October 19, 2006: Yadi Punches a Ticket To The Fall Classic

On October 19, 2006, Yadier Molina's 2-run homer in the top of the ninth gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead
over the Mets and proved to be the game winner in Game 7 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium in New York. The game was a classic battle from the start. The Cardinals sent Jeff Suppan to the mound while the Mets countered with Oliver Perez, both pitchers turned in stellar performances as they each wanted to get a chance to play for the top prize. The teams had to deal with the elements, it was raining lightly from the beginning and it got worse as the game progressed.  The Mets got on the board in the bottom of the first on an RBI from David Wright, then the Birds answered right back in the top of the second when Jim Edmonds came into score on a sacrifice bunt by Ronnie Belliard. From there it was a pitching duel that would stay tied until that fateful ninth. The highlight of the Mets day came in the sixth inning, with the Cardinals up to bat, Perez issued a one out walk to Jim Edmonds, the next man up was Scott Rolen and he gave a Perez pitch a ride to left that was almost sure to leave the yard only to have Endy Chavez make an absolutely spectacular catch that not only robbed Rolen of his homer, the alert Chavez then relayed the ball into second baseman Jose Valentin who doubled off Edmonds at first base. It was a huge play in the game as it kept the Cardinals from taking the lead in the well pitched contest. The sixth was the last inning of work for Perez who did an outstanding job of keeping his team in it by allowing just one run on four hits. The Cardinals starter, Suppan was a step above Perez, he allowed just two hits and the one run in 7 innings of work. The game would come down to bullpens as each starter exited with the game deadlocked at 1. Chad Bradford pitched a scoreless frame for the Mets in the seventh then handed the ball over to Aaron Heilman following that inning. On the Cardinals side Randy Flores took over for Suppan after the starter issued a walk to lead off the eighth, Flores set the next three men down and the 1-1 score was still intact. Then came the ninth inning that I'll never forget. In his second inning of work, Heilman struck out Edmonds to begin the inning. Scott Rolen stepped to the dish with hopes of redemption on his mind, he had not only been robbed of a home run, he had also given up a costly error in the sixth that helped load the bases with one out. Luckily for Rolen, Suppan was on his way to being named MVP of the series and worked his way around the jam. When he stepped up in the ninth his misfortunes were forgotten when he dropped a single into left, then came Molina. The 23 year old catcher had hit just 6 home runs in the regular season, delivered a postseason blow that flew over the left field wall to put the Cards up 3-1. The crowd in New York was stunned by the long ball, however, the Cardinals needed three more out to make it stand. Tony LaRussa sent rookie Adam Wainwright to the mound to close it out. The only reason Waino was on the hill was an injury had sidelined Jason Isringhausen in mid September. The inexperienced Wainwright gave up back-to-back hits to start off the bottom of the ninth, then retired the next two batters before walking the bases full. All the Birds needed was one out to go to the series but they had a guy by the name of Carlos Beltran stepping to the plate. As most of us surely remember, Beltran was a Cardinal killer, he had homered three times in this series and had hit 4 home runs and carried .417 against the Birds  in the postseason while he was with the Astros. Today was not the day that Beltran would be the hero, Wainwright got ahead of him quickly then fired in a knee buckler that caught Beltran looking for the the final out of the game. It was an epic moment as Molina and Wainwright celebrated at the mound. The Cardinals were on the way to the World Series.

The home run by Molina is by far my favorite Yadi moment. I'll never forget that grin that came across his face within moments of making contact with the ball. Watch it here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=3232246

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200610190.shtml

October 18, 2013: Go Cards!!!

With the end of October approaching fast I might not be able to come up with a fact on a daily basis. Today is one of those days. I looked for a good fact for quite awhile then realized that I just couldn't lock one down for the 18th of October. Hopefully the Cards give us an October 18th that we'll never forget tonight. The Cardinals have won 11 Championships and 18 National League Pennants, every single one of those were earned much like this team has to earn it. They can do this. We have them at home, with a 3 to 2 advantage in the series, in front of a packed house and now it's time to take the National League Pennant. Believe in them. While I might not have a fact for today the great stories from the past are far from over and hopefully the Birds make history tonight.

