"That was the best base hit I have had in my career"
- Albert Pujols
If I didn't see it live, I don't think I would have fully believed it. The Houston Astros were one strike away from the World Series, their first in franchise history. That is, until Albert the Great came to the plate. Alberus Magnus, batting in the ninth inning with 2 on & 2 out, his 3 run homerun will be one of the all-time great sports memories of my life. It ranks right up there with Ozzie Smith's homerun to beat the Dodgers in the '85 NLCS; I can still hear Jack Buck's voice, "Go crazy folks, go crazy!" The Cardinals still have 2 more games to win but this bomb by Pujols may be the impetus to get the Redbird bats going. Click the graphic below to check out the video of the ninth inning highlights below. Note two things in the video: the KMOX radio call by Mike Shannon for Pujols homerun and Andy Pettitte's ("Oh my God...") reaction in the dugout of the Pujols heart-breaker.
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[ Homerun video ] |
This year's NLCS has been disappointing for the Cardinals so far. The offense has been dismal and the Astros pitching has been frighteningly good. Oswaldt and Clemens have been fantastic and Pettitte was good in game 5 until he was relieved. The good news is that the Albertus Magnus bitch-slap of a homerun (was the ball still rising when it hit the wall in left field?) could be a huge momentum shift and just what the Cardinals need to get them fired up again.
There were 5 key moments in Mondays game worth noting
- Larry Walker's 3rd inning walk - Larry Walker has been struggling at the plate during this postseason. However, his maturity as a hitter was key in hanging tough for so many pitches against Pettitte during the 3rd inning, finally resulting in a key walk. Walker is only batting .138 in the NLCS but kept his cool at the plate in the 3rd to set up Grudzielanek who followed him.
- Mark Grudzielanek's 3rd inning 2 RBI single - Grudzielanek has also been struggling at the plate, batting only .125 in the series and 0-7 with runners in scoring position. His clutch 3rd inning hit not only drove in 2 runs but it gave Chris Carpenter the confidence to go back to the mound and pitch with a lead, something the Cardinals have rarely enjoyed during this series.
Lance Berkman - Player of the Game - I know it didn't look good for the Cardinals being down 2 runs with 1 out in the ninth inning but naming Lance Berkman as player of the game, before the game was over, was a major gaff. I'm no expert but I think in retrospect, Berkman may not be the unanimous choice for player of Game 5. The presumption of the FOX producer made the Pujols smackdown just that more sweet. - David Eckstein - Anything this guy does, he does well - Game 5 was no exception. He is all hustle, all the time. In the 3rd, he singled, stole a base and scored a run. In the 7th, he beat out an infield single and stole second base. Finally, in the 9th, he led off the Cardinal comeback with a 2 out - 2 strike single in the hole between third and short. His single brought Edmonds up who was walked. This brought Albertus Magnus up with 2 on and 2 out.
- Albert Pujols - In 2004 and 2005 Pujols has hit 20 game winning RBIs each season. So, this is situation was not exactly foreign to him. This at bat could have been the last at-bat of the 2005 season; a season where anything less a World Series win would foil expectations. The Cardinals as a team had 39 comeback wins in 2005 and would make it 40 with Pujols' monster shot over the left field seats. When I saw him hit the 0-1 pitch, I didn't yell or scream, I just sat in disbelief at what I was seeing. The roar from the home crowd eminating from the TV grew eerily quiet. I had chills. His bomb silenced and stunned the entire crowd. A moment earlier 40,000 people were sure they were going to the World Series, now - silence, deafening silence.
Does all this mean that the St. Louis Cardinals will win the next 2 game and meet the Chicago White Sox in the World Series? I would like to think so. Pujols' homerun may be just what the Cardinals need to get their offense cranked up again. They are also returning to Busch Stadium where they are tough to beat, specially coming off such a monumental win as Monday night. Finally, the Cardinals have a legacy of winning to help pull them through. St Louis, Missouri and Busch Stadium is one, if not the best, homes of baseball in America. The old stadium will be rocking on Wednesday night. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
UPDATE-Video: NLCS Gm5 - Entire top-of-the-9th inning. [Large: 24Mb!]
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