10/24/11 St Louis Cardinals 2, Texas Rangers 4

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX
2011 World Series Game 5

His name is Mike Napoli…there should be no question as to the ‘now’ value of his signing to the Rangers this year. Jeff Mathis couldn’t do any of this.

The World Series and the Texas Rangers work things up to a feverish pitch (pun completely intended) as a game that certainly seemed within the arms (pun also intended) of the Cardinals got out of hand. In true glitzy postseason fashion, the out-of-handedness turns out to be the fault of two botched calls, but not at the hands of an umpire…



The Cardinals did their thing and scored early, putting 2 on the board in the 2nd inning thanks to a Yadier Molina single-plus-David Murphy error and a Skip Schumaker groundout. The opportunity to drive a few more nails into the coffin expired when Nick Punto flew out to LF, stranding Molina. At this time, the most memorable moment had to be when Punto appeared to attempt a Bo Jackson Bat Break in frustration, only to vacate this idea without shedding a single splinter. Punto had a reason to be slightly miffed, as he was robbed by a brilliant David Murphy catch, the kind of catch that screams of redemption after his fielding error.

Mitch Moreland broke his postseason silence with this decisively clubbed solo HR response in the 3rd. After I recovered from my awe, I felt as if now that Chris Carpenter had tasted blood, he would work even better than he had up to this point, in this game. Adrian Beltre, after nearly striking out “on his knee” earlier, dismissed the taste of blood with a solo shot of his own in the 6th inning, again “on his knee,” and tying the game at 2 apiece.

Napoli seals the deal in the 8th, with a 2-RBI double off Marc Rzepczynski. Napoli is an OPS beast, and he loves pitches up in the zone. With all the strategy behind intentional walks and Pujols (who was intentionally walked 3 times during this contest), you’d think that TLR would consider offering Napoli free passes…pitching to him just isn’t working out.

Botched calls seemed to prevent the Cardinals from responding to the Rangers offense. I’m not a fan of isolating one event in a game (or even two) as a ‘turning point,’ each failed opportunity expires to present another opportunity. However, the two celebrated botched calls extended a postseason focus on communication issues that didn’t doom the Cardinals in this game, but they certainly didn’t help a bunch.

The first of these was a failed hit-and-run that was put on by Albert Pujols in the 7th, with Allen Craig caught at 2nd base on the play. Craig was caught again in Pujols’ next at-bat.

Then there was the call for Motte in the 8th…the Bullpen phone story is high baseball comedy at its finest…I must admit, I knew nothing of this until the next morning, when some of my associates thought it would be comical to outfit my cube with cans attached to strings; before I had a chance to watch the post-game press conference.

At best, this incident alone has led to a resurgence of phone humor, something I explicitly adore. I mean, I work with phones all day long…as a baseball fan on top of this, my cup definitely runneth over.

This image was originally posted by Big League Stew blogger Rob Iracane, and represents the best of the barbs out there so far…

SCOREKEEPER’S NOTE: Lance Berkman’s game-ending dribble ball was scored as a “dropped third strike” K, PO 2-3.

Rangers lead the Series 3-2




He said WHAT?!? Click on this link to see Tim McCarver’s Quote of the Game

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10/22/11 St Louis Cardinals 16, Texas Rangers 7

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX
2011 World Series Game 3

Prince Albert makes his mark…

In only the 3rd game of the World Series, a World Series that is so far one of the best in recent memory, we’ve already seen 2 great games but didn’t have to wait long for a truly “historical” event to occur.



This one will certainly be remembered as ”The Pujols Game” for as long as Albert’s career will stand it…a dedicated response to his otherwise historically flat postseason performances, this year and in years past. Pujols’ first 2011 World Series hit in the 4th after a groundout to 3B in the 1st begins what would end as a 5-for-6, 6 RBI, 3HR outing; his 14 total bases establishes a new World Series record. If the line doesn’t cross your eyes, the highlights will.

But wait, it’s not just 3 homers…it’s 3 back-to-back homers, the third of which ties a World Series record for the most HR in a single WS game, a record also held by Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson.

