2011 St. Louis Cardinals season

2011 St. Louis Cardinals
World Series Champions
National League Champions
National League Wild Card
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record 90–72 (.556)
Divisional place 2nd
Other information
Owner(s) William DeWitt, Jr.
Drew Baur (1996 – Feb 20, 2011)
Fred Hanser
General manager(s) John Mozeliak
Manager(s) Tony La Russa
Local television Fox Sports Midwest
(Dan McLaughlin, Al Hrabosky, Rick Horton)
Local radio KMOX Newsradio (1120 AM)
(Mike Shannon, John Rooney)
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The St. Louis Cardinals' 2011 season was the team's 130th season in St. Louis, Missouri, its 120th season in the National League, and its sixth season at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals began their season at home against the San Diego Padres on March 31, following an 86–76 (.531) record and second-place finish in the NL Central in 2010. The team returned to postseason play in 2011 as the Wild Card team, after finishing second in the NL Central to the Milwaukee Brewers by six games. The Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies in five games in the Division Series[1] and the Milwaukee Brewers in six games in the National League Championship Series. They defeated the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series in seven games.

Offseason departures and acquisitions

Cardinals co-owner, team treasurer, and member of the board of directors Andrew N. "Drew" Baur died suddenly at his home at 66, in Gulf Stream, Florida on February 20, 2011.[2][3]

Management

On Oct 18, 2010, manager Tony La Russa decided to return for his 16th season with the Cardinals after agreeing to terms for a new one-year contract, and a mutual option for a second year. Bullpen coach Marty Mason was not retained, but all the other coaches returned with extended contracts.[4]

On November 2, 2010, the team named a bullpen coach to replace Mason: Derek Lilliquist, the team's pitching coordinator for the last three seasons. Also announced that day: Greg Hauck was promoted to head athletic trainer, while longtime head trainer Barry Weinberg assumed duties as assistant athletic trainer.[5]

Hitters

On Oct 6, 2010, the Cardinals picked up the $16 million option on Albert Pujols.[6]

On November 30, 2010, the Cardinals traded pitcher Blake Hawksworth for middle-infielder Ryan Theriot in a trade with Dodgers. They also signed free agent left-handed relief pitcher Brian Tallet.[7] On December 12 the Cardinals cleared a space for Theriot at shortstop by trading incumbent shortstop Brendan Ryan to the Seattle Mariners for Class-A prospect Maikel Cleto.[8]

On December 4, 2010, the Cardinals signed 34-year-old free agent Lance Berkman (formerly with the Houston Astros and then Yankees in 2010) to a 1-year, $8 million deal.[9] Berkman, who was slated to play right field regularly for the first time since 2004, had slumped to a .248 average in 2010[10] and had hit particularly poorly after his midseason trade to the New York Yankees. As a Cardinal in 2011, he hit 31 home runs and was named NL Comeback Player of the Year.[11]

On December 14, 2010, the Cardinals signed free agent catcher Gerald Laird to a one-year contract.[12]

On January 15, 2011, Albert Pujols, through his agent Dan Lozano, told the Cardinals that the date to report to Spring training (Feb. 18) was the deadline to reach a deal on a new contract.[13] Negotiations failed to produce a deal, and on February 16 Pujols suspended negotiations, citing an unwillingness to be distracted during the season, including Spring training. Pujols received $16 million in 2011 and $111 million over his previous eight seasons. Pujols had asked for a 10-year deal, worth up to $300 million, averaging $30 million per year.[14]

On January 21, 2011, the Cardinals signed free agent backup infielder Nick Punto to a one-year contract for $750,000.[15]

In a surprise announcement on February 4, the Cardinals signed former Cardinal Jim Edmonds (2000–07) to a minor-league contract, and an invitation to Spring training as a non-roster invitee. He hit 241 home runs (4th in rank) as a Cardinal in his eight years, made three All-Star teams (2000, 2003, 2005), and won six Gold Gloves (2000–05). He needed seven home runs to reach 400.[16][17] On February 18, Edmonds announced his retirement from baseball, citing the risk of permanent damage in his comeback from Achilles tendon surgery.[18]

Pitchers

On October 6, 2010, the Cardinals picked up the option on LH relief specialist Trever Miller after he vested his option with his 45th appearance in 2010 (57 G), and finished the season healthy.[6]

On November 16, 2010, the Cardinals signed free agent pitcher Jake Westbrook to a two-year deal through 2012 for $16.5 million, with a mutual option for 2013, and a full no-trade clause. The Cardinals had acquired Westbrook in a 2010 trade that sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres.[19]

On Jan 15, 2011, the Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract with reliever Kyle McClellan in avoiding arbitration. Salary was not announced.[20]

The Cardinals suffered a severe setback at the beginning of spring training. On Feb 24, 2011, it was confirmed that ace pitcher Adam Wainwright needed Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after experiencing discomfort in throwing batting practice on February 21. It meant missing, at a minimum, the entirety of the 2011 season.[21] Wainwright was coming off a 2010 season in which he won a career-high 20 games, made the All-Star game, and finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting. The Feb 28 surgery on Wainwright in St. Louis was described as 'successful.'[22]

Other offseason developments: "Stand for Stan"

Starting in 2010, the Cardinals started a campaign to award longtime hero Stan Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The initiative was nicknamed Stand for Stan. On February 15, 2011, the program came to fruition, as President Barack Obama awarded Musial the medal.[23][24]

Spring training

The Cardinals released their 2011 Spring training schedule on December 3, 2010.[25]St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training Schedule

The scheduled exhibition game on March 29, vs. their AA-level Springfield Cardinals team, was canceled the day before because bad weather was expected.[26]

Regular season

March–April

The Cardinals opened 2011 with a loss at home against the San Diego Padres on March 31, after leading 3–2 with two outs in the 9th inning. Matt Holliday hit what looked to be the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 8th, but closer Ryan Franklin gave up a game-tying home run in that 9th inning, sending the game to extra innings. The Padres scored twice in the 11th to win 5–3.[27] It was a sign of things to come for Franklin in 2011.

That evening, Holliday complained of pains, leading to an emergency appendectomy the next day.[28] After missing only seven games while recuperating from surgery, Holliday returned to the lineup on April 10, singling and drawing two walks in a 6–1 victory over the Giants.[29]

Lance Berkman received the NL Player of the Week award on April 18, batting .417 (10-for-24), leading the majors with six HRs, 12 RBIs, and 1.167 Slugging percentage, and also having two multi-homer games.[30]

Matt Holliday (.408) and Lance Berkman (.393) were 1–3 respectively in the NL batting lead after the first month of the season ended, April 30. Holliday also led the NL in OBP (.511), and Berkman led the NL in both slugging (.753) and OPS (1.207).

The Cardinals recovered from a 2–6 start to finish in first place (16–11) by two games over the Reds at the end of April, and the entire team was also No. 1 in sweeping all three NL hitting percentages at .295/.362/.451, having a .812 OPS and also leading in hits (281), runs (144) total bases (429), and also struck out the fewest times (168). All those base runners led to them also leading in grounding into the most double plays (36), with Albert Pujols (.245/.305/.453, .758 OPS) owning the NL lead with nine.

The Cardinals rose to first place in the standings despite major problems in the bullpen. Closer Ryan Franklin blew four of his first five save opportunities and the Cardinals lost all four of those games. Franklin never got another save opportunity after blowing a save against the Dodgers on April 17, and finished the month with a 10.12 ERA.[31] Mitchell Boggs got the call as closer[32] and recorded three saves before blowing another save (leading to another Cardinals blown-save loss) against Houston on April 26.[33] Left-handed reliever Trever Miller was hit for an .899 OPS by opposition batters in April.[34]

May

Third baseman David Freese suffered a broken bone in his left hand on May 1 from being hit by a pitch.[35] Freese did not return until the end of June.

