St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The Cardinals didn't make the playoffs until
the last day of the regular season, but on Friday they celebrated their 10th
World Series title.
Jeff Weaver threw eight stellar innings and St. Louis took advantage of two
more miscues from the Tigers, as the Cardinals beat Detroit, 4-2, in Game 5
of the Fall Classic at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals, who won each of their three home games, captured their first
championship since beating Milwaukee in 1982, and they did it with a pitcher
who wasn't on their roster to start the season.
"I was just very fortunate to get hot when it counted," Weaver said. "It's a
dream come true. It's unbelievable."
Weaver (1-1), who began his career by pitching for Detroit (1999-2002), didn't
come to the Cardinals until a July 5 trade with the Angels. He lost Game 2 in
Detroit Sunday, but came back with an incredible effort on Friday, allowing
four hits and two runs -- one earned -- while striking out nine and walking
one batter.
"If we missed this one, it would have been tough in Detroit," Cardinals
manager Tony La Russa said. "This was a huge game, and he (Weaver) was our
biggest hero."
Rookie Adam Wainwright escaped a two-out jam with runners on the corners in
the ninth inning, striking out Brandon Inge to end the game to record the
save.
The Cardinals struggled to even get into the postseason, not securing a
playoff berth until the final day of the regular season and enduring a
September seven-game skid. On Friday though, the NL Central champions became
World Series winners again, celebrating when Inge swung through Wainwright's
pitch to end the game.
"We struggled a bit, but when it came to it and our backs were against the
wall, we made it happen," Weaver said. "We won ball games we needed to to get
in. Once the season's over you start fresh. It's all about who's the hottest,
who believes in each other and who goes out there and plays the hardest. And I
think that struggle towards the end just refreshed us once it was all done and
we were able to take a deep breath and go out there and play for the second
season."
David Eckstein had two hits and drove in two runs to garner World Series
MVP honors, on the heels of his four-hit, two RBI night in Game 4 Thursday.
"It was unreal out there. No one believed in us, but we believed in
ourselves," Eckstein said. "It was a total team effort."
Yadier Molina had three hits and scored twice for St. Louis, which was
appearing in the World Series for the second time in three years after being
swept by Boston in 2004. In fact, St. Louis had lost in its previous three
trips to the Fall Classic, also falling to Minnesota in 1987 and to Kansas
City in 1985, but their fortunes changed with the help of shoddy fielding
from the Tigers.
Detroit committed eight errors in the series, including five from pitchers,
one in every game. Justin Verlander's costly error in the bottom of the fourth
inning helped St. Louis grab a 3-2 lead and Scott Rolen stroked a run-scoring
single in the seventh.
Sean Casey had three hits, including a two-run homer for the Tigers, who were
in their first World Series since 1984. It was an incredible ride for the
Tigers, considering they lost 119 games just three years ago.
"We just didn't do things that were conducive to winning a World Series," said
Jim Leyland, who finished his first season as manager of the Tigers. "I just
only hope nobody forgets the job that we did. I just hope nobody totally
writes us off now that we're not a good team, because we are."
Verlander (0-2), the Game 1 loser, was charged with six hits and three runs --
one earned -- over six innings.
St. Louis essentially backed into the postseason. The Cardinals (83-78)
captured a World Series after recording the fewest regular season wins ever
during a full campaign, but their 5-foot-7 shortstop helped them to the title.
The Cardinals fell behind in the fourth inning shortly after an error by Chris
Duncan, who dropped a fly ball by Magglio Ordonez with one out. Casey
homered down the right-field line on the next pitch for a 2-1 Detroit lead.
However, Verlander's costly error in the bottom of the fourth helped St. Louis
go back on top. Molina and So Taguchi singled with one out. Weaver bunted to
Verlander, whose throw to third went wide of Inge, allowing the Cardinals to
tie the game. Eckstein then grounded a ball to shortstop Carlos Guillen, who
chose to throw to first for an out instead of coming home, as St. Louis went
ahead.
Casey doubled with two outs in the sixth when Duncan misjudged the ball in
front of the wall, but the Tigers couldn't score as Ivan Rodriguez struck out
to end the inning.
What Duncan couldn't do in the field, Albert Pujols made up for it in the
seventh. Pujols made an incredible diving stop of a ball hit in the hole by
Placido Polanco and threw from his back to Weaver for an out.
Eckstein legged out an infield hit off Fernando Rodney to start the St. Louis
seventh, and with two outs Rolen looped a single to right field for the
Cardinals' fourth run.
Casey doubled with one out in the ninth and pinch-runner Ramon Santiago
advanced to third on a wild pitch. Polanco walked, but Inge fanned to end it.
It rained in St. Louis a good portion of Friday, but the game started without
a delay.
St. Louis wasted a bases-loaded opportunity in the first, but scored in the
second. Molina singled to start the inning, advanced on Taguchi's bunt, and
got to third when Weaver grounded out. Eckstein then broke his bat on a ball
hit toward a diving Inge down the third-base line. Inge threw wild and past
Casey at first base, as Molina scored.
