Among the 25 World Series champions since 2000, how did the 2011 Cardinals land in this spot?
This is probably a higher-ranked team if Albert Pujols was still at his peak, but the thing about Albert Pujols is that the beginning of his decline was better than most players at their very best.
In a down year, he slashed .299/.366/.541 with 37 home runs while finishing fifth for the NL MVP. And he was joined by the likes of Lance Berkman, who batted .301/.412/.547 with 31 dingers, and Matt Holliday, who slashed .296/.388/.525. Yadier Molina was once again a master behind the plate, and plenty productive at it, too.
Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumacher were the weak parts of the lineup, but everyone else — David Freese, Colby Rasmus, Jon Jay, Allen Craig, Nick Punto and Rafael Furcal — were all productive, sometimes in part-time roles. All told, the Cardinals had the best offense in the National League and the second-best offense in MLB.
The rotation, on the other hand, was not among the league’s best as not a single starter rose to the level of ace. Chris Carpenter came the closest, with an NL-leading 237.1 innings, but his 3.45 ERA was a bit deceptive, as the league average in 2011 was 3.94 in a season where pitchers dominated. The whole rotation, Jake Westbrook’s poor season aside, was like this: a little better than average, and certainly getting the job done, but nothing that struck fear into the hearts of opposing lineups.
The bullpen didn’t stun, either. Adam Wainwright, who had finished third and second in the previous two NL Cy Young races, should have been the jewel of the staff, but he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in the spring.
Despite Pujols taking a step back, some holes in the lineup and a pitching staff that didn’t excite, the Cardinals made it work. They won 90 games in the regular season, and then fell one game shy of playing every possible game in the postseason in order to win the World Series. The NLDS against the 102-win Phillies took all five games. The NLCS went six, with the Cards downing the 96-win Brewers.
The World Series against the Rangers went the full seven, but only after a dramatic Game 6 when St. Louis won 10-9 in 11 innings. The Cardinals were down by two runs in the ninth but forced extra innings, then were down two runs again in the 10th before tying the game in the bottom of the inning. In both instances, St. Louis was down to its final strike, while the Rangers were one strike away from winning their first-ever World Series.
Instead, David Freese, who had already been named NLCS MVP, hit a walkoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, setting the stage for Game 7. The Cardinals would win that game with comparative ease, 6-2, giving them their second championship of the century. The Rangers would have to wait until 2023 to win their first title.
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