The2011 World Series was thechampionship series ofMajor League Baseball's (MLB)2011 season.^[1] The 107th edition of the World Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff played between theAmerican League (AL) championTexas Rangers and theNational League (NL) championSt. Louis Cardinals;^[2][3] the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games to win their 11th World Series championship. They won theirsecond in six seasons.

2011 World Series
Official 2011 World Series logo
Team (Wins) Manager(s) Season St. Louis Cardinals (4) Tony La Russa 90–72, .556, GB: 6 Texas Rangers (3) Ron Washington 96–66, .593, GA: 10
Dates	October 19–28
Venue(s)	Busch Stadium (St. Louis) Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Texas)
MVP	David Freese (St. Louis)
Umpires	Jerry Layne (crew chief),Greg Gibson,Alfonso Márquez,Ron Kulpa,Ted Barrett,Gary Cederstrom
Hall of Famers	Cardinals:Tony La Russa (manager) Rangers:Adrián Beltré
Broadcast
Television	Fox (United States) MLB International (International)
TV announcers	Joe Buck andTim McCarver (Fox) Gary Thorne andRick Sutcliffe (MLB International)
Radio	ESPN KMOX (STL) KESN (TEX)
Radio announcers	Dan Shulman,Orel Hershiser andBobby Valentine (ESPN) Mike Shannon andJohn Rooney (KMOX) Eric Nadel andSteve Busby (KESN)
ALCS	Texas Rangers overDetroit Tigers (4–2)
NLCS	St. Louis Cardinals overMilwaukee Brewers (4–2)
World Series program
← 2010 World Series 2012 →

The Series was noted for its back-and-forth Game 6,^[4][5][6] in which the Cardinals erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning, then did it again in the 10th. In both innings, the Rangers were one strike away from their first World Series championship.^[7] The Cardinals won the game in the 11th inning on awalk-off home run byDavid Freese,^[8] who was namedWorld Series MVP. The Series was also known for the blowout Game 3, in which Cardinals playerAlbert Pujols hit three home runs, a World Series feat previously accomplished only byReggie Jackson andBabe Ruth, and subsequently byPablo Sandoval in2012. In 2020,ESPN named the 2011 World Series the fifth greatest of all time.^[9]

The Series began on October 19, earlier than the previous season, so that no games would be played in November.^[10] The Cardinals enjoyed home-field advantage for the series because the NL won the2011 All-Star Game 5–1 on July 12.^[11] The 2011 World Series was the first World Series to go all seven games since the2002 Series.

The Rangers were appearing in their second consecutive World Series; they lost the2010 Series to theSan Francisco Giants in five games. They were the first American League team to play in consecutive World Series since theNew York Yankees did it from1998 to2001.^[12] They earned their postseason berth by winning theAmerican League West division, then defeated theTampa Bay Rays in theAmerican League Division Series and theDetroit Tigers in theAmerican League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth.

The Cardinals were appearing in their 18th World Series, and third in eight years.^[13] They lost to theBoston Red Sox in2004, but won in2006 against theDetroit Tigers. The Cardinals earned their postseason berth by winning the National LeagueWild Card on the last day of the regular season, then defeated thePhiladelphia Phillies in theNational League Division Series and theMilwaukee Brewers in theNational League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth.

This Series was only the second time the Rangers and the Cardinals played each other; they met in regular-seasoninterleague play in 2004, when the Cardinals won two of a three-game series in Texas.^[14] This was the first World Series assignment for umpiresGreg Gibson andRon Kulpa. Each of the other umpires had previously worked one World Series.^[15]

The Cardinals were supported by fans brandishingRally Squirrel memorabilia that alluded to a squirrel that ran across the field during a playoff game.

National anthem singers featuredGame one:Scotty McCreery,Game two:Trace Adkins,Game three:Ronnie Dunn,Game four:Zooey Deschanel,Game five:Demi Lovato,Game six:Joe, andGame seven:Chris Daughtry (fromDaughtry)

This was the Rangers' second appearance in the World Series. Heading into 2010, their 50th season as a franchise (counting its time as theWashington Senators), the team was the only one in Major League Baseball never to win a postseason series,^[14] and was among three teams (along with theSeattle Mariners and theWashington Nationals) never to appear in the World Series. That season, however, the Rangers won their first postseason series and made their first appearance in the World Series, only to lose to theSan Francisco Giants in five games.

