St. Louis Cardinals’ Tony La Russa pleased with World Series success – MLB Update
St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa was a relieved man after his side won the World Series for the 11th time in franchise history on Friday, October 28, defeating the Texas Rangers 6-2 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.
La Russa agreed to the proposition that there cannot be a better feeling than winning a World Series at home, especially after ensuring qualification for the postseason on the last day of the regular season. He added that winning a Game 7 is like a dream come true and it is hard to digest that the Cardinals actually won.
The Cardinals could have bagged the series earlier as well, but a mix-up in the bull-pen selection during Game 5 allowed the Rangers to get a lead for the first time in the series. The Rangers managed to split the first two games of the series at Busch Stadium, but failed to convert their liking for National League-style of play into a positive result for the ballclub in the last two games, losing both to go down 3-4 in the Fall Classic.
The manager articulated that he was not sure on whether to start Chris Carpenter in Game 7 till just before the game, when the pitching coach announced that it had to be their ace on the mound. The Rangers, on the contrary, showed rigidity and started with Matt Harrison, as scheduled. This did not prove to be fruitful for Texas, who had to call him off after the fourth inning.
Rangers’ manager Ron Washington was forced to use his ace, C.J. Wilson, in relief, but he failed to bring his team back in contention. His first pitch, with bases loaded, hit the batter and allowed the Cardinals to extend their lead to three-runs with the scorecard showing 5-2.
La Russa clarified that a major reason for this win has been the character of his players, who have a mentality of never giving-up. He continued that after mid-August, the team wanted to regain some lost glory and thus aimed at winning a few games, but the momentum got better and this is what the team has earned, ultimate glory!
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