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As the year winds down, let's remember all the dramatic events and stories of 2011. We'll spend the next couple of days looking at the 16 biggest stories of the year and let the SweetSpot readers vote for the biggest and most memorable. Here are the first four.

Cardinals win World Series, send Tony La Russa out in style
After years of lackluster postseasons, the Cardinals capped off the first seven-game World Series since 2002 with a dramatic extra-inning victory in Game 6 and a 6-2 victory over the Rangers in Game 7. Of a possible 41 postseason games that could be played, 37 were played, including four series that went the distance. On Aug. 27, the Cardinals were 69-64 and 10 games behind the Braves in the wild-card standings. They went 21-8 the rest of the way, the Braves went 10-19, and the Cardinals became one of the most unlikely champions in baseball history. Tony La Russa, knowing it couldn't get any better than this, then called it quits after 33 seasons managing in the major leagues.

Red Sox collapse in historic fashion
While the Braves' late-collapse was fueled by a series of injuries to the starting rotation (Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens didn't start a game in September), the Red Sox' collapse received more national attention and seemed more horrific -- and rightly so. After all, this was the club that had traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed free agent left fielder Carl Crawford in the offseason, making them the consensus favorite to win the World Series. Despite a comeback season from Josh Beckett and a comeback, MVP-caliber season from Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox were unable to hold a nine-game wild-card lead held on Sept. 3. They went 7-19 the rest of the way, blew a ninth-inning lead on the final day of the season and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

Buster Posey's injury raises issue of home-plate collisions
When the Giants' super sophomore catcher saw his season end after a brutal collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins on May 25, the debate over home-plate collisions -- and what can be done to prevent future injuries like Posey' fractured fibula and torn ankle ligaments -- remained in play the rest of the season. After the season, Joe Torre, baseball's vice president for on-field operations, declined to take the issue of home-plate collisions to the rules committee. As for the defending World Series champs, they actually led the NL West by four games when they acquired Carlos Beltran on July 28, but their lack of offense eventually undermined their excellent pitching.

Superb rookie class makes headlines
Time will tell if this class ends up as a historic group of players, but the rookie sensations of 2011 went beyond Rookie of the Year winners Jeremy Hellickson and Craig Kimbrel. First basemen Eric Hosmer of Kansas City and Freddie Freeman of Atlanta looked like future All-Stars; starting pitcher Michael Pineda of the Mariners ranked second in the AL in strikeout per nine innings; Toronto's Brett Lawrie, Seattle's Dustin Ackley and Tampa's Desmond Jennings excelled after midseason call-ups. Other top rookies in a deep class included Ivan Nova, Danny Espinosa, Wilson Ramos, Dee Gordon, Jordan Walden and Vance Worley.

Quick, who won last year's Manager of the Year awards?

Exactly. Not the most interesting of the postseason awards. But here's a quick preview of the award that usually goes to the manager whose team surprised the most.

American League

Joe Maddon, Rays: The odds-on favorite to win his second award, following Tampa Bay's miracle playoff run in September. Positives: Kept team positive after 0-6 start, Evan Longoria's April injury and Manny Ramirez's drug test/retirement; overcame two shortstops who hit under .200; mixed and matched guys like Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce and Sean Rodriguez for maximum producitivity; rebuilt bullpen thrived; sent up Dan Johnson to pinch-hit in the ninth inning of game No. 162. Negatives: Was that a mullet?

Ron Washington, Rangers: Remember, postseason performance doesn't come into play. Positives: Moved Alexi Ogando to the rotation; got a big year out of Michael Young by moving him around the DH role and the infield; let Mike Napoli eventually take over as the regular catcher. Negatives: Remember, postseason performance doesn't come into play.

Jim Leyland, Tigers: A two-time winner with the Pirates and once with the Tigers, Leyland could be the first manager to win the award four times (the award began in 1983). Positives: Gave the ball to Justin Verlander and stayed out of the way. Negatives: Poor lineup construction.

Manny Acta, Indians: The Indians ended up at 80-82, but it was a positive season as they remained in the playoff race much of the season. Positives: Hung in there despite injuries to Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo; worked in young players like Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall; adeptly handled no-name bullpen to a nice season. Negatives: Couldn't straighten out Fausto Carmona; stuck with Orlando Cabrera way too long in No. 2 hole.

SweetSpot network voting
Joe Maddon: 114 points (21 first-place votes)
Jim Leyland: 32 points
Ron Washington: 28 points (1)
Manny Acta: 20 points (1)
Joe Girardi: 20 points (1)
Terry Francona: 1 point
Mike Scioscia: 1 point

My ballot
1. Joe Maddon
2. Manny Acta
3. Ron Washington

National League

Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks: Arizona improved from 65 to 94 wins, making Gibson the front-runner. Positives: Made regulars out of Ryan Roberts and Gerardo Parra; installed a new energy and attitude into the team; got nice work out of rookie starter Josh Collmenter; dramatically improved the bullpen from a year ago; constantly forced to change lineup. Negatives: Let's not talk about that Division Series.

Ron Roenicke, Brewers: In his first season, the Brewers set a club record with 96 wins (one more than 1982's Harvey's Wallbangers). Positives: Inspired move to eventually hit Corey Hart leadoff; got good results from mercurial center fielder Nyjer Morgan; once Zack Greinke returned, had top four guys who didn't miss a start all season; didn't overreact because team didn't have a good lefty in the pen. Negatives: Stuck with Casey McGehee too long; stuck with Craig Counsell as utility guy.

Tony La Russa, Cardinals: The future Hall of Famer went out in style, although the award is voted on before the postseason. Positives: Overcame season-long injury to Adam Wainwright, plus DL stints from Albert Pujols, David Freese and Matt Holliday; coaxed good work out of bullpen after closer Ryan Franklin self-destructed in April; went with Jason Motte as closer down the stretch; believed in Jon Jay's ability to play center, allowed trade of Colby Rasmus. Negatives: Inability to enunciate during calls to the bullpen.

SweetSpot network voting
Kirk Gibson: 99 points (16 first-place votes)
Ron Roenicke: 51 points (3)
Tony La Russa: 49 points (5)
Charlie Manuel: 8 points
Don Mattingly: 4 points
Clint Hurdle: 4 points
Fredi Gonzalez: 1 point

My ballot
1. Kirk Gibson
2. Tony La Russa
3. Ron Roenicke

Back in May, I wrote a list of the top 10 managers of all time. At that time, I ranked Tony La Russa sixth, behind Casey Stengel, John McGraw, Bobby Cox, Joe McCarthy and Earl Weaver.

There's no "right" way to configure a list like this -- Stengel managed the Yankees at a time when they dominated the American League. Is that because he was a superior skipper or because the team had superior talent? But I have to think La Russa would vault past Weaver on my list: He has six pennants and three World Series titles and won nearly 1,300 more games than Weaver. La Russa has retired with the third-most wins of all time, behind only Connie Mack and McGraw, and became just the ninth manager to win at least three World Series titles. He's one of just four managers to win a World Series with multiple teams. (Bucky Harris, Bill McKechnie and Sparky Anderson are the others.) He managed in 14 different postseasons, trailing only Cox (16) and Joe Torre (15).