During the offseason,Chuck Greenberg, who purchased the Rangers fromTom Hicks during the 2010 season along withNolan Ryan, sold his interest in the team to Ryan, making him the Rangers' principal owner.^[16] Notable player departures during the offseason included pitcherCliff Lee and outfielder/designated hitterVladimir Guerrero (both tofree agency) and catcherBengie Molina, who retired. Notable free agent additions during the offseason included pitchersYoshinori Tateyama andBrandon Webb, catcherYorvit Torrealba, and third-basemanAdrián Beltré. In January 2011, as part of a three-way trade with theToronto Blue Jays andLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Rangers acquired catcherMike Napoli in exchange for pitcherFrank Francisco. During the season, the team acquired pitcherKoji Uehara from theBaltimore Orioles in exchange for infielderChris Davis, andMike Adams from theSan Diego Padres in exchange for two minor-league pitchers. PitcherArthur Rhodes was released and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals days later; as a result, Rhodes would have been entitled to receive aWorld Series ring regardless of which team won.^[17][18]

With the exception of one day in late April and a brief stretch in early May, the Rangers led theAmerican League West for most of the season. They finished the season with a franchise record 96–66 (.593 winning percentage) and won their second consecutive and 5th overall division title, 10 games ahead of the second-placeLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They also set a franchise record for home attendance of 2,946,949.^[19] Texas also earned the most shutouts in the American League. All 5 members of the opening day starting rotation stayed in the rotation for the entire year.C. J. Wilson tied for the league lead in starts with 34 whileDerek Holland tied for second in shutouts with 4 (tied for first in the American League), with each pitcher racking up at least 13 wins. The offense also had another good year with 3 players getting 30-plus home runs for the first time in team history, andIan Kinsler completing his second 30–30 season.

In the postseason, the Rangers were the #2 seed in the AL. They defeated the wild-cardTampa Bay Rays in four games in theAmerican League Division Series. They then defeated the third-seededDetroit Tigers in six games in theAmerican League Championship Series to reach their second consecutive appearance in the World Series.

The Rangers lost home-field advantage in the World Series as a result of the AL team, managed by Rangers managerRon Washington, losing the2011 All-Star Game, when Ranger ace C. J. Wilson surrendered the game-winning three-run homer toPrince Fielder.^[11]

The Cardinals made their first World Series appearance since2006, when they defeated theDetroit Tigers 4 games to 1 to win their National League-leading 10th World Series title. This was managerTony La Russa's 6th World Series appearance as manager and his third with the Cardinals. The Cardinals' last postseason appearance was in2009, where they were swept by theLos Angeles Dodgers in theNational League Division Series. They finished the2010 season with a record of 86–76 (.531), finishing in second place in theNational League Central standings, 5games behind theCincinnati Reds.

During the 2010 offseason, the team signed new contracts withmanager Tony La Russa and picked up All-Star sluggerAlbert Pujols'club option. Notable offseason departures includedshortstopBrendan Ryan (traded to theSeattle Mariners) and relief pitcherBlake Hawksworth (traded to theLos Angeles Dodgers). Additionally, during the offseason the team announced thatace pitcherAdam Wainwright would miss the entire season due toTommy John surgery. Notable offseason additions included shortstopRyan Theriot, outfielderLance Berkman, catcherGerald Laird, and infielderNick Punto. In late April, after a number ofblown saves, the Cardinals removed pitcherRyan Franklin from thecloser role, and released him on June 29. On July 27, the Cardinals sent outfielderColby Rasmus and pitchersTrever Miller,Brian Tallet, andP. J. Walters to theToronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitchersEdwin Jackson,Marc Rzepczynski, andOctavio Dotel, and outfielderCorey Patterson. They then acquiredRafael Furcal from the Dodgers in exchange for Alex Castellanos, a minor-league outfielder. On August 11, the team signed free agent pitcherArthur Rhodes, who had been released by the Texas Rangers days earlier.

