Quote (Genetics @ May 28 2016 06:16pm)
no way
being down by 2 runs two different times with 2 outs and 2 strikes, essentially one pitch from it all being over, and coming back both times.
thats for the world series. it wouldnt mean as much if the cardinals didnt win game 7, but they did.
that home run pujols hit off brad lidge in the playoffs was outstanding, when the cardinals were down 2 with 2 outs and no one on in an elimination game. at the time, lidge was one of the best closers in the game, and pujols put on over the tracks off him.
no one remembers though because the cardinals lost the next game.
Yeah, spent the last 90 minutes rewatching the innings and typing a novel explaining my stance, then accidentally clicked off the box, hit backspace, and lost it all. I'm over it now, so I guess you get the poorly argued tl;dr version.
The stage is the main thing that makes the Cardinals comeback special as a whole. Honestly, it was more David Freese carrying the team on his back than anything (not to take anything away from the rest of them). What made the Royals one special was not so much the context (their first playoff game since they won the World Series in 1985 (29 years ago)). It was HOW they got it done that made it special - using the best small ball this game has seen in a lot of years, specifically in the 8th inning.
8th Inning (OAK: 7, KC: 3):
3 Singles
3 walks
4 Stolen Bases (would be
six if two weren't later changed due to a ruling of wild pitch)
A pinch runner
3 Runs
9th:
Pinch hit Single --> Dyson pinch runs for Willingham --> Sac Bunt --> Dyson steals third --> Sac Fly
Essentially, the Royals managed to manufacture a run off of just a single, despite great pitching (and no walks).
Then, like the Cardinals, the Royals also had to fight back against a deficit in extra innings and managed to do so by also putting up two runs. However, unlike the Cardinals, they had to do it without three of their best hitters. Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas, and Nori Aoki, who had combined for 4 hits, 2 runs, and 3 RBI so far, had been removed for pinch runners. Instead, the Royals had Jayson Nix, Jarrod Dyson, and Christian Colon who combined for a career batting average of .235. Despite this lack of offense, they again managed to manufacture two runs using an XBH, sac fly, single, stolen base, and a clutch hit by a struggling 0-5 Perez.
I agree that the Cardinals was bigger because of the stage, but I've got to say the Royals was definitely a lot more fun to watch. You see walk offs like the Cardinals fairly frequently, but you rarely see a team use 21 different players including 3 pinch runners, 2 pinch hitters, and see
six players steal
seven (originally
nine) bases to come back from being down four in an elimination playoff game. This may be where reasonable minds disagree, but to me, it's substantially much more enjoyable to watch an entire team get involved with each player playing a huge role and manage to band together to come back from a huge deficit against good pitchers than to watch the sort of walk off hits that, while impressive, occur on a fairly regular basis (just on a smaller stage).
This post was edited by ChiefBuzzin on May 28 2016 07:11pm