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October 17, 2005: Albert Pujols Rocks Brad Lidge in Game 5 of The NLCS

On October 17, 2005, Albert Pujols hit one of his most memorable home runs in a Cardinals uniform in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Astros in Houston. The defending National League Champion Cardinals came into the game with their backs against the wall down 3 games to 1 and Chris Carpenter on the mound in hopes of staving off elimination. The Astros got on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI by Craig Biggio. Then the Cards struck back in the top of third when Mark Grudzielanek picked up a bases loaded 2 out bloop single off of Andy Pettite that scored 2 runs and suddenly the Cardinals had the advantage. Carpenter held the dangerous Houston lineup off until Lance Berkman launched a three run shot in the seventh inning that gave the Astros a 4-2 lead that the Astros bullpen was able to hold onto until they called on their closer Brad Lidge to pick up three outs that would send the Houston club to the Fall Classic. Lidge got the first two men to strikeout looking before David Eckstein got on with a single, then Jim Edmonds walked which set the stage for the Cardinals first baseman. The damage he did was more than just to the scoreboard as he crushed the second pitch of the at bat all the way to the train tracks above the left field wall at Minute Made Park. The monster shot put the Cards up 5-4 and after Jason Isringhausen tossed his second scoreless inning of the ball game the Cardinals had forced a Game 6 in St. Louis. The most memorable thing other than the crushing blow, was the reaction in Houston, you could hear a pin drop at the park that just minutes earlier had been on the edge of eruption with a World Series appearance just one out away. Unfortunately for the Cardinals and their fans, the Astros would win the next one and find themselves facing the White Sox in the World Series. They got swept in that series in which Lidge served up a walkoff shot to Scott Posednik in Game 2. The home run by Pujols seemed to have a long lasting effect on Lidge, he just wasn't the same pitcher as he was before the legendary blast. While he was able to recover from it and even earned the save in the deciding game of the 2008 World Series when he was a member of the Phillies. I can tell you this with no doubt in my mind... that swing by Pujols had to haunt him in his dreams.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU200510170.shtml

October 16, 1985: Jack Clark's Big Blast Send The Cardinals To The World Series

On October 16, 1985, with two on and two out in the top of the ninth inning of Game 6 of the NLCS in L.A., Jack Clark launched a Tom Niedenfuer fastball over the left field wall to give the Cardinals a 7-5 lead and an eventual victory that punched a ticket to the World Series for the Cardinals. The Dodgers showed up hoping to force a Game 7 and they looked like they had come to play after scoring a run in each of the first two innings. In the third inning the Cardinals starting pitcher Joaquin Andujar tried to help his own cause by leading of the inning with a double, a couple batters later Tommy Herr knocked the hurler in with an RBI single that cut the lead to 2-1. The Dodgers tacked on 3 more runs in the sixth on a sac fly by Pedro Guerrero, then a two run homer by Bill Madlock who was responsible for knocking in the first run of the ballgame. With the score 4-1 going into the top of the seventh the Cardinals needed to come up with a rally and that's exactly what they did. Darryl Porter and Tito Landrum began the inning with back-to-back singles, then Steve Braun moved both the runners to second and third on a groundout before Willie McGee knocked both men in with a one out single that moved the Birds to within one run of tying it up. The hit by McGee sent the Dodgers starter Orel Hershiser  packing and he would hand the ball over to Tom Niedenfuer in hopes that he would be able to preserve the lead. That hope didn't last long. Niedenfuer was set to face Ozzie Smith who had hit a dramatic walkoff home run against him just two days earlier. Smith might not have knocked this one out of the park but he did drill one all the way to the wall that brought McGee into score the tying run. After putting Herr on with an intentional walk Niedenfuer got out of the inning with back-to-back strikeout of Clark and Andy Van Slyke. In the bottom of the seventh Todd Worrell took over on the hill for the Cardinals and he had to navigate his way around a lead off triple by shortstop Mariano Duncan. After getting out of the frame with no damage done the Dodgers closer set the Cardinals down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of that inning Mike Marshall put the Dodgers in front when he led the inning off with a solo shot that gave them a 5-4 edge, they needed just three outs to force a Game 7 and all the pressure was on Niedenfuer to get those outs. The fateful ninth began with a strikeout by Cesar Cedeno before Willie McGee got on with a single. Neidenfuer had to face Ozzie once again, he walked the Cardinals shortstop then Tommy Herr moved both runners over with a groundout. Then came Jack The Ripper, with first base open some might have thought they would have walked the hard hitting first baseman but Tommy Lasorda decided to let his closer pitch to him. In the words of Jack Buck here's what happened next; "The Dodgers righthander is set and here's his pitch to Jack Clark. Swing and a long one into left field!! Adios, goodbye, and maybe That's a Winner!!! A three run homer by Clark and the Cardinals lead by the score of 7 to 5 and they may go to the World Series on that one folks!!!" It was an epic moment that Ken Dayley capped off with a 1-2-3 inning that ended with the Cardinals as Champions of the National League.