You can bet that if I had access to Photoshop, I would have added a picture of Nyjer Morgan here, with his eyes crossed, steam rising from his ears, sitting at home watching the game with a soda straw stuck in his teeth…

In what may erupt later (depending on how the series swings) as a “botched call” similar in scope (if not in urgency) to the controversial Don Denkinger call in the 1985 World Series, 1B ump Ron Kulpa completely and absolutely fouls up the call on this play at first during the 4th inning…Holliday was certainly out, but as the play didn’t affect the tide of the game (same as the 85 WS call, where that call wasn’t missed anywhere nearly as much as this one was) there would be no point in screaming about it any more than just about everyone watching it did at the time. Assume Holliday was the 2nd out, and assume further that all 4 of those runs in the 4th never happened…the Cardinals still win. Officials can make mistakes, Kulpa was in a peculiar POV, but it’s still kind of hard to understand how this one flew so far out of hand.

In less interesting review, Matt Harrison and Kyle Lohse both had very un-interesting outings, neither pitcher able to complete more than 11 outs.

During the 7th, a fan is ejected when a corny rubber white ball is thrown into the outfield in what seems to be an attempt to confuse Matt Holliday. TLR argues “fan interference” (by the letter of the ‘law,’ no fan touched the ball in play, so no fan interference) but you can almost bet that he would, as millions of Cardinals fans know that a mere shift in the direction of the wind can result in Holliday with something bruised or strained.

Cardinals lead the Series 2-1



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10/16/11 St Louis Cardinals 12, Milwaukee Brewers 6

Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
NLCS Game 6
STL wins the NLCS 4-2

Welcome to the David Freese Show, starring…David Freese! If NLCS Game 2 was “The Pujols Game,” then NLCS Game 6 has to go down in history as “The Freese Game.” There can be no question that even in the 7th inning, that NLCS MVP trophy was his, hands down. He was the Sultan of Hustle today, only a triple short of the cycle.



It was no small feat to defeat the Brewers at Miller Park for most NL teams this year, but the Cardinals had a winning record there during the regular season, and extended that record during the NLCS. Freese didn’t really come out of nowhere here, he’s been playing well recently, but in Pujolsian fashion he started his rally in the first inning; the table was set with 2 on and 2 outs, 1 run already on the board and Shaun Marcum already sweating like a Derek Lowe. A first pitch 3-run HR
Over the left-center field fence was a formidable statement, to say the least.

I had a hunch this would be a close game, but my hunch was deliberately tossed by Freese, Pujols, Allen Craig, and the rest of the Angry Birds. It wasn’t a collapse by the Brewers, no matter how you look at it…they rallied as hard as the best of us could. But the crowd at Miller Park’s eerie silence just got eerier as the game went on and the crooked numbers kept getting posted.

Of course, with pitching changes galore…there were sprinklings of fantastic pitching moments, but still burned into my brain was Jason Motte’s finish and, of course…the home runs. The most HR in the first 3 innings of a postseason game (3 HR for each team).

Jerry Hairston, Jr’s 15 minutes of baseball fame peaked with this outstanding hook slide in NLCS Game 4, a slide that would have made Wally Yonanime blush. It ended completely during the Brewers’ 3-error inning; Hairston was charged with 2 of the 3 during a single play. Now that’s a little more like the JHJr I recall from recent years.

In other news, Prince Fielder grounds out to Nick Punto in his final at-bat in a Brewers’ uniform. Albert Pujols, in a classy move, calls time when Fielder approaches the box for the crowd’s standing O.

Freese got the trophy, but Nick Punto is awarded with a Golden Sombrero, striking out 4 times in 4 AB. Still a #HappyFlight for the Cardinals, and the end of a great and most admirable run by the Brewers.




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10/10/11 St Louis Cardinals 12, Milwaukee Brewers 3

Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
NLCS Game 2

It’s called #BabyMode.

After taking the first game of the NLCS, the Brewers get an unanticipated response from the Cardinals in this moderately lopsided display of offense…no surprise that the meat of it comes from the 2012 FA of the offseason, Mister Albert Pujols.

Don’t call him Alberta.



