The St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the World Series again after they bombed the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 to win the National League pennant for the 18th time.
In most season’s, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if St. Louis reached the World Series. This is a franchise that has 10 World Series titles, second only to the New York Yankees.
But this season has turned out to be be the most remarkable run to baseball’s biggest stage in the Cardinals’ storied history.
St. Louis has done it the hard way for the entire season, losing one of the game’s best pitchers in spring training.
When Adam Wainwright went down with an elbow injury most believed – including me – that the Cardinals season was already over.
The Cardinals were one of baseball’s worst defensive teams, they blew the second most saves and they stole the second fewest bases in MLB, yet here they are.
St. Louis continued doing things the hard way once they reached the playoffs.
After overcoming a 10-and-a-half game lead in the last six weeks of the season, the Cardinals had the unenviable task of playing the Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite a clear disadvantage in starting pitching, St. Louis won the NLDS when Chris Carpenter threw a three-hit shutout in the deciding game five.
No one expected St. Louis to get past Philadelphia. When they did, no one except Jerry Crasnick expected the Cardinals to defeat the Brewers.
In the NLCS, St. Louis’ starting pitching was terrible. It was so bad that the Cardinals’ bullpen actually recorded 86 outs while the starters only accounted for 73.
That’s unheard of, especially when you’re facing a lineup that features Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.
Speaking of unheard, perhaps no one outside of St. Louis knows about David Freese, the Cardinals’ third baseman that won the NLCS MVP award.
Freese batted .545 with three home runs and nine RBI’s in the NLCS for a team that has Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday in their lineup.
When Freese hit a first inning three-run homer off Brewers’ starter Shaun Marcum to put the Cardinals up 4-0, you couldn’t help but think the game was over.
Although the Cardinals would have to withstand several Milwaukee surges, St. Louis kept adding runs by getting key hits from other unknown players like Allen Craig.
In a season where a lot of unlikely players led the Cardinals to an unlikely result, St. Louis now has home field advantage in the World Series against the American League Champion Texas Rangers.
Just as they were in the NLDS against the Phillies and the NLCS against the Brewers, St. Louis will be underdogs against the Rangers.
But betting against the Cardinals has proven to be unwise. Although their chances of winning the World Series appears to be improbable, that’s exactly how St. Louis likes it.
