While St. Louis teams have scored notable championship round victories vs Boston teams, all four current Boston teams, one in each of the major sports leagues, either won their first title or ended a considerable title drought with a championship round victory over a St. Louis team.
Tonight begins the fourth World Series between St Louis and Boston, all involving the Cardinals and Red Sox. At one time each city housed two baseball teams. However, the St.Louis Browns and Boston Braves, who combined for only 3 WS appearances, never faced each other in the Fall classic.
The Cardinals won the first two World Series clashes vs the Red Sox, each in 7 games in 1946 and 1967. However, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. That ended a much publicized 86 year Red Sox title drought.
The first of three New England Patriots’ titles came in the Super Bowl as double digit underdogs, vs the St. Louis Rams in the 2001 season.
Both cities won their first basketball title against the other. In 1957, the Boston Celtics won the first of what would be 9 titles in 10 seasons and 11 titles in 13 seasons, in a stirring seven game series vs the St. Louis Hawks.
The next year led by Bob Pettit, who had 50 points in the game six clincher at St. Louis, the Hawks won their only championship to this day. They moved to Atlanta in 1968.
Finally in hockey, the great Bobby Orr scored in overtime in game 4 in the 1970 Finals vs the St. Louis Blues. That iconic goal, with Orr flying through the air, clinched the Boston Bruins’ first Stanley Cup win in 29 years. Their opponent was St. Louis (Blues).
Only the Kansas City Chiefs, who won but did not cover the spread vs the Houston Texans (the Texans covered the spread for the first time in their 17-16 loss), are unbeaten in the NFL. The Chiefs are (5-2) vs the spread, the other non cover also a (17-16) win vs a team from Texas, that in week 2 vs the Dallas Cowboys.
Elsewhere, one Manning (New York Giants’ Eli) finally won, while another (the Denver Broncos’ Peyton) finally lost (a game) this past week.
Denver is still the favorite both in its division, where they are 3 to 1 favorites despite trailing the Chiefs, and in the AFC where they are top choice getting about 3 to 2 odds.
The Giants at (1-6) are probably out of contention, but in the weak NFC East (only Dallas is not below .500 and they are just one over) one can not be sure.
Another question regarding the Giants: does a win vs the now (1-5) Minnesota Vikings get their games back on the TV screens at Rick’s Cabaret Gentlemen’s Club in New York City?
Their overall performance on the field of play had been deemed “too depressing” for the happy atmosphere at Rick’s.
Stay tuned: maybe locals will be able to “tune in” Giants’ football, while enjoying the great food, warm hospitality and beautiful showgirls at Rick’s Cabaret in New York City.
The Cards and Red Sox played in the 1946 World Series, 67 years ago. They met in the 1967 World Series which was 46 years ago. That “difference” in years could only happen in 2013. Sure enough the two teams will clash, Boston has been installed as about a 3 to 2 series favorite.
With the Jim Leyland managed Detroit Tigers coming up short yet again, his teams are now (0-7) in post season series with Tim McCarver in the announcer’s booth. Maybe next year for Detroit, as McCarver is retiring.
The Red Sox win in game six is just the second time in 12 possibilities that a Red Sox post season series ended in six games. Only in 1918, the Red Sox last title season until 2004, had a Red Sox series ended in six games before last night.
Included among the 10 times a Red Sox series was taken to the 7 game limit (cue The Eagles), is the Mets’ miracle 3 run, 2 out rally to win game six of the 1986 World Series.
Another was the Red Sox game six win vs the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 world Series. The ’75 Reds and ’86 Mets, each with a National League regular season wins mark (108 wins), for an eventual World Series winner, (the 1906 Cubs won a record 116 games but lost to the crosstown White Sox in the Fall Classic) took the Series in game seven.
Before game six of the NLCS, almost every so called “expert” I heard, more or less said, “with Kershaw on the hill it would be LA (Dodgers) in game six,” so of course, the St. Louis Cardinals won and will play in their 19th World Series.
The Fall Classic will begin Wednesday night either in Boston or Detroit. The Cards are (11-7) in previous World Series.
The Cardinals cruised in game six as Kershaw left in the 5th inning and yielded 7 runs in the game.
Overlooked Cards’ starter Michael Wacha was named NLCS MVP. He chalked up his 3rd post season win in as many starts, having yielded but one run in the three games.
The Cardinals are (7-0) at home vs the Dodgers in home games with the N.L. pennant on the line. They won a game in 1946 and three each at home in both the 1985 and now in the 2013 NLCS.
“St. Loo” will have the “W’s”– pitchers Adam Wainwright and Wacha, ready for the first two games of the World Series on the road.
