Cardinals win World Series

By Dan Curtis, '08 | Sports Editor

October is over and the 2006 Fall Classic is complete. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers in five games to ensure the Cardinals their 10^th World Series title in franchise history.

The Cardinals' heavy-hitting lineup did a number on the primarily young pitching staff of the Tigers. The improbable World Series MVP, 5-foot, 7-inch shortstop, David Eckstein, led the offensive charge throughout the series with 6 hits and 8 runs batted in. Reigning National League MVP, Albert Pujols was somewhat ineffective during the five games, given that the Tigers pitchers walked the slugger on a consistent basis, not giving him a real opportunity to inflict any major damage.

The sole game that the Detroit Tigers won in the series was tainted by suspected cheating on behalf of the team’s veteran pitching ace, Kenny Rogers. In the first inning of game 2, a foreign substance was spotted on the throwing hand of the 41-year-old right-hander. The league, which has been blanketed by cheating scandals throughout its history, does not permit pitchers any foreign substance except the resin bag placed on the backside of the mound.

Kenny Rogers said the substance was nothing more than a clump of dirt which he did not recognize was there, although the media and many fans at home speculated that it was a sticky matter called pine tar. Rather than blowing the incident out of proportion, the umpire told Kenny to clean his hand at the conclusion of the inning.

With little complaint of the incident from the Cardinal bench, the game went on and proved to be the sole victory for the Tigers, who were favored by many to win the Series.

The Cardinals had won the World Series in 1982. The franchise’s 10^th title is second in Major League Baseball History to the New York Yankees, who have won 26.