David Freese was projected to start the2011 season,^[20] and he was named the starter onOpening Day, despite suffering minor ailments during spring training.^[20] He started off the year batting over .320, but he missed 51 games after being hit by a pitch that fractured his left hand. After returning to the starting lineup, he finished the season with a .297 batting average, 10 home runs, and 55 RBIs. He recorded hits in eight of the final nine regular-season games. Freese credited his improvement in power hitting tohitting coachMark McGwire, who helped him refine his stroke.^[21][22]

The Cardinals spent much of the early part of the 2011 season in first place in the NL Central standings but dropped to second place for good on July 27. On August 25, the team trailed theAtlanta Braves in the NLwild card standings by10+1⁄2 games. The Cardinals amassed a 21–9 record from August 26 to September 27, while the Braves were 10–19 over that same interval. Meanwhile, on September 23, theMilwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central division title. On September 28, with the Cardinals and Braves tied atop the Wild Card standings on the last day of the regular season, the Cardinals routed theHouston Astros 8–0 in Houston, while the Braves lost at home to thePhiladelphia Phillies 4–3 in 13 innings, securing the Cardinals' second wild card postseason berth in franchise history. St. Louis finished with a record of 90–72, 6 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central but one ahead of the Braves in the Wild Card. Thus, they completed the largest comeback in history with 32 left to play.^[23][24][25] Due to their fixtures in different divisions, they played fewer head-to-head games, further lowering Cardinals' odds of catching the Braves.^[26]

They defeated the overall #1 seed Philadelphia Phillies in theNational League Division Series 3 games to 2, and then defeated the second-seededMilwaukee Brewers (who were the first team in history to reach bothNLCS andALCS and the team the Cardinals faced in the1982 World Series) in six games in theNational League Championship Series. Game 5 of the NLDS between the Cardinals and Phillies featured a pitching duel betweenChris Carpenter and Phillies aceRoy Halladay that became the first NL playoff series to end in a 1–0 score and Carpenter's secondcomplete gameshutout clincher of the season.^[27] In the NLCS against Milwaukee, Freese had a .545 batting average, hit 3 home runs, drove in 9 runs, and scored 7 runs. He was named theNLCS Most Valuable Player.^[28]

St. Louis won the series, 4–3.

†: Postponed from October 26 due to rain^[36]

As previously mentioned, because theNational League had won the2011 MLB All-Star Game,home field advantage went to the Cardinals as the National League champions, thus allowing the team to host the Texas Rangers for Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.

Aces were on the mound for Game 1 asC. J. Wilson facedChris Carpenter. Both starters kept the game scoreless through the first three innings. In the fourth,Albert Pujols was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a double byMatt Holliday,Lance Berkman hit a single to drive both runners in. The lead wouldn't last long.Mike Napoli hit a two-run home run to tie the game in the very next inning.David Freese doubled in the sixth with one out, and moved to third on a wild pitch. AfterYadier Molina struck out, andNick Punto walked,Allen Craig entered the game, pinch-hitting for Carpenter.Alexi Ogando relieved Wilson, and tried to finish off the inning. Craig hit a 1–2 pitch down the right field line that was just out of reach of a slidingNelson Cruz. Freese scored to give St. Louis the lead. In the seventh, the Cardinals ran into trouble as Cruz singled and Napoli walked to put two on with one out.Marc Rzepczynski came on to face pinch-hitterCraig Gentry and struck him out. Pinch-hitterEsteban Germán was the next batter. Rzepczynski struck him out as well. In the ninth, closer Jason Motte pitched an easy 1–2–3 inning to give St. Louis the win. Controversy surrounded the inning, asAdrián Beltré was the victim of a blown call. Beltré grounded a ball to third, and Descalso threw the ball to first for the out, but replays showed he fouled the ball off his foot.

Game 2 saw a pitchers' duel betweenJaime García andColby Lewis. Bothstarters kept the game scoreless through the first six innings. A pair of excellent defensive plays byElvis Andrus stopped a couple ofCardinals rallies. In the seventh,David Freese again started a rally for St. Louis, much like in Game 1. Hesingled with one out and moved to third on a single byNick Punto with two outs.Allen Craigpinch-hit for García to faceAlexi Ogando, setting up almost the same exact situation from the previous night. Again, Craig beat Ogando with a single to right field to drive in Freese.Jason Motte was brought in tosave the game in the ninth.Ian Kinsler led off with a bloop single andstole second with Andrus batting. Andrus singled into center field and moved to second on the throw home, which got byAlbert Pujols for anerror. With runners on second and third, and none out,Tony La Russa switched inArthur Rhodes for Motte. Consecutivesacrifice flies fromJosh Hamilton andMichael Young gave Texas the lead.Neftalí Feliz came on in the ninth and allowed a leadoffwalk toYadier Molina, but he retired the next three batters in order to end the game and tie theSeries at one game apiece.