During the pregame show, Chris Rose, A.J. Pierzynski, and Eric “hair product” Karros discuss the need for adjustment Pujols needs to consider if he is to be a significant contributor to the Cardinals’ postseason success. I picture Albert in the batting cage all night (a la Tony Gwynn), trying to scientifically and systematically determine the source of his hitch and in the same manner of those cheezy 80s sports tearjerkers South Park spoofs on a regular basis, he finds his hitch, makes his adjustments, and after a hearty Bacon-Chocolate shake, buffers his resolve for Game 2. Because the Cardinals need to win tonight.

This sets the stage for “Whoppapalooza,” where the Cardinals rage into control of the game early on, with a table setting that is nothing less than a textbook opportunity for Pujols in the first inning; with 1 on and 1 out Pujols’ hitch vanishes and thus begins ”The Pujols Game,” where Albert plays 8 innings of 4-for-5, 5 RBI, 3 run scoring baseball…each of his 4 hits were for extra bases (10 total bases).

More Angry Bird madness ensues in the 7th inning, where the Cardinals touch RHP Kameron Loe for 6 back-to-back base hits, beginning with Pujols’ 1 out GRD and continuing with 5 consecutive singles for a 4-run inning before Loe gets the hook and is replaced by LaTroy Hawkins.

The funniest moment for me in the game actually started on September 7, when the Cardinals had begun their September run and the ever-pokeworthy Nyjer Morgan taunted the team boldy with these direct comments (spelling not corrected at the Editor’s preference):

Where still n 1st and I hope those crying birds injoy watching tha Crew in tha Playoffs!!! Aaaaahhhhh!!! ... Alberta couldn't see Plush if she had her gloves on!!! Wat was she thinking running afta Plush!!! She never been n tha ring!!! ...

Fast forward to the blastitudinous 7th inning, when Yadier Molina punched a single to right-center, scoring Matt Holliday and bring the Cards to a 9-2 lead over the Brewers with only 1 out and 0-for-3 David Freese on-deck. We see Molina on first, grinning from ear to ear, as he brings his fists up to his face and twists them into a “crybaby” demonstration…it’s called #BabyMode, a direct response to the media-adored Brewers’ #BeastMode celebrations.
I hope Morgan, the crying sud, “injoys” watching the Angry Birds in the WORLD SERIES. Just another reminder that some athletes are really better off at just shutting up and playing the game.



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10/2/11 St Louis Cardinals 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4

Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
NLDS Game 2

Allen Craig…he does it again!


Another postseason classic pitching match-up ensues; Cliff Lee versus Chris Carpenter at Citizens Bank Park: The CLASH of the TITANS!



The Phillies took game 1, and just like that the Cardinals’ win expectancy yielded a few percentage points when facing “the greatest rotation in history”…or so they say. Lee hangs in for 6 innings, fanning 9 batters, and outlasts a seemingly struggling Carpenter who leaves the game after three mushy innings (5H, 4ER, 3BB, 2K). It seems as if LaRussa is playing the tournament baseball game so soon in the NLDS; many ask “why?” but so few understand…there is no need to wait any longer, the Cardinals are still on a roll. TLR intends to keep it that way.

The majority of the Phillies’ damage to the Cardinals erupts in the very first inning, an exhaustive combination of patient plate discipline and timely hitting (in the first inning!) where 3 runs scored on 3 hits. Another run scores in the 2nd, and after 3 innings the Phils are up by four and the Cards are still scoreless.

The Cardinals find their teeth in the 4th, and do so immediately. After Lance Berkman’s full-count walk and David Freese is called out on strikes, Yadier Molina, Ryan Theriot, and John Jay open up a can of hot sauce and tag Lee for 3 runs on 4 hits, leaving 1 behind as Jay is thrown out at home on a 7-2 flyball by Rafael Furcal. We already know Carpenter is done when Nick Punto bats in his spot (and strikes out); LaRussa summons Fernando Salas to the mound and the game is on.

Salas handles the Phils with 3 groundouts, Lee returns in the 5th to strike out two and get Berkman to pop out but in the 6th, Theriot doubles and is brought home by another John Jay spray single. The inning ends with the score tied, and Lee at 101 pitches. The Cardinals take the lead in the 7th when Allen Craig belts a husky triple on a fly ball to CF and Albert Pujols’ go-ahead RBI single scores Craig easily. He does it again, Berkman reaches on a bloop single to RF, and Lee leaves the game after 110 pitches and 5 ER.