What's amazing about La Russa's career is how easily he could have a few more World Series titles:

• His 1983 White Sox, his first division winner, won 99 games and the first game of the ALCS, but then lost the next three to the Orioles, including Game 4 when Tito Landrum hit a one-out home run in the 10th inning off Britt Burns. To show how things have changed since then: Burns was the Chicago starter that day and threw 150 pitches. In 2011, La Russa set a record for most pitching changes in a postseason.
• His 1988 A's won 104 games and reached the World Series only to lose to the Dodgers in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history.
• His 1990 A's won 103 games but were swept by the 91-win Reds.
• His 2004 Cardinals might have been the best team in the past 10 years, winning 105 games behind an offense led by Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and Larry Walker. But Chris Carpenter got hurt in September and missed the postseason, and the red-hot Red Sox swept the Cardinals in the World Series. His 2005 club won 100 games only to lose to 89-win Houston in the NLCS.

That just shows how tough it is to win in the postseason. That La Russa was able to win it all in 2006 and 2011 with two clubs that weren't two of his best are a testament, I believe, to his ability to get the most out of his pitching staffs and his willingness to believe in everyone on his roster.

It seems like the right time to go out: on top, a World Series ring, a legacy as one of the best ever long since established. He always played the game his way -- whether it was batting the pitcher eighth or engaging in some brush-back wars or antagonizing the media with some gruff responses -- but there's no denying his passion and love for baseball and his intense desire to win.

He'll be missed, that's for sure. After all, who else can we accuse of overmanaging now?

Congrats to the St. Louis Cardinals! On Monday's Baseball Today, Mark Simon and I gathered to not only wrap up what was a fantastic World Series, but discuss plenty of other news as well!

1. We talk about how Game 7 went all Cardinals after the Rangers scored first, and look ahead to what these teams could look like in 2012. Could they meet again?

2. Breaking news: Cards skipper Tony La Russa steps down. We discuss our surprise and what’s next for the champs, but also put La Russa’s career in perspective.

3. Would Albert Pujols really bolt St. Louis for more money? It’s time to really talk free agents, and we give some predictions on landing places.

4. For those not familiar with the statistic Win Probability Added, Mark gives a cool primer about the historic nature of Game 6.

5. Don’t miss the "Baseball Tonight" Gold Glove awards show Tuesday night on ESPN2. Mark looks ahead to potential winners.

So check us out on Monday’s Baseball Today podcast! No, we’re not done yet! We’re never really done. Our next show is scheduled for Wednesday with me and Keith Law, as we delve further into the offseason. Thanks for listening!

ST. LOUIS -- You fight through the monotony of fielding practice in spring training. The sore elbows, the back pain, the starts when you leave your fastball in the bullpen, and maybe a surgery or two at some point in your career.

Chris Carpenter missed an entire season with shoulder surgery. He missed another season after injuring his elbow on Opening Day and undergoing Tommy John surgery. When the St. Louis Cardinals reached the World Series in 2004, he couldn’t pitch due to nerve problem in his right biceps.

A couple days ago, Tony La Russa wasn’t sure if Carpenter would be able to pitch Game 7. For one thing, the Cardinals had to win Game 6. La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan didn’t officially decide to go with Carpenter until Friday, going with their staff ace on three days’ rest.

There was a time, of course, when that wouldn’t have been a big deal. Christy Mathewson once tossed three shutouts in the World Series over a six-day span. Sandy Koufax pitched a three-hit shutout in 1965 on two days’ rest. Jack Morris’ famous 10-inning shutout in 1991 came on three days’ rest.

But Carpenter had only done that once before in his career -- three weeks ago, in Game 2 of the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He lasted three innings. It wasn’t pretty. He said he’d learned a few things from that experience. La Russa made the call: Go with the big guy, the 6-foot-6, 36-year-old veteran from New Hampshire with a scruffy growth of beard, and on this day, in the biggest game of his career, a toolbox full of pitches.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 in a Game 7 of the World Series that couldn’t match the impossible drama and excitement of Game 6. The Rangers played hard, but their pitching staff simply ran out of gas, exemplified by the Cardinals’ fifth inning, when they scored two runs without getting the ball out of the infield -- without even getting a hit. Rangers pitchers walked three batters and hit two more, turning a 3-2 game into a 5-2 deficit. Critics will put a lot of blame on manager Ron Washington for the Rangers’ defeat, and deservedly so, but in the end the Rangers simply couldn’t throw enough strikes and couldn’t get the final out they needed in Game 6.

On this night, however, the Cardinals made the big plays: David Freese with another clutch hit, a two-out stinging double into the gap in left-center to score two runs in the first (giving the World Series MVP a postseason record 21 RBIs); Allen Craig with a go-ahead home run in the third, fighting back from a 1-2 count to hit a 3-2 Matt Harrison fastball into the St. Louis bullpen in right-center; Craig later robbing Nelson Cruz of a home run.

But the key was Carpenter. "Dave had a real heart-to-heart with him to gauge just how ready he was to pitch just physically, not mentally, but physically," La Russa said before the game. He then added, "The last thing is ... what he means to our club. I think our guys feel better about him starting than anybody."

Carpenter pitched into the seventh and became the first pitcher to win two do-or-die games in one postseason, after also winning Game 5 of the division series. No, it won't quite go down alongside Mathewson and Koufax and Morris, but it was a terrific effort, especially since he almost didn’t get out of the first inning. The first four batters all reached base as Carpenter fell behind each hitter. But Ian Kinsler slipped while taking an aggressive secondary lead and Yadier Molina picked him off. The play proved enormously costly when Elvis Andrus walked and Josh Hamilton and Michael Young doubled to right field. Carpenter struck out Adrian Beltre and got Cruz to ground, maybe the two key at-bats of the game.

From there, the St. Louis' bullpen mowed down the Rangers, Busch Stadium getting louder and louder with each out, erupting when Arthur Rhodes retired Yorvit Torrealba and Octavio Dotel struck out Kinsler, raising the decibel level when Lance Lynn fanned Beltre to end the eighth, the anticipation building into a loud chant of "Let's Go Cards!" in the ninth and the crowd releasing into a deafening explosion of joy as Jason Motte recorded the final out on a fly ball to left field.

Maybe Game 7 was over as soon Freese hit his home run onto the grass in Game 6. Many people said it was. I didn't think that was the case; I thought the Rangers had a chance. You make your own breaks, but the Rangers sure didn't catch any: Craig steps in for the injured Matt Holliday and has a great game; that 3-2 pitch to Molina with the bases loaded in the fifth could have been called a strike and changed the momentum of the game.

But give credit to Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that could have given up in early September. A team that made the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, that needed to beat Roy Halladay just to reach the National League Championship Series, that was down to its final strike twice in Game 6, and figured out how to win the World Series. A worthy champion and one to be remembered.