After a total of just eight runs scored in the first two games in St. Louis, the offense of the twolineups scored a combined 23runs on a historic night in Arlington in whichAlbert Pujols had what was described as "the greatest individualhitting performance in World Series history".^[37]

Allen Craig hit ahome run in the first to put the Cardinals up 1–0. In the fourth after a controversial call at first base byumpireRon Kulpa on a force play and subsequent single put runners on first and second with one out,David Freese's RBI double made it 2–0 Cardinals. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, two runs scored on a throwingerror byMike Napoli beforeRyan Theriot's RBI single made it 5–0 Cardinals. StarterMatt Harrison was pulled from the game after the inning's second out. In the bottom of the inning, a lead-off home run byMichael Young and, two batters later, a two-run home run byNelson Cruz, made it 5–3 Cardinals. Napoli then singled to knock starterKyle Lohse out of the game. Napoli moved to third on a groundout and single, but was tagged out at home trying to score onIan Kinsler's fly out to end the inning.

In the fifth, the Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs on a single and two walks off ofScott Feldman before Freese's groundout scored a run, then a two-rundouble byYadier Molina made thescore 8–3 Cardinals. In the bottom of the inning, Texas got two leadoff singles off ofFernando Salas before Young drove in a run with a double.Lance Lynn relieved Salas and allowed an RBI single toAdrian Beltre, then, one out later, a sacrifice fly to Napoli to make it 8–6 Cardinals.

Albert Pujols, who had been hitless through the first two games, then hit a 423 ft (129 m) home run offAlexi Ogando in the sixth inning after a leadoff single and walk to make it 11–6 Cardinals. An error, single and walk loaded the bases beforeMike Gonzalez relieved Ogando and allowed a sacrifice fly to Molina. Next inning, Pujols's two-run home run after a two-out walk off of Gonzalez made it 14–6 Cardinals. The Rangers scored their last run of the game in the bottom of the inning when Beltre hit a leadoff double off of Lynn, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Napoli's sacrifice fly off ofOctavio Dotel.

The Cardinals added to their lead in the eighth when Freese singled with one out off ofMark Lowe and pinch-runnerDaniel Descalso scored on Molina's double. Then in the ninth, Pujols hit his third home run of the game, giving him six RBIs, off ofDarren Oliver.Mitchell Boggs retired Texas in order in the bottom of the ninth as the Cardinals won 16–7, leading the Series by 2–1.

Albert Pujols joinedBabe Ruth (1926,1928) andReggie Jackson (1977) as the only players in baseball history up to that time to hit three home runs in a World Series game. (Pablo Sandoval would also accomplish the featthe following year.) Pujols was 5-for-6 with twosingles, three HRs, four runs scored, and sixRBIs. Yadier Molina added two doubles, driving in four runs.David Freese continued hispostseason 13-game hitting streak getting two hits (one double), driving in two runs. Pujols became the first player in World Series history^[38] to get hits in fourconsecutive innings: fourth (single), fifth (single), sixth (HR, three RBIs), and seventh (HR, two RBIs). He tied records for most HRs (3), most hits (5), and most RBIs (6) in a World Series game, and established a new record with 14 total bases.^[39] Pujols' Game 3 performance led to Rangers pitchers walking him three times intentionally in Game 4.

The 16 runs scored by the Cardinals were the most runs scored in a World Series game since2002, when theSan Francisco Giants scored 16 against theAnaheim Angels in Game 5.