Of interesting note during this frame is Pujols’ exceptional attempt at a productive out, Freese’s dribbler bounces near the mound; with Pujols at 3rd and Placido Polanco recovering the ball, Pujols induces a 5-2 Fielder’s Choice rundown that allows sneaky Lance Berkman to advance from 1st to 3rd without a throw. Pujols claps joyously as he is tagged out by Carlos Ruiz and Berkman is standing on the bag, now in scoring position with only 1 out, and 2 men on base. This prompts an intentional walk to Molina, and the stage is perfectly set…until Theriot ends this crafty exercise by grounding into a 6-4-3 DP. You can’t knock Prince Albert for trying!

LaRussa brings on the bullpen now, as if he is negotiating a sinister chess match…well, he is. Marc Rzepczynski hits Chase Utley to start the 8th, and Hunter Pence hits a sure-fire double-play ball to Furcal. There are no easy outs; Utley masterfully breaks up the DP by uprooting Theriot at second. However, the Phillies are unable to score; TLR summons 2 more pitchers to face the next 2 batters with 1 on and 1 out and the shut down is executed.

The Phillies can’t touch Jason Motte, brought in for a 4-out Save, and the Cardinals slide their way into a win.

The attendance of 46,575 sets a Citizens Bank Park attendance record.

Series tied 1-1



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6/17/11 Kansas City Royals 5, St Louis Cardinals 4

Busch Stadium, St Louis, MO
Game 1 of 3


MOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!

How kool, the boy isn’t afraid to eat some dirt. A1 (that’s Alex Gordon) helped the Royals contend against the Cardinals early on with a bases-clearing single, but if it weren’t for Moose Mikestakas charging home plate face first to cross just in time on an error by Prince Albert Pujols…the game could have gone somewhere else.



Felipe Paulino let it all hang out in the 3rd inning, with the Cardinals batting around and scoring 4 times. Paulino has to learn, when the bases are loaded with 2 outs, this still isn’t a great time to pitch to Lance Berkman. At least not this year. But the Royals offense took advantage of “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit” in capitalizing on an uncharacteristic shaky start by Chris Carpenter to scratch out 4 total runs in the first 4 innings to tie the game. All without an extra base hit by the Royals during the entire game.

While I’d usually say that TLR knows Carpenter best, he must not have read his tea leaves right today and left tall and goofy in for an inning too many, as the error-scoring face-first-slide run occurred during Carpenter’s last inning in the 8th…and with 2 outs already on the board.

By the way, I accidentally charged that 5th run to Carpenter…not in time to fix the scan but don’t worry, my paper copy has been revised.

This was St Louis’ 7th consecutive loss, and also the 3rd PIDP (popped into double play) I’ve scored in one month’s time after never scoring one in my life until now. Go figure.

6/3/11 Chicago Cubs 1, St Louis Cardinals 6

Busch Stadium, St Louis, MO
Game 1 of 3


Image borrowed from this famous post on “A League of Her Own”

Yes, he’s a CARDINAL now…



STL highlights:
• Ryan Theriot continues his 17-game hitting streak with a lead-off double to start the Cardinals’ 1st inning
• Albert Pujols hits his 100th HR at Busch Stadium 3 with 1 on and 0 out in the 5th inning; his 418th career HR, his 48th HR vs. the Cubs, his 7th HR courtesy of Ryan Dempster
• Lance Berkman is charged with a throwing error yet knocks a 3 run HR in the first inning, also against Dempster
• Jaime Garcia pitches like, alas, Jaime Garcia

CHC highlights:
• DJ LeMahieu gets his first MLB hit (a single) in the 8th inning
• Lou Montanez’ RBI double is the only other significant Cubs offense
• Cubs do not win

5/24/11 Box Scores for Breakfast

Congratulations, Todd!


A blurry-eyed view of some of yesterday’s games…

Boston Red Sox 2, Cleveland Indians 3
Can anyone stop the Tribe? Or are they this year’s 2010 Padres?