* * * *

Of course, this World Series will also be remembered for the many questionable decisions by Washington, moves that led to the Rangers suffering one of the most painful defeats in World Series history. Before we get to that, keep this in mind: Rangers pitchers walked 41 batters, a World Series record worst. They walked six more in Game 7. Too many walks, too many walks.

• Washington didn't help matters by issuing another ill-timed intentional walk. I said it all series long: the intentional walks were going to come back to haunt the Rangers. A free pass to Lance Berkman hurt the Rangers in Game 6. In Game 7, Washington walked Freese with runners on second and third, which was followed by Scott Feldman's walk to Molina and then C.J. Wilson hitting Rafael Furcal to force in another run.
• I didn't necessarily have a problem with using Feldman to start the fifth. The best option might have been Mike Adams, but Washington hasn't shown a lot of confidence in Adams' ability to go more than three outs. He was hoping Feldman could get him a couple innings. (Needless to say, using Alexi Ogando would have been a likely disaster).
• Washington's decision to have Andrus bunt in the top of the fifth after Kinsler's leadoff single was odd. Down by one on the road, top of the order, giving up an out? Play for one, get none. Carpenter got Hamilton to pop out to third on a 3-1 fastball -- Freese made a nice catch as he leaned over the dugout railing and stumbled to the ground -- and struck out Young on a 1-2 cut fastball.
• In the bottom of the fourth, St. Louis up 3-2, Molina and Furcal singled with one out, bringing up Skip Schumaker and Carpenter. Washington had Feldman warming up, but it made sense to leave in Harrison at that point since Schumaker is a career .210 hitter against left-handers. Schumaker grounded out to first to move up the runners, leaving La Russa with a choice: Hit for Carpenter? There were calls on Twitter to do so. At that point he’d thrown 63 pitches, 34 for strikes, but had retired 11 of the previous 14 Rangers hitters. I thought it was too early remove Carpenter, who had settled down, and especially considering La Russa's own bullpen didn't have a lot of pitches left in it.
• In the seventh inning, Albert Pujols came up for maybe the final at-bat of his Cardinals career. Oddly, there was no chant, no standing ovation, just a bunch of flashes going off as he struck out. The crowd did stand and applaud as he walked back to the dugout after striking out.

ST. LOUIS -- At the end of "Ball Four," the greatest book about baseball ever written, pitcher/author Jim Bouton writes, "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."

This sport brings the greatest of joys and then crushes you with pain. It increases its grip on you with game-ending home runs and division titles and playoff victories and rally squirrels. And when the defeats come, it's too late to turn back; you're already in, unable to escape.

Game 6 was a roller coaster for both teams, a laughable parade of Little League errors and miscues, followed by dramatic home runs, a ninth-inning rally, a monumental blast by Josh Hamilton in extra innings, another rally by the Cardinals and finally a David Freese home run into the grass in dead center field that ended this game -- we say game, but it seemed so much more consequential than a mere game -- and sent Busch Stadium into an eruption of hugs, high-fives, tears of happiness and professional athletes jumping up and down at home plate like 8-year-olds being treated to ice cream.

In the end, the scoreboard reads: St. Louis Cardinals 10, Texas Rangers 9, in 11 innings. That, of course, hardly tells the story of the exciting, unpredictable and at times unfathomable Game 6 of the World Series, one that will be relived and replayed, analyzed and scrutinized, one that will go down as one of the more remarkable World Series games ever played. Some day, somebody might have to write a book about this one.

So in this season of comebacks and collapses, of the best postseason baseball has witnessed in years, we get a Game 7. The Cardinals, down to their final strike in the ninth inning, down to their final strike in the 10th inning, kept fighting and fighting and fighting, somehow keeping this baseball season going a little longer when Freese became just the fifth player to hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 or 7 of the World Series. "Growing up or whatever, and you see stuff like that happen, those become memories," Freese said. "You know, if it's going to be replayed over and over again, I don't know, but it's really cool to be a part of this and to force a Game 7."

The Rangers, one strike away in the ninth inning, one strike away in the 10th inning, will have to regroup and mentally re-energize for one more game. Ron Washington couldn't say much, other than, "It just wasn't to happen tonight."

No, it didn't happen on this night for the Rangers, so, yes, we'll get at least nine more innings. And, yes, baseball, we are in your grip.

* * * *

Where to begin? With Freese, of course. He hit the two-strike, two-run triple in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz, a ball lined off the wall in right field, a tough play but one that Nelson Cruz could have made. He was playing deep -- you play "no-doubles" defense at the point of game -- but drifted back too slowly and the ball flew inches over his outstretched glove.

In the 11th, the Rangers brought in Mark Lowe, their eighth pitcher of the night, and not the guy you'd expect to be on the mound with the World Series on the line. Freese led off the inning and crushed a 3-2 changeup to center. "You know, I felt like I was part of a circus out there, bouncing balls off the top of my hat a little bit," Freese said of the Cardinals' three errors, including one by him. "But, man, I just wanted an opportunity -- we tied that up, we had some good ABs and we tied it up and just kept battling. That defines our team, that game."

Ron Washington had elected to pinch-hit for Scott Feldman with Esteban German in the top half of the inning with a runner on first and two out. You can't fault Washington for that, but it was a low-percentage opportunity to score a run. The difference in ability between Feldman and the rarely used Lowe is sizable; he may have been better off letting Feldman bat, hope to keep the game tied, and play for the 12th inning.

Other notes:

[+] Enlarge
Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesAlexi Ogando reacts after walking Yadier Molina with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.
• In the end, the wildness of Alexi Ogando and Feliz finally came back to haunt the Rangers. The worst decision of the game was Washington bringing in Ogando in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Ogando had been terrible in this series, allowing 12 baserunners in just two innings. I wrote earlier that Game 6 of the World Series was no time to be loyal; Washington remained loyal to Ogando, believing in him as his sixth- and seventh-inning guy. But after a long season, he's clearly gassed and never should have been in there. He walked in the tying run and only escaped further damage because Mike Napoli picked Matt Holliday off third base. (And Derek Holland had to be brought in to escape the inning.)
  
