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It would have taken a good play, but that Freese triple is a ball Cruz could have caught. He was already playing way back ("no doubles"). It looked like he either misread it, or didn't know how close he was to the wall, or both.

Of course, the Rangers aren't even in that position without Cruz, so I'm not saying Cruz is the "reason they lost". Just an observation about that triple.

pioneer98 wrote:It would have taken a good play, but that Freese triple is a ball Cruz could have caught. He was already playing way back ("no doubles"). It looked like he either misread it, or didn't know how close he was to the wall, or both.

Of course, the Rangers aren't even in that position without Cruz, so I'm not saying Cruz is the "reason they lost". Just an observation about that triple.

In slow motion, it looks like he should have caught it. But watching it full speed-it looks like he could have caught it.

Freed Roger wrote:

pioneer98 wrote:It would have taken a good play, but that Freese triple is a ball Cruz could have caught. He was already playing way back ("no doubles"). It looked like he either misread it, or didn't know how close he was to the wall, or both.

Of course, the Rangers aren't even in that position without Cruz, so I'm not saying Cruz is the "reason they lost". Just an observation about that triple.

In slow motion, it looks like he should have caught it. But watching it full speed-it looks like he could have caught it.

Apparently one of the raps against Cruz is that he is afraid of the wall. Least I heard some talking head say that during the WS.

OmahaCard79 wrote:Also, watching the 10th inning, I started thinking and I'll just lay it out here as a question...

If the Rangers didn't intentionally walk Albert Pujols with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th to face Berkman, are the Cardinals still 2011 World Series Champions?

With the way he'd hit outside of game 3, I say no.

Discuss...

Of course they would have won. Ask his wife.

BW23 wrote:

OmahaCard79 wrote:Also, watching the 10th inning, I started thinking and I'll just lay it out here as a question...

If the Rangers didn't intentionally walk Albert Pujols with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th to face Berkman, are the Cardinals still 2011 World Series Champions?

With the way he'd hit outside of game 3, I say no.

Discuss...

Of course they would have won. Ask his wife.

Ask God.

BW23 wrote:

OmahaCard79 wrote:Also, watching the 10th inning, I started thinking and I'll just lay it out here as a question...

If the Rangers didn't intentionally walk Albert Pujols with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th to face Berkman, are the Cardinals still 2011 World Series Champions?

With the way he'd hit outside of game 3, I say no.

Discuss...

Of course they would have won. Ask his wife.

IMO, that's Wash's biggest gaffe in game 6. I know "the book" says put pujols on, but outside of game 3 as there was a base open and he's the biggest threat, but he had to be hitting under .100 for the rest of the series and Berkman was hitting like .400 at that point. Isn't that what a manager is for, to look at the game and make those decisions?

OmahaCard79 wrote:

BW23 wrote:

OmahaCard79 wrote:Also, watching the 10th inning, I started thinking and I'll just lay it out here as a question...

If the Rangers didn't intentionally walk Albert Pujols with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th to face Berkman, are the Cardinals still 2011 World Series Champions?

With the way he'd hit outside of game 3, I say no.

Discuss...

Of course they would have won. Ask his wife.

IMO, that's Wash's biggest gaffe in game 6. I know "the book" says put pujols on, but outside of game 3 as there was a base open and he's the biggest threat, but he had to be hitting under .100 for the rest of the series and Berkman was hitting like .400 at that point. Isn't that what a manager is for, to look at the game and make those decisions?

Maybe Washington was remembering Tommy La Sorda letting Tom Niedenfuer pitch to Jack Clark with first base open.

I'm sure that's what they remember, and Albert is always a dangerous bat, but c'mon, he had 1 hit in 5 of the 6 games combined. Berkman and Freese coming up in the lineup had torn the cover off the ball all series long.

I just wouldn't have let either one of them beat me. That's just me though.

OmahaCard79 wrote:I'm sure that's what they remember, and Albert is always a dangerous bat, but c'mon, he had 1 hit in 5 of the 6 games combined. Berkman and Freese coming up in the lineup had torn the cover off the ball all series long.

I just wouldn't have let either one of them beat me. That's just me though.

Well, they could have walked both Pujols and Berkman and pitched to Yadi, I suppose...

You could, but I'm never a fan of putting the tying run on 3rd and the winning run on 2nd when a walk, wild pitch, hit batter, balk, could tie the game. Easy to 2nd guess, but I think the right call there would have been to pitch to, even if somewhat gingerly, Pujols.

This wasn't the Pujols of 2006, he seems more and more likely to get himself out on pitches outside and in the dirt.