson came on to relieve Feldman and promptly hit Rafael Furcal with his first pitch, forcing in another run to make it 5–2.[40] In the seventh inning, Lance Berkman scored on a Molina single to make it 6–2.[41]
Chris Carpenter was relieved after pitching six innings and was credited with the win. The Cardinals used four relievers to hold Texas scoreless over the final three innings. The final out was recorded when Jason Motte got David Murphy to fly out to Cardinal left fielder Allen Craig as Busch Stadium went into a frenzy.[42][43]
David Freese became the sixth player in history to earn League Championship Series and World Series MVP awards in the same postseason.[44]
The Rangers set a Series record by issuing 41 walks, breaking the previous record held by the Florida Marlins when winning the 1997 World Series after issuing 40.[45]
The Cardinals became the first wild card team to win the World Series since the Boston Red Sox won the 2004 World Series (coincidentally, against the Cardinals).
Composite Line Score
2011 World Series (4–3): St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.) over Texas Rangers (A.L.)
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 56 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
Texas Rangers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 60 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total attendance: 342,878 Average attendance: 48,983 Winning player's share: $323,169.98 Losing player's share: $251,515.76[46] |
Broadcasting
Television
The series was televised in the United States and Canada by
Joe Buck's call of "...we will see you tomorrow night!" on David Freese's walk-off home run echoed his father Jack's call of Kirby Puckett's walk-off home run from Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, occurring 20 years and a day apart from each other, given the similar situations: Game 6, 11th inning, first batter of the final inning, and breaking a 3–3 tie to win the game 4–3, and extend the series to a 7th game.
MLB International syndicated television coverage of the Series (with Gary Thorne and Rick Sutcliffe announcing) to viewers outside of North America.[48]
Ratings
The ratings started off poorly, averaging just 8.4 through its first 5 games (at this time, the record for lowest World Series rating was 8.4, set by five games of the 2008 World Series and five games of the 2010 World Series). Game 3 also produced a 6.6 rating, making it the second lowest World Series rated game of all-time (behind the 6.1 rating in Game 3 of the 2008 World Series and Game 3 of the 2012 World Series).[49]
However, Games 6 and 7 generated massive ratings that brought the overall average to 9.9. The 14.7 rating for Game 7 was at the time the network's highest for a World Series telecast since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series.[50]
Game | Ratings (households) |
Share (households) |
American audience (in millions) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 8.7 | 14 | 14.2 |
2 | 8.9 | 14 | 14.3 |
3 | 6.6 | 12 | 11.2 |
4 | 9.2 | 14 | 15.2 |
5 | 8.8 | 14 | 14.3 |
6 | 12.7 | 21 | 21.1 |
7 | 14.7 | 25 | 25.4 |
Radio
ESPN Radio also broadcast the games nationally. This was the first World Series for play-by play announcer Dan Shulman and analysts Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine.[51] ESPN Deportes Radio aired the Series for Spanish language listeners, with Ernesto Jerez and Guillermo Celis announcing.
Locally, the two teams' flagship stations broadcast the Series with their respective announcing crews. The Rangers' broadcasts aired on KESN (with Eric Nadel and Steve Busby announcing),[52] while the Cardinals' broadcasts aired on KMOX (with Mike Shannon and John Rooney announcing).[53] Due to contractual obligations, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts of the games, although the local broadcasts were available on XM Satellite Radio and to Gameday Audio subscribers at MLB.com.
In the United Kingdom,
Aftermath
The 2011 World Series was only the second World Series ever in which a team, one strike away from elimination, came back to win—with the Cardinals, in fact, achieving this feat twice in Game 6. The first was the 1986 World Series, in which the New York Mets rallied from a 5–3 deficit in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 to win the game and, later, the decisive Game 7.[55][56]
This was the third and final World Series title for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who initially announced his retirement on October 31, 2011, after 33 seasons as a major league manager.[57] La Russa later came out of retirement and served as manager of the Chicago White Sox in 2021 and 2022. La Russa had previously led the Cardinals (2006) and Oakland Athletics (1989) to World Series championships. Former Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny, who played for the 2004 Cardinals that lost the World Series, was hired to replace him.
After the
The Rangers became the first team to lose in the World Series in consecutive years since the Atlanta Braves in 1991 and 1992 and the first American League team to do so since the New York Yankees in 1963 and 1964.
Both teams would advance into the postseason again in the following year, both as wild cards. The Rangers lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the inaugural American League Wild Card game, and would not make the postseason again until 2015. The Cardinals won the inaugural National League Wild Card game against Atlanta. They then defeated the Washington Nationals in the NLDS before falling to the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.
