2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games to win their 11th World Series championship. They won their second in six seasons.
The Series was noted for its back-and-forth Game 6, in which the Cardinals erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning, then did it again in the 10th. In both innings, the Rangers were one strike away from their first World Series championship. The Cardinals won the game in the 11th inning on a walk-off home run by David Freese, who was named World Series MVP. The Series was also known for the blowout Game 3, in which Cardinals player Albert Pujols hit three home runs, a World Series feat previously accomplished only by Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth, and subsequently by Pablo Sandoval in 2012. In 2020, ESPN named the 2011 World Series the fifth greatest of all time.
The Series began on October 19, earlier than the previous season, so that no games would be played in November. The Cardinals enjoyed home-field advantage for the series because the NL won the 2011 All-Star Game 5–1 on July 12. The 2011 World Series was the first World Series to go all seven games since the 2002 Series, and the last one where Game 7 was won by the home team.
Background
The Rangers were appearing in their second consecutive World Series; they lost the 2010 Series to the San Francisco Giants in five games. They were the first American League team to play in consecutive World Series since the New York Yankees did it from to. They earned their postseason berth by winning the American League West division, then defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series and the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth.The Cardinals were appearing in their 18th World Series, and third in eight years. They lost to the Boston Red Sox in, but won in against the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals earned their postseason berth by winning the National League Wild Card on the last day of the regular season, then defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series and the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth.
This Series was only the second time the Rangers and the Cardinals played each other; they met in regular-season interleague play in 2004, when the Cardinals won two of a three-game series in Texas. This was the first World Series assignment for umpires Greg Gibson and Ron Kulpa. Each of the other umpires had previously worked one World Series.
The Cardinals were supported by fans brandishing Rally Squirrel memorabilia that alluded to a squirrel that ran across the field during a playoff game.
National anthem singers featured
Game one: Scotty McCreery,
Game two: Trace Adkins,
Game three: Ronnie Dunn,
Game four: Zooey Deschanel,
Game five: Demi Lovato,
Game six: Joe, and
Game seven: Chris Daughtry
File:Adrián Beltré 2011.jpg|thumb|Rangers newcomer Adrián Beltré won both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award for his efforts during the regular season.
Texas Rangers
This was the Rangers' second appearance in the World Series. Heading into 2010, their 50th season as a franchise, the team was the only one in Major League Baseball never to win a postseason series, and was among three teams never to appear in the World Series. That season, however, the Rangers won their first postseason series and made their first appearance in the World Series, only to lose to the San Francisco Giants in five games.During the offseason, Chuck Greenberg, who purchased the Rangers from Tom Hicks during the 2010 season along with Nolan Ryan, sold his interest in the team to Ryan, making him the Rangers' principal owner. Notable player departures during the offseason included pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder/designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero and catcher Bengie Molina, who retired. Notable free agent additions during the offseason included pitchers Yoshinori Tateyama and Brandon Webb, catcher Yorvit Torrealba, and third-baseman Adrián Beltré. In January 2011, as part of a three-way trade with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Rangers acquired catcher Mike Napoli in exchange for pitcher Frank Francisco. During the season, the team acquired pitcher Koji Uehara from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for infielder Chris Davis, and Mike Adams from the San Diego Padres in exchange for two minor-league pitchers. Pitcher Arthur Rhodes was released and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals days later; as a result, Rhodes would have been entitled to receive a World Series ring regardless of which team won.
With the exception of one day in late April and a brief stretch in early May, the Rangers led the American League West for most of the season. They finished the season with a franchise record 96–66 and won their second consecutive and 5th overall division title, 10 games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They also set a franchise record for home attendance of 2,946,949. Texas also earned the most shutouts in the American League. All 5 members of the opening day starting rotation stayed in the rotation for the entire year. C. J. Wilson tied for the league lead in starts with 34 while Derek Holland tied for second in shutouts with 4, with each pitcher racking up at least 13 wins. The offense also had another good year with 3 players getting 30-plus home runs for the first time in team history, and Ian Kinsler completing his second 30–30 season.
