We never stood a chance in this series after Matheny's hunting knife injury, Stephenson blew out his elbow in the NLDS, and Ankiel lost his mind. What a terrible end to a great season.
After this game we had to turn to Kile on short rest in Game 4 and he got lit up. Then we gave the ball to Hentgen in Game 5 and he hadn't pitched in like 3 weeks.
Scott Singer Oh, they definitely still had a chance, shorthanded as they were. Despite the seemingly lopsided score in Game One, Edmonds narrowly missed hitting a go-ahead Home Run in the 7th (the wind was blowing straight in at Busch that night, and the ball still would have been out if the temperature hadn't dropped to around 55 degrees). For some inexplicable reason, Tony La Russa hit Eric Davis in the cleanup spot in Game One, which certainly didn't help anything. In Game Two, the Cardinals had a golden opportunity for a big inning in the 5th, but were only able to score two runs to tie the game. In the 8th inning, they tied the game, and had the go ahead run at second, but Paquette struck out to end the frame. In the 9th inning, Tatis made an error that let Ventura reach, and then after a bunt moved the runner to 2nd, Payton drove in what proved to be the winning run, aided in part by an error by Jim Edmonds. Matt Morris could have started Game Four instead of Kile, especially with only Mike James and Dave Veres having been used out of the bullpen in Game Three. Hentgen was on fumes at that point, so he probably would have benefitted from pitching at home with an extra day of rest in Game Six, with Benes (who was their best pitcher that postseason) ready to go in Game Seven if it got that far. The Cardinals, while definitely disadvantaged due to injuries, they at worst should have gone to New York tied 1-1. If they had just taken one out of two at home, and then had still won Game Three, the Series would have been guaranteed to end at Busch. Could have been a very different series.
The potential Game 1 HR by Edmonds would have made it a tie game. 2 men were on. We trailed 3-0. But it didn't go out. What did go out that windy night were 2 NY home runs that gave them a 6-2 win over our ace. Meanwhile, we barely touched their ace Mike Hampton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game 2 was our shot to make a strong series of it. But like I said, we didn't really stand a chance in this series when Ankiel lost his mind. He put us in a 2-0 hole in the 1st and forced our bullpen to pitch 8.1 innings. We still had a chance in this game but blew it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Once we were down 2-0, it was over. Even with the Game 3 win. Game 4 was a short rested Darryl Kile instead of Stephenson. The results were as to be expected based on the history of pitchers on short rest. Starting Morris really wasn't a great option. He was coming back off TJ surgery and didn't start in 2000. He also threw 51 pitches in Game 2. The most he'd thrown since July. ---------------------------------------------------------------------Game 5 was a shot Pat Hentgen that hadn't pitched in awhile.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------I admit, this series could have been way different if the Cardinals win Game 2. They go into Game 4 up 2-1. Who knows how TLR would have set up the pitching then. Does he go with Hentgen in Game 4? Doubt it. TLR was huge on starting aces on short rest. He started Stottlemyre on short rest when up 3-1 in the 1996 NLCS. So I think DK starts and Games 4 and 5 go the same way.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'm guessing Andy Benes goes on short rest in Game 6. Then Darryl Kile on short rest in Game 7. I don't think the results would have been very good for either with the Mets' bats rolling, though.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We just didn't have the arms to win this series. It's a shame because the offense was very solid in Games 2, 3, and 4 and we would have smoked Reed again in Game 7.
Losing game 2 after they battled back is likely what killed their chances. You can't lose the first two games at home of any postseason series and expect to come back next win. Looking ahead, Benes did pitch well in game 3, and had he pitched in 7 in St. Louis against Reed, I think it would have favored the Cardinals. La Russa was trying to use Kile on short rest in game 4 figuring that if he could start games 1, 4, and 7, the Cardinals might have a chance. Maybe pitching on 3 days rest would have worked in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but not any more, especially not to do it three times in the same series. If they were going to pitch Hentgen, their better bet would have done been to pitch him in game 4, figuring that even if the Cardinals lose and are down 3-1, they still have Kile for game 5. Assuming the Cardinals win (not easy task against Mike Hampton, as we saw in both games 1 and 5), that would have left them with a huge question mark of who would start game with with Al Leiter (a lefty) pitching for the Mets in game 6. You can't go back to Ankiel based on what happened in game . That game probably would have favored the Mets, but if Cardinals survive Shea to get back to St. Louis, you never know. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that when Matheny had the hunting knife accident, Ankiel wasn't as effective in the division series or NLCS. I don't know what happened to Stephenson in game 3 in Atlanta, but it wasn't good. In 1996, Tony was gambling to try to beat the Braves in 5 games thinking that if he had to go back to Atlanta, they weren't going to win, so that's why he went with Benes and Stottlemeyer on short rest. It was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think if La Russa had gone with Alan Benes in game 4 instead of Andy Benes, then he could have used his top three starters on normal rest in games 5, 6, and 7, and even with Smoltz, Maddux, and Glavine pitching for the Braves, the odds are the Cardinals don't blow the 3-1 series lead. That is of course assuming they actually win game 4 with the other Benes pitching. Fortunately, I think Tony La Russa wised up after the 2000 postseason on pitching starters after short rest. He did do it with Carpenter twice in 2011, and it didn't work out so well the first time but the Cardinals did battle back to win game 2 at Philadelphia. And then he started game 7 of the World Series on short rest after starting game 5 three days earlier. That one started rocky with two runs allowed in the first inning, but he settled down enough after that for the Cardinals to win.
25:09 1:11:20 1:51:34 2:20:25
Does anyone know the song being played in the stadium for the very last 40ish seconds of this video?
