Now that is has been a few days since the World Series ended it is time to give a final take on the Fall Classic. For the uninformed the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 4 games to 3 in the best of 7 series. First let me begin by saying this was one of the best series I can remember for quite some time. Most of the games were very closely contested and were decided by 1 or 2 crucial plays here and there. The series should have been decided on one play in game 6.
Nelson Cruz, right fielder for the Rangers, had a chance to end game 6 and the series but was unable to make a catch running back and to his left with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. Understand this was not a routine play but it is a play that Cruz has to make or at the very least nearly kill himself crashing into the wall to make. Instead he seemed to slow up anticipating the wall was there, jumped awkwardly, and missed the ball by a few feet. This mishap allowed the Cardinals to tie the score and they would eventually go on to win in the 11th inning.
This is all forgotten if the Rangers go on to win game 7, unfortunately no fairy tale ending was "in the cards" for the Rangers. St. Louis easily won game 7 to claim their 11th World Series championship. The Rangers are runners-up for the 2nd year in a row. And Nelson Cruz will in all likelihood be remembered much in the same way as Bill Buckner is remembered with one key difference. While Buckner's error in game 6 of the 1986 World Series did allow the winning run to score, that game was already tied and at best he makes the play and the Red Sox are out of the inning. Being up 3 games to 2 at that point in the series this error is huge but not series deciding. They may or may not go on to win game 6 if he makes the play. If Cruz makes the play the game and the Series is over and the Rangers have won the 1st World Series in franchise history.
Immediately after game 6 I joked with some friends that if the Rangers lost game 7 that Cruz should be on suicide watch. Obviously I was joking and I honestly hope his teammates and the franchise get behind him. As we all know from a press conference by their manager Ron Washington last year regarding his testing positive for cocaine use, the Texas Rangers love Ron Washington and Ron Washington loves Ron Washington. The only question I have is does either party love Nelson Cruz right now?
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