The Cardinals continued to search for an effective closer in May.[36] Rookie Eduardo Sanchez filled the role for a while in early May,[37] then Fernando Salas took the job and recorded seven saves in seven chances in the second half of the month.[38]

Jaime García flirted with history on May 6, pitching 7 1⁄3 innings of perfect baseball against the Milwaukee Brewers at home, bidding for the first perfect game in Cardinals' history, and the first no-hitter since Bud Smith on September 3, 2001.[39] He ended with a 2-hit, complete-game shutout (his 2nd of 2011), after losing his perfect bid with a walk and a hit in the 8th inning. He later gave up a double in the 9th, the only runner to reach second base. He walked one and struck out eight, and a double-play in the eighth helped preserve his shutout, the third of his career.

The Cardinals were a strong 17–12 in May and finished the month 2 1⁄2 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central[40] despite numerous injuries to key players. Albert Pujols struggled through a most uncharacteristic slump at the start of the season, going a career-worst 105 at-bats without a home run[41] and finishing May with an unusually low .755 OPS for the first two months.[42] Tony La Russa, suffering from a severe case of shingles, missed six games, with bench coach Joe Pettini serving as acting manager.[43]

June

Albert Pujols broke out of his season-long slump in style, hitting five home runs in the week that ended June 5 and winning NL Player of the Week honors.[44]

Tony La Russa managed his 5,000th major league game (2,676–2,320–4   0.536) on June 10, but the milestone was marred by a shutout loss at Milwaukee. He joins Connie Mack as the only manager or coach in American sports history to reach 5,000 games.[45][46]

On June 19, Albert Pujols hurt his wrist when an opposing player ran into him when Pujols was taking an errant throw from second baseman Peter Kozma. A subsequent MRI on June 20, showed a small fracture in the left wrist-forearm. Pujols estimated time on the DL was expected to be from four to six weeks, and after Wainwright and Pujols both going down and Holliday missing significant time, it became obvious that 2011 was going to be a rough year, maybe even a lost cause. Pujols had played in all 73 games before the injury.[47][48]

Pujols's injury was 14th time the Cardinals used the disabled list that season for 12 different players, already more than they used all of the previous year. He joined Wainwright, Freese, Nick Punto, Allen Craig, Gerald Laird, Bryan Augenstein and Eduardo Sanchez on the DL.[49]

Left-handed reliever Raúl Valdés was promoted from AAA Memphis on June 23. Valdes became the third lefty in the struggling bullpen, joining struggling southpaws Trever Miller and Brian Talletin the bullpen.[50] Disabled players David Freese (3b) and Nick Punto (Inf.), both out for over a month, were activated on June 27, providing relief for the injury-riddled team. Freese last played on May 1, and Punto on May 17.[51] Both players made instant impacts in their first game returning when they helped beat the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in their first interleague game there.[52]

Late in June the Cardinals cleared two ineffective relief pitchers from the roster. Miguel Batista, who had given up 27 hits and 19 walks in only 29 innings, was let go on June 22.[53] Former closer Ryan Franklin was given his unconditional release on June 29. He was 1–4 with an 8.46 ERA. Opponents battered him for a .367 average, plus 44 hits and nine home runs over 21 games, in only 27 2⁄3 innings. He walked 7 and struck out 17, with a 1.84 WHIP[54] Right-handed pitcher Brandon Dickson's contract was called up to fill the roster spot vacated by Franklin's release.[55]

After 81 games on June 29, the half-way point of the season, the team was 43–38 (.531) only 1 game behind the Milwaukee Brewers at 44–37 (.543). The Cardinals played very poorly for much of June, going 3–12 from June 10 to 26. At some time around the end of June, manager Tony La Russa decided to retire at the end of the season. He kept that decision secret from the team.[56]

July

Rafael Furcal, traded to the Cardinals on July 31, awaits his turn at bat in Game 7 of the 2011 World Series

After an initial estimate of Albert Pujols out for 4-to-6 weeks projecting an August 1 return, a reevaluation follow-up from a CT scan on July 1 showed faster recovery than originally thought, raising the possibility of a return by July 15, right after the All-Star break.[57][58][59] However, Pujols surprised everyone by recovering very rapidly, and he was activated on July 5, after the minimum 15-days on the DL. Lefty reliever Brian Tallet was placed on the DL to make room for Pujols.[60]

The team made a major trade on July 27, a four-for-four swap, dealing disgruntled Colby Rasmus (hitting only .246), left-handed relievers Trever Miller and Brian Tallet, and starter P. J. Walters to the Toronto Blue Jays. In return, the team received right-hand starter Edwin Jackson, left-hand specialist Marc Rzepczynski, right-hand reliever Octavio Dotel, and outfielder Corey Patterson. The team will also receive either three players to be named later, or cash. Jackson was traded earlier the day from the Chicago White Sox to the Blue Jays.[61] Rasmus had previously asked to be traded away from the Cardinals,[62] and at the time of the trade he was mired in a severe slump that saw him hitting .194 since May 12.[63] Jon Jay, who had been getting more playing time as Rasmus struggled,[64] became the everyday center fielder. Kyle McClellan, promoted to the starting rotation to fill the gap caused by the loss of Adam Wainwright, returned to the bullpen.[65]

Pujols got his 2,000th career hit on July 29, at Busch Stadium against the Cubs in the eighth inning with an RBI double. He became the fifth Cardinal to get to 2,000 hits, joining Stan Musial (3,630), Lou Brock (2,713), Rogers Hornsby (2,110), and Enos Slaughter (2,064). He got it in his 1,650th game, the 12th quickest. Musial got his in 1,507 games.[66]

The team made another trade on July 31, just before the non-waiver deadline, acquiring shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for an AA-outfielder Alex Castellanos.[67][68] Furcal displaced offseason acquisition Ryan Theriot, who committed 17 errors at shortstop for the Cardinals in 2011.[69]

August

On Aug 11 the Cardinals signed free agent lefty specialist pitcher Arthur Rhodes, previously released by the Texas Rangers.[70] The Rhodes acquisition completed a radical in-season makeover of the Cardinal bullpen. The only Cardinal relievers in the bullpen on Opening Day who were still on the team at the end of the season were Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte. Departures included Miguel Batista and Ryan Franklin (released), Bryan Augenstein (disabled and later sent to the minors) and lefty specialists Trever Miller and Brian Tallet (traded to Toronto). Additions over the course of the season included Rhodes, Marc Rzepcynski and Octavio Dotel (acquired from Toronto in the Rasmus trade), Kyle McClellan (sent back to the bullpen after the Cardinals traded for Edwin Jackson), and Lance Lynn and Fernando Salas (called up from the minor leagues).

