Quick, who was the winning pitcher for the Cardinals in Game Six of the 2011 World Series?

Yes, it was Jake Westbrook.

And just like the other sometimes forgotten hero of that game, Westbrook too has now retired. He leaves with a 105-103 career record and 4.32 ERA, with his numbers during his four seasons as a Cardinal pretty similar: 36-32 with a 4.27 ERA.

Yet he did have some highlights as a Card.

• Pitching a scoreless top of the 11th inning in the aforementioned Game Six, which you can see here in 47 seconds.
• Hitting a grand slam on Aug. 31, 2011, against the Brewers — and this clip is worth watching just for Ricky Horton and Al Hrabosky’s stunned descriptions.
• A five-hit complete-game shutout of the Reds last April 10, his only shutout as a Cardinal. If you have a couple hours, watch the whole game again.
• Plus countless dance routines with Adam Wainwright (and, truthfully, that’s probably what many will remember most of all).

Happy retirement, Jake!

Another formerly retired former Card who was attempting a comeback had it all come to a heartbreaking end, as Mark Mulder suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon doing agility drills with the Angels. And in case that wasn’t sad enough for you, there’s this tweet from Mark.

I can handle this. But seeing my son in tears when he saw me in a boot and crutches and I told him I wasn’t going to pitch. That was tough.

— Mark Mulder (@markmulder20) February 15, 2014

Like many of you, I was really rooting for him to succeed in this comeback.

There’s another former Cardinal attempting a pitching comeback this spring, but it’s perhaps a surprising one: Rob Johnson. This piece from Brian Walton at The Cardinal Nation first caught my eye because of the title, not surprisingly — Rob Johnson takes Aaron Miles to the next level — and details Johnson’s quest to become a full-time pitcher by signing a minor league deal with the Padres.

OK, onto the current Cardinals — and I’m personally still catching up on what’s been going on in Jupiter, after a 10-day business trip that kept me out of the baseball loop completely. One thing I’m always happy to see each year are the photo galleries from spring training at STLToday.com. These pictures from yesterday are great.

Michael Wacha, I don’t think you’re going to be winning any limbo contests …

Peter Bourjos was in camp yesterday! In high socks! On Saturday! Is it too early to become the official home of the Peter Bourjos Fan Club?

Ah, it really is spring training now …

Happy Sunday!

Also, there will be more on this tomorrow morning, but check out the United Cardinal Bloggers 2013 recap — Purpose, Perseverance and Power Arms: The 2013 St. Louis Cardinals — on sale now at Amazon.com. Great way to relive last season and get ready for 2014!


Christine Coleman is the lead writer for Aaron Miles’ Fastball. Follow her on Twitter, @CColeman802, or email aaronmilesfastball@gmail.com. Also follow @AMilesFastball for the latest updates and like us on Facebook if you don’t already.