Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Discuss all things Cardinals Baseball
dmarx114
Hall Of Famer
Posts: 24006
Joined: December 20 07, 2:45 pm

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by dmarx114 »

JL21 wrote:In person, game 2 of the 2005 NLCS was tough to watch. That was the first time Oswalt shoved it up the Cardinals' buttcheeks in the LCS that year. It was like watching a python strangle a rat.

Game 2 of the 2002 NLCS sucked a lot as well (also saw that one in person), but that had a lot more to do with how much I wanted them to beat the piss out of the Giants. That was the game after Kenny Lofton and Matt Morris almost got into it. Plus, that was the one and only time I've ever had WS tickets. So the Cardinals winning that LCS took on extra importance that year.
Game 4 really, really bothered me. This was the day Tony let Rick White pitch to 10 batters in relief. Rick White was the worst relief pitcher on the post-season roster that year. Obviously, Tony was worried about the game going 20 innings.

And the kicker was that the Cards actually had a chance to tie the game in the 9th, with 1st and 3rd, 1 out, down 1 with Pujols and Drew up.

Both of them struck out.

User avatar
JL21
NPR & THT Contributor
Posts: 36130
Joined: April 18 06, 7:44 am
Location: Chocolate City

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by JL21 »

I'm not sure if it's a sign that I care less than I used to, or if I'm more mature, or if TLR's nuttiness has made me apathetic, or if I just generally give less of a [expletive] about everything these days. But I don't really get frustrated by regular season losses, not in baseball. When there are 162 games, it lessens the blow a great deal. The first four or five months are an easy time to see the goofy bad [expletive] that happens to the Cardinals get balanced out by a few goofy good things that happen to the Cardinals. Once it gets to the middle of August, the frustration potential goes up quite a bit for me, although in recent years they've either been firmly in control or fallen quickly out of it right around that time. And that has rendered the potential for frustration powerless.

User avatar
JL21
NPR & THT Contributor
Posts: 36130
Joined: April 18 06, 7:44 am
Location: Chocolate City

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by JL21 »

dmarx114 wrote:Game 4 really, really bothered me. This was the day Tony let Rick White pitch to 10 batters in relief. Rick White was the worst relief pitcher on the post-season roster that year. Obviously, Tony was worried about the game going 20 innings.
Rick White had a 0.82 ERA for the Cardinals in 22 innings after they acquired him, along with a 0.73 WHIP. He had been completely dominant. Small sample sizes and all that, of course. But that bullpen also featured Jeff Fassero, Mike Crudale, and Dave Veres. Rick White was nowhere near the worst reliever on the team. Looking at the box scores, Veres had gone nearly two innings the game before (and was shaky anyway), and Benes had to be removed early in the game. Ergo the need for White to pick up a lot of outs.

User avatar
cARdsfan
Veteran Player
Posts: 546
Joined: May 30 06, 2:08 pm
Location: Johnsonville, SC

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by cARdsfan »

I remember another game during our infamous end of the year slide in '06. Seems like it was a national Sunday night game against Houston and Angel Hernandez botched a call at second. Either we tagged the runner and it wasn't called, he ran out of the baseline, or AH refused to give the "in the neighborhood" call. Whatever it was, it just Angel being Angel and it ultimately cost us a game (or contributed to the loss) we needed badly.

dmarx114
Hall Of Famer
Posts: 24006
Joined: December 20 07, 2:45 pm

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by dmarx114 »

JL21 wrote:
dmarx114 wrote:Game 4 really, really bothered me. This was the day Tony let Rick White pitch to 10 batters in relief. Rick White was the worst relief pitcher on the post-season roster that year. Obviously, Tony was worried about the game going 20 innings.
Rick White had a 0.82 ERA for the Cardinals in 22 innings after they acquired him, along with a 0.73 WHIP. He had been completely dominant. Small sample sizes and all that, of course. But that bullpen also featured Jeff Fassero, Mike Crudale, and Dave Veres. Rick White was nowhere near the worst reliever on the team. Looking at the box scores, Veres had gone nearly two innings the game before (and was shaky anyway), and Benes had to be removed early in the game. Ergo the need for White to pick up a lot of outs.
Good find.

