If you haven’t been following the tennis match between the Rangers and Cardinals (which ratings suggest you haven’t), you really are missing baseball history. A little history- the Cardinals came back from a 10.5 game deficit at the end of August to secure the wild card spot. After taking care of the assumed favorite, the Phillies, you could tell they wanted this like Cosby to a jello shot. Games 1 and 2 were unbelievably close- both starters pitched into the bottom of the sixth inning the first game and the Rangers only scored their only two runs in the 9th inning of the second game. Game 3 was offensive- seriously! Both teams scored like they were playing a football game. 16 to 7 was the final, with Pujols going deep 3 times to tie the Series record. Game 4 was a brilliant display of pitching. Derek Holland was two outs away from a complete game shutout, when Ron Washington pulled him. The Rangers were up 4 runs- I say let him have his shot at history. Game 5 didn’t seem to go down as planned. LaRussa called to the bullpen in the 5th asking for Rzepczynski. Another call, some confusion, Lance Lynn came in to pitch (on little rest), and suddenly the Rangers had the lead.
And last night’s Game 6 was probably the most exciting yet. After a one day rain delay, basic baseball fundamentals seemed to go east with the storm. Once the teams swept 5 errors up on the scoreboard, the game became do or die every inning. David Freese, who committed one of the most egregious of those errors when he failed to keep a routine pop up in his glove, nailed a two strike, two out, 2 run triple in the 9th to tie it up. The Rangers came back with two more runs from a Hamilton homer in the tenth- groin injured he can still work a ball. Lance Berkman tied it up again with a two strike, two out single and we go into the 11th. The Rangers are shut out in the top and Freese, the hometown hero, absolutely crushes one to straight center, sending this Series to game 7 tonight. Check it out- 8pm EST. Even if you’re not into baseball, you can’t help but get a kick out of the dancing and gyrating Washington does in the Rangers dugout.