  As for Feliz, his control has been shaky all postseason. He had a chance to close out a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning, but gave up a double to Albert Pujols and then walked Lance Berkman, setting the stage for Freese. The Rangers had gone 5-2 in the postseason when walking five or more batters; that's just not sustainable. When doing that in the regular season, they went 7-19. They walked seven batters in Game 6.
• Berkman quietly had one of the great individual performances in a World Series game: 3-for-5, four runs, three RBIs, a two-run home run, a big walk in the ninth, a game-tying single with two outs in the 10th, just the the fourth game game-tying hit in World Series history in the ninth or later when a team was one out from elimination (Freese's triple was the third; the others were the Braves' Otis Nixon in 1992 and the Giants' Josh Devore in 1911). "I actually felt pretty good (there)," Berkman said, "because I figured I was in a no-lose situation. If you don't come through right there, it's only one at-bat and it's over with, and they might talk about it for a couple days, but it's not that big a deal. If you come through, it's the greatest, and plus you've built a little bank account of being able to come through, so that if I don't come through tomorrow I can be like, 'Well, I came through in Game 6, what do you want from me?'"
• Should Washington have left in Feliz to start the 10th? He’d thrown 22 pitches in the ninth, while the Cardinals had the bottom of their order up -- and the pitcher due up third, with no position players left to hit. (Could you imagine if the World Series had ended with a pitcher hitting?) But with lefties Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay up, Washington brought in veteran lefty Darren Oliver. Can’t really fault him too much for that one; it just didn’t work out.
• Washington also elected to walk Pujols in the 10th inning -- when he was the winning run. Instead of having Feldman go righty-on-righty, he faced Berkman, who hit a soft single into center to tie the game. What have we been saying? You're playing with fire with all those intentional walks and Washington finally got burned. Yes, it's Albert Pujols, but Berkman isn't exactly Mario Mendoza.
• Napoli once again came up big at the plate -- his RBI single in the fourth inning gave him 10 for the series, only the sixth player in World Series history to drive in that many in one Fall Classic. His pickoff of Holliday looked like it would end up being the key defensive play of the 2011 season.
• You can't fault Washington for using Holland for two innings, but since he pitched two innings and threw 23 pitches, his availability as a long reliever for Game 7 is now in question. If Game 7 starter Matt Harrison struggles early, that likely makes C.J. Wilson the long man out of the pen for the Rangers.
• OK, if you watched this game, you know it won't be appearing on any instructional videos. Freese dropped a routine pop fly that any fifth-grader could catch, Holliday dropped an easy fly ball in left field, appearing to yell "You take it" to Rafael Furcal, but realizing too late that Furcal was in a bad position. Both errors led to unearned runs. Two Michael Young errors at first base also led two unearned runs on the Texas ledger.
• Great cat-and-mouse game in the fifth. Freese's error was followed by Young's RBI double. With Young on third and two out, Napoli was walked. Washington sent in David Murphy to hit for Craig Gentry -- and got Holland up in the pen, hoping it might force La Russa to pitch to Murphy. La Russa didn’t bite; Murphy was pitched around and Washington let Lewis hit (and strike out to leave the bases loaded).
• For what it's worth, the three most recent games that involved crushing defeats in Game 6 to keep the World Series alive were the Cardinals to the Royals in 1985, the Red Sox to the Mets in 1986 and the Giants to the Angels in 2002. All three teams lost Game 7. Also, the home team has won the past eight Game 7s. It won't be easy for the Rangers.

ST. LOUIS -- Busch Stadium was quiet Tuesday, as both teams held optional workouts -- which means no workouts. No players showed up except required attendees Game 6 starters Jaime Garcia and Colby Lewis to conduct their pre-start media conferences. The players are all in various degrees of fatigue and pain by this time of the season and an extra round of batting practice isn't going to make them any more likely to get three hits on Wednesday.

The buzz, of course, was still about the crazy events from Game 5, primarily Tony La Russa's bullpen phone fiasco. He stuck to his story from the night before -- a miscommunication with bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist -- and patiently answered a stream of questions about the incident. "It's one of the things you deal with when you're playing the games. It's like shadows. But we don't have a procedure where you say this and the guy says 'Roger,'" La Russa said. "If the guy can't hear, sometimes he says it, and like I said, I thought yesterday the first mention of Motte was probably after [Lilliquist] had hung up. Maybe I didn't say it quickly enough. The second one, I said 'Motte,' he heard 'Lynn.' That's the only one way to explain that. You can't hear clearly."

La Russa's version didn't exactly cease speculation of what may have happened. (One theory: Could he have misspoken and said "Lynn" when he meant "Motte," the way parents will mix up the names of their kids?) It also obscured what I thought was the biggest tactical issue of La Russa's in the game, the three sacrifice bunts.

Rangers Ballpark is one of the best hitting parks in baseball. Because of that, teams play for big innings. You don't want to play for one run in a place where one run is rarely enough. In the Rangers' 81 regular-season games in 2011, only once did a team execute three sacrifice bunts -- the Rangers on July 23 against the Blue Jays (all three of those came in the bottom of the ninth inning). Only four times did a team have even two sacrifice bunts in a game at Rangers Stadium.

In other words, teams don't bunt at Rangers Stadium. You just can't afford to give away free outs. At his media conference, La Russa said the difference in the game was not getting the big hits. True, but what if he had given his team 27 outs to play with instead of 24?

The other strategic element that got the blogosphere in an uproar was Ron Washington's four intentional walks, three to Albert Pujols. It worked, in the sense that none of those walks came back to haunt Texas. The fact that Washington became just the third manager to issue four intentional walks in a World Series game tells you how odd it was. If he tries it again ... well, don't be surprised if he gets burned.

* * * *

Here's a rundown of the two other instances in World Series play when a manager issued four intentional walks.

Bobby Cox, Atlanta Braves, Game 7, 1991 (versus Minnesota Twins)

1. Bottom of eighth, tied 0-0: Pinch-hitter Randy Bush and Chuck Knoblauch had singled off John Smoltz to put runners at first and third with one out. Cox brought in lefty Mike Stanton and walked Kirby Puckett to load the bases to face lefty-swinging Kent Hrbek. Hrbek lined out into a double play, 4-unassisted.

Analysis: Cox didn't want to pitch to Puckett, who hit .333 in the series, so elected to go after Hrbek, who was 6-for-46 in the postseason at that point.

By the way, the Braves were next to last in the National League in intentional walks in 1991, with 39. Of course, with a good pitching staff, there wasn't necessarily a need for Cox to issue many free passes. In his final season managing the Braves in 2010, Cox issued the second-most intentional walks in the NL. This is another post, but it would be interesting to check into Cox's history here. When did he start handing out more freebies? Greg Maddux issued 16 in the postseason in his career, the most of any pitcher. Did these hurt the Braves?

2. Bottom of ninth, tied 0-0: Chili Davis singled and Brian Harper reached on a bunt single to send pinch-runner Jarvis Brown to second. Right-hander Alejandro Pena replaced Stanton. After Shane Mack failed to get a bunt down on the first pitch, he grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Pena then intentionally walked lefty-hitting Mike Pagliarulo to face weak-hitting shortstop Al Newman. Tom Kelly pinch-hit Paul Sorrento, who struck out.

Analysis: This was a case of getting to an obvious weaker hitter. Newman was already in for starting shortstop Greg Gagne, whom Bush had hit for. That forced Kelly to use Scott Leius at shortstop in the 10th, his third shortstop of the game. By the way, Kelly could maneuver his lineup like this because he had 15 position players on his roster. Couldn't do that today. (This game was much more than just Jack Morris pitching 10 shutout innings.)

3-4. Bottom of 10th, tied 0-0: Dan Gladden led off with a double and was sacrificed to third. Cox walked Puckett and Hrbek to load the bases, to bring up Brown, batting in Davis' DH spot. Kelly still had one weapon left on the bench, Gene Larkin, who had hit .286 that year. Larkin delivered the winning hit.

Analysis: With the World Series on the line, it certainly made sense to load the bases to set up the force at home. You could argue that Cox could have pitched to the slumping Hrbek, but Hrbek was actually a pretty good contact hitter. Overall, however, none of the intentional walks seemed as questionable as the ones we witnessed in Game 5.