Cincinnati Reds 3, Philadelphia Phillies
The BIG story was: Chase Utley is back. My big story: Todd Frazier got called up from AAA Louisville early yesterday (as part of a roster move that also recalled LHP Matt Maloney, demoted Jordan Smith and Edinson Volquez). Those who know me know that Todd Frazier fandom outside of Tom’s River, NJ is centrally located within a 500 ft. radius of my house…we’re all very proud of Todd, even though now we have to face the reality we knew would come someday…if his name shows up on a Reds shirt, is it OK if my kids want one? Frazier wasn’t in the starting lineup last night, but did PH for Maloney in the 7th…with his folks and many friends in the crowd, Todd majestically struck out swinging in his first MLB at-bat.

Tampa Bay Rays 3, Detroit Tigers 6
Charlie Furbush…this morning, everybody’s talking about him. Do you know Charlie Furbush? Remember this game from last year? I remember…

Tampa Bay Rays 3, Detroit Tigers 6
Albert Pujols ends his 105 at-bat HR drought…in Petco Park of all places. Did you bet on this or against it?

There is no greater game, anywhere, anytime…

Eien no tomodachi,
Stevo-sama

5/21/11 St Louis Cardinals 3, Kansas City Royals 0

Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Game 2 of 3

Nate Adcock’s most impressive first MLB start Major League Debut custom card by Clinton Wiederholdt, check out his awesome work at A Hair Off Square!!



I was never happier when I found out the Royals picked up Nate Adcock during the 2010 Rule 5 draft; this was for a few reasons:

1. Nate hails from Vine Grove, KY…right down the road from me
2. He was a formidable pitcher, a great fit for the ROYALS
3. I always applaud a great pitcher not on the Pirates’ staff, the Cubs need all the help they can get!!

Nate was very effective for the Royals in relief during his first 8 outings as a reliever, with a 2.16 ERA in 16.2 IP. When Ned Yost needed a starter, Adcock was there and got the nod for his first MLB start against the St Louis Cardinals during interleague play.

Nate did a fine job in 5 shut-out innings of work; striking out 4, walking one, hitting Albert Pujols (cheers!) and only allowing 4 hits.

Hitting Pujols would not erase Nate’s legend as “the guy who hit Robinson Cano” in New York on 5/11/2011, a career distinction he acknowledges and humbly accepts to this very day…

Why Ned Yost went with Louis Coleman in the 6th, I can’t tell you, nor can I understand. Coleman did fine, but Tim Collins gave up a 2-run HR to Matt Holliday to put the Cardinals on the board and take a decision away from Nate Adcock. Jake Westbrook (yes, Jake Westbrook) goes the distance for 8 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 3 and striking out 3. Tony LaRussa turns to Fernando Salas (who is not the closer!) who faces 4, gives up a single hit with 2 outs, and completes the handcuffing of the Royals.

UPDATE:
On February 4th, 2012, my daughter Kei and I were fortunate enough to attend an event at Louisville Harley-Davidson featuring Nate Adcock. He gave an excellent 25-minute talk on his career and baseball, answered questions from the fans, and generously signed autographs. Louisville H-D gave all those in attendance (about 20-30 folks) a custom black mini Louisville Slugger Bat with the dealership’s logo, Nate’s name, and the date all inscribed on the barrel.

I was the only fan in attendance with Royals gear on. During Nate’s Q&A session, I pretty much kept silent…when there seemed to be no more questions, he addressed me directly and said “How about YOU?” I eventually responded to an answer he provided about pitching and Bruce Chen (Bruce attributes his recent success to his work with Bob McClure) and I finally broke down and asked him about his impression of the Royals fans and KC area as a whole (“awesome, great people…very similar to Louisville in many ways”) and then where the best BBQ in KC is (he’s only been to Gate’s, he hasn’t been to Oklahoma Joe’s yet…”that place is in a GAS STATION!!”).

Thanks again to Nate for coming out and doing this, I was walking on air for days!! You can follow Nate on twitter: @NathanAdcock47
He has a great shot at making the rotation this year, support him in his quest for baseball excellence!!!

Nate and I during the autograph session (no, I am not a short guy)


Autographed Baseball


Autographed mini Louisville Slugger bat


Last, but not least…YES, Nate signed my scoresheet for this game!



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