Posted: Wednesday October 27, 2004 8:41PM; Updated: Thursday October 28, 2004 12:02AM 
| First Inning |
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OK, here's the deal. You can have the best defense in baseball playing behind you, as the Cardinals do, but if you walk batters and give up home runs, then the ball is not in play and that advantage is lost. Jason Marquis falls in line with the other St. Louis starters and gives up a first-inning run, on a leadoff homer by Johnny Damon. He also walks Manny Ramirez but Marquis works around it. This has to be driving Tony La Russa nuts. |
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La Russa returns Tony Womack to the leadoff spot and it pays off as he lines a leadoff single. But instead of waiting for Womack to steal second or try to hit through the big hole on the right side, Larry Walker tries to bunt for a base hit. Derek Lowe throws Walker out at first, appreciative of the free out. By the time the ice cold Scott Rolen comes up with Womack on third, you know the inning's over.
St. Louis 0, Boston 1; Defensive outs to go before it's no longer cool to be a Red Sox fan: 24
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| Second Inning |
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Marquis has to settle down and stop elevating his pitches or there are going to be a whole mess of free tacos given out at a Taco Bell near you. He gives up a double to Trot Nixon and walks Mark Bellhorn but gets out of the jam when Damon grounds out on what looks like a very hittable pitch up and out over the plate. |
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Lowe finished off the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS and looks primed to do the same here to the Cardinals. The retooled bottom of the lineup for St. Louis, with Edgar Renteria batting sixth and John Mabry seventh, goes down in order.
St. Louis 0, Boston 1; Busch Stadium fans who wish the visiting Barry Bonds could suit up for the Cards: 52,000
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| Third Inning |
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Marquis gives up two more runs on a bases-loaded double off the center-field wall to Nixon, and you have to wonder how much longer La Russa is gonna stick with his starter. Marquis is lucky he's not down 6-0 at this point and he's due to bat second in the inning. Facing elimination, does La Russa have a choice here? |
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Lowe really has his sinker working now. It's practically falling off the shelf once it gets to home plate. The Cardinals don't appear patient enough to make Lowe elevate the ball as Yadier Molina whiffs and Marquis and Womack ground out. With the top of Boston's lineup due to bat, how many more batters will Marquis last, two?
St. Louis 0, Boston 3; Little League World Series flashbacks: 2
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| Fourth Inning |
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La Russa's faith is rewarded: Marquis notches his first 1-2-3 inning of the game. Ramirez and Cardinals catcher Molina get into a little discussion that prompts Red Sox manager Terry Francona to intervene. The FOX announcers are stumped as to the cause, but it was probably one of two things: Manny was peaking at Molina's position before the pitch or his backswing was getting a little too close for comfort. |
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Even Albert Pujols is having crummy at-bats now. Lowe gets him to chase a 1-2 pitch a foot outside. That's 12 in a row retired by Lowe since Womack's leadoff single.
St. Louis 0, Boston 3; House M.D. commercials: 1
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| Fifth Inning |
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Earlier in the game, La Russa lobbied with home plate umpire Chuck Merriweather on behalf of Marquis. It appears La Russa's efforts paid dividends when Marquis gets Varitek on a called strike three just below the knees. Marquis finishes the inning, becoming the first Cardinals starter to get through five in this Series. |
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The Cardinals' inability to execute the most basic of offensive objectives is astounding. With Renteria on third with one out, all Mabry has to do to cut Boston's lead to 3-1 is put the ball in play somewhere. Instead, he strikes out, only he doesn't know he strikes out because he thinks he foul tipped the ball. He gives Merriweather a mouthful to no avail.
St. Louis 0, Boston 3; Sobbing husbands on Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy commercial: 1
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| Sixth Inning |
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After a Damon triple, Marquis gets a big out when he gets Orlando Cabrera to fly out to right field to end the inning. Thanks largely to the yeoman effort by Marquis, who has retired 10 of the past 12 batters, this game is still very winnable for the Cardinals. |
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You know something is wrong when you and I have driven in the same number of runs this Series as Pujols -- zilch. Pujols pops up weakly with Walker at first with two outs to bring the Red Sox within nine outs of their first championship since ... yeah, yeah, we know already.
St. Louis 0, Boston 3; Awkward interview with overconfident family of Red Sox fans: 1
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| Seventh Inning |
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The Cardinals go to the bullpen and get a 1-2-3 inning from Dan Haren, including a ground out from Ortiz that could be the slugger's last at-bat of this series. Francona brings in Gold Glove first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to upgrade the defense, a good move considering Ortiz's spot might not even come up again in this game. |
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Is Rolen going to go 0-for-the-Series? It appears so as the Cardinals All-Star third baseman flies out to lead off the inning. Renteria lines a two-out single but is stranded when Mabry swings and misses at that same sinker a foot outside and low. FOX tells us it has been 31,458 days since the Sox won the World Series. What year was that in again?
St. Louis 0, Boston 3; Asking price for free-agent Lowe's services: rising.
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| Eighth Inning |
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Finally, some drama. The Red Sox load the bases but, as if on cue, FOX shows flashbacks of Enos Slaughter's mad dash and Bucky Dent's home run. You could hear the groans from New England a thousand miles away. Closer Jason Isringhausen, making his first appearance of the series, whiffs Kevin Millar, gets a nifty play from Pujols for a force at home and blows away Cabrera. Put that Reunite on ice, baby, this one's not over yet. |
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The Cardinals are going down, but you can't blame La Russa, who is still managing to the bitter end. He empties his bench, sending Roger Cedeno, Reggie Sanders and Hector Luna to pinch hit. Sanders gets on base with a walk, but Francona makes a great move by bringing in his ace lefty, Alan Embree, who whiffs Luna and Walker to bring the Red Sox three outs closer.
St. Louis 0, Boston 3; Defensive outs left until the Cubs' bandwagon doubles in size: 3
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| Ninth Inning |
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If there was ever a time for a hitter to throw away an at-bat, it's right here. How can you concentrate on hitting when you are three outs away from a world title for the Red Sox? Too bad Varitek prolongs it with a single before Mueller strands him. |
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The most dominant closer of the postseason and arguably the top World Series MVP candidate, Keith Foulke, gives up a leadoff single to Pujols but gets Rolen (make that 0-for-15), Edmonds and Renteria to end the Series. It is the second time Renteria has been the last batter for a World Series, only this time he's not driving in Craig Counsell with the winning run in Game 7. Party on Boston, you've waited long enough.
Final Score: St. Louis 0, Boston 3; Jimmy Fallon-Drew Barrymore wet, sloppy makeout sessions caught on camera: 1; Months until pitchers and catchers report: 3.
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