Eddie Dyer, St. Louis Cardinals, Game 5, 1947 (versus Boston Red Sox)

1. Bottom of first, down 1-0: Howie Pollet started and three of the first four batters singled to give Boston a 1-0 lead and put runners at second and third with one out for No. 5 hitter Rudy York, who hit .276/.371/.437 that year. No. 6 hitter Pinky Higgins hit .275/.356/.376. Al Brazle entered and Higgins grounded into a force at home and Leon Culberson also grounded out.

Analysis: A little early for an intentional walk, but York was considered an "RBI guy" since he had driven in 119 (batting behind Ted Williams helped) and hit 17 home runs while Higgins had hit just two in a part-time role.

2. Bottom of fifth, down 2-1: With Dom DiMaggio on second with two outs, York was given another free pass. Higgins grounded out.

Analysis: Most intentional walks are given while behind, so this one fits that bill. Clearly, Dyer decided he didn't want York to beat him, although York was hardly Albert Pujols. On the other hand, Pinky Higgins wasn't quite Matt Holliday.

3. Bottom of seventh, down 3-1: With Brazle still pitching, DiMaggio doubled and Williams struck out. York was walked for the third time. Higgins doubled to left-center for a 4-1 lead.

Analysis: This one was similar to the Nelson Cruz walk from Game 5 -- runner on second, one out. Dyer had less to lose than La Russa, however, since he was already trailing 3-1. Still, like Rangers Ballpark, Fenway Park was a great hitters' park, so giving the other team baserunners is always playing with fire.

4. Bottom of seventh, down 4-1: Following Higgins' double, Culberson was walked to load the bases. Brazle actually got a double-play ball, but it was thrown away, allowing two runs to score.

Analysis: Down 4-1, it was desperation time. We don't have intentional walk totals for 1946 (official records weren't kept until 1955), so we don't know if Dyer was fond of the free pass or just afraid of Rudy York.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

I'll say this about Tony La Russa: He's been very honest, direct and even a bit self-critical in his pregame and postgame media conferences.

His one before Game 3 was especially good, so I'll just run some of the quotes.

La Russa
• On his role in controlling the running game: "Well, we allow two independent decisions. If there isn't anything that we set up, if the pitcher sees something, he can throw over if he wants to. And more importantly, if Yadi ... sees something, Yadi can call a pitchout if he wants to." La Russa then explained, that there's so much for the pitcher to worry about in just getting the batter out, that those decisions are usually made from the dugout.
• On Ian Kinsler's steal in Game 2: "I said before, the way that game got away, strategy is strategy. Somebody else could have done something else with the pitching. I did what I felt was right. But I was upset that I didn't make another -- I threw over once -- I didn't defend the running game better because in the end I was more concerned with Jason (Motte) throwing strikes and getting the out that (Elvis) Andrus was trying to give us, and I didn't feel like Kinsler would try it. So that was my screw-up. It comes to the bench."
• On Arthur Rhodes: "I'm only sorry he was with us for two months. ... Earl Weaver as a young manager said, pay attention to the other guys on the other side and see how they fit in because someday you might have a chance. So for years we wanted Arthur in our ballcub, and it never worked. Now we've finally got him and not only is he an effective pitcher, but he's got a dynamite presence, he's excited about competition, he's fun to be around."
• On pitching changes in the American League versus National League: "There's an assumption that somehow pitching (changes) in the National League [are] tougher. It's not; it's easier. ... The reason it's tougher in the American League is every decision that you make about the pitcher is based on your evaluation of who should pitch, how long the in there should pitch and who you should bring in. There are times, a lot of times, it's a really close call. You're splitting hairs. In the National League just enough times to make a difference ... a spot comes up and you've got to (pinch) hit, and you don't have to make that decision. You never have that decision taken away from you in the American League."
• On his relationships with coaches in other sports: "I think it's one of the neatest persks of the time I've been around is that I've established a relationship or a friendship with some of these guys. They're fascinating. They're so much different than they come across. We were talking about (Bill) Belichick in the room. Bill gets in front of his, and he says, yes, no. If you get Bill in a social setting, he is charming, and we have the best time. ... I went to dinner with Rick Carlisle last night and I asked him about what we do to get an edge in this series, and he said, 'Hand the ball to Dirk." And I said, 'I can't do that.' He said, 'This is Dallas. I can't be telling the Cardinals how to beat the Rangers.'"

We’ve got one game down in the World Series, and who knows how many more to go? So it was that Keith Law and I gathered for Thursday’s Baseball Today podcast to break down what we saw and project ahead.

1. Score Game 1 for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. Sure, Chris Carpenter and Allen Craig were valuable, but La Russa continues to make his mark.

2. Meanwhile, Rangers manager Ron Washington intentionally walked one of the worst hitters in the big leagues and sent a guy who hadn’t batted in nearly a month up to pinch-hit in a critical spot.

3. The non-call on the apparent Adrian Beltre foul ball in the ninth inning was a shame, but would instant replay really have mattered there?

4. We discuss the news of the day involving general managers, from Theo Epstein to candidates in other places like Kim Ng, Jerry DiPota and Tony LaCava.

5. Plus, another team wants John Lackey, what Japanese baseball does with their playoffs and we preview Game 2 of the World Series!

So download and listen to Thursday’s Baseball Today podcast, and we’ll be back with you on Friday!

ST. LOUIS -- Give credit to Lance Berkman for his odd-looking cue-shot hit that bounded past Michael Young for a two-run single in the fourth.

Give credit to Albert Pujols for his diving stop of a Young grounder up the line with a runner on third and two outs in the sixth.

Give credit to Allen Craig for coming off the bench to deliver the go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning.

Give credit to Marc Rzepczynski for escaping a seventh-inning jam and Chris Carpenter for a solid six-inning effort.

And in this chess match of a Game 1, credit Tony La Russa for the final checkmate, the latest in his string of postseason moves that have made him the stealthiest postseason manager since Connie Mack started Howard Ehmke in Game 1 of 1929 World Series.

The players win and lose, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 in the opening game of the World Series, but La Russa’s decisions -- and Ron Washington’s mistakes -- played a key component in the outcome.

This was most evident in the top of the seventh inning. Craig’s two-out single had given St. Louis a 3-2 lead. The Rangers had their 5-6-7 hitters up: Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli, aka the heart of the Texas lineup these days. La Russa brought in right-handed reliever Fernando Salas. Cruz singled with one out and Napoli walked on four pitches. You’re up, Tony.

La Russa brought in the lefty Rzepczynski to face southpaw-swinging David Murphy, a .215 hitter with no home runs in 107 at-bats against left-handers. At this point, it become apparent that the Rangers have one major weakness: the lack of a good right-handed bat off the bench.

Washington sent up Craig Gentry, who is really a defensive speed merchant more than a hitter. He struck out looking on a 1-2 pitch that caught the outside corner. Or was maybe a bit outside. That brought up the pitcher’s spot. La Russa had Octavio Dotel -- .145 against right-handers this season -- warming up in the bullpen.