At the beginning of the month the Cardinals were 2 1⁄2 games behind the Brewers in the standings.[71] However, they lost two of three to Milwaukee on the road Aug. 1–3, then did the same at home on Aug. 9–11, giving the Brewers a four-game lead in the NL Central.[72] The team continued to stumble as the Brewers continued to win. Newly acquired shortstop Furcal hit only .240 for the month.[73] The Cardinals went 2–4 on a six-game road trip to Pittsburgh and Chicago, then came home and were swept in three games by a bad Dodger team. After close of business on August 24, the day the Dodgers completed their sweep, St. Louis had fallen ten games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central standings and 10 1⁄2 games behind the Atlanta Braves (and in third place) in the NL Wild Card standings. Manager Tony La Russa said on the struggles: "I guarantee that the team you have seen the past few weeks is not the team we have, and I believe you will start to see our team tomorrow."[74] Chris Carpenter and other veterans called for a closed, player-only team meeting, which was held the day after the Dodgers series ended.[75] St. Louis' odds of making the playoffs stood at 1.3%.[76]

The sweep by Los Angeles dropped the Cardinals to 67–63. They ended the month on a positive note, taking three of four from the Pirates and sweeping the Brewers in Milwaukee Aug 30 – September 1, improving their chances of making the playoffs to 4.3%.[77]

September: The Comeback

The Cardinals set a new NL record of grounding into their 167th (and later, 168th) double-play on September 26, breaking the record set by the 1958 St. Louis Cardinals.[78] They finished the season with 169, five short of the all-time MLB record set by the 1990 Boston Red Sox.[79]

After dropping two of three to the Reds the Cardinals played their last series of the season against Milwaukee September 5–7. St. Louis took two out of three and thus won five of its last six games against the Brewers, but Milwaukee still held a lead of 8 1⁄2 games. The Cardinals got as close as 4 1⁄2 games behind the Brewers later in September but Milwaukee played too well to be caught, clinching the Central Division title on September 23.[80]

The same was not true of the wild-card leading Atlanta Braves. 10 1⁄2 games ahead of the Cardinals on August 24, Atlanta went only 6–7 over its next 13 games before coming to St. Louis on September 9 to play a three-game series that would prove to be critical. In the first game, Atlanta led 3–1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, but a Schumaker single and walks to Furcal and Theriot set up a two-run, two-out Albert Pujols single to tie the game. The Cardinals won on a sacrifice fly by Nick Punto in the bottom of the 10th.[81] On September 10 St. Louis won by the same 4–3 score when Michael Bourn flied out to right with the tying run on third.[82] On the 11th Yadier Molina hit a three-run double and the Cardinals won 6–3 to complete the sweep. The sweep cut the gap in the wild-card race to 4 1⁄2 games, but St. Louis had only 16 games left to play[83] and its playoff chances were still only 7.7%.[84]

The Cardinals followed up their sweep of Atlanta by going on the road to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and taking two of three from the Pirates and three of four from the NL-leading (and eventually 102-game-winner) Phillies. On the 14th Yadier Molina hit a two-run double and the Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 3–2 behind 6.2 strong innings from Edwin Jackson.[85] On the 16th an error by right fielder Corey Patterson allowed the Phillies to tie the game 2–2 in the bottom of the ninth, but the Cardinals scored on RBI hits from rookie Adron Chambers and Tyler Greene in the 11th and hung on to win 4–2.[86] On the 19th the Cardinals escaped with a 4–3 victory over the Phillies when Octavio Dotel got Hunter Pence to ground out in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run on base.[87] The Braves went 3–4 over this same stretch of games, losing to the Marlins on September 19 when Omar Infante hit a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.[88] The gap in the wild-card standings had decreased to 2.5 games but with only nine games left the Cardinals' playoff chances were still only 17.7%.[89]

The Cardinals then won two of three at home against the Mets, but suffered a bitterly disappointing loss in the third game of that series, when Rafael Furcal let a ball roll through his legs in the top of the 9th, triggering a six-run Met rally that won the game 8–6.[90] Furcal was so upset by his error that he was talking about retirement before having a personal meeting with LaRussa.[91] The Braves led by two games with six games left and the Cardinals' playoff chances were 24.4%.[92] The Cardinals won two of three against the Cubs, winning 2–1 on September 24 via a bases-loaded walk and wild pitch by Carlos Mármol and recent callup Adron Chambers sprinted home with the winning run.[93] while the Braves lost two of three to the Nationals. Atlanta had a one-game lead with three games left.[94]

The last series of the year for the Cardinals was against the terrible Houston Astros, and Atlanta's was against the powerful Philadelphia Phillies. And since the Redbirds were only one game out of the wild card, the last series was very key. The Cards were playing the worst team in the majors, and the Phillies were the best. The race and Boston and Tampa Bay's in the American League began stirring up attention around the country.

The Cardinals lost in extra innings to Astros (who finished the year at 56–106) on the 26th on a walk-off squeeze bunt by Angel Sanchez, but Atlanta lost to the Phillies. On the 27th St. Louis overcame a bad start by Jake Westbrook and a 5–0 deficit, scoring five in the fourth and four more in the seventh and winning 13–6. The winning runs came via a two-run triple from Ryan Theriot.[95] Atlanta lost to Philadelphia again, and with one game left in the season the Cardinals and Braves were tied for the wild card.

In the season finale, the Cardinals had little trouble with the Astros, winning 8–0 behind a complete game two-hit shutout from Carpenter.[96] The game ended about 9:25 PM CST. This was the first of two key clinchers Carpenter pitched in late 2011. The Braves started later. With their final regular-season game freshly on the books, Cardinals players and fans anxiously watched the still-ongoing Braves-Phillies match in Atlanta that was now in extra innings. They were two outs away from forcing a tie-breaker game, but a Chase Utley sacrifice fly tied the game 3–3 in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the 12th, the Braves stranded the winning run on third base. Finally, in the top of the 13th Hunter Pence hit an RBI infield single, and in the bottom of the inning Freddie Freeman of the Braves hit into a double play to lose the ballgame and eliminate Atlanta.[97]

By edging Atlanta to clinch the Wild Card on the final day of the regular season, the 2011 Cardinals completed the largest comeback in history after 130 games,[98][99][100] (and collapses in Atlanta's point of view). They went 23–9 over their final 32 games to erase a 10.5 game deficit. They went 18–8 in the month of September while the Braves went 9–18 for September to open the door. Since the Braves play in a different division, the two teams played fewer games against each other, also lowering the odds that the Cardinals had to catch up with the Braves in the Wild Card race.[101] St. Louis finished 90–72 and advanced to the postseason to face the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies, heavily favored to move on.

B. J. Rains ranked the Cardinals' Top 11 games of 2011, with the winner the September 24, 2–1 ninth-inning comeback win against the Cubs.[102]

Postseason

The team qualified for the Wild Card on the final day of the regular season and played the Philadelphia Phillies for the first time in postseason, in the NL Division Series best of five, starting the first two games at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

NLDS

Game 1 of the NLDS ended an 11–6 Philadelphia victory. After Roy Halladay struggled in the first, allowing a three-run homer to Lance Berkman, he settled down, at one point retiring twenty-one Cardinal hitters in a row. After Game 1, Chris Carpenter, starting on three-day's rest for the first time in his career, allowed the Phillies to take a quick 4–0 lead in Game 2. And with Cliff Lee on the mound for the Phils, the game seemed out of reach. "You can count on one finger the number of times you'll come back from four runs down against Cliff Lee", Lance Berkman said. That's exactly what the Cardinals did, and took a 5–4 lead after an RBI single by Albert Pujols. The series was tied at one game apiece. "That win was huge for us", Tony La Russa said. "Realistically, us winning three in a row was not really possible." The famous Rally Squirrel (aka, 'Busch Squirrel'), made his first appearance in Game 3 on October 4, and then again appeared in Game 4 on October 5, running across Home Plate at Busch Stadium in front of Skip Schumaker who was batting. The pitch was called a ball, and Roy Oswalt protested that it should not have counted. Nothing he did changed the umpire's mind though. Schumaker later flew out to left. The team was ahead at the time, 3–2, and held on for the 5–3 victory. The Rally Squirrel was instantly adopted by the fans as the postseason mascot, and thousands of rally squirrel T-shirts were sold. His Twitter account started, and by October 6 it had over 11,000 followers; by October 20, it had over 27,500 followers.