In the postseason, the Rangers were the #2 seed in the AL. They defeated the wild-card Tampa Bay Rays in four games in the American League Division Series. They then defeated the third-seeded Detroit Tigers in six games in the American League Championship Series to reach their second consecutive appearance in the World Series.
The Rangers lost home-field advantage in the World Series as a result of the AL team, managed by Rangers manager Ron Washington, losing the 2011 All-Star Game, when Ranger ace C. J. Wilson surrendered the game-winning three-run homer to Prince Fielder.
File:David Freese in 2017.jpg|thumb|Cardinals third baseman David Freese experienced a torrid hitting streak in the postseason, being named NLCS MVP in 2011.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals made their first World Series appearance since, when they defeated the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1 to win their National League-leading 10th World Series title. This was manager Tony La Russa's 6th World Series appearance as manager and his third with the Cardinals. The Cardinals' last postseason appearance was in 2009, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. They finished the 2010 season with a record of 86–76, finishing in second place in the National League Central standings, 5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds.During the 2010 offseason, the team signed new contracts with manager Tony La Russa and picked up All-Star slugger Albert Pujols' club option. Notable offseason departures included shortstop Brendan Ryan and relief pitcher Blake Hawksworth. Additionally, during the offseason the team announced that ace pitcher Adam Wainwright would miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. Notable offseason additions included shortstop Ryan Theriot, outfielder Lance Berkman, catcher Gerald Laird, and infielder Nick Punto. In late April, after a number of blown saves, the Cardinals removed pitcher Ryan Franklin from the closer role, and released him on June 29. On July 27, the Cardinals sent outfielder Colby Rasmus and pitchers Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P. J. Walters to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitchers Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, and Octavio Dotel, and outfielder Corey Patterson. They then acquired Rafael Furcal from the Dodgers in exchange for Alex Castellanos, a minor-league outfielder. On August 11, the team signed free agent pitcher Arthur Rhodes, who had been released by the Texas Rangers days earlier.
David Freese was projected to start the 2011 season, and he was named the starter on Opening Day, despite suffering minor ailments during spring training. He started off the year batting over.320, but he missed 51 games after being hit by a pitch that fractured his left hand. After returning to the starting lineup, he finished the season with a.297 batting average, 10 home runs, and 55 RBIs. He recorded hits in eight of the final nine regular-season games. Freese credited his improvement in power hitting to hitting coach Mark McGwire, who helped him refine his stroke.
The Cardinals spent much of the early part of the 2011 season in first place in the NL Central standings but dropped to second place for good on July 27. On August 25, the team trailed the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild card standings by games. The Cardinals amassed a 21–9 record from August 26 to September 27, while the Braves were 10–19 over that same interval. Meanwhile, on September 23, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central division title. On September 28, with the Cardinals and Braves tied atop the Wild Card standings on the last day of the regular season, the Cardinals routed the Houston Astros 8–0 in Houston, while the Braves lost at home to the Philadelphia Phillies 4–3 in 13 innings, securing the Cardinals' second wild card postseason berth in franchise history. St. Louis finished with a record of 90–72, 6 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central but one ahead of the Braves in the Wild Card. Thus, they completed the largest comeback in history with 32 left to play. Due to their fixtures in different divisions, they played fewer head-to-head games, further lowering Cardinals' odds of catching the Braves.
They defeated the overall #1 seed Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series 3 games to 2, and then defeated the second-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in six games in the National League Championship Series. Game 5 of the NLDS between the Cardinals and Phillies featured a pitching duel between Chris Carpenter and Phillies ace Roy Halladay that became the first NL playoff series to end in a 1–0 score and Carpenter's second complete game shutout clincher of the season. In the NLCS against Milwaukee, Freese had a.545 batting average, hit 3 home runs, drove in 9 runs, and scored 7 runs. He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player.