Tag Archives: 2011 NLDS Game Five

Some Cardinals Alternatives To Watching This Year’s World Series

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Even though the 2016 World Series gets underway tonight, you might not be in the mood to watch it. Want to look back on some better days instead? Here, and all available on YouTube, are some alternatives that will make for more pleasant viewing.

The videos are the complete games, so watching these should keep you busy … and able to avoid whatever might be happening in this year’s World Series.

Game One – 1968 World Series

Starting off with an absolute classic in a year that didn’t result in a Cardinals World Series championship, but began with an incredible performance by that year’s NL Cy Young Winner and Most Valuable Player, Bob Gibson. His 17 strikeouts in the game are a record that still stands.

Game Seven – 1982 World Series 

Ah, nothing like a Game Seven — especially when it’s a Game Seven win! Watch the Cardinals win their ninth World Series championship, and first since the days of Bob Gibson in 1967, when they beat the Brewers 6-3 behind Joaquin Andujar and Bruce Sutter.

Game Six – 2004 NLCS

The 2004 National League Championship Series between the Astros and Cardinals was an incredible one, yet mostly overlooked by the national media due to the ALCS that was going on at the same time. We remember, though, these hard-fought seven games in which the home team was victorious in each — and the MV3 was in their prime and all making big contributions. Jim Edmonds was the walk-off hero in this one, as you no doubt remember. (Also, in case you forgot, Carlos Beltran and Lance Berkman were the enemy.)

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Five Years Ago Tonight: The Game of Chris Carpenter’s Career

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With the memories of the Cardinals miraculous run to the 2011 World Series championship five years behind us, the biggest moments are what stand out the most. And five years ago tonight was a defining one: Game Five of the division series against the Phillies, Chris Carpenter vs. Roy Halladay.

The smaller moments leading up to the win-or-go-home showdown between the best buds are worth remembering, though — like the Rally Squirrel’s emergence in the Cards’ Game 4 victory at Busch Stadium (and “Happy Flights”) and the prevalence of all those entertaining Twitter accounts from the Squirrel, Torty Craig and more. (Oh, Allen Craig, we miss you …)

The Friday night battle to determine who would move on and face the Brewers (oh yeah, they were in the playoffs that year too) lived up to the hype — which, as we know, doesn’t always happen in baseball. The lone run was scored, as we remember, when Rafael Furcal lead off the top of the first with a triple followed by Skip Schumaker doubling to drive him in. From there it was just masterful pitching from both Halladay and Carpenter. Relive the highlights from Chris Carpenter via video here, and read on for thoughts — and those memorable photos — from the time.

Carpenter Carries Cards To NLCS

Cardinals' Carpenter celebrates winning their MLB baseball playoff game against the Phillies in Philadelphia

Click photo for larger version

In six weeks of magical moments and inspiring wins, we now have one to head the list.

For now, anyway, although it will be a challenge for any victory to top this.

Last night was all the cliches — must win to continue, everything on the line — and the result could sound like a cliche too: Chris Carpenter pitched the game of his life.

A complete game three-hit shutout, 110 pitches with no room for error because the Cardinals clung to a 1-0 lead — a lead that came on the second play of the game when Skip Schumaker doubled home Rafael Furcal after a lead-off triple.

Carpenter got the job done.

Not that it wasn’t intense.

I watched the game with the sound muted from the second inning on — the combination of nerves and the Philadelphia crowd and blathering from Dick Stockton, Ron Darling and especially John Smoltz was too much. And instead of spending time on Twitter sharing the experience like I usually would, I mostly just sat and watched. Or stood and watched. Or paced and watched. Continue reading →

Throwback Thursday – Chris Carpenter: A Warrior’s Final Stand

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Note: As I said last week, I’m not planning on writing much here anymore. But today I’m posting an article I wrote for the United Cardinal Bloggers 2013 season in review publication, which is still available for purchase. Like last week’s from the 2012 UCB publication, it’s also on Chris Carpenter. 

Chris Carpenter: A Warrior’s Final Stand

It can’t be how he expected his career to end.

The final pitch of Chris Carpenter’s career came on Oct. 4, 2013, fittingly on the Busch Stadium pitcher’s mound. Fall sunshine bathed the ballpark with a golden glow as more than 40,000 Cardinals fans stood and cheered.

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Photo: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Unfortunately, that final pitch was of no consequence. His last was a ceremonial one delivered just before Game Two of the National League Division Series between the Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Touchingly, he was accompanied to the mound by his daughter, Ava, and tossed the baseball to his son, Sam, behind home plate.