The October 7, Game 5 winner-take-all in the NLDS pitted Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter vs. Roy Halladay, his best friend off-the-field for the Phillies, at Citizens Bank Park.[103] Carpenter threw an outstanding 3-hit shutout over Halladay and the Phillies to win the NLDS, 1–0.[1] The last out was made by St. Louisian Ryan Howard, who chopped a grounder to Nick Punto at second. Punto saw Howard on the ground by home plate, having torn his achilles. He then lobbed the ball to Albert Pujols, who caught it to send the Cardinals to the NLCS for the first time since 2006.

NLCS

The Milwaukee Brewers took the first game of the NLCS 9–6, but the Cardinals rebounded to take the next two games. The teams split the next two, and on Sunday, October 16, the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, for their 18th NL Pennant, and became the only team to play in three of the last ten World Series. The final out was recorded when Jason Motte struck out the Brewers' Mark Kotsay on high heat.[104] David Freese was named NLCS MVP.[105][106]

World Series

Main article: 2011 World Series

Allen Craig was the hero in Game 1 of the World Series, singling off Alexi Ogando to break a 2–2 tie. The Cards managed to win. The next day, Craig was almost the hero again when he singled off Ogando for the second straight night. The Rangers came back to win, 2–1, though, for Jason Motte's only blown save of the postseason. The next game, Albert Pujols went 5-for-6 with three home runs to put him in company with Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three homers in a World Series game. Pujols also set a record with 14 total bases, hits in four consecutive innings, and tied a Series record with five hits, total bases, RBIs, and runs scored in one game.[107]

But after the Rangers won the next two games, the Cardinals fell behind in the Series 3–2. The Cardinals, facing the Texas Rangers in the World Series, pulled-off one of the greatest comeback game wins in World Series history, with an amazing Game 6, winning 10–9 in 11 innings after twice being one strike away from elimination. David Freese hit a two-out, two-strike, ninth-inning triple, to tie the game after trailing 7–5 in the ninth inning. Berkman followed with an RBI single in the 10th to tie the game again. Later, with the score tied 9–9, Freese hit a lead-off walk-off home run to dead centerfield in the 11th, off Mark Lowe at 11:39 pm CDT.[108] Lance Berkman had previously tied the game in the 10th with a single with 2 outs and 2 strikes, scoring Jon Jay. The win meant that the World Series would go to a seventh game for the first time since 2002. Of the last 13 Major League teams that won Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 in the postseason, 12 went on to win Game 7.[109] The Rangers led 4 different times in the game, including with two outs and two strikes in both the ninth and the 10th, but the Cardinals refused to die.[110]

Freese's game-winning home run was only the fifth in World Series Game 6 history (1960-Pit., 1975-Bos., 1991-Min., 1993-Tor).[111]

The Cardinals set two records in their Game 6 win: the first team to come back twice from deficits in both the 9th and 10th innings, and the first team to score in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings.[112]

The Cardinals celebrate the 11th World Series Championship in club history, the most of any National League team.

On October 28, the Cardinals finished off their amazing, end-of-season run, starting after the Aug 24 game when they were 10 1⁄2 games behind for the NL Central Division lead. They defeated the Texas Rangers 4 games to 3, with a 6–2 win in Game 7 of the World Series at their Busch Stadium home in front of 47,399 fans. It was the 36th time a team won the World Series in a Game 7 (or Game 8).[113] The final out was made when David Murphy flew out to left field to give the Cardinals their eleventh world championship. David Freese, a graduate of Lafayette High School in St. Louis, won the MVP award for both the NLCS, and then for the World Series, as well as the Babe Ruth Award. He knocked in a record 21 RBIs in his post-season. Chris Carpenter set a franchise record for most wins (four) in a single postseason. Carpenter, 9–2 overall in his Cardinals postseason career, ran his home postseason mark to 7–0 with a 2.15 ERA. Tony La Russa became only the ninth manager in major-league history to win at least three World Series.[114]

After the World Series

On October 31, three days after winning the World Series, manager Tony La Russa announced his retirement. He finished his managerial career after 33 seasons, third in all-time managerial wins and second all-time in post season wins.[115]

November

November 3 marked the first time in the playing history of Albert Pujols that he would become a free agent. He officially became a free agent as of 12:01 Eastern.[116]

On November 13, the Cardinals announced former Cardinals' catcher Mike Matheny as their new manager with a news conference on November 14.[117]

Although Dave Duncan did not officially retire, he took an extended leave of absence to tend to his ailing wife and his assistant Derek Lilliquist was nominated as his substitute.

On November 16, MLB announced that La Russa came in third in voting for NL Manager of the Year. Kirk Gibson (of the Arizona Diamondbacks) in his first season won, and Ron Roenicke (of the Milwaukee Brewers) came in second.[118]

Berkman's resurgence led him to a seventh-place MVP finish, and the National League Comeback Player of the Year award.

December

On December 16, 2011, the Cardinals won the Organization of the Year award from Baseball America for the first time. Baseball America has given this award since 1982.[119]

Season standings

National League Central

Source: mlb.com MLB Standings

NL Central		 W L Pct. GB Home Road
Milwaukee Brewers 96 66 .593 — 57–24 39–42
St. Louis Cardinals 90 72 .556 6 45–36 45–36
Cincinnati Reds 79 83 .488 17 42–39 37–44
Pittsburgh Pirates 72 90 .444 24 36–45 36–45
Chicago Cubs 71 91 .438 25 39–42 32–49
Houston Astros 56 106 .346 40 31–50 25–56

Record vs. Opponents

2011 National League Records

Source: [120]
Team ARI ATL CHC CIN COL FLA HOU LAD MIL NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL WSH AL
Arizona–2–33–44–213–55–26–110–84–33–33–33–311–79–93–45–310–8
Atlanta3–2–4–33–36–212–65–12–55–39–96–124–24–56–11–59–910–5
Chicago4–33–4–7–112–43–38–73–36–104–22–58–83–35–45–103–45–10
Cincinnati2–43–311–7–3–43–39–64–28–82–51–75–104–25–29–64–26–12
Colorado5–132–64–24–3–3–35–29–93–65–21–44–39–95–132–44–38–7
Florida2–56–123–33–33–3–6–13–30–79–96–126–00–74–22–611–78–10
Houston1–61–57–86–92–51–6–4–53–123–32–47–113–54–35–103–34–11
Los Angeles8–105–23–32–49–93–35–4–2–42–51–56–213–59–94–34–26–9
Milwaukee3–43–510–68–86–37–012–34–2–4–23–412–33–23–39–93–36–9
New York3–39–92–45–22–59–93–35–22–4–7–114–44–32–43–38–109–9
Philadelphia3–312–65–27–14–112–64–25–14–311–7–4–27–14–33–68–109–6
Pittsburgh3–32–48–810–53–40–611–72–63–124–42–4–2–43–37–94–48–7
San Diego7–115–43–32–49–97–05–35–132–33–41–74–2–6–123–33–46–9
San Francisco9–91–64–52–513–52–43–49–93–34–23–43–312–6–5–23–410–5
St. Louis4–35–110–56–94–26–210–53–49–93–36–39–73–32–5–2–48–7
Washington3–59–94–32–43–47–113–32–43–310–810–84–44–34–34–2–8–7

Game log

The Cardinals, and all 30 teams, had their schedules released by Major League Baseball on September 14, 2010. The Cardinals' opening is at home against the San Diego Padres on March 31.[121]

Regular Season Schedule (calendar style)
Regular Season Schedule (sortable text)

All game times are in Central Time Zone.

Legend
Cardinals WIN Cardinals LOSS Game POSTPONED / TIE
2011 Game Log

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies

St. Louis Cardinals won the series, 3–2.