Michael Wacha
Last night’s (4-3) Boston Red Sox win, which put them up three games to two in their ALCS vs the Detroit Tigers, marked the first time ever that the Red Sox won a game 5 road game in a (2-2) series.
Now Boston, about a six to five favorite in game six, have the potential last two games at their venerable Fenway Park home.
This is only the second time that the Red Sox will return home with a (3-2) series lead, the other being the 1912 World Series.
Then they lost both at New York’s Polo Grounds vs the New York Giants and at home, before winning the decisive game, with a two run rally in the bottom of the tenth inning.
That decisive win by the Boston Red Sox was the only time in baseball history, a team facing its last inning and trailing, rallied and clinched the World Series in that same potential last inning.
Fenway Park
The ALCS stands at two games apiece for just the fifth time in 28 best of seven series, after the Detroit Tigers posted a (7-3) win in game four vs the Boston Red Sox. It also is the first (2-2) ALCS since 2003.
Meanwhile in the NLCS, the Dodgers stayed alive winning game five at home but the Cardinals still lead the series three games to two.
The results of yesterday’s games assured both networks of at least a six game series. Money made, now maybe more of it for them. What else is new?!
The Cardinals have won five, best of seven NLCS (1985, 1987, 2004, 2006 and 2011) and did not have a (3-1) series lead in any of them.
Twice they have dissipated (3-1) NLCS leads, doing so vs the Atlanta Braves in 1996 and last year against the eventual world champion, San Francisco Giants.
They also have blown a (3-1) lead in the World Series on two occasions in 1968 vs the Tigers and in 1985 vs the Kansas City Royals.
The proud Cardinals’ franchise, arguably with the second greatest baseball history behind the Yankees, really would be set back by another such loss.
The Dodgers, with Clayton Kershaw vs Michael Wacha in an anticipated pitching duel (the total runs for the game have been perceived as five and a half by Las Vegas oddsmakers) are 7 to 5 favorites in game six.
The Cardinals, in a game 7 they hope is not played, would be slightly bigger favorites with their game 3 losing pitcher, Adam Wainwright, opposing game three winner, Hyun-jin Ryu of the Dodgers.
Last night was the 12th time in a best of 7 series involving the Dodgers that a team came home for game three, trailing two games to none. All 12 times the team trailing the series won game three at home.
Last night was the eighth time the Dodgers, either while playing in Brooklyn or Los Angeles won the game. Four times, their opponent won in such a situation.
Six of the previous 11 teams won the series, eight of the 11 at least squared the series with a game four win.
Only the 1916 Brooklyn Dodgers vs Babe Ruth and the Red Sox, the 1988 Oakland A’s, and 2008 Dodgers (vs the eventual world champion Philadelphia Phillies) lost in five games.
No team had ever come back from a (2-0) deficit in the World Series until 1955 and then it happened two years in a row.
First, the Brooklyn Dodgers came back to win all three at home and eventually game 7 behind John Podres, to finally beat the New York Yankees and win their only Brooklyn title.
However, the next year, the Yankees came home down (2-0) but won all three at Yankee Stadium–the final home game being Don Larsen’s perfect game. The Yankees took the title in 7 games as Yogi Berra hit 2 home runs while Bill “Moose” Skowron hit a grand slam homer, the only such blow in game seven of a World Series.
The Yankees again came back from an (0-2) deficit vs the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978. They returned home down (0-2) in the World Series and won all three at home. The Yankees clinched the title with a game six win in LA. They were the first team to lose the first four games of a World Series and win the next four.
However, and please check with George Santayana, who some say “GHOSTwrites” this stuff, “history repeated” and the Dodgers reversed the situation three years later. L.A. won all three at home and clinched the ’81 title at Yankee Stadium in game six.
The other two times among the previous 11, that a team trailing (0-2) and coming home in a best of 7 series involving the Dodgers, won the entity, occurred 20 years apart in the 1965 World Series and 1985 NLCS.
In the former, LA won all three at home with Claude Osteen, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax getting the wins. It was the great Koufax, pitching on two days rest, who won game seven in Minnesota vs the Twins. Sandy hurled a three hit shutout that day.
In 1985, the Cardinals did to the Dodgers what the Dodgers hope to reverse, these 28 years later, in 2013. As stated here before, 2013 has the same calendar as 1985.
28 years ago, the Cardinals returned home and won all three games, the last ending on the first ever left handed hitting, home run by legendary Cards’ shortstop, Ozzie Smith. Also as stated here before, “St. Loo” won the series in six with Jack Clark’s, top of the ninth inning three run homer, the deciding blow.
That Clark home run was exactly 28 years ago tomorrow and again the Cardinals will play a day, NLCS game at Dodger Stadium on a Wednesday October 16th. If the Cards win tonight in game 4, they will again have a chance to eliminate the Dodgers in the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on a Wednesday afternoon, October 16th.
