End of the season

Today is the last day of the baseball season. By 23.00 CDT (probably) either the Cardinals or the Rangers will be World Champions. Neither probably deserve to be; last night’s game would have been embarrassing in Spring Training. Neither have been the best team this year; the Rangers still don’t have a solid pitching staff, they just have a better one than they used to. The same is true of the Cardinals, who have only two properly good starters. It still surprises me that they beat the Phillies. In many ways it has been a dreadful World Series; the pitching has been distinctly average. The one game with good pitching, Game Two, was then marred by a boneheaded collapse in the ninth by St Louis. Game Three finished 16-7. Game Six finished 10-9, and featured the worst defence I can remember in a World Series.

But despite all that the series may go down as a classic. It’s the first time a World Series has gone to a seventh game since the Angels beat the Giants in 2002 and just the third since 1997. It has not been a well played series, but it has been close. Neither side have lead by more than a game at any point. (Though both sides have spurned chanced to do so.) Three of the first six games have been decided by one run, one of them in the ninth and another in extra innings. Last night the Rangers were within one strike of winning the World Series.

The Cardinals certainly have the momentum coming off the win last night, and coupled with their home field advantage I think they’ll win tonight. Their cause will be helped by playing good fundamental baseball tonight. In theory they could have won the series already if they hadn’t blown the second game. The Cardinals will need a good effort from their starter tonight though, LaRussa burnt through the bullpen last night. Texas are faced with a similar problem, however, and I think the Cardinals have the advantage.