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 1St. Louis Cardinals – 6, Philadelphia Phillies – 11Citizens Bank Park2:5546,480[122] 
2October 2St. Louis Cardinals – 5, Philadelphia Phillies – 4Citizens Bank Park3:2246,575[123] 
3October 4Philadelphia Phillies – 3, St. Louis Cardinals – 2Busch Stadium3:1346,914[124] 
4October 5Philadelphia Phillies – 3, St. Louis Cardinals – 5Busch Stadium2:3447,071[125] 
5October 7St. Louis Cardinals – 1, Philadelphia Phillies – 0Citizens Bank Park2:2946,530[126]

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers

St. Louis Cardinals won the series, 4–2.

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 9St. Louis Cardinals – 6, Milwaukee Brewers – 9Miller Park3:3543,613[127] 
2October 10St. Louis Cardinals – 12, Milwaukee Brewers – 3Miller Park3:3643,937[128] 
3October 12Milwaukee Brewers – 3, St. Louis Cardinals – 4Busch Stadium3:1043,584[129] 
4October 13Milwaukee Brewers – 4, St. Louis Cardinals – 2Busch Stadium3:2545,606[130] 
5October 14Milwaukee Brewers – 1, St. Louis Cardinals – 7Busch Stadium3:0946,904[131] 
6October 16St. Louis Cardinals – 12, Milwaukee Brewers – 6Miller Park3:4343,926[132]

NL St. Louis Cardinals vs. AL Texas Rangers

Main article: 2011 World Series

St. Louis Cardinals won the series, 4–3.

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 19Texas Rangers – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 3Busch Stadium3:0646,406   (49 °F, clear; 20 mph – Varies)[133][134] 
2October 20Texas Rangers – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 1Busch Stadium3:0447,288   (50 °F, cloudy; 11 mph – Out to RF)[135][136] 
3October 22St. Louis Cardinals – 16, Texas Rangers – 7Rangers Ballpark in Arlington4:0451,462   (80 °F, partly cloudy; 0 mph – none)[137][138] 
4October 23St. Louis Cardinals – 0,Texas Rangers – 4Rangers Ballpark in Arlington3:0751,539   (68 °F, clear; 1 mph – varies)[139][140] 
5October 24St. Louis Cardinals – 2, Texas Rangers – 4Rangers Ballpark in Arlington3:3151,459   (72 °F, clear; 2 mph – In from CF)[141][142] 
6October 27[143]Texas Rangers – 9, St. Louis Cardinals – 10 (11 inn.)Busch Stadium4:3347,325   (53 °F, partly cloudy; 7 mph – L to R)[144][145] 
7October 28Texas Rangers – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 6Busch Stadium3:1747,399   (50 °F, clear; 6 mph – R to L)[146][147]

Composite line score

2011 World Series (4–3): St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.) over Texas Rangers (A.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
St. Louis Cardinals 5 2 1 7 5 6 4 2 3 2 1 38 56 6
Texas Rangers 4 1 1 4 6 4 4 2 2 2 0 30 60 8
Total attendance: 342,878   Average attendance: 48,983
Notes: Winning player's share: $323,169.98   Losing player's share: $251,515.76[148]

Ratings

The overall average national Nielsen rating for the seven games was 10.0, with Fox's 14.7 rating for Game 7 being the network's highest for a World Series telecast since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series.[149]

Game 6 on Oct 27, averaged 21.1 million viewers with a 12.7 rating and a 21 share. Through six games, the 2011 World Series on FOX is averaging a 9.3/15 in household rating/share, with 15.3 million viewers, +11% in rating over last year (8.4/14, 14.3 million) and 2008 (8.4/14, 13.6 million). Both were five game series. The current 9.3/15 average for the 2011 World Series would rank as the sixth highest-rated show (live+same day) in primetime, a ranking that was likely to improve with the inclusion of a rare Game 7. Game 6 opened with an 8.5 at 8:00 PM EDT and grew steadily throughout the night averaging 11.7 from 9:00–9:30 PM EDT; 12.9 from 10:00–10:30 PM EDT; and 13.2 from 11:00–11–30 PM EDT. The broadcast peaked with a 15.0 HH rating and 25.2 million viewers from midnight-12:30 AM EDT.

From 8:00 to 11:00 PM EDT, Game 6 averaged an 11.8 HH rating, with 19.4 million viewers. From 11:00 PM EDT to its conclusion, the game averaged a 14.3 HH rating, with 23.9 million viewers, +21% in rating and +23% in viewership compared to Primetime. Post mid-night, the game averaged a 14.8 rating and 24.9 million viewers, +25% in rating and +28% in average audience.

St. Louis led all local markets for Game 6 with a 49.4/70, peaking at a 57.0/75 from 10:30–11:00 PM EDT, with the final quarter-hour averaging a 53.1/82. Dallas averaged a World Series-high 47.1/67, while peaking at 55.7/81 from 11:15–11:30 PM EDT. [150]

Game Ratings
(households) 		Share
(households) 		American audience
(in millions)
1 8.7 14 14.2
2 8.9 14 14.3
3 6.6 12 11.2
4 9.2 14 15.2
5 8.8 14 14.3
6 12.7 21 21.1
7 14.7 25 25.4

Record vs. Opponents

(through September 28)

Team W-L Record
Arizona Diamondbacks 4–3
Atlanta Braves 5–1
Baltimore Orioles 3–0
Chicago Cubs 10–5
Cincinnati Reds 6–9
Colorado Rockies 4–2
Florida Marlins 6–2
Houston Astros 10–5
Kansas City Royals 4–2
Los Angeles Dodgers 3–4
Milwaukee Brewers 9–9
New York Mets 3–3
Philadelphia Phillies 6–3
Pittsburgh Pirates  9–7
San Diego Padres 3–3
San Francisco Giants 2–5
Tampa Bay Rays 1–2
Toronto Blue Jays 0–3
Washington Nationals 2–4

Bold indicates that the Cardinals have finished their season schedule with an opponent.

Opening Day Lineup

  3 Ryan Theriot SS
28 Colby Rasmus CF
  5 Albert Pujols 1B
  7 Matt Holliday LF
12 Lance Berkman RF
23 David Freese     3B
  4 Yadier Molina C
55 Skip Schumaker 2B
29 Chris Carpenter P

Roster

2011 St. Louis Cardinals
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Players

Player stats

=Team leader

Batting

Note: G=Games played; AB=At bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; HR=Home runs; RBI=Runs batted in; BB=Walks; SO=Strikeouts; GIDP=Grounded into double play; Avg.=Batting average; OBP=On-base percentage; SLG=Slugging percentage

(through September 28, FINAL)