Perhaps surprisingly, the emotion of the moment was visible on Carpenter’s face as he tipped his Cardinals cap to the crowd and, moments later, embraced his children as they all walked off the mound.

Then again, emotion from Chris Carpenter on a pitcher’s mound – though of a different sort – was never a surprise. It was expected. Emotion defined Chris Carpenter’s career nearly as much as his signature curveball.

And nearly as much as injuries.

Injury definitely defined the final two years of Carpenter’s career, 2012 and 2013. Yet it also defined how he became a Cardinal, when the Toronto Blue Jays – the team that chose him in the first round of the 1993 draft – removed him from their 40-man roster after the 2002 season ended, and after he’d had shoulder surgery. The Jays wanted him to sign a minor-league contract with incentives.

He instead chose to become a free agent, signing with St. Louis in December. He missed the entire 2003 season, finally making his Cardinals debut on April 9, 2004, at Arizona. His 2004 season was better than any he’d ever had as a Blue Jay, as he went 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA. But he didn’t pitch after Sept. 18, as a right biceps strain kept him from the mound. Tests later revealed a nerve irritation to his upper arm, a condition we would become all too familiar with in the future.

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Two Friends, One Epic Game, Neither Was Ever Quite the Same

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Of course we remember Oct. 7, 2011. Game Five of the National League Division Series, the epic match-up of best buddies Chris Carpenter and the wild card Cardinals against Roy Halladay and the 102-win-best-record-in-MLB Phillies.

And now, with the retirement on Monday of Halladay and the official retirement of Carpenter last month, we remember it anew.

roy_halladay_chris_carpenterThat the long-time friends were facing each other for the first time, and in such a situation, was of course much hyped, yet justifiably so. Each was a Cy Young winner, Carpenter in 2005 and Halladay twice — winning as a Blue Jay in 2003 and a Phillie in 2010, the season he threw a perfect game against the Marlins and a no-hitter against the Reds in his postseason debut. (Thank you again, baseball gods, for letting Brandon Phillips be the final batter in that one.)

Then came Game Five itself, living up to every bit of the hype. The Cardinals took charge in the first inning, with a lead-off triple from Rafael Furcal followed by a Skip Schumaker double providing the only run of the game. Halladay scattered four other hits throughout his eight total innings, striking out seven and walking one — That Guy Who Used to Play First Base — intentionally. Carpenter was even better, as we all so gladly remember: only three hits, an equal number of strikeouts, no walks, one final out primal scream and one Nick Punto shredding.

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Letter To The (Now) Cardinals Enemy: Skip Schumaker

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Dear Skip,

Ah, yes indeed, our dearest and beloved Skippy! Congratulations should be in order first of all, to you and your Dodgers on making it to the National League Championship Series. Way to go!

LOS ANGELES DODGERS WORKOUTYou guys definitely have had quite a season, from being in last place in the National League West on June 30 to being the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot when you won your division — and the team definitely knew how to celebrate that accomplishment, right? Then you took care of the Braves in the NLDS rather easily in four games.

Which leads us to where we are today: Dodgers vs. Cardinals in the NLCS for the first time since 1985, first team to four wins moves to the World Series while the other team goes home.

Should be quite the match-up. As you are well aware, it’s the third straight year for the Cards in the NLCS — and your third straight year there too. But, adored as you still are among Cardinals fans, we’re rooting that you’ve had your last celebration in 2013. We have to, unapologetically.

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On Chris Carpenter, Baseball Moments and Storybook Endings

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Chris Carpenter has been on my mind in recent weeks.

There have been the glimpses of him in the Cardinals dugout from time to time during the Cardinals broadcasts, of course, plus he was featured prominently in a great USA Today piece by Bob Nightengale on Sept. 26, “Game in ’11 ‘changed everything’ for two teams.”

CC-first pitchLast Saturday night too, while I watched Andy Pettitte’s final inning as a major leaguer play out with the perfect ending of a complete game, I couldn’t help but think of Chris.

He deserves that kind of from-a-movie ending, doesn’t he? For all that he’s done for and as a Cardinal, to recognize the baddest of BAMFs to pitch for the team since Bob Gibson?

But baseball isn’t fair.

And, as we all learn the hard way at some point, life isn’t fair.

Chris did get a baseball moment on Friday, as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game Two of the NLDS. (Thank you, MLB Network, for showing it.)

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