*Photo from the New York Times*
Continuing the 2010 decade champions, we go to the 2011 St.Louis Cardinals.
The St.Louis Cardinals had a good start to the new century. They appeared in the world series in 2004, but lost, and won the world series in 2006 when they were heavy underdogs. After they finished second in the NL Central in 2010, there was optimism that the Cardinals could compete for a playoff spot and maybe even make a world series run in 2011, so this didn't come out of nowhere. The Cardinals were loaded, led by franchise legend Albert Pujols, longtime catcher Yadier Molina, and a mix of Jon Jay, Skip Schumaker, Ryan Theriot, and Colby Rasmus performing well. The pitching was anchored by ace Chris Carpenter, with Adam Wainwright being a quality number two option and Kyle Lohse anchoring the back end of the rotation. The Cardinals finished second in the NL Central in 2011, with a 90-72 record.
The journey to the world series started in the NLDS, when the Cardinals played the juggernaut Philadelphia Phillies, who won 102 games in the regular season, so it was an uphill battle for the Cardinals. They were taken care of in game one, as the Phillies won 11-6. The Cardinals stole game two from the Phillies with a 5-4 win to tie the series. The Phillies then came back and won a close game 3 with a 3-2 win. The Cardinals then forced the series back to Philadelphia with a 5-3 win. Game 5 was a pitchers duel, with Carpenter and Roy Halladay throwing terrific games. The one run St.Louis scored in the first inning made the difference, as they shocked the Phillies and advanced to the NLCS with a 1-0 win in game 5.
Next up was the division rival Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. The Cardinals dropped game one 9-6. Game two was no contest as the Cardinals tied the series up with a 12-3 rout. They took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-3 win in game 3. The Brewers got back on track in game 4 and tied the series with a 4-2 win. In the pivotal game 5, the Cardinals rose to the occasion and won by a 7-1 score. The Cardinals needed to win game 6 to advance to the world series, and they did with a 12-6 win to clinch the NL pennant.
The World Series featured the Cardinals against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers were looking for a world series win this time around after they inexplicably lost to the San Francisco Giants in 2010. The Cardinals took game one at home with a 3-2 win to start off the right way. The Rangers quickly bounced back and tied the series with a 2-1 win in game two. The Cardinals routed the Rangers in game 3 by a 16-7 score to retake the series lead. The Rangers quickly tied the series again in game 4 with a 4-0 win as Derek Holland baffled Cardinals hitters all night long. The Rangers then took the series lead with a 4-2 win in game 5. In game 6, the Cardinals were one strike away from losing the world series, when David Freese tripled to tie the game in the 9th. He then won the game in the 11th to force a deciding game 7. The Cardinals then did what they had to do in game 7 and won the world series with a 6-2 win.
People expected the Cardinals to compete for the playoffs in 2011, but with all the obstacles in their way in terms of who they had to face to win the World Series, people weren't expecting them to beat the Phillies in the NLDS. But they managed to do it, and the cinderella run ensued.
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