Washington basically had three options:

1. Hit Yorvit Torrealba, his best right-handed bat left on the bench. Not a good one -- .256 with no homers versus left-handers. But Rzepczynski’s crossfire motion is tough on lefties, so you had to send a righty up there.

2. Hit Esteban German ... a guy who hadn’t had an at-bat since Sept. 25.

3. Hit German and hope La Russa would bring in Dotel. Washington could then hit Mitch Moreland, the lefty-swinging first baseman and the best bat left on the Rangers’ bench.

I don’t know if Washington was thinking La Russa would bite; maybe he thought German was his best option -- all he said after the game was, "I thought he had a good chance against Rzepczynski. ... In German's case, he's a contact hitter. I thought he can handle Rzepcynzski's offspeed stuff." He denied that he expected La Russa to bring in Dotel and stuck to his belief that German was the guy for that situation.

Regardless, La Russa didn’t bite. Afraid of Esteban German? Not quite. Rzepczynski struck out the overmatched German on three pitches.

Washington, on the other hand, was afraid of Nick Punto. Yes, Nick Punto, the guy with the .249 career average and 14 career home runs in nearly 3,000 plate appearances. He intentionally walked him in the fourth inning with two outs to pitch to Chris Carpenter with a runner on second. Not the worst decision -- it used to be commonplace for NL managers to walk the No. 8 hitters 30 or 40 years ago, but you see it less often these days.

That one worked out when the Cardinals failed to score the next inning despite a leadoff walk to Rafael Furcal. Punto came up again in the sixth, with David Freese on third with two outs (after Wilson had fanned the hard-to-strikeout Yadier Molina). Carpenter was on deck. He’d thrown 87 pitches on this cold night and was hardly blowing the Rangers away.

It seemed pretty obvious La Russa would hit for Carpenter. Wilson gave Punto the old unintentional intentional walk on four pitches, a pretty inexplicable decision, even if it did ensure that Carpenter would be removed.

Craig hit. Washington brought in Alexi Ogando. Nothing wrong there, although: Why not just bring in Ogando to face Punto? Craig lined a 1-2 high-octane heater down the right-field line; Cruz dove feet first, but came up short, as the ball fell a few inches in front of him. Maybe with a glove-first dive he could have made the catch. It would have been a higher-risk play to attempt it.

Risk. On this night, that’s how Ron Washington managed. He took a risk in not pitching to Punto. He took a risk in bringing in Esteban German. His risks didn’t work out.

But it’s only Game 1. Maybe he learned something about how La Russa will handle different parts of his lineup. But he shouldn’t feel so bad: A lot of managers have been schooled by La Russa over the years.

Tuesday's edition of the Baseball Today podcast was a lively one featuring a guest, emails and good, positive baseball talk!

1. On the eve of the World Series, Keith Law and I took one last look back at the weekend results and the teams that didn't quite make it.

2. We both agree Prince Fielder is moving on, but what is he really worth in relation to Albert Pujols and of course, Ryan Howard?

3. It's angry listener day! First up, a bitter critique of what we've been saying about Tony La Russa!

4. To be fair, another emailer doesn't think we've been fair to Rangers manager Ron Washington. People, it wasn't a current co-host that dislikes everybody!

5. Former GM Jim Bowden gave his thoughts about the final two teams and a prediction!

So download and listen to Tuesday's interesting Baseball Today Podcast, and come back Wednesday as KLaw and I make World Series predictions and explain why!

I’m anticipating the most exciting World Series we’ve seen in years, hopefully the first seven-game showdown since 2002. We have two explosive offenses, unpredictable starting rotations, potentially dominant bullpens, Albert Pujols, Babe Cruz, mad scientist Tony La Russa, “Dancing With the Stars” aspirant Ron Washington, Matt Holliday, Josh Hamilton, one third baseman who just hit .545 in the National League Championship Series, another who had a three-homer game earlier in the playoffs.

What’s not to like about this matchup? One franchise is playing in its 18th World Series and attempting to complete one of the great miracle comebacks in baseball history; the other is back for the second year in a row, seeking its first championship and perhaps starting a dynasty of excellence. Neither team ranked in the top 10 in payroll and each has just one big free-agent signing on its roster. Nobody is buying a World Series trophy this year.

You can never predict what will happen or who will star in a World Series -- Edgar Renteria? Carlos Ruiz? Jeff Weaver? Scott Brosius? Pat Borders? -- so let’s discuss some key talking points as we head into the Fall Classic.

Can Nelson Cruz be contained, let alone stopped? After setting postseason records for one series with six home runs and 13 RBIs in the American League Championship Series, Cruz enters the World Series on an absolute tear. Can he be expected to keep that going? The obvious answer: No. Will he keep it going? Unlikely. Here’s a look back at the 10 “hottest” hitters from the LCS over the past 10 seasons and how they fared in the World Series.


The quick and dirty math shows this:
LCS: 30 home runs
World Series: 4 home runs

This, of course, is really just a simple law of averages. As good as Cruz was against the Tigers, he’s not the second coming of Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds. We saw this last year with Cruz: After hitting .375 with five home runs in the first two rounds of the playoffs, he hit .200 with one home run in the World Series. Remember, this is a guy who can be pitched to: He had 116 strikeouts and just 33 walks in the regular season, so expect the Cardinals to feed him a lot of offspeed stuff away or off the plate.

Watch how David Freese attacks the first pitch. The NLCS MVP hit .545 with three home runs and nine RBIs in the series -- figures matched in one series only by Lou Gehrig in the 1928 World Series. Freese is 7-for-10 with two home runs in at-bats ending on the first pitch in the playoffs and hit .406 (13-for-32) during the regular season on the first pitch, with four home runs (the MLB average is .330). The Rangers will have these scouting reports, but the problem is Freese usually follows Pujols, Lance Berkman and Matt Holiday in the lineup. If there are guys on base in front of him, he’s going to see pitches to hit.

Octavio Dotel versus Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli and Cruz. The middle of the Rangers’ order usually features those four right-handed batters in a row, making it easier for Tony La Russa to match up -- and that means we’ll see a lot of Dotel against those guys. Dotel pounds the outside corner against righties with his fastball/slider combo and he was lethal against right-handed batters: They hit just .145 with one home run (and just four extra-base hits) in 123 at-bats. Beltre in particular is prone to chasing that low-and-away slider and considering Napoli is really the one of the four with much patience at the plate, it will be interesting to see if Dotel can silence this fearsome foursome.

Jason Motte is on a roll. The Cardinals’ closer -- although La Russa declines to call him that -- has faced 25 batters in the postseason and retired 24 of them. Like Dotel, he’s much tougher on righties -- .162 average allowed in the regular season with a 45-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, versus a .270 average against lefties -- and the fact that Josh Hamilton is the Rangers’ only left-handed batter that you have to worry about matching up against works in the Cardinals’ favor. I also love the way La Russa has been handling him: He already has three saves of at least four outs.