We never stood a chance in this series after Matheny's hunting knife injury, Stephenson blew out his elbow in the NLDS, and Ankiel lost his mind. What a terrible end to a great season.
After this game we had to turn to Kile on short rest in Game 4 and he got lit up. Then we gave the ball to Hentgen in Game 5 and he hadn't pitched in like 3 weeks.
Scott Singer Oh, they definitely still had a chance, shorthanded as they were.
Despite the seemingly lopsided score in Game One, Edmonds narrowly missed hitting a go-ahead Home Run in the 7th (the wind was blowing straight in at Busch that night, and the ball still would have been out if the temperature hadn't dropped to around 55 degrees). For some inexplicable reason, Tony La Russa hit Eric Davis in the cleanup spot in Game One, which certainly didn't help anything.
In Game Two, the Cardinals had a golden opportunity for a big inning in the 5th, but were only able to score two runs to tie the game. In the 8th inning, they tied the game, and had the go ahead run at second, but Paquette struck out to end the frame. In the 9th inning, Tatis made an error that let Ventura reach, and then after a bunt moved the runner to 2nd, Payton drove in what proved to be the winning run, aided in part by an error by Jim Edmonds.
Matt Morris could have started Game Four instead of Kile, especially with only Mike James and Dave Veres having been used out of the bullpen in Game Three. Hentgen was on fumes at that point, so he probably would have benefitted from pitching at home with an extra day of rest in Game Six, with Benes (who was their best pitcher that postseason) ready to go in Game Seven if it got that far.
The Cardinals, while definitely disadvantaged due to injuries, they at worst should have gone to New York tied 1-1. If they had just taken one out of two at home, and then had still won Game Three, the Series would have been guaranteed to end at Busch. Could have been a very different series.
The potential Game 1 HR by Edmonds would have made it a tie game. 2 men were on. We trailed 3-0. But it didn't go out. What did go out that windy night were 2 NY home runs that gave them a 6-2 win over our ace. Meanwhile, we barely touched their ace Mike Hampton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game 2 was our shot to make a strong series of it. But like I said, we didn't really stand a chance in this series when Ankiel lost his mind. He put us in a 2-0 hole in the 1st and forced our bullpen to pitch 8.1 innings. We still had a chance in this game but blew it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Once we were down 2-0, it was over. Even with the Game 3 win. Game 4 was a short rested Darryl Kile instead of Stephenson. The results were as to be expected based on the history of pitchers on short rest. Starting Morris really wasn't a great option. He was coming back off TJ surgery and didn't start in 2000. He also threw 51 pitches in Game 2. The most he'd thrown since July. ---------------------------------------------------------------------Game 5 was a shot Pat Hentgen that hadn't pitched in awhile.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------I admit, this series could have been way different if the Cardinals win Game 2. They go into Game 4 up 2-1. Who knows how TLR would have set up the pitching then. Does he go with Hentgen in Game 4? Doubt it. TLR was huge on starting aces on short rest. He started Stottlemyre on short rest when up 3-1 in the 1996 NLCS. So I think DK starts and Games 4 and 5 go the same way.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'm guessing Andy Benes goes on short rest in Game 6. Then Darryl Kile on short rest in Game 7. I don't think the results would have been very good for either with the Mets' bats rolling, though.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We just didn't have the arms to win this series. It's a shame because the offense was very solid in Games 2, 3, and 4 and we would have smoked Reed again in Game 7.
I'm sorry, it wouldn't let me post in paragraph form. Ugh
Losing game 2 after they battled back is likely what killed their chances. You can't lose the first two games at home of any postseason series and expect to come back next win. Looking ahead, Benes did pitch well in game 3, and had he pitched in 7 in St. Louis against Reed, I think it would have favored the Cardinals. La Russa was trying to use Kile on short rest in game 4 figuring that if he could start games 1, 4, and 7, the Cardinals might have a chance. Maybe pitching on 3 days rest would have worked in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but not any more, especially not to do it three times in the same series. If they were going to pitch Hentgen, their better bet would have done been to pitch him in game 4, figuring that even if the Cardinals lose and are down 3-1, they still have Kile for game 5. Assuming the Cardinals win (not easy task against Mike Hampton, as we saw in both games 1 and 5), that would have left them with a huge question mark of who would start game with with Al Leiter (a lefty) pitching for the Mets in game 6. You can't go back to Ankiel based on what happened in game . That game probably would have favored the Mets, but if Cardinals survive Shea to get back to St. Louis, you never know. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that when Matheny had the hunting knife accident, Ankiel wasn't as effective in the division series or NLCS. I don't know what happened to Stephenson in game 3 in Atlanta, but it wasn't good. In 1996, Tony was gambling to try to beat the Braves in 5 games thinking that if he had to go back to Atlanta, they weren't going to win, so that's why he went with Benes and Stottlemeyer on short rest. It was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think if La Russa had gone with Alan Benes in game 4 instead of Andy Benes, then he could have used his top three starters on normal rest in games 5, 6, and 7, and even with Smoltz, Maddux, and Glavine pitching for the Braves, the odds are the Cardinals don't blow the 3-1 series lead. That is of course assuming they actually win game 4 with the other Benes pitching. Fortunately, I think Tony La Russa wised up after the 2000 postseason on pitching starters after short rest. He did do it with Carpenter twice in 2011, and it didn't work out so well the first time but the Cardinals did battle back to win game 2 at Philadelphia. And then he started game 7 of the World Series on short rest after starting game 5 three days earlier. That one started rocky with two runs allowed in the first inning, but he settled down enough after that for the Cardinals to win.
Edgardo Alfonzo had a monster postseason that year.