Minutes after fireworks exploded above Busch Stadium, a light rain replaced the shower of red, white and blue confetti that dusted the delirious fans.
St. Louis Cardinals utility man Skip Schumaker interpreted it as a message from the baseball gods to a team of destiny.
"We had so many things happen this season," said Schumaker, after the Cardinals polished off the Texas Rangers 6-2 in a World Series Game 7 that was mundane compared to previous games of the series. (MORE>>>)
The St. Louis Cardinals host the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the World Series tonight. It's the first Game 7 played since 2002, when the Anaheim Angels beat Barry Bonds' San Francisco Giants.
The Series has gone seven games 17 times since 1962, with the visiting team winning the decisive game on seven occasions. But what's more telling -- the home team has won the last eight Game 7's. (MORE>>>)
Twice down to their last strike, the St. Louis Cardinals kept rallying to win one of baseball's greatest thrillers.
David Freese completed a startling night of comebacks with a home run leading off the bottom of the 11th inning to beat Texas 10-9 on Thursday, and suddenly fans all over got something they have waited a long time to see: Game 7 in the World Series.
"You had to be here to believe it," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. (MORE>>>)
After a day of rain, the Rangers enter Game 6 in St. Louis on Thursday night one win away from the first world championship in franchise history. Created as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961 and moved to Texas in 1972, the Rangers are the oldest of the eight major league clubs to have never won a championship, and their 50 consecutive title-less seasons rank behind only those of the Cubs (103) and Indians (63) among active streaks. Three longer droughts have ended in the last seven years with the Red Sox (85 years), White Sox (87), and Giants (55) each winning their first World Series since before expansion came to the majors. (MORE>>>)
The phone lines from the dugouts to the bullpens at Busch Stadium have been checked out. They are working. Now the World Series focus can return to the field.
Texas takes a 3-games-to-2 lead into Game 6 of the World Series at Busch Stadium tonight, weather permitting.
Here are five storylines to follow tonight in Texas’ bid for its first world championship: (MORE>>>)
As Elvis Andrus says, when you're not hitting, you have to do other things.
Such as be aggressive running the bases. Such as play great defense. Such as pitch like crazy.
The Rangers did enough of those other things to steal a 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the World Series Thursday night. Andrus made perhaps the play of the postseason with a diving stop and throw from his glove that saved a run, and starter Colby Lewis gave the Rangers their first quality start of the postseason, shutting down the Cardinals for 6 2/3 innings. (MORE>>>)
After 20 years in the majors and 900 games on the mound, Arthur Rhodes finally got his first chance to pitch in the World Series.
He did his job, too. Brought in to face left-handed slugger Josh Hamilton, Rhodes retired last year's AL MVP on a lazy fly to center for the final out of the eighth inning, keeping the Cardinals ahead by a run. (MORE>>>)
Raise your hand if you had the Texas Rangers squaring off with the St. Louis Cardinals your preseason World Series picks.
If you did I'm sure you were in select company, but that is where we are as we get ready to open the 107th edition of the Fall Classic on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
The Rangers are back in the World Series for the second straight season after losing in five games to the San Francisco Giants last year in their first- ever appearance.
After their second straight AL West title and a franchise-record 96 wins this past season, the Rangers disposed of the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS before "Cruz-ing" to a six-game win over the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, as outfielder Nelson Cruz set the all-time mark for most home runs (six) and RBI (13) in a postseason series on his way to MVP honors. (MORE>>>)
One of these days, they're going to wake up in the middle of the night and wonder, "How did we get here?"
One of these days, they're going to look around at the World Series flags flapping in the breeze and ask, "How did we do this?"
One of these days, this impossible dream is going to hit home, and they're going to think, "This can't be real. This can't be happening."
Oh, but it's happening, all right. The St. Louis Cardinals are heading for the World Series. But not just any World Series. (MORE>>>)