As the many twists and turns of Game 6 are sorted through and digested, there were a handful of issues that will impact Friday night’s Game 7.
At least three key players were injured during the course of the game. For the Rangers, catcher Mike Napoli — who likely would have been named the series MVP if the Rangers had won — twisted his ankle on a play at second base in the fourth inning, but remained in the game. X-rays taken after the game were negative, and he is presumed available for Game 7. Also, Cruz strained his groin during his final at-bat and was taken out of the game. His status is uncertain.
For the Cardinals, left fielder Matt Holliday had his finger stepped on in the sixth inning while diving back into the third-base bag — as Napoli picked him off. He was taken out of the game, but said afterward he expects to play in Game 7.
The teams also combined to blow through 13 relief pitchers — including Texas lefty Derek Holland, their Game 4 starter — leaving their respective bullpens in various states of weariness.
The Rangers understand how big a chance they let slip away — twice. “I understand that it’s not over until you get the last out,” Manager Ron Washington said. “I was just sitting there praying that we’d get that last out. And we didn’t get it.”
They also probably understand how difficult their plight is now: No road team has won a Game 7 in the World Series since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. The last eight World Series Game 7s have been won by the home team.
“We’ll bounce back tomorrow,” Washington said.
It’s difficult to remember now, but for the first five or so innings, it was a train-wreck of a game.
It was the Cardinals’ 179th game of the season, and the Rangers’ 178th, and it was if all those hard miles and all this pent-up pressure finally threw a rod through the engine block. Both teams played at times with a shocking lack of focus, with mental errors compounded by physical ones. The Cardinals were charged with three errors — including one when Freese, with one hand and astounding nonchalance, simply dropped an easy popup — and the Rangers made two more.
The Rangers, meantime, gave themselves countless chances to put the game away, but kept finding new and astounding ways to squander them. They hit into two double plays, including a rare 5-6-4 twin-killing when starting picher Colby Lewis tried feebly to bunt in the second. They struck out four times in the first five innings with runners in scoring position.
But back-to-back homers by Adrian Beltre and Cruz in the top of the seven pushed the Rangers’ lead to 7-5. They had nine outs to go. The first World Series title in franchise history was within their grasp.
When Pujols, a pending free agent who could be in his final days in a Cardinals uniform, came to the plate to face Feliz with one out and nobody out base in the bottom of the ninth, the crowd of 47,325, sensing the import of the moment, rose out of a mixture of reverence and duty — as well as the faint hope of a comeback. Little did anyone know it would not be Pujols’s final turn at the plate.
“Everybody knows,” Pujols said, “we play 27 outs.”
Pujols reached for an outside slider from Feliz and slashed a line-drive double into the gap in left-center, and Lance Berkman followed by drawing a four-pitch walk. After Allen Craig struck out looking on a 2-2 slider, and Freese fell behind 1-2 to Feliz, the Cardinals were down to their last strike — until Freese smashed the next pitch off the wall in right.
The Cardinals piled on the tradition and history during the pregame, trotting out Hall-of-Famers Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith in red blazers. Stan Musial was driven around the warning track in a golf cart. David Eckstein, the diminutive MVP of the 2006 World Series, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
It was if they were trying to summon the power of all that had come before. But perhaps most pertinent, in the context of the Cardinals’ plight, is what they had gone through to get here — down 10½ games in the wild-card race in late August. Then, having to beat Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay in a decisive Game 5 in their NL Division Series.
For 10 innings Thursday night, those same Cardinals never led the game. And then one batter into the bottom of the 11th, suddenly they did.
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