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I was twelve. I sat on the floor, five feet from the television. The 2005 incarnation of the St. Louis Cardinals was the greatest baseball team I had ever seen, after the 2004 version of the team, that is. The 2005 team won 100 games and cruised to a division crown, besting second-place Houston by eleven games. It was Game Five of the NLCS and the Cardinals were one out from being eliminated by those very Astros. John Rodriguez struck out swinging. John Mabry struck out swinging. But hope still remained in the five-foot-seven-inch form of David Eckstein. The Cardinal leadoff hitter was one of the tougher outs in the game - a scrapper known for his determination and grit. He faced Brad Lidge, the Houston closer with forty-two saves to his name that year. Eckstein was quickly in a 1-2 hole, but smacked a single into left field to continue the inning. The win expectancy moved up to four percent. Jim Edmonds, the 6.1 fWAR centerfielder stepped in the box and worked a quick five-pitch walk. The win expectancy moved up to only seven percent then, but to twelve year old me, it felt like one hundred.
Because win expectancy did not know what I knew. Win expectancy did not know who was up to bat.
The Cardinals would go on to lose the next game 5-1, ending their season, and Houston would go on to be swept by the White Sox, then be shutout from the post season for the next ten years. In what would otherwise be a forgettable NLCS, one moment will ensure it forever lives on.
Brad Lidge and the home run we'll never forget | SweetSpot - ESPN
what else is going on in baseball...
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what the cardinals are up to...
- La Russa: 100-win Cards 'should be applauded' as one of the best : Sports | STL Today
- Strauss: Playoffs exposed flawed Cardinals : Sports | STL Today
- Wong endures daily grind of long season : Sports | STL Today
- Thank You, Cardinals Nation! | St. Louis Cardinals
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the nl central