The St. Louis Cardinals just capped off one of the greatest comebacks in sports history as they defeated the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
They were 10 1/2 games out of wild-card contention on Aug. 25, but were able to clinch a playoff berth in the final day of the season.
Then, the Cardinals had to go up against the Philadelphia Phillies, a prohibitive favorite. In Game 5, Chris Carpenter went toe-to-toe against Phillies ace Roy Halladay and delivered one of the greatest pitching performances in postseason history.
After defeating the Brewers in six games, the Cardinals had to face the Texas Rangers.
The Cardinals trailed in three games to two as the Series headed back to St. Louis. After a sloppy start in Game 6 by both teams, the two teams provided one of the most exciting games in recent playoff history.
The Texas Rangers were up 7-5 and brought in their closer Neftali Feliz to finish the job. Feliz had 32 saves on the season.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, local player David Freese came up and hit a two-run triple to tie the game at seven and send it in extra innings.
In the top of the tenth, Josh Hamilton hit a two-run home run to give the Rangers a two-run lead. However, as they have for the past two months, the Cardinals came right back in the bottom of the inning as Lance Berkman tied the game back up.
After the Rangers were unable to score in the top of the 11th, it was time for Freese to come back up to the plate. Freese ended the game with a solo home run. Instead of being eliminated, the Cardinals were able to send the Series to a seventh game.
As they had against the Phillies, they sent Carpenter to the mound. He gave up two runs in the first, but after that he shut the Rangers down. The Cardinals went on and won the game 6-2 and captured their 11th World Series title.
Travis Hoefler, senior in senior family studies and human services, is a lifelong Cardinals fan and said he has never been more proud to be one.
“On Aug. 25, when the Cardinals were that far back, I would not have ever guessed that the Cardinals would end the season like that,” Hoefler said. “It had never been done in baseball history and is something I will never forget. Even though Tony La Russa retired and Albert Pujols may not be back next year, this was a season that I will never forget.”
The Cardinals might be a completely different team next year, but for now, Cardinals fans can just enjoy thinking about the unbelievable journey their team took them on, ending with a World Series title.