Cardinals HITTING statistics
Sortable TEAM HITTING statistics

Player G AB R H 2B HR RBI BB SO GIDP Avg. OBP SLG
Albert Pujols 147 579 105 173 29 37 99 61 58 29 .299 .366 .541
Lance Berkman 145 488 90 147 23 31 94 92 93  7 .301 .412 .547
Matt Holliday (9/27) 124 446 83 132 36 22 75 60 93 21 .296 .388 .525
Ryan Theriot (leadoff −7/31) 132 442 46 120 26  1 47 29 41 15 .271 .321 .342
Yadier Molina 139 475 55 145 32 14 65 33 44 21 .305 .349 .465
Jon Jay 159 455 56 135 24 10 37 28 81 11 .297 .344 .424
Skip Schumaker 117 367 34 104 19  2 38 27 50 10 .283 .333 .351
David Freese   97 333 41  99 16 10 55 24 75 18 .297 .350 .441
Daniel Descalso 148 326 35  86 20 1 28 33 65  3 .264 .334 .353
Allen Craig   75 200 33 63 15 11 40 15 40  7 .315 .362 .555
Rafael Furcal   50 196 29 50 11 7 16 17 18  3 .255 .316 .418
Nick Punto   63 133 21 37  8 1 20 25 21  3 .278 .388 .421
Tyler Greene   58 104 22 22  5 1 11 13 31  3 .212 .322 .288
Gerald Laird   37   95 11 22  7 1 12   9 19  3 .232 .302 .358
Chris Carpenter (P)   32   71   2 11  3 0   5   2 25  0 .155 .178 .197
Tony Cruz   38   65   8 17  5 0   6   6 13  1 .262 .333 .338
Kyle Lohse (P)   33   63   3 11  2 0   3   1 17  0 .175 .188 .206
Jaime García (P)   30   62   3   6  0 1   6   1 18  1 .097 .111 .145
Corey Patterson   44   51   5   8  4 0   3   2 12  1 .157 .189 .235
Mark Hamilton   38   47   5 10  3 0   4   4 16  1 .213 .275 .277
Jake Westbrook (P)   33   47   2   5  2 1   8   3 23  0 .106 .160 .213
Kyle McClellan (P)   43   35   3   5  1 0   4   1 12  1 .143 .167 .171
Edwin Jackson (P)   13   26   2   8  0 0   2   1   8  0 .308 .321 .308
Andrew Brown *   11   22   1   4  1 0   3   0   8  1 .182 .182 .227
Pete Kozma *   16   17   2   3  1 0   1   4   4  0 .176 .333 .235
Matt Carpenter *     7   15   0   1  1 0   0   4   4  0 .067 .283 .133
Adron Chambers   18     8   2   3  0 0   4   0   1  0 .375 .375 .625
Shane Robinson     9     7   0   0  0 0   0   1   2  1 .000 .125 .000
Colby Rasmus ( -7/26) ^   94 338 61 83 14 11 40 45 77  8 .246 .332 .420
TEAM TOTALS 162 5,532 (#7) 762 (#1) 1,513 (#1) 308 (#3) 162 (#6) 726 (#1) 542 (#3) 978 (#16) 169 (#1) .273 (#1) .341 (#1) .425 (#1)

* Currently not on active roster
† Suspended, on 15-day disabled or rehab list
^ Traded away from Cardinals

BOLD=Leading NL / #1=Leading 16 NL teams

Starting pitchers

=Team leader

Note: GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; W=Wins; L=Loss; ERA=Earned Run Average; WHIP=(Walks + Hits) per Innings Pitched; HBP=Hit by Pitch; BF=Batters faced; O-AVG=Opponent Batting Ave.; O-SLG=Opponent Slugging Ave.; R support avg=Average Runs support from his team per Games Started

(through September 28, FINAL)

Cardinals PITCHING statistics

Sortable TEAM PITCHING Statistics

Player GS IP W L ERA H HR BB SO WHIP HBP BF O-AVG O-SLG R support avg
Chris Carpenter (2 ShO) 34 237.1 11 9 3.45 243 16 55 191 1.26 6 996 .264 .360 4.0
Jake Westbrook 33 183.1 12 9 4.66 208 16 73 104 1.53 2 809 .289 .433 5.1
Jaime García (2 ShO) 32 194.2 13 7 3.56 207 15 50 156 1.32 2 826 .273 .394 5.1
Kyle Lohse (1 ShO) 30 188.1 14 8 3.39 178 16 42 111 1.17 3 775 .249 .390 4.6
Kyle McClellan ( -7/25) 17 110.2  6 6 4.15 111 14 33  55 1.30 2 470 .259 .413 4.3
Edwin Jackson (7/29- ) 12   77.0  5 2 3.62  89  7 23 51 1.45 2 334 .299 .460 4.7
Lance Lynn (6/9) ††  2   10.1  1 1 5.23  10  1  3   8 1.26 1   42 .263 .368 8.0
Brandon Dickson (9/1)  1     3.1  0 0 8.11   6  2  1   3 2.10 0   16 .400 .867 8.0
Miguel Batista (4/22) *  1    0.0  0 0 0.00  0  0  1   0 – 0    1 .000 .000 4.0
STARTER TOTALS 162 1,005.0 62 42 3.81 1,052 87 281 679 1.33 18 4,269 .270 .401 4.7

* not on active roster
† on 15-day disabled list
†† on 60-day disabled list

Bold=leading NL


Relief pitchers

Note: IP=Innings Pitched; ERA=Earned Run Average; WHIP=(Walks + Hits) per Innings Pitched

"Bullpen Briefs" (through Sep 28, no relievers needed that day)

28–30, 3.61 ERA, 463.1 IP, 416 H, 210 R, 186 ER, 49 HR 170 BB, 421 SO, 1.26 WHIP
Saves/Opp: 47/73 (64.4%)   1st Batter / Retired: 329/462 (71.2%)
Holds: 84                         Inherited Runners/Scored: 68/231 (29.4%) [151]

(through Sep 26, last loss)

Games lost by bullpen: 30  Salas (6), Franklin (4), Dotel (3), Rzepczynski (3), Boggs (3), Motte (2), Batista (2), Tallet (1), Augenstein (1), Sánchez (1), Miller (1), Valdés (1), Rhodes (1), McClellan (1)


Blown Saves by bullpen: 24   Salas (6), Motte (4), Franklin (4), Boggs (3), Miller (2), Sánchez (2), McClellan (1), Batista (1), Rzepczynski (1)

Scoring by inning

(through September 28, FINAL)

INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 TOTAL
CARDINALS 103 82 82 82 88 95 83 82 54 4 6 1 0 762
OPPONENTS 74 56 98 80 78 87 63 75 62 12 5 1 1 692

Cardinals Record When

(through September 28, FINAL)

Home  45–36 (.556)
Away   45–36 (.556)

Scoring first      64–36
Opp. scores first 26–36

Scoring more than 3 runs  70–29
      Scoring 3 runs             13–14
Scoring fewer than 3 runs   7–29

Leading after 7 innings   68–9
      Tied after 7 innings   12–14
Trailing after 7 innings    10–49

Leading after 8 innings   77–7
      Tied after 8 innings    9–13
Trailing after 8 innings     4–52

In errorless games       55–27
In error-made games   35–45
Extra innings             8–13
Shutouts                   9–8

One-run games      26–23

Out-hit opponents            58–15
Same hits as opponents  14–4
Out-hit by opponents       18–53

Runs via HR            262 (34.4% of total)
Opp. Runs via HR    229 (33.1% of total)

By Day

Mon.  6–9
Tue.  16–8
Wed. 11–15
Thu.  14–6
Fri.   14–11
Sat.  13–13
Sun. 16–10

By Opponent
DIVISION
                HOME ROAD TOTAL

NL Central 25–15  19–20    44–35
NL East     12–6     10–7      22–13
NL West     6–11    10–6      16–17
AL East      0–3       4–2         4–5
AL Central  2–1       2–1         4–2

TOTALS  45–36  45–36      90–72
(Interleague 8–7)

Busch Stadium (Indexes, 2011)

(through September 28,  90–72)

2011   (100=Neutral Park, > 100 Ballpark favors, < 100 Ballpark inhibits)
 81 HOME G; Cardinals:  2,646 AB;  Opponents: 2,801 AB
 81 AWAY G: Cardinals:  2,886 AB;  Opponents: 2,807 AB

162 G             Cardinals:  5,532 AB;  Opponents: 5,608 AB

BA 92   R 90   H 88   2B 85   3B 66   HR 81   BB 106   SO 97   E 89   E-inf. 83   LHB-BA 94   LHB-HR 93   RHB-BA 91   RHB-HR 74

BA .273 (HOME .270   ROAD .277)  

(Opponents BA: at StL .242   at their Home .279)  


