The St. Louis Cardinals have advanced to their fourth World Series in the last decade following a 9-0 game six victory giving them the NLCS in six games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. 22-year-old rookie pitcher Michael Wacha was named the series MVP after picking up his second win in the series over Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
Overall Wacha was 2-0 in the series (and 3-0 so far in the playoffs) with 13 2/3 innings of shutout ball in the series. Overall he struck out 13 and walked just two batters, and gave up just 7 hits in the series.
“We want to see it a few more times, a couple at least,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of the performance of the rookie phenom.
Meanwhile the Cardinals hitters feasted on Kershaw, roughing up the NL Cy Young favorite for four runs in the third inning and three more in the fifth before he was pulled from the game. Overall the Cardinals would have a nine run lead by the end of the fifth and the game was really never in doubt after the two big innings.
Kershaw was asked whether he considered the Dodgers season, and his personal accomplishments a success, but wasn’t much in the mood for reflection.
“If you don’t win, what’s the point?” Kershaw said. “It doesn’t really matter. All this stuff.”
The World Series will start on Wednesday. The Cardinals await the winner of the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, with the Red Sox currently holding a 3-2 series lead The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, however the Cardinals beat the Tigers in the 2006 series.
37-year-old Carlos Beltran will be the story of the series as he plays in his first World Series. Beltran has been huge for the Cards all series, and knocked in the team’s first run on Friday. He also had an amazing catch in right field.
“I’m so happy right now. We did it as a team,” Beltran said. “We fought hard, we worked hard all season long and thank God we’re here.”
In an interesting sidenote, the win wouldn’t be possible without Albert Pujols leaving the Cardinals to sign with the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. The move gave the Cardinals the 19th overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft which they used to select Wacha, as well as spurred the team on to acquire Carlos Beltran as a free agent.
The Cardinals hope to get word that Alan Craig, their RBI leader this season, will be cleared to play in the World Series. He has been out since early September with a broken foot.
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