After a high-scoring affair the night before,Derek Holland quieted the Cardinals' bats as he pitched8+1⁄3 innings of two-hit baseball.Lance Berkman had both of the Cardinals' two hits.Josh Hamilton's first-inningRBIdouble put the Rangers in front for only the second time in the Series. A three-run home run byMike Napoli provided Holland a comfortable 4–0 lead. The Cardinals managed a small rally in the ninth, but were unable to score against closerNeftalí Feliz.^[40]

Coincidentally, this game was one of two major DFW vs. St. Louis sporting events taking place in Arlington on that day, as theNFL'sDallas Cowboys andSt. Louis Rams had played at nearbyCowboys Stadium that afternoon; during the opening coin toss, Berkman and Hamilton, in uniform, had each served as honorary captains for their city's team.^[41]

StartersC. J. Wilson andChris Carpenter faced off again. Wilsonwalked twobatters,Matt Holliday andLance Berkman, in the second inning and both came in to score, aided in part by anerror byDavid Murphy. However, despite the Rangers walking nine batters in the game (includingAlbert Pujols three timesintentionally), the Cardinals did not score again, leaving 12runners on base.Mitch Moreland hit a home run in the third, andAdrián Beltré hit one in the sixth, to tie the score at 2–2.

The Rangers' half of the eighth featured a series ofbullpen mix-ups by the Cardinals, leavingTony La Russa without closerJason Motte in a crucial situation. AfterMichael Young led off the inning with adouble, La Russa sent both Motte (a right-hander) and left-handedrelieverMarc Rzepczynski to begin warmups. However, Cardinals bullpen coachDerek Lilliquist later stated that he only heard Rzepczynski's name called. When La Russa saw that Motte was not warming up, he made a second call to the bullpen, but this time Lilliquist thought he heard La Russa call for relieverLance Lynn, who was supposedly unavailable for the game due to throwing 47 pitches in Game 3.^[42]

Dotel intentionally walkedNelson Cruz, whereupon La Russa summoned Rzepczynski to face the left-handed hitting Murphy. Usually, the Rangers would counter with a right-handedpinch-hitter, such asCraig Gentry orYorvit Torrealba. However, Murphy stayed in the game, and hit a grounder off Rzepczynski,loading the bases. With Motte not yet available (La Russa thought he was warming up, but he was not yet ready), La Russa was forced to match Rzepczynski against the right-handed hittingMike Napoli, who hit a two-run double scoring Young and Cruz. After a Morelandstrikeout, La Russa called for Motte from the bullpen, only to be surprised to see Lynn coming out (it was then when he learned of the mix-ups). Lynn then was asked to intentionally walkIan Kinsler, making him only the third pitcher in World Series history to make a relief appearance solely to serve an intentional walk.^[42] After the intentional walk, Motte was finally warmed up and able to pitch. He escaped the inning by striking outElvis Andrus.

Neftalí Feliz came in tosave the game in the ninth, his second save of the Series.

Game 6 was originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, but was postponed until the next day due to heavy rain in the forecast and because the stadium was not domed; this was the first time that a World Series game was postponed since2006. Although rain was only falling fairly lightly in St. Louis when this decision was made, MLB officials did not want a repeat ofGame 5 of the 2008 World Series (which was suspended after the top of the sixth inning and resumed two days later).^[36]

It was a rematch of Game 2's starters: Cardinals leftyJaime García and Rangers starterColby Lewis. Texas jumped on top immediately, withJosh Hamilton driving inIan Kinsler in the top of the first. The Cardinals responded quickly with a two-runLance Berkman home run in the bottom half. Kinsler tied the game in the top of the second with a ground-rule double, scoringCraig Gentry. García was pulled after only three innings (and 59 pitches) and replaced withFernando Salas. Leading off the top of the fourth,Matt Holliday misplayed aNelson Cruz pop fly, putting Cruz at second.Mike Napoli singled him home to once again give Texas the lead.

The Cardinals jumped right back in the game, taking advantage of aMichael Young error and scoring on aYadier Molina groundout to knot the game at three.David Freese started off the top of the fifth by dropping a routine pop fly (the third consecutive half-inning to begin with an error), which immediately turned into the go-ahead run for Texas on Young's double. Colby Lewis was cruising for the Rangers until the bottom of the sixth. After anAlbert Pujols strikeout, Berkman singled to third. Matt Holliday grounded into a possible double play which was mishandled at first by Michael Young (his second error of the game), leaving all runners safe. Lewis walked the bases loaded and was pulled forAlexi Ogando, who promptly walked Yadier Molina to force in a run. With the Cardinals in a prime position to rally ahead, Matt Holliday, standing 90 feet (27 m) away as the possible go-ahead run, was picked off at third by catcher Mike Napoli. Holliday injured his finger sliding in on the play and was forced to leave the game. After Ogando walkedNick Punto,Derek Holland came in to pitch and the Rangers were able to slip out of the inning with the score still tied.

