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AND THAT'S A WINNER
By Ronald Blum
AP Baseball Writer
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ST. LOUIS -- Favored by few, the St. Louis Cardinals used an unlikely cast of characters to win their first World Series in nearly a quarter century.

Jeff Weaver dominated, David Eckstein drove in two runs on balls that didn’t leave the infield and the Cards took advantage of another wild throw by a Tigers pitcher to beat Detroit 4-2 on Friday night and won the Series in five games.

“I think we shocked the world,’’ Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds said. “It’s an unbelievable experience.’’

Manager Tony La Russa’s Cardinals had just 83 regular-season wins, the fewest by a World Series winner, and nearly missed the playoffs after a late-season slump. But the Cardinals beat San Diego and the New York Mets in the playoffs, then won their first title since 1982 by taming a heavily favored Tigers team that entered the Series with six days’ rest.

After closer Adam Wainwright struck out Brandon Inge for the final out, the ballpark erupted. Wainwright raised his arms in triumph, catcher Yadier Molina ran to the mound and the pair bounced off toward second base, where they were joined by teammates running out from the dugout and the bullpen.

“I don’t think anybody in uniform didn’t do something in the postseason. Everyone did,’’ said La Russa, whose uniform number — 10 — now matches the team’s World Series titles. “The defense was great. The pitching was great. Timely hitting. The best bench I’ve had in a long time. They just refused for us to lose.’’

Minutes later fireworks filled the sky above the ballpark.

Eckstein, the 5-foot-7 shortstop who had four hits in Game 4, was the Series MVP.

“No one believed in us, but we believed in ourselves,’’ Eckstein said.

On a cold Midwest night more suitable to football than baseball, the Tigers made two more errors, raising their Series total to eight — three by Inge, the third baseman, and a record five by their pitchers. Eight of the 22 runs allowed by the Tigers were unearned, the most by a team since the 1956 New York Yankees against Brooklyn.

While the Tigers tossed the ball to the tarp, the Cardinals were mostly crisp, with the notable exception of right fielder Chris Duncan, who dropped a fly ball just before Sean Casey’s two-run homer in the fourth put Detroit ahead 2-1.

St. Louis came right back to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom half as pitcher Justin Verlander threw away a ball for the second time in two starts, and Scott Rolen added a big run with a two-out RBI single in the seventh off reliever Fernando Rodney, extending his postseason hitting streak to 10 games.

It was the Cardinals’ first title since 1982 and the first for the NL since the 2003 Florida Marlins. La Russa, who led the Oakland Athletics to a sweep in the earthquake-interrupted 1989 Bay Bridge Series, joined Sparky Anderson (Cincinnati and Detroit) as the only managers to win Series titles in each league.

It marked the first time since the 1912 Red Sox at Boston’s Fenway Park that a team won the Series at home in a first-year ballpark. And the Cardinals (83-78) almost didn’t even make it to the postseason. They had a seven-game NL Central lead with 12 to go but lost eight of nine before recovering to finish 1½ games ahead of Houston, the defending NL champion.

Minnesota, in 1987, had set the previous low for wins by a Series winner, going 85-77.

“The team that wins a world championship is the team that played the best,’’ La Russa said.

As the Tigers failed in their bid for their first title since 1984, their season ended with Kenny Rogers rested and ready with no place to pitch. Rogers, who threw 23 shutout innings in the postseason, was saved by manager Jim Leyland for a possible sixth game Saturday in Detroit.

Weaver, cast off by the Yankees three years ago after a World Series flop, allowed four hits in eight innings, matched his season high with nine strikeouts and walked one before Wainwright finished for the save. St. Louis pitchers held Detroit to a .205 average (33-for-161) over the five games.

Verlander gave up three runs — one earned — and three hits, recovering from early control problems to give the Tigers a decent effort.

After a daylong rain, the weather cleared about two hours before gametime. Still, it was 47 degrees when play began, and a brisk wind made it feel that much colder. But the wintry conditions didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 46,638 mostly red-clad fans.

