The St. Louis Cardinals pulled off one of the greatest World Series victories in baseball history when they came off the deck to beat the Texas Rangers in 2011. That memorable triumph is still alive in Skip Schumaker's heart since he was an outfielder on that team.
When it comes to greatest and most dramatic World Series that have been played over the last 50 years, four come to mind immediately.
The famous Cincinnati Reds-Boston Red Sox 1975 World Series that featured Carlton Fisk's game-winning home run in the sixth game and the Reds triumph in Game 7. The 1986 Mets also had something of a miracle when they beat the Red Sox in seven games.
The 1991 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves came down to an epic pitching duel between Jack Morris of the Twins and John Smoltz of the Braves. The Twins need extra innings to record a 1-0 triumph.
The Cardinals' triumph over the Rangers is the fourth, and Schumaker recently relived that series in an interview on MLB insider Buster Olney's podcast.
The Cardinals were down to their last out in the sixth game, much like the Mets were in '86. But David Freese lined a ball off the right-field wall with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and tied the game. St. Louis also rallied from another two-run deficit in the 10th inning to tie the game once again.
St. Louis won the game on a home run to center field by Freese. The Cardinals finished the job by winning Game 7 to earn the World Series triumph.
Schumaker has intense memories of Game 6
The former Cardinals outfielder and second baseman — along with Marlins manager — relived the triumph with great joy.
“I still can't believe we won the World Series, let alone the Game 6,” Schumaker said. “They (the Rangers) had Neftali Feliz on the mound, and the game was gone. Tony (LaRussa) pulled me and a couple of other veteran players aside and told us to stay around after the game so we could salute the fans. To come back in that situation was on our radar, but not like it usually is.
“Freese hit the ball, and you see (Rangers right fielder) Nellie Cruz drift back. He jumps, and it seemed that it was too soon. Everybody was holding their breath to see if he caught it, and it went off the wall. Albert (Pujols) was waving everybody to come on, and it was a moment I will never forget.”
Follow Us
Subscribe