Can C.J. Wilson deliver a big start? The Rangers’ No. 1 starter has allowed six home runs in three postseason starts, after allowing just 16 all season. Is he fatigued after a career-high 223 innings? Just in a little slump? As deep as the Texas bullpen is, it seems unlikely the Rangers can win the World Series without at least one shutdown outing from a starter, and Wilson still gives them the best option for that.

Who wins Game 1? Wilson’s Game 1 start against St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter becomes even more important when considering this factoid: The winner of Game 1 has won seven of the past eight and 12 of the past 14 World Series. However, the winner of Game 1 is only 2-4 this postseason.

Lance Berkman versus the Rangers’ left-handed starters. Berkman is much better from the left side of the plate and La Russa has the lefty-killing Allen Craig available from the right side, so it will be interesting to see what La Russa does in games in St. Louis when a left-hander starts. Berkman began his postseason with a bang -- a three-run homer off Roy Halladay in his first at-bat -- but hasn’t delivered an extra-base hit in the 10 games since. I suspect Craig will start in right field in the opener against Wilson. While he’s not a good outfielder, he is an upgrade defensively over Berkman, who may be the worst everyday right fielder in the majors. When the games move to Texas with the designated hitter, La Russa’s decision becomes easier, as he can put both guys in the lineup, making the Cardinals that rare NL team that can field a nine-deep lineup to match the best of the AL.

Ron Washington versus Tony La Russa. Washington’s new secret weapon in the bullpen -- Alexi Ogando and his high-90s fastball -- has allowed Washington to avoid some of the questionable bullpen moves he made last season. La Russa will use Marc Rzepczynski and Arthur Rhodes to match up against Josh Hamilton, so that should leave Washington without worrying whom to hit for David Murphy or Mitch Moreland (when he’s in the lineup; Michael Young will undoubtedly play first base in the games in St. Louis). La Russa is unlikely to pinch hit for anybody except his second basemen, and if he carries 12 pitches, even that becomes less likely in the NL games. It means both managers should be able to get the matchups they want out of the bullpen.

The key decisions both will face, of course: How soon to yank the starting pitchers? Will either team get a quality start after both rotations struggled in the LCS? I think the team that wins the World Series will be the team that goes deepest with its starters. Yanking guys after three or four innings will be playing with fire.

Finally … may the hottest team win. Let’s be honest here: The World Series isn’t about crowning the best team of the baseball season. It’s about crowning the team that plays the best in October -- the team with the hot bullpen, or the third baseman who hits over .500 or the right fielder who slugs six home runs in six games.

Just look at the World Series champs of the wild-card era:

2010
Champion: San Francisco Giants (92-70, 5th)
Best record: Philadelphia Phillies (97-65)


2009
Champion: New York Yankees (103-59)
Best record: New York Yankees


2008
Champion: Philadelphia Phillies (92-70, 5th)
Best record: Los Angeles Angels (100-62)


2007
Champion: Boston Red Sox (96-66, tied for 1st)
Best record: Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians


2006
Champion: St. Louis Cardinals (83-78, 13th)
Best record: New York Yankees and New York Mets (97-65)


2005
Champion: Chicago White Sox (99-63, 2nd)
Best record: St. Louis Cardinals (100-62)


2004
Champion: Boston Red Sox (98-64)
Best record: St. Louis Cardinals (105—57)


2003
Champion: Florida Marlins (91-71, 7th)
Best record: Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees (101-61)


2002
Champion: Anaheim Angels (99-63, 4th)
Best record: New York Yankees and Oakland A’s (103-59)


2001
Champion: Arizona Diamondbacks (92-70, 6th)
Best record: Seattle Mariners (116-46)


2000
Champion: New York Yankees (87-74, 9th)
Best record: San Francisco Giants (97-65)


1999
Champion: New York Yankees (98-64, 3rd)
Best record: Atlanta Braves (103-59)


1998
Champion: New York Yankees (114-48)
Best record: New York Yankees


1997
Champion: Florida Marlins (92-70, 4th)
Best record: Atlanta Braves (101-61)


1996
Champion: New York Yankees (92-70, 3rd)
Best record: Cleveland Indians (99-62)


1995
Champion: Atlanta Braves (90-54, 2nd)
Best record: Cleveland Indians (100-44)

This isn’t meant to knock the Cardinals or Rangers. In the end, history will remember only which team wins that final game.

I'm not going to suggest it was the single worst play in postseason history. Babe Ruth, for instance, once got caught stealing for the final out in Game 7 of the World Series, trailing by one run with the Yankees' cleanup hitter at the plate. Dropped fly balls and dropped pop-ups have led to winning runs in Game 7 of the World Series.

But when Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. tried to field a ground ball with his knee, then flip the bouncing baseball to second baseman Rickie Weeks with his glove, only to have the ball bounce in front of Weeks, and then to have Weeks see the ball go through his legs, with the runners moving up a base ... well, it was atrocious baseball at its worst. Two physical errors by Hairston, one mental error on Hairston for attempting the trick play in the first place when he had no shot to get the runner at second, and one mental error by Weeks for pulling up on the ball like a fourth grader taking infield practice.

So, no, I won't say it was the worst postseason play we've ever seen; that would be exaggeration just for effect. Plus, that play alone did not lose Game 6 of the National League Championship Series for the Brewers and prevent them from reaching the second World Series in franchise history. But, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat up Milwaukee 12-6 to win their 18th NL pennant, it symbolized a night that saw:

• Corey Hart boot a base hit in right field, just a few seconds before Hairston's triple blunder.
• Hart miss a cutoff man on a long-shot attempt to throw out Matt Holliday on a sacrifice fly to medium-deep right field, allowing runners to move up to second and third, with both scoring on Allen Craig's two-out pinch single in the third inning.
• Nyjer Morgan also miss a cutoff man, on a dubious attempt to throw out Albert Pujols going first to third on a base hit.
• Manager Ron Roenicke start Shaun Marcum, making Roenicke perhaps the only person around who had faith that Marcum would deliver a good start.

While Milwaukee's defense was questioned all season, it was also a questionable decision to stick with Marcum, who had been blistered in his two previous postseason starts and five of his past six starts going back to September. It's certainly understandable why Roenicke would believe in Marcum, who went 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA during the regular season. But Marcum clearly tired down the stretch, wasn't getting strikeouts and you had to question his mental state going back to the division series when he threw his glove up in the air after surrendering a home run to Paul Goldschmidt.

Sadly for the Brewers, his first inning was all too predictable: Four runs, capped by David Freese's three-run bomb to left on a first-pitch curveball (making Freese 7-for-9 with 10 RBIs in the series when swinging at the first pitch). For the Cardinals, it was another game in which they scored first, making them the first team to score first in all six games of a six-game series. Overall, St. Louis scored 11 runs in the first inning and four in the second.