Verlander, throwing up to 100 mph, was wild in the first inning, walking the bases loaded and throwing two wild pitches. By his fourth batter, Jason Grilli was warming up in the bullpen, but Verlander escaped by the thinnest of margins, needing 35 pitches to get through the inning.

He walked Duncan with one out, threw a wild pitch, then walked Albert Pujols. With a 2-0 count on Edmonds, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez came to the mound. Edmonds fell behind 3-0, then flied out after Verlander worked the count full. Following another wild pitch, Verlander walked Rolen, and when he started Ronnie Belliard with a ball, catcher Ivan Rodriguez went to the mound.

After fouling off a 3-2 pitch, Belliard hit a grounder up the middle that Carlos Guillen just got to in time to make an off-balance throw to first, beating Belliard by less than a step as Casey scooped the ball on a bounce. Verlander yelled and whipped his arm across his body excitement.

But St. Louis went ahead in the second, after Molina looped a single to center leading off, took second on So Taguchi’s bunt and third on Weaver’s groundout. Eckstein hit a smash, and both the ball and a chunk of his bat headed toward third. Inge dived and grabbed the ball as it went over the base and then, even though he had plenty of time, rushed his throw. It bounced and went up the line as Molina scored. Eckstein was given a hit on the play and advanced on the bad throw by Inge.

Weaver held the Tigers to two hits in the first three innings. With one out in the fourth, Magglio Ordonez lofted a fly to right and Duncan, calling off center fielder Edmonds, allowed it to kick off his glove for a two-base error.

Casey sent the next pitch into the seats down the right-field line for a two-run homer that put Detroit ahead. Then it was the Tigers’ turn to make a key mistake.

Molina and Taguchi singled with one out in the bottom half and Weaver bunted back to Verlander. He had an easy force at third, but sidearmed the ball and it bounced past Inge for an error that allowed Molina to score the tying run and left runners on second and third. Eckstein followed with a grounder to shortstop that drove in Taguchi for a 3-2 lead.

Duncan had another adventure in the fifth, letting Casey’s catchable two-out fly drop behind him on the warning track for a double. But Weaver struck out Rodriguez on a checked swing.

Pujols turned in the niftiest play, sprawling to snare Placido Polanco’s grounder to first leading off the seventh, then making a one-bounce throw from his back to Weaver covering the base.

Notes: The record for unearned runs allowed in the Series is 13, shared by the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1909 Tigers. ... Verlander’s two wild pitches in an inning tied the Series record.



More photos



To view more photos from the game and the Cardinals' celebration, click here.



Additional World Series coverage



Pantagraph

http://www.pantagraph.com/sportsextra

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

http://stltoday.com

Bird Land

http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/sports-bird-land/

Bernie's Press Box

http://www.stltoday.com/bernie

Cards Talk

http://www.stltoday.com/cardstalk

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St. Louis Cardinals players rush towards pitcher Adam Wainwright after beating the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in Game 5 to win the World Series on Friday, Oct. 27, 2006 in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Reader comments on this story - 33 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

To MFW: wrote on Oct 28, 2006 9:21 PM:

" The Cards may well be remembered as the worst World Series Championship Winners, however the key is THEY WON which is more than the best team did. They had what it took and they took it all...That color green is not very becoming to you. Sometimes I too wear that unbecoming green color, but NOT TODAY! GO CARDS! "

to:to missouri wrote on Oct 28, 2006 4:43 PM:

" sounds like the only team you like outside of illinois is the cards. too bad that ruins it for you. if your going to pick and choose teams from different states my favorite teams are the patriots, yankees, heat, and anyone else who wins all the time. a bear fan, bull fan, white sox fan, cub fan, blackhawk fan, illini fan always hates the cardinals, blues, missouri, royals, rams, and you. those are the teams you need to stick to cardinal boy. "

Hey Ha Ha Ha Dude wrote on Oct 28, 2006 4:37 PM:

" Don't you think it is time you went out and got a job....Seems like this is the only talent you seem to have, if you can call it a talent....I call it being immature.....But, you already know that, as does most of Blm Normal "

