This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 28, 2011 - Cardinals fans, you CAN believe what you just saw!
Hometown boy David Freese shot a walk-off home run to center field in the bottom of the 11th inning at Busch Stadium Thursday night, snatching a 10-9 victory from the Texas Rangers and sending the World Series to Game 7 on Friday night.
In that made-for-the-movies moment, Freese and the Comeback Cards came back once more -- or as TV sportscaster Joe Buck put it to the national viewing audience after they had tied the game -- again -- in the bottom of the 10th: "They. Just. Won't. Go. Away."
Even though the Redbirds started the night down 3-2 to the Rangers in the best-of-seven series, fans believed they could -- they would -- bounce back one more time.
And bounce back they did -- all game long -- though they were down to their last strike twice Thursday night.
It was a crazy, back-and-forth game from the get-go. Jaime Garcia, who'd had a solid Game 2 performance, took to the mound for the Cards and pitched a shaky first two innings, but so did Colby Lewis for the Rangers. Lance Berkman's two-run homer put the Cards ahead 2-1 briefly in the bottom of the first, but the Rangers tied the score in the top of the second, and Garcia was yanked for reliever Fernando Salas in the top of the fourth.
Play turned ugly in the fourth, starting with a misplay by left fielder Matt Holliday whose error led to an unearned run that put the Rangers ahead 3-2. The Cards tied it 3-3 in the bottom half, helped along by a Rangers error. But a dropped pop-up by third baseman Freese in the fifth put the Rangers leadoff hitter Josh Hamilton on base. Hamilton would score, and the Rangers were up 4-3. The Cards tied it again in the sixth, Berkman scoring on a bases loaded walk to Yadier Molina.
The Rangers scored three in the seventh, including solo homers by Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz off Cards reliever Lance Lynn, and the Rangers were on top 7-4.
But the fireworks weren't over; Allen Craig hit an eighth inning solo home run, cutting the Rangers lead to 7-5. The Cards loaded the bases but couldn't bring them home.
The drama continued in the ninth, with Albert Pujols doubling to center field -- and hope was rekindled throughout Cardinal Nation. Berkman walked, and Freese tripled to right field, tying the game and sending it to the 10th.
A home run by Josh Hamilton in the top of the 10th put the Rangers ahead by two, but the Cards countered with two -- the tying run driven in by a Berkman single to center. While Freese brought home the dramatic win, it was Berkman who kept the Cards in the game. He was 3-for-5, drove in three runs and scored four.
The Rangers went scoreless in the 11th, pitched by Jake Westbrook, and the stage was set for the 2001 graduate of Lafayette High. Cue the cameras.
On to Game 7.