Watch the shot here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=20045845

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198510160.shtml

October 15, 1946: Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash To A Championship

On October 15, 1946, at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Enos Slaughter made a Mad Dash straight into the history books in Game 7 of the World Series versus the Boston Red Sox. With the game knotted at three in the eighth, Slaughter led the inning off with a single, it looked as if it wouldn't amount to much as the next two batters were retired quickly and the Cardinals starting pitcher Harry Breechen was coming to the plate. Breechen had hit a meager .133 during the regular season so in most cases he could be considered an easy out, that was not the case on this day. The Cardinals hurler drove a ball all the way to the wall in left and Slaughter was off to the races. The Boston center fielder Leon Culberson cut the ball off quickly and spun around and threw it to his cutoff man, shortstop Johnny Pesky. Everyone in the ballpark probably expected a first and third situation but Slaughter had something else in mind as he just kept running. A surprised Pesky attempted to gun him down at the plate but he pulled his catcher Roy Partee up the line as Slaughter came sliding into home.  Breechen had come up big and was standing at second, while Slaughter had come up even bigger as made his Mad Dash home. In the top of that eighth inning, Breechen was called into relieve the Cardinals starter Murry Dickson. The Cardinals were clinging to a 3-1 lead at that point and Dickson got into a bit of trouble after giving up back-to-back hits that led to a first and third jam. The Cardinals manager, Eddie Dyer called on Breechen to hold the Red Sox off but it was something that he was not bale to do. The first batter he faced, Dom DiMaggio connected with a double that scored both runners and tied the ballgame up. It simply set up for Slaughter's run into history as he became an instant hero in the bottom half of the inning. After Slaughter put the Cards in from Breechen needed to get three more outs to finish the Red Sox off. He made it interesting by giving up back-to-back singles before setting down the next three batters in a row before the Championship celebration began in St. Louis.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194610150.shtml

October 14, 1985: "Go Crazy Folks!!! Go Crazy!!!"