From a Cub Fan wrote on Oct 28, 2006 4:03 PM:

" Hey, honestly...congratulations on yet another World Series Championship. I never thought they would make it past the Mets. Kudos to the team for pulling together and securing the championship. If it was my Cubbies winning 82 games and taking 4 out of 5 from Detroit. Well I would say that is a much deserved championship. Great job St Louis. "

To all Cardinals fans wrote on Oct 28, 2006 3:22 PM:

" Take it easy on those poor Cubs fans, its been a tough three years. First, Boston wins at title cementing the Cubs as indisputably the most pathetic team in baseball. Then, their cross-town rival the White Sox win a title, embarrassing Cubs fans even more. And finally, the Cardinals, their most hated rival, win a World Series. It must be pretty rough right now. They need to make a depression hotline for all Cubs fans. HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! "

MWF wrote on Oct 28, 2006 2:02 PM:

" OK, props will be given: a hearty congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for a well-played World Series. You will be remembered as the worst World Championship team in history. "

Jim Owens wrote on Oct 28, 2006 1:39 PM:

" This series demonstrates what timeliness, chemistry, momentum, and an experienced manager can accomplish. Always did like those Cardinals--the bright red, the LaRussa factor, their propensity to bury the Cubs. Hey, a Sox fan has to have something to cheer about when the south-siders come up short and there are no Little Boys Blue to root against! "

to "missouri" wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:18 PM:

" How can you call it a bandwagon when you are mixing the MLB with the NFL? It's like saying get off my street since you live on the Westside as opposed to the Southside. What a moron. I'll be a true fan and cheer for whoever I want to cheer for you schmuck!! -- A STL Cardinals fan, A Chicago Bears fan, A Chicago Blackhawks fan, A Chicago Bulls fan, a FIGHTING ILLINI FAN WITH ORANGE AND BLUE BLOOD!!! "

Addition to "Congrats" wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:15 PM:

" And I can honestly respect the Cubs organization again for getting rid of Dusty Baker. To all the other Cardinals' fans, show respect as a lot of the organizations see of the Cardinals' fans when they play at Busch. No reason to rip on the Cubs now when they didn't make it to the postseason, you didn't like it in 2003 when they made it and we didn't. --- A Cardinals fan "

Congrats wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:11 PM:

" Not only to the Cardinals but to the Tigers as well. Why? Because they deserve to be congratulated not only for making it to the World Series but having a winning season after having 117 losses three seasons ago. This is an organization that I predict will become dominant in just a short matter of time. I wouldn't be surprised at all if my beloved Cards and the Tigers meet in the World Series again soon. If the Cards roster stays healthier than this past season and they get a lock in on a #4 and #5 pitcher, then the Cardinals are going to be a serious threat to repeat. Hey Walt!! Get rid of Marquis, he's done. Sign Duncan, Reyes, and Weaver on with extended contracts. "

Go Cubs wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:09 PM:

" Cards wouldn't have had a chance if Detroit had shown up. "

Southside Hitmen wrote on Oct 28, 2006 11:29 AM:

" White Sox win last year, Cardinals win this year. All is right with the world. "

Enough wrote on Oct 28, 2006 11:06 AM:

" Just let the Cards fans enjoy their victory. I'm a lifelong Cubs fan, I naturally hate the Cardinals, but gimme a break. Can we just once leave the Cubs/Cards rivalry out of something that has nothing to do with the rivalry whatsoever? "

cards fan 3 wrote on Oct 28, 2006 10:55 AM:

" let's see........Boston breaks the drought......Chicago ( the white sox that is ) wins it all last year.............and this year it's the CARDINALS adding to their championships............ya gotta get invited to the dance to get a chance to dance for the big prize..........Cardinals rule...........hey Cub fans..........wait 'till next year "

Cubs Fan wrote on Oct 28, 2006 9:54 AM:

" Not sure what the deal is with MLB these days but almost every team that has won the World Series this decade was a Wild Card or under dog team. Who would have thought "back-dooring" into the playoffs would be the way to go? That LaRussa IS a genius. :>) "