2009–2011 Index (3-yr. composite)

HOME 243 G; Cardinals: 7,986 AB;   Opponents: 8,371 AB)

BA 96   R 92   H 94   2B 92   3B 76   HR 77   BB 107   SO 98   E 104   E-inf. 103   LHB-BA 97   LHB-HR 86   RHB-BA 95   RHB-HR 73

BA-Home     .268     BA-Road     .265  
Opp.-Busch  .247     Opp.-at their HOME  .270  [152]


Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Memphis Redbirds Pacific Coast League Chris Maloney
AA Springfield Cardinals Texas League Ron Warner
A Palm Beach Cardinals Florida State League Luis Aguayo
A Quad Cities River Bandits Midwest League Johnny Rodríguez
A-Short Season Batavia Muckdogs New York–Penn League Dann Bilardello
Rookie Johnson City Cardinals Appalachian League Mike Shildt
Rookie GCL Cardinals Gulf Coast League Steve Turco

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Quad Cities, Johnson City

Draft selections

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Draft Selections

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Carpenter's gem sends Cardinals into NLCS: Game 1 against Brewers on Sunday in Milwaukee, MLB.com (October 7, 2011)
  2. ↑ Cardinals co-owner Baur passes away at 66, MLB.com (February 20, 2011)
  3. ↑ Cardinals co-owner, local banker Drew Baur dies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 21, 2011)
  4. ↑ "La Russa excited about new deal with Cards: Manager's one-year contract includes mutual option for 2012". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Cardinals finalize 2011 coaching staff". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. October 19, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Cardinals exercise Pujols' one-year option St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  7. ↑ "Cards swap with Dodgers for Theriot, sign Tallet". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  8. ↑ Cardinals deal Ryan for hard-throwing Cleto MLB.com
  9. ↑ "Cardinals bring Berkman back to NL Central". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  10. ↑ Lance Berkman career stats
  11. ↑ Sporting News 2011 MLB awards: AL, NL Comeback Players of the Year
  12. ↑ "Cardinals sign Laird to be backup catcher". MLB.com. December 14, 2010.
  13. ↑ Albert Pujols sets Spring Training contract deadline, MLB.com (January 15, 2011)
  14. ↑ Pujols-Cards contract talks end without deal: Teams intends to honor slugger's wish, wait until season's end, MLB.com (February 16, 2011)
  15. ↑ Cards sign infielder Punto, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (January 21, 2011)
  16. ↑ Edmonds returns to Cards on Minors deal: Veteran to be in club's Major League camp for first time since '07, MLB.com (February 4, 2011)
  17. ↑ Cardinals sign Edmonds to minor-league deal, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 4, 2011)
  18. ↑ Jim Edmonds brings 17-year career to a close, MLB.com (February 18, 2011)
  19. ↑ "Cardinals lock up Westbrook with two-year deal: Veteran right-hander stays in St. Louis; rotation seemingly set". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. November 16, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  20. ↑ Cardinals avoid arbitration with McClellan, MLB.com (January 15, 2011)
  21. ↑ Cards GM: Wainwright needs Tommy John, MLB.com (February 24, 2011)
  22. ↑ Wainwright surgery deemed a success, MLB.com (February 28, 2011)
  23. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (November 17, 2010). "President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient". The White House. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  24. ↑ Bloom, Barry M. (February 15, 2011). "Musial receives high honor from President: "A beloved pillar", Obama says while awarding Medal of Freedom". MLB.com. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Cardinals Announce 2011 Spring Training Schedule: Team Will Also Play March 29 Exhibition at Springfield, MO". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. December 3, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  26. ↑ Cards' exhibition game in Springfield canceled, MLB.com (March 28, 2011)
  27. ↑ Opening Day doesn't go Cardinals' way, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (April 1, 2011)
  28. ↑ "Holliday has appendectomy; timetable uncertain". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. March 31, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  29. ↑ Leach, Matthew (October 4, 2011). "Offense awakens as Cardinals topple Giants". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  30. ↑ Powerful week nets Berkman NL honor: Outfielder led bigs in homers, RBIs and slugging last week, MLB.com (April 18, 2011)
  31. ↑ "2011 Franklin game log". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  32. ↑ Leach, Matthew (April 21, 2011). "Revamped relief corps lifts Cards in Game 2". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Boggs 2011 game log". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  34. ↑ "Miller 2011 splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Freese hit by pitch, breaks left hand". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Cards relievers continue to be evaluated". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Eduardo Sanchez 2011 game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Fernando Salas 2011 game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  39. ↑ Garcia flirts with history, settles for shutout, MLB.com (May 6, 2011)
  40. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/standings.cgi?date=2011-05-31
  41. ↑ "Quality swings, not homers, matter to Pujols". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Albert Pujols game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  43. ↑ "La Russa returns for Monday's tilt". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  44. ↑ "Pujols breaks out, wins NL Player of Week". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. May 31, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  45. ↑ Cards blanked as La Russa manages 5,000th, MLB.com (June 10, 2011)
  46. ↑ La Russa on threshold of historic milestone, MLB.com (June 10, 2011)
  47. ↑ Pujols has broken forearm, out 4–6 weeks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (June 20, 2011)
  48. ↑ Pujols expected to miss about six weeks: Non-displaced fracture of left forearm has slugger in a splint, MLB.com (June 20, 2011)
  49. ↑ Pujols to miss at least 6 weeks, Foxsportsmidwest.com (June 20, 2011)
  50. ↑ Cards promote Valdes among flurry of moves, MLB.com (June 23, 2011)
  51. ↑ Cardinals activate Freese and Punto from 15-day DL, MLB.com (June 27, 2011)
  52. ↑ Freese, Punto quick to make impact in return, MLB.com (June 28, 2011)
  53. ↑ Cards release veteran Batista, recall Lynn
  54. ↑ Ryan Franklin released by Cardinals, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (June 29, 2011)
  55. ↑ Dickson's callup just what the doctor ordered, MLB.com (June 30, 2011)
  56. ↑ "La Russa gave Cards unneeded advice", STLToday.com
  57. ↑ Pujols may return following All-Star break, MLB.com (July 2, 2011)
  58. ↑ Pujols could be back near All-Star break, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (July 2, 2011)
  59. ↑ Pujols improves, return might be sooner, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (July 3, 2011)
  60. ↑ Quick recovery: Pujols activated, not in lineup: Expected to miss up to six weeks, Cards star back after 15 days, MLB.com (July 5, 2011)
  61. ↑ Cards deal Rasmus, pitchers for Jackson, others: Also get Dotel, Rzepczynski, Patterson and three PTBN or cash, MLB.com (July 27, 2011)
  62. ↑ "Colby Rasmus' father is at it again, says it's "fairly obvious" his son needs to be traded". Hardballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  63. ↑ "Colby Rasmus game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  64. ↑ "La Russa: Performance dictates playing time". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  65. ↑ "McClellan adjusting to return to bullpen". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  66. ↑ Pujols adds to illustrious career with 2,000th hit, MLB.com (July 30, 2011)
  67. ↑ Cardinals get Furcal in another 'win-now' deal: Dodgers receive Minor Leaguer Castellanos for two-time All-Star, MLB.com (July 31, 2011)
  68. ↑ Furcal finishes off Cards' aggressive haul, MLB.com (July 31, 2011)
  69. ↑ "Ryan Theriot fielding statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  70. ↑ "Cards agree to deal with veteran lefty Rhodes". mlb.com. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  71. ↑ "Standings after games of July 31". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  72. ↑ "Standings after games of Aug. 11". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  73. ↑ "Rafael Furcall 2011 splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  74. ↑ "Standings after games of Aug. 24". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  75. ↑ One Last Strike. LaRussa, Tony, with Rick Hummel. 2012, Harper Collins Publishers, ISBN 978-0-06-220738-8, p. 123-124
  76. ↑ "for Aug. 24". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  77. ↑ "for Sept. 1". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  78. ↑ LaRussa weighing rotation options, MLB.com (September 26, 2011)