For the record, the Dodgers in both 1947 and 1953 returned home to Brooklyn and won both games 3 and 4 vs the Yankees in the World Series. Each time they lost both game 5 at home and the series.
In 1947 the series went seven games games while it ended in six games in 1953. Alfred Emanuel Martin, better known as Billy Martin, capped a great individual series by driving home the title clinching run in 1953.
The two lone remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL both reside in the AFC West. One almost certainly will win the divisional title while the other most likely will be at best, a “five seed” in the playoffs, no matter how good their record might be.
The Denver Broncos were nearly four touchdown favorites and for the second straight game did not come close to covering the point spread, in a (35-16) win vs the (0-6) Jacksonville Jaguars.
Earlier in the day, the Kansas City Chiefs had covered the spread with a (24-7) win vs their old rivals, the Oakland Raiders.
Next week the Chiefs, who have covered the spread in five of their six victories, host the disappointing Houston Texans.
The Texans, who were prohibitive favorites to win the AFC South, are (2-4) and have failed to cover the spread in all six games. That evokes the woeful Houston Astros, who finished the baseball season with a (51-111) record. They lost their last 15 games. Predictable next sentence: “Houston we (your teams) have a problem.”
Next Sunday night, the Broncos’ great regular season quarterback, Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis where he played for 13 seasons before missing the entire 2011 season.
The Broncos will face the Colts who have a much hyped, but fine young quarterback, named Andrew Luck. As cited before, Manning deserves great credit for coming back from injury to play the past two seasons.
Denver will be about a touchdown favorite vs the (4-2) Colts, who unlike the (6-0) Broncos have undisputed possession of first place in their division, at this still relatively early point in the season.
Both teams are huge favorites (the Broncos 7 to 1, despite being tied with the Chiefs) to win divisional titles.
Yesterday was quite a day for Boston team sports. First of all, the great, modest and classy Bobby Orr, who led the Boston Bruins to Stanley Cup titles in 1970 and 1972, was featured on the national show, “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Perhaps that was an omen as both the (5-1) New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox pulled out miracle wins led by multi-championship winning Boston sports stars.
Tom Brady, who has been the quarterback on 3 Pats Super Bowl winners, engineered a 70 yard, one minute eight second touchdown drive, without any time outs.
It culminated with a game winning pass to Kenbrell Thompkins, with 5 seconds left in the game. The Pats win in the last minute was against the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints.
The Red Sox then topped that by overcoming a (5-1) eighth inning deficit in a near “must win” game two of the ALCS vs the Detroit Tigers.
David Ortiz, an integral part of the only two Red Sox World Series winners in the previous 94 seasons, hit a game tying grand slam home run with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Boston won (6-5) scoring a run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The series is now tied at one game apiece with the next three games to be played in Detroit.
The St. Louis Cardinals won a pair of one run games within 24 hours and have taken a (2-0) NLCS lead vs the favored Los Angeles Dodgers.
Carlos Beltran was the star as the Redbirds won game 1 in 13 innings, a Friday night into Saturday morning game that lasted nearly 5 hours. Yesterday afternoon, Michael Wacha and Trevor Rosenthal combined to shutout the Dodgers (1-0) in a two hour, 40 minute tilt.
The Cardinals have won all six home games vs the Dodgers in series with the National League pennant on the line. Before this year, the previous two such series were in 1946 and 1985.
St. Louis won the best of three playoff for the pennant opener, at home in 1946, before clinching the series in Brooklyn in the next game.
Five years later, when the Dodgers were again to be involved in a “best two of three” playoff for the pennant, this time with their arch rivals, the New York Giants, the Dodgers won a coin toss and elected to play the first game of the playoff at home.
Thus the potential last two would be on the road. That decision was based on their loss in 1946, when they opened at St. Louis and lost the series in two straight games.
Of course, the Dodgers lost the 1951 playoff when Bobby Thomson hit a game winning home run off Ralph Branca in the bottom of the ninth inning in the decisive third game, which was a road game for the Dodgers.
Maybe the Dodgers would not have won the 1951 playoff, had they chosen to host the potential last two games.
However, one certainty is that a game ending home run such as Thomson hit, the impact of which still reverberates through time, would have been impossible.
The Cards won all three home games vs L.A. in the 1985 NLCS and two so far in 2013. Add the 1946 playoff home victory and St. Louis has a “Big Six.” That was the great pitcher, Christy Mathewson’s nickname.
The pitching, at least for three games in both LCS (the Tigers, like “St. Loo” (1-0) winners yesterday, used 5 pitchers who allowed but one hit and combined to fan 17 Red Sox batters) has been “Mathewson like.”
Carlos Beltran
Andy B Sports 