But 10 batters in relief? Over 40 pitches!

Edited to add:

Rick White had an ERA over 6 in 40+ innings with the Rockies before he was DFA'd. The pixie dust worked for a while, but it was still inexcusable to let him throw that many pitches in a tie game (that was only tied because he blew it in the 6th!).
Last edited by dmarx114 on September 15 11, 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

Faceman
Perennial All-Star
Posts: 4811
Joined: May 23 06, 11:56 am
Location: Memphis, TN

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by Faceman »

I think it was Game 4 of the 2005 NLCS

Jim Edmonds thrown out of the game in the 8th by Phil Cuzzi, who should have never been calling playoff baseball.

Johnny Load has to come in, with a 3-2 count and 2 out, against Dan Wheeler. He does an amazing job of getting settled, fouls a few pitches, then UNLOADS a 400+ foot bomb to CF, which is gone in any yard, any day, except in that joke of a stadium.

Then in the 9th, Mabry hits into a DP that I swear he beat out, would have tied the game.

I don't recall hating anything more (in baseball) then the contrived HFA the Astros created with the roof closed, the cheesy crap all over the yard, the joke HRs to LF, etc.

User avatar
fanforever
Retired
Posts: 67648
Joined: April 17 06, 5:03 pm
Location: Northern NJ-The Twilight Zone

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by fanforever »

jim wrote:This single most frustrating loss was game 7 of the KC series though. Misery.
The fact that they acted like crybabies pissed me off more than anything else

User avatar
JackofDiamonds
Bringer of Boston Baked Blue Balls
Posts: 15047
Joined: April 16 06, 9:15 pm

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by JackofDiamonds »


dmarx114
Hall Of Famer
Posts: 24006
Joined: December 20 07, 2:45 pm

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by dmarx114 »

Faceman wrote:I think it was Game 4 of the 2005 NLCS

Jim Edmonds thrown out of the game in the 8th by Phil Cuzzi, who should have never been calling playoff baseball.

Johnny Load has to come in, with a 3-2 count and 2 out, against Dan Wheeler. He does an amazing job of getting settled, fouls a few pitches, then UNLOADS a 400+ foot bomb to CF, which is gone in any yard, any day, except in that joke of a stadium.

Then in the 9th, Mabry hits into a DP that I swear he beat out, would have tied the game.

I don't recall hating anything more (in baseball) then the contrived HFA the Astros created with the roof closed, the cheesy crap all over the yard, the joke HRs to LF, etc.
Yup, this game is in my top 5 as well. Amazingly, Jason Marquis was allowed to pitch 3 innings in this game. The Astros scored the go ahead run in the 7th on a Sac fly after 2 Marquis walks and a Marquis error. In the top of the 8th, with a runner on first and nobody out, Tony doesn't lift Marquis to pinch hit, despite being down 1, and on the road. Marquis popped his bunt up.

Kind of funny that a lot of posters think Tony's crazyness only started recently, lol.

And then the rest happened just like you said. I'll also add the the Cards had 1st and 3rd, nobody out in the 9th. Reggie grounded out to 3rd, and Pujols was forced at home. Then the Mabry DP happened.

This game was an absolute killer.

Faceman
Perennial All-Star
Posts: 4811
Joined: May 23 06, 11:56 am
Location: Memphis, TN

Re: Most frustrating Cardinals loss...

Post by Faceman »

2005 was a decent year for Jason Marquis. I'm not sure what the fuss would have been there.

As for him hitting for himself - for whatever reason, we've always had a short bench in the postseason. That is definitely on TLR. But the bunt, Marquis handled the bat well, and I'm sure TLR was prepping for extras.

Post Reply