  79. ↑ "Grounding into double-play team records". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  80. ↑ Star, Jon (September 22, 2011). "Deja Crew: Brewers party like it's '82, '08". Milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  81. ↑ "Cardinals 4, Braves 3". Baseball-Reference.com. September 9, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  82. ↑ "Cardinals 4, Braves 3". Baseball-Reference.com. September 10, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  83. ↑ "Standings after games of September 11". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  84. ↑ "for Sept. 11". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  85. ↑ "Cardinals 3, Pirates 2". Baseball-Reference.com. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  86. ↑ "Cardinals 4, Phillies 2". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  87. ↑ "Cardinals 4, Phillies 3". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  88. ↑ "Marlins 6, Braves 5". Baseball-Reference.com. September 19, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  89. ↑ "for Sept. 19". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  90. ↑ "Mets 8, Cardinals 6". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  91. ↑ One Last Strike. LaRussa, Tony, with Rick Hummel. 2012, Harper Collins Publishers, ISBN 978-0-06-220738-8, p. 159-161
  92. ↑ "for Sept. 19". Coolstandings.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  93. ↑ "Cardinals 2, Cubs 1". Baseball-Reference.com. September 24, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  94. ↑ "Standings on Sept. 25". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  95. ↑ "Cardinals 13, Astros 6". Baseball-Reference.com. September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  96. ↑ "Cardinals 8, Astros 0". Baseball-Reference.com. September 28, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  97. ↑ "Phillies 4, Braves 3". Baseball-Reference.com. September 28, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  98. ↑ "Wild Card Standings | MLB.com: Standings". Mlb.mlb.com. August 24, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  99. ↑ "Wild Card Standings | MLB.com: Standings". Mlb.mlb.com. September 29, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  100. ↑ Miklasz, Bernie (October 29, 2011). "Cardinals win like never before". St Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  101. ↑ "Braves, Cardinals fight for NL Wild Card – Stats & Info Blog – ESPN". Espn.go.com. September 3, 2005. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  102. ↑ Ranking the Cardinals' top games of 2011, Foxsportsmidwest.com (December 27, 2011)
  103. ↑ Game 5 the newest chapter between Carp, Doc: Longtime friendship takes center stage in winner-takes-all tilt, MLB.com (October 6, 2011)
  104. ↑ Busch Stadium Jumbotron during Games Six of the World Series (October 27, 2011)
  105. ↑ Freese shocking the world, but not the Cardinals, MLB.com (October 17, 2011)
  106. ↑ Position-by-Position evaluation between the Cardinals and the AL champions Texas Rangers here .
  107. ↑ Pujols receives congratulatory call from Reggie, MLB.com (October 24, 2011); Retrieved: Oct 29, 2011
  108. ↑ Bernie: Ferocious Cards win incredible, insane game, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (October 28, 2011)
  109. ↑ Drama king: Freese sends Cards to Game 7: Third baseman ties game in ninth, wins it in 11th with walk-off HR, MLB.com (October 28, 2011)
  110. ↑ Freese's walk off homer in 11th sends Series to Game 7, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (October 28, 2011)
  111. ↑ Spellbinding Game 6 leaves pundits stunned: Commentators, analysts universally amazed by Cards' triumph, MLB.com (October 28, 2011)
  112. ↑ 'Unbelievable' Game 6 ranks among best: Players on both sides struggle to find precedent for classic, MLB.com (October 28, 2011)
  113. ↑ Castrovince, Anthony (October 29, 2011). "Never-give-up Cards finish ultimate comeback". MLB.com.
  114. ↑ Bernie: Cardinals win like never before, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (October 29, 2011)
  115. ↑ "Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa Announces His Retirement « CBS St. Louis". Stlouis.cbslocal.com. October 31, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  116. ↑ "Pujols officially playing the field for first time". MLB.com. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  117. ↑ Cards to name Matheny manager, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (November 13, 2011)
  118. ↑ La Russa third in Manager of Year voting: Arizona's Gibson wins; Milwaukee's Roenicke second, MLB.com (November 16, 2011)
  119. ↑ Cards named Organization of the Year: Club takes home prestigious award from Baseball America, MLB.com (December 16, 2011)
  120. ↑ BASEBALL-REFERENCE.com Head-to-Head Records
  121. ↑ "Cardinals unveil slate of games for 2011: St. Louis to host rival Cubs for nine contests next year". Stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. September 13, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  122. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Philadelphia – October 1, 2011". MLB.com. October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  123. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Philadelphia – October 2, 2011". MLB.com. October 2, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  124. ↑ "Boxscore:Philadelphia vs. St. Louis – October 4, 2011". MLB.com. October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  125. ↑ "Boxscore:Philadelphia vs. St. Louis – October 5, 2011". MLB.com. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  126. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Philadelphia – October 7, 2011". MLB.com. October 7, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  127. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Milwaukee – October 9, 2011". MLB.com. October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  128. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Milwaukee – October 10, 2011". MLB.com. October 10, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  129. ↑ "Boxscore:Milwaukee vs. St. Louis – October 12, 2011". MLB.com. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  130. ↑ "Boxscore:Milwaukee vs. St. Louis – October 13, 2011". MLB.com. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  131. ↑ "Boxscore:Milwaukee vs. St. Louis – October 14, 2011". MLB.com. October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  132. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Milwaukee – October 16, 2011". MLB.com. October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  133. ↑ Leach, Matthew (October 20, 2011). "Game 1 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  134. ↑ "Boxscore:Texas vs. St. Louis – October 19, 2011". MLB.com. October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  135. ↑ Leach, Matthew (October 21, 2011). "Game 2 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  136. ↑ "Boxscore:Texas vs. St. Louis – October 20, 2011". MLB.com. October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  137. ↑ Leach, Matthew (October 23, 2011). "Game 3 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  138. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Texas – October 22, 2011". MLB.com. October 22, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  139. ↑ Leach, Matthew (October 24, 2011). "Game 4 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  140. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Texas – October 23, 2011". MLB.com. October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  141. ↑ Leach, Matthew (October 25, 2011). "Game 5 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  142. ↑ "Boxscore:St. Louis vs. Texas – October 24, 2011". MLB.com. October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  143. ↑ "Weather forecast postpones Game 6 of Series: Rangers-Cards to resume play Thursday night at Busch Stadium". MLB.com. October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  144. ↑ Leach, Matthew. "Game 6 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  145. ↑ "Boxscore:Texas vs. St. Louis – October 27, 2011". MLB.com. October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  146. ↑ Leach, Matthew. "Game 7 Recap". St Louis Cardinals. MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  147. ↑ "Boxscore:Texas vs. St. Louis – October 28, 2011". MLB.com. October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  148. ↑ Goold, Derrick (November 28, 2011). "MLB announces Cardinals' playoff share award". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  149. ↑ McCarthy, Michael (October 29, 2011). "Cards' Game 7 win most-watched since Red Sox in '04". USA Today.
  150. ↑ Gorman, Bill (October 28, 2011). "2011 World Series Game 6 Averages 21.1 Million Viewers, Peaks at 25.2 Million". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  151. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals GAME NOTES ('Bullpen Briefs')" (PDF). MLB.com. September 28, 2011. p. 2.
  152. ↑ Baseball Info Solutions and Bill James (2011). The Bill James Handbook 2012. ACTA Sports. p. 410.

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