On October 14, 1985, Ozzie Smith hit one of the most memorable home runs in the history of the Cardinals organization in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers. The Cards struck first with two runs in the first inning when Fernando Valenzuela issued a pair of walks before Tommy Herr connected with a double that both runners. Then,in the fourth the Dodgers tied things when they got to Bob Forsch for a couple of runs. The Cardinals bullpen took over for Forsch during the rough inning and Ken Dayley, Todd Worrell, and Jeff Lahti pitched a combined shutout the rest of the way. On the other side of the diamond Valenzuela was able to get over his rough first inning and was lights out until he was replaced by Niedenfuer in the ninth with the score still knotted at 2. After the Dodgers closer retired Willie McGee with a pop out to begin the inning, the Cardinals defensive wizard came to the dish with an extra base hit in mind. The switch hitting Smith stepped into the box hitting from the left side. Hardly known for his power, he had never hit a home run from that side of the plate in 3,002 at-bats, that was about to change. Ozzie pounced on a a 1-2 pitch that can only be described by the legendary Jack Buck's call; "Smith corks one into right down the line. It may go!! Go Crazy Folks!!! Go Crazy!!! It's a home run, and the Cardinals have won the game by the score of 3-2 on a home run by The Wizard!!! Go Crazy!!!" You gotta love it. The win put the Cardinals one game away from winning the National League Pennant and would set up for another very memorable game in Los Angeles just two days later. Stay Tuned.

Watch the historic shot here: http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=13062871

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198510140.shtml

October 13, 2006: The Birds Pull Off The Comeback In Game 2 Of The NLCS

On October 13, 2006, at Shea Stadium in New York the Cardinals pulled off a huge comeback 9-6 win in Game 2 of the NLCS versus the Mets. The Mets struck first blood when Carlos Delgado took a Chris Carpenter pitch deep that put three runs on the board in the first inning. It didn't take long for the Birds to answer back, in the second inning John Maine issued a leadoff walk to Jim Edmonds, then Scott Spiezio reached on an error. Maine continued to struggle with his location and ended up walking the bases full by issuing a free pass to Juan Encarnacion. The Mets hurler was able to get John Rodriguez to pop out but didn't have the same luck with the young up and coming catcher Yadier Molina who drove a line drive double into right that scored both Edmonds and Spiezer and cut the Mets lead to 3-2. While Maine was able to get out of the inning with just the two runs scored the Cards had showed they came to play some ball and that they did. Jose Reyes gave the Mets a 4-2 advantage with an RBI in the bottom of the second, before Jimmy Ballgame evened the score at 4 all with a two run shot in the top of the third. It was a true battle and it would be a battle all the way to the end. The Cards fell behind once again in the fifth when Delgado hit his second homer of the ballgame, a solo shot off of Carpenter that gave the Mets a 5-4 lead. Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock took over on the mound in the sixth inning and he got himself in trouble by issuing one out walk to the speedy Reyes, Paul Lo Duca made the reliever pay for that walk by smacking a double into left that brought Reyes flying around the bases and into sore the sixth Mets run of the contest. While the Cardinals trailed the team fought and clawed right back into it. In the seventh inning, Scott Spiezio came to the dish with Albert Pujols standing at second and Jim Edmonds standing at first, the third baseman who was only in the game for an injured Scott Rolen delivered with a triple that brought both runners into score and once again it was a whole new ballgame as the score was tied at 6. It set up for another unlikely hero to give the Redbirds a lead in the ninth, that hero was none other than the So Man, SoTaguchi, he led the inning off with a solo shot off of closer Billy Wagner that gave the Cards a 7-6 lead. Taguchi was only in the game as a defensive replacement, he took over in left for Chris Duncan in the eighth. There was no looking back at that point, Scott Spiezio came up big once again with an RBI double off of Wagner before Encarnacion knocked in the ninth Cardinals run of the ballgame. They still needed three outs to seal the deal in the bottom of the ninth, so Tony LaRussa called on lefty Tyler Johnson to face the dangerous Delgado. Johnson got his job done by striking out Delgado then he handed the ball over to Adam Wainwright who retired David Wright and Shawn Green on back-to-back ground balls to secure the huge W for the Birds.

Check out the box score:http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200610130.shtml

This was such a great series and I like many of you remember this one like it was yesterday. Much like in this game both teams battled each other right to the end before the Cardinals were able to prevail in 7 games.