Go Cards! wrote on Oct 28, 2006 9:14 AM:

" I don't even like baseball, but I hate Chicago even more. The Cards deserve the credit! Boring or not.. if it was the Cubs, everyone would be going crazy on here, but the Cubs will never make it! "

And All You Hear wrote on Oct 28, 2006 9:07 AM:

" Is wait till next year, next years our year, been hearing that for 57 years, way to go Cardinals the 2006 World Series winner "

Sorry Cub fans wrote on Oct 28, 2006 8:46 AM:

" A true sports fan would give props to those who win. Loser (Cub fans) .........way to show your true selves. "

missouri wrote on Oct 28, 2006 8:38 AM:

" move to missouri you illinois traitors. enjoy the cards title now but don't you dare jump on the chicago bandwagon when the bears win the super bowl. "

To Candy wrote on Oct 28, 2006 8:21 AM:

" JEALOUS? Exactly- face the FACTS-CARDINALS DID IT IN 5- HA HA HA Cards RULE! "Worst Series"? Cubbies say that EVERY YEAR! They can't face the fact that St. Louis had the will and they did it!!!!!!!!! Sorry scrubbies- "Maybe next year" HA HA HA "

Hmm wrote on Oct 28, 2006 8:01 AM:

" I guess winning the All Star game and having home field advantage really paid off. It is interesting to see all the color green come out now that THE CARDS WON IT ALL! "The Most" wrote boring, but they must have been watching it to know it was boring. Always remember and never forget "CUBS STANDS FOR- CAN'T USE BATS (in) SEPTEMBER" Guess they proved that AGAIN! GO BIG CARDS! "

To Candy wrote on Oct 28, 2006 7:45 AM:

" Real fans don't hide in October. I know you are a Cub fan, but you are a bigger fan of baseball. Get out of the tree! I live for this, you live for this, and the whole world lives for this!! "

Bandwagon wrote on Oct 28, 2006 7:07 AM:

" It's only a matter of time...Suddenly the Cardinal flags will be waving around town now, and everyone will be claiming to be a longtime fan. It's a repeat of last year. I had never met a ChiSox fan in my life until about this time last October! "

Hey cubs fans, help me out here wrote on Oct 28, 2006 6:35 AM:

" Which one should I get?? Ah, maybe I will just get them all to rub your jealous faces in it!!!! http://shop.mlb.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2537440&source=STLShopHP-300x90-stl_wschamps_STLShopHP-300x90-stl_wschamps "

CUBS FANS ARE LOSERS!! wrote on Oct 28, 2006 6:07 AM:

" Way to come on here and show your true jealous loser colors!!!! 98 years of nothing!!!!! CARDS RULE, cubs drool!!!!! "

cubsnerds wrote on Oct 28, 2006 5:09 AM:

" its crazy, cards win it all, and everyone wants to take everything away from them.. the "least watched series"... the "worst series.." It's just like stupid bags, who are paying attention more than anyone else, to say jealous stuff like that. Nothing can take away from the fact that the Cards won it all.. Nobody gave them a chance... and the National leage doesn't look so weak anymore. What a great day not to be a jerkamerk. "

Cards Fan 2 wrote on Oct 28, 2006 5:05 AM:

" GO CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!! Been waiting for this a long time "

Golffan wrote on Oct 28, 2006 4:52 AM:

" Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! "

Cards Fan wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:42 AM:

" Way to go Cardinals and Eckstein! They deserve it. Congratulations! And to Candy: Who cares??? You would care if the Cubs won, so don't act like it's no big deal. It's the World Series! "

!!!!! wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:13 AM:

" GO CUBBIES...... "

re Candy wrote on Oct 28, 2006 12:09 AM:

" That's right, CUBS are the greatest, no matter what! "

Candy wrote on Oct 27, 2006 11:20 PM:

" Who Cares???? LONG LIVE THE WONDERFUL CHICAGO CUBS. "

the most wrote on Oct 27, 2006 11:06 PM:

" boring ever "
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