There was a glimmer of hope for the Brewers in the bottom of the third when Jonathan Lucroy absolutely destroyed an Edwin Jackson fastball way over the fence in left-center to cut the lead to 5-4. But the Cardinals -- as they did all series -- just kept hitting and scored four in the top of third, as Albert Pujols lined a high fastball out to left off Chris Narveson, followed by the sac fly/missed cutoff man/two-run single string of events. Craig, hitting for Jackson, fought off a 94-mph fastball from LaTroy Hawkins, bouncing it over Hawkins' head and into center. Yuniesky Betancourt, shifted over in the hole toward third, had no shot at it; then again, it's Yuniesky Betancourt, and we saw balls all series going just out of his range.

But that pinch-hit was the finishing touch on a magical series for Tony La Russa. He saw the chance to score runs and took it, even if it meant removing Jackson from the game and using his bullpen for seven innings. Cardinals starters pitched just 24.2 innings in the series and allowed 19 runs. The bullpen, of course, was brilliant, pitching 28.2 innings and allowing seven runs. Three of those relievers were picked up during the season: Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski in the Colby Rasmus trade, and Arthur Rhodes off waivers after he was released by the Rangers.

The St. Louis pen, of course, had been maligned for much of the season, although it pitched much better after several early-season blown saves by former closer Ryan Franklin. But give La Russa credit for his willingness to adjust: Fernando Salas became the closer after Franklin, pitched well and saved 24 games. As Jason Motte got on a roll late in the season with his high-90s heat, La Russa made him the ninth-inning guy. Salas became a setup guy and then, as he did in this game, has become the team's long reliever of choice. So while most managers resort to using the back end of the bullpen early in games, even in loser-out games -- see Roenicke in this game, or Detroit's Jim Leyland in Game 6 of the ALCS -- La Russa can turn to a good pitcher who closed games earlier in the season.

Of course, the team the Cardinals will be facing in the World Series have a similar approach. Ron Washington has managed his Texas Rangers pitching staff in the postseason like La Russa: Turn over the game to the bullpen as soon as reasonably possible.

It should make for a fun World Series of tactical moves and decisions. Both teams have deep benches. The Cardinals have the red-hot Freese (12-for-22 with nine RBIs in the NLCS) and the Rangers have the red-hot Nelson Cruz (six home runs, 13 RBIs in the ALCS). What's perhaps most amazing of all: After losing on Aug. 24, the Cardinals were just 67-63. They were 11.5 games behind the Braves in the wild-card race.

Their season was over.

Almost over. They went 23-9 to make the playoffs on the final day as the Braves fell apart, a minor miracle essentially lost in all the attention given to the collapse of the Boston Red Sox.

Almost over. And now they're four wins away from a World Series title.

A great bullpen. David Freese delivering huge hits. Who saw this happening back in August?

Whether you love Tony La Russa, grudgingly respect him, or just plain loathe him, you have to admit: He certainly makes watching a Cardinals playoff game more interesting.

La Russa made two unconventional moves in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Both moves worked out beautifully for his Cardinals, key decisions and results that helped St. Louis to a 7-1 victory and series lead as we head back to Milwaukee for Game 6.

Of course, Milwaukee's stone-gloved defense helped out. More on that in a minute; let's start by focusing on those two moves.

The first came in the bottom of the fourth inning, after David Freese and Yadier Molina had singled with no outs and the Cardinals were already up 3-0. That brought up the No. 8 hitter, light-hitting Nick Punto, who moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Now, Jaime Garcia swings the bat OK for a pitcher -- he hit a home run this season, and while he's a .137 career hitter, he struck out just 18 times in 62 at-bats. Garcia got the ball in play against the drawn-in infield, scoring Freese when Yuniesky Betancourt's only play was at first base.

How unusual was that sacrifice bunt? The Cardinals had attempted 15 sacrifices with their No. 8 hitter all season -- five came when the pitcher was hitting eighth and the other 10 all came late in games when the Cardinals would either hit for the pitcher or had already made a double-switch. In other words, it was the first time all season La Russa bunted in that situation. Give him credit for thinking outside the box in a situation that called for conventional thinking. I'm not sure it was the "right" play, since you're essentially giving away the chance for a big inning, and if Garcia had struck out, La Russa wouldn't have looked so smart. But Garcia got the ball in play and drove in the run. He made his manager look smart.

The second big move came in the top of the fifth. Corey Hart's two-out RBI single made it 4-1 (Milwaukee's first two-out run in 41 innings) before Jerry Hairston singled to bring to the plate ... Ryan Braun. Rather than have the left-handed Garcia pitch to the scorching-hot Braun, La Russa went to the bullpen. You can guess how many times he yanked his starter in a regular-season game this year when the starter hadn't pitched five innings and had allowed one run or none: Yep, zero. (Not including a game in which Miguel Batista was removed due to a rain delay.)

But this isn't the regular season and La Russa has been quick to his bullpen all series. He brought on righty killer Octavio Dotel, who held righties to a .154 average this season. This wasn't a case of La Russa micromanaging. This was La Russa sensing this could be the key moment in the game and he brought in a better weapon for that situation. Dotel got the job done, albeit it with a little good fortune: A generous call on a low 1-0 fastball made the count 1-1 instead of 2-0; and he struck out Braun on a slider that was a pretty meaty pitch for Braun to handle.

As for the Brewers, they put on an embarrassing display of defense with four errors, showing off their Achilles' heel that all the analysts said was their weakness. In the second, Garcia's two-out grounder scooted through the legs of third baseman Hairston, a costly miscue that allowed two runs to score to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead. Betancourt's error in the sixth led to another unearned run. In between, Rickie Weeks -- seemingly still not 100 percent after his ankle injury in late July -- threw a ground ball into the Busch Stadium dirt and failed to run down a catchable pop fly in shallow center.

While Zack Greinke may have deserved better, the truth is he had another poor postseason outing. He failed to strike out a batter in 5 2/3 innings, the first time in his career he's pitched that deep into a game and failed to record a strikeout. While in the game, he managed just two swings and misses. The Brewers fans and statheads who expected a big game from Greinke will now have to wait -- for the World Series. Or for 2012.

The Brewers get to go home, but their defense isn't going to get any better on the plane ride to Milwaukee. Their Game 6 starter is Shaun Marcum, who has allowed 14 hits and 12 runs over 8 2/3 innings in his two postseason starts, and 31 runs over his past 31 1/3 innings going back to the regular season. The odds may seem stacked against the Brewers, but the way they play at Miller Park, I'm not going to count them out.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

A pair of really good baseball fellows joined me for Wednesday’s Baseball Today podcast, as Jim Bowden and Dave Schoenfield helped me break down Tuesday’s packed day, and we looked ahead.

1. It’s all about A.J. Burnett. And a little about Curtis Granderson. Yankees and Tigers play on.

2. Will it matter against the Mighty Power Rangers? The Rays leave us as Adrian Beltre goes all Reggie in October.

3. The Phillies escaped with a win in part because of the evil intentional walk. If you were Tony La Russa, what would you have done?

4. Arizona breaks out the bats and forces a Brewers pitcher to new -- at least on the mound -- levels of frustration.

5. Adrian Gonzalez had a good season, but was it superficially good? An emailer needs answers!

So check out Wednesday’s packed Baseball Today as we talk about all the games, look ahead and even find time for the great Wildfire Schulte. Download now!