St. Louis would return to the World Series in 2013, continuing the pattern of Giants and Cardinals exchanging pennant victories. However, the Cardinals lost to the Boston Red Sox in six games before losing to San Francisco again in the 2014 NLCS, 4 games to 1.
La Russa would be inducted into the
The Series marked the beginning of a decade in which all current Missouri-based teams in the four major American sports leagues would win a championship. The Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series, the St. Louis Blues won the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV following the 2019 season.
10 years after the 2011 World Series, Ron Washington would finally win a World Series ring after 44 years in MLB, as he served as the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves. In addition, four players from the 2011 Rangers' World Series team later won a world championship with the Boston Red Sox: Mike Napoli and Koji Uehara in 2013, and Ian Kinsler and Mitch Moreland in 2018.
"May the ghosts of 2011 be forever erased!"
- Rangers radio announcer Eric Nadel, after the Rangers won the 2023 World Series
The Rangers would return to the World Series again in 2023 where they would finally win it all as they defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4 games to 1 to clinch their first title in franchise history. Pitching coach Mike Maddux was on the coaching staff for all of Texas' World Series appearances, having served under Washington for the first two before he was rehired under Bruce Bochy during the third.
See also
References
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- ^ "Cardinals outslug Brewers to cruise into World Series". ESPN. October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ^ Miller, Sam (October 30, 2020). "Ranking every World Series in MLB history". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Duncan, Travis (July 27, 2011). "MLB to move up 2011 World Series". Digital Sports Daily. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Steve (July 13, 2011). "Royal blast: Prince's homer lifts NL past AL". MLB.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
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- ^ Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (October 18, 2011). "Roster: 2011 World Series Umpires". Retrieved October 18, 2011.
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- ^ Henson, Steve (October 18, 2011). "Rhodes gets a World Series ring, win or lose". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
- ^ DiComo, Anthony (October 18, 2011). "Finally in World Series, Rhodes guaranteed ring". MLB.com. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
- ^ "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
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- ^ a b Bloom, Barry M. (October 26, 2011). "Weather forecast postpones Game 6 of Series: Rangers-Cards to resume play Thursday night at Busch Stadium". MLB.com. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
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- ^ Leach, Matthew (October 28, 2011). "Drama king: Freese sends Cards to Game 7: Third baseman ties game in ninth, wins it in 11th with walk-off HR". MLB.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ a Game 6 in World Series history. The first three were hit by Carlton Fisk in 1975, Kirby Puckett in 1991, and Joe Carter in 1993
- ^ Cassavell, AJ; Merkin, Scott (October 28, 2011). "Spellbinding Game 6 leaves pundits stunned: Commentators, analysts universally amazed by Cards' triumph". MLB.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (October 28, 2011). "Epic ending to Game 6 a fitting prelude". MLB.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
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- ^ "ESPN Radio Dallas". ESPN. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ The others were Otis Nixon in 1992 and Josh Devore in 1911.
- ^ Schoenfield, David (October 28, 2011). "Pain, agony: Cardinals win all-time thriller". ESPN. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ Borzi, Pat (October 28, 2011). "Berkman hits in the clutch, and at the microphone". New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ Goold, Derrick (October 28, 2011). "Holliday replaced on roster; Carpenter starts Game 7". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ Last pitcher who made three starts in one World Series was Curt Schilling in 2001
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- ^ Erratic Rangers pitching staff yields record 41 walks in 2011 World Series, Dallas Morning Daily News
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- ^ "The World Series Is Truly Global With An International Audience". Fang's Bites. October 27, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011.
- ^ World Series television ratings
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- ^ New York was also down to their last strike on two occasions, although one of them was short-lived, as a wild pitch brought in a tying run before the at-bat ended.
- ^ Nowak, Joey (October 31, 2011). "La Russa announces his retirement as skipper". MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ Miklasz, Bernie (February 5, 2012). "Giants look good, but Pats have the goods". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. C1.
The Giants seemingly are the NFL's version of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals: a rather ordinary team, prematurely counted out, only to launch an improbable and magical comeback to a world championship.
- ^ Sullivan, T.R. (January 20, 2012). "Yu mania makes debut at Rangers Ballpark". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ Salvador, Joseph. "Albert Pujols Makes Decision About Career After 2022 Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Tony La Russa". National Baseball Hall of Fame.
External links
- 2011 World Series at Baseball Almanac
- 2011 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
- The 2011 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
- "Cardinals Win Like Never Before", Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- "The Cardinals Will Win the World Series", Joe Posnanski, Sports Illustrated