Let the Game Begin and Now End

**** Top of First ****
7:06 Central Time- Game 7 has begun with a single by Kinsler getting the Rangers going against Carpenter. What a series it has been. Will tonight live up to it?

7:08 And Kinsler is picked off/caught stealing. How fast things can change. Oh yeah- that happened last night, too.

7:10 Hamilton gets an RBI double scoring Andrus and Ron Washington shows his great emotions.

7:11 Young scores Hamilton. Texas 2-0, one out. It is already looking like a hit-fest. It could be a long game at this rate.

7:13 End of top of 1st. 2-0 Rangers. It looks like last night is simply memory. So far.

**** Bottom of First ****
7:20 Now two out in bottom of 1st and Albert Pujols comes to bat in what may well be his last game in St. Louis. And he gets walked. First base runner for the Cardinals. Now the crowds get up as Berkman bats...

7:23 And walks. Along comes last night's hometown hero David Freese.

7:27 Freese doubles and gets 2 RBIs, tying the game. Yes, it is only the first inning. Molina bats. Wilson is warming up already in the bullpen for the Rangers.

7:29 Molina flies out to Hamilton. Third out. End of first. Game tied.

• {Trivia from Fox: Home team has one most of World Series Game Sevens (20 of 35). Last time a home team lost- 1979.}

**** Top of Second ****
7:33 Along comes Napoli with a single to lead off the second. May be the Series MVP. {No- I'm not going batter by batter. Will slow down and watch for a while.}

7:38 Kinsler walks. Two on with two out and a visit to the mound by the Cards pitching coach. No, this is NOT a pitchers' night.

7:40 Men left on base for Rangers as Andrus grounds out. Still 2-2.

**** Bottom of Second ****
7:46 6-4-3 Double Play. Two out and no one on.

7:47 Pitcher Carpenter strikes out. Tied at 2 at the end of 2.

**** Top of Third ****
7:55 One left on base. No runs in bottom of 2nd. Still tied 2-2.

• {Trivia: The Gateway Arch in St Louis was completed on this date in 1965.}

**** Bottom of Third ****
8:02 Allen Craig homers with one out and no one on. Cards go ahead 3-2.

8:06 Inning over. Cards lead 3-2.

**** Top of Fourth ****
8:12 Rangers get nothing. Cards still lead 3-2.

• {Trivia: Bob Gibson started the most game sevens in the 20th Century. He did so in 1964, 1967, and 1968. He won two of the three, losing in 1968 to Mickey Lolich of the Tigers. He, of course, played for the Cards.}

**** Bottom of Fourth ****
8:26 Still 3-2 Cards as they strand two.

• {More Trivia: Jack Morris (Minnesota Twins) pitched the first complete extra innings seventh game shutout. Morris who shutout the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings in the 1991 World Series by a score of 1 to 0. Dan Gladden scored the winning run after a hit by Gene Larkin. The Twins won the series.}

**** Top of Fifth ****
8:38 Halfway through Game 7. Still 3-2 the home town Cards.

• After the fast start things have settled in. How could it be anywhere near as exciting as last night?

**** Bottom of Fifth ****
8:52 Feldman pitches in relief of Harrison. With two out, an intentional walk to Freese to load the bases.

8:55 Feldman walks Molina and walks in the run. Now 4-2 Cards. But it is only the 5th. And a pitching change for the Rangers- C J Wilson.

8:59 Was that a brushback pitch that hit Furcal? Forcing in another run? Wilson in trouble? Ball still hasn't left the infield for the Cards and they lead 5-2.

9:01 Schumaker strikes out as Cards have stranded 6 but lead by 3, 5-2. THEY NEVER EVEN HAD A HIT IN THIS INNING!

• {Trivia: First baseman Gil Hodges and pitcher Johnny Podres were heroes in Brooklyn, after they led the Dodgers to a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees in game seven of the 1955 World Series. Hodges drove home both Brooklyn runs with a fourth inning single and a sixth inning sacrifice fly.}

**** Top of Sixth ****
9:06 Craig steals the home run from Cruz. Two out.

9:08 Inning ends. Carpenter has a 1-2-3 inning. Cards still lead 5-2. Carpenter has really settled in and time is running out for the Rangers.

**** Bottom of Sixth ****
9:16 Craig strikes out giving Wilson a 1-2-3 inning. Still stands at 5-2 Cards.

Nine outs away from a Cards win as we go to the
**** Top of Seventh ***
9:20 Carpenter pulled after Murphy doubles for Rangers. Is this the start of the rally?

9:25 Rhodes now pitching for the Cards. Probably just for one batter- Torrealba who flies out to center. Dotel coming in to pitch for Cards.

9:33 Dotel gets out of trouble. Andrus flies out.

• Not since 1986 has a team come back from a 3-run deficit to win Game 7. The NY Mets against the Red Sox. The year of the Bill Buckner Game 6 error. Will it happen tonight? If it is to happen this is the season for it, although it's been the Cards who have been facing elimination over and over since August and the Rangers haven't lost two in a row since then.

Seventh Inning Stretch

• {Trivia: New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers played against each other the most times in Game 7 in the 20th Century. They played a 7 game series 4 times over a period from 1947 to 1956, with the Yankees winning 3 of them.}

**** Bottom of Seventh ****
9:40 Adams pitching for Rangers. Pujols' possible last at-bat as a Cardinal. Again. He strikes out.

9:48 Molina singles in Berkman. 6-2 Cards.

9:53 Another pitching change for Rangers as Gonzalez relieves Adams.

9:56 Inning over. End of 7, with the Cards and a 4 run lead and the Rangers down to six outs.

• {Trivia (or destiny?): The Cards have won more World Series Game Sevens than any other team. Of the Cardinal's 9 World Series wins, 7 have have come in a series that went the full 7 games. (They have lost three Game Sevens.) The Yankees won 26 championships, but only 6 of them went the distance. Pittsburgh is 3rd on the list, with all 5 of their world championships coming in 7 games.}

**** Top of Eighth ****
10:00 Lance Lynn now pitching for Cards and Hamilton grounds out for first out.

10:03 Beltre strikes out to end the top of eighth for Rangers. Three outs left. Down 6-2.

**** Bottom of Eighth ****
10:12 Ogando replaces Gonzalez who is injured.

10:15 End of the inning. Down to the last chance for the Rangers. Is it still possible?

• The last time the Cards won a World Series 7th game was 1982 against the Brewers who were then in the American League. Of course the Rangers have NEVER won. (Neither have the Brewers.)

**** Top of Ninth ****
10:18 Jason Motte now pitching for the Cards as they come to the end.

10:19 One down as Cruz flies out, and Nolan Ryan does not look happy.

10:20 Molina grounds out third to first. Two down.

10:22 And It Is Over.
11th Championship for the Cards. First since 2006. Most of any NL team.

They did it as the Wild Card on a late-season run.

The home team winning continues.

The 2011 season is now over. My Twins weren't there- but wait until next year. It started in April and is complete, in the record books.

Only a little more than 5 months and the new season will begin.

But first, lest we forget.

Go Pack Go.