In the shadow of the Arch, hometown fans applaud the Cardinals' first World Series title in 24 years. As Matt Sepic of member station KWMU reports, the Detroit Tigers fell in five games.
Shortstop David Eckstein was named series most valuable player, but reinvigorated pitcher Jeff Weaver, who got the final game victory, was another key to the Cardinals' improbable post-season success.
St. Louis stumbled into the playoffs after nearly blowing a big lead in the National League Central Division, then rallied to top the San Diego Padres and New York Mets en route to the Fall Classic.
The Tigers got off to an equally fast start in the American League's tough Central Division, then slid into the playoffs as a wild-card team before knocking off the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics to grab the American League pennant. Just three years ago the Tigers were the worst team in baseball, winning just 43 games.
The Detroit-St. Louis series was a reprise of a legendary 1968 faceoff between the same two franchises. But there was far less drama this time around, as the teams split two games in Detroit before the Cardinals won the final three games at home.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
