Red October finally gets underway in St. Louis on Monday with Cardinals fans welcoming home the 2014 National League Central Division champs, now tied 1-1 with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason division series.
The Cards clinched the division title in Phoenix way back on Sept. 28, the last game of the regular season. Then it was off to Los Angeles where they returned to their never-say-never postseason form. The Comeback Cards pulled off a rollicking come-from-behind 10-9 win in Game One on Friday but lost 3-2 on Saturday. Games Three and Four of the best-of-five series will be played at Busch Stadium on Monday and Tuesday.
Monday’s game starts at 8 p.m., with pre-game festivities 30 minutes before the first pitch. On the mound: Righthander John Lackey for the Cards vs. Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. See more details at the end of this story.
In the meantime, here’s a little Red October trivia quiz. (Answers are below.)
1. Let's start with some questions inspired by the annual postseason smack talk -- triggered this year by a Wall Street Journal "index" that named the Cardinals the most “hateable” team in the 2014 Major League Baseball playoffs. This is due in no small part to the Redbird fan base, often described as “the best fans in baseball” and known as "Cardinal Nation.” Fact is, Cards fans do flock to Busch Stadium (aka Baseball Heaven) all season long. St. Louis finished second this year in MLB regular season attendance, according to ESPN. Can you name and rank all five cities in the Top Five?
2. According to the index, the Cards are also hated because, apparently, nobody likes a winner. And, they do win. A lot. Can you list the number of National League pennants the Cardinals have won, in just the last decade?
3. The Dodgers ranked second to the Cardinals in hateability, so they have some work to do if they want to be tops (that bubble machine in the dugout might help). In recent years, these two teams have had their share of postseason matchups /dustups. Fill in the missing years: The Dodgers beat the Cards in the __ National League Division Series but went on to lose the league championship. The Cards beat the Dodgers in the __ National League Championship Series but went on to lose the World Series.
4. After their wild Wild Card win, the Kansas City Royals are this year’s postseason darlings. The Royals hadn’t made it to the postseason since 1985 when they beat the Cardinals in the World Series, an all-Show-Me State classic. (Some fans hoping for a rematch, already have a Twitter hashtag: #I70Series.) But the '85 series is best remembered in St. Louis for a call in the ninth inning of Game Six that remains one of the most controversial in the history of sports. What happened and can you name the umpire?
5. Construction of the Gateway Arch was well underway when the Cardinals beat the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series. The Cards clinched at home. At which stadium?
6. Speaking of the ’64 Series, Cardinals Hall-of-Famer Bob Gibson pitched a complete Game 7, though things got a little dicey in the ninth when he gave up two homers. Who was his catcher?
7. Remember the Rally Squirrel? The furry little rascal trekked across the field at Busch Stadium during Game Four of the 2011 National League Division Series. The Cards’ Skip Schumaker was batting. Who was pitching?
8. Name the Cardinals players on the current division series roster who were also around in 2011 when the Comeback Cards snatched their World Series victory.
9. Let’s go back to question No. 2 and the win-ability of the Cardinals. How many World Series championship pennants fly atop Busch Stadium? Easy. But can you list the years?
10. Some fans had been hoping for a World Series between the Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels because some rather well-known former Cards now play for the Halos. Name the current Angels who used to play for St. Louis. Bonus question: How many puns would we have heard about halos and wings and baseball heaven?
Answers
1. Attendance is good in the Flyover Zone. Here are the Top Five: Los Angeles Dodgers (3,782,337); 2. St. Louis (3,540,649); 3. New York Yankees (3,401,624) 4. San Francisco Giants (3,368,697); 5. Los Angeles Angels (3,095,935).
2. Four National League pennants in 10 years (so far): 2004, 2006, 2011, 2013.
3. The Dodgers swept the Cards in the 2009 National League Division Series but went on to lose the league championship. The Cards beat the Dodgers in the 2013 National League Championship Series but went on to lose the World Series.
4. In the ninth inning of Game 6, umpire Don Denkinger called Jorge Orta of the Royals safe at first base, though Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell clearly beat him to the bag. The Royals rallied to score twice that inning, tying the series and forcing a seventh game. The Royals won, and Denkinger's name lives on in baseball history.
5: The game was played at Busch Stadium I, better known as Sportsman’s Park on North Grand Avenue. Busch Stadium II opened downtown in 1966.
6. Tim McCarver.
7. The Phillies’ Roy Oswalt.
8. By our count, eight: Lance Lynn, Yadier Molina, Daniel Descalso, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay, Tony Cruz, Pete Kozma and Matt Carpenter.
9. Eleven: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011.
10. Number of Angels: Three. Pitcher Fernando Salas; infielders David Freese and Albert Pujols. Number of puns we've been spared: A hellish amount.
NLDS GAME THREE: MONDAY AT BUSCH STADIUM
GAME TIME: 8 p.m. Gates open two hours before the game.
PRE-GAME PEP RALLY: 4 p.m. in the parking lot of Ballpark Village; Fredbird and former Cards players will be there.
PRE-GAME CEREMONY: Starts 30 minutes before the first pitch. Former Cards catcher and current broadcaster Tim McCarver will throw the first pitch. Forty thousand fans get rally towels. The National Anthem will be performed by Four-Digit Chord, a vocal group comprised of civilian, active duty and retired military employees who work at local Department of Defense agencies. The Joint Services Color Guard will present the colors.
BROADCAST INFO: Televised on Fox Sports 1 or the MLB Network. Play-by-play by Mike Shannon and John Rooney on KMOX (1120 AM). Online: Free access to MLB's Gameday at Cardinals.com. Mobile: Download a free version of the At Bat app at MLB.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Cards suggest the hashtag #PostCards.