Lance Lynn came on to pitch for the Cardinals in the top of the seventh and was promptly greeted with back-to-back home runs byAdrián Beltré and Nelson Cruz to put Texas up by two.^[43] The home run allowed Cruz to tie the record for most postseason home runs in a season at 8; he shares the achievement withCarlos Beltrán andBarry Bonds.^[44]

Ian Kinsler added his second RBI later in the inning to make the score 7–4, Rangers. In the bottom of the eighth,Allen Craig (who entered the game as Holliday's replacement) hit a home run to pull the Cardinals within two. Rangers closerNeftalí Feliz entered in the bottom of the ninth to deliver the Rangers their first ever World Series Championship. After striking outRyan Theriot, Feliz faced Albert Pujols. Facing possibly his last at-bat as a Cardinal, Pujols hit Feliz's first pitch into left field for a double. Feliz walked Lance Berkman to put the tying run on first, but got Craig to take a called third strike. The Rangers were one out away from their first-ever World Series championship title as David Freese stepped to the plate. Down to his last strike, Freese hit Feliz's pitch past a leaping Nelson Cruz off the right field wall for a triple, tying the game at seven.

Sent into extra innings, Jason Motte went out for his second inning of work. Elvis Andrus singled, then the Rangers' MVP candidate Josh Hamilton put Texas up again with a towering two-run home run. Down 9–7, and out of bench players, the Cardinals once again faced only three outs until elimination. Left-hander Darren Oliver came in to pitch for the Rangers. St. Louis playersDaniel Descalso andJon Jay hit back-to-back singles, and starting pitcherKyle Lohse was called to bunt. Lohse's sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position. With right-handers coming up, right-handerScott Feldman replaced Oliver on the mound.Ryan Theriot's RBI groundout scored Descalso, cutting the Rangers' lead to 9–8, and following an intentional walk to Pujols, Berkman stepped up to the plate. Feldman got ahead on the count 1–2 on a foul ball. Berkman worked the count to 2–2, and the Rangers were once again one strike away from their first championship title. Berkman then smacked Feldman's next pitch into center field for a single, scoring Jay and tying the game once again. It was the first time in World Series history that a team came back from two different two-run deficits in the ninth inning or later in the same game.^[45]

The Rangers failed to score in the top of the 11th againstJake Westbrook, bringing David Freese to lead off the bottom of the inning. Freese hitMark Lowe's 3–2 pitch to deep center field (420 feet)^[46][47] and into the grass of the center field batter's eye for a game-winning home run, forcing the World Series to a Game 7 for the first time since2002. Freese, who grew up a Cardinal fan in the suburbs of St. Louis, said that as he was circling the bases after his home run, he was thinking about a similar walk-off homer byJim Edmonds for theCardinals inGame 6 of the 2004 National League Championship Series inBusch Stadium II. After Freese said he remembered that home run, Lance Berkman, who played for the losingHouston Astros in that series, said "So do I."^[48]

Of the last 13 instances in which a Major League team won a Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 in the postseason, all but two went on to win Game 7. The exceptions were theNew York Mets in the2006 NLCS against, coincidentally, theCardinals; and theBoston Red Sox in the1975 World Series against theCincinnati Reds.^[49]

Freese's walk-off home run was the fourth that won^[50] in a Game 6 in World Series history.^[51][52] Freese joinedJim Edmonds, the man for whom he was traded, as the only players in Cardinals history to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run in the postseason. He also joinedAaron Boone (2003),David Ortiz (2004) andHall of FamersCarlton Fisk (1975) andKirby Puckett (1991) as the only players to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run when their team was facing postseason elimination. The fan that retrieved the home run ball was subsequently given an autographed bat and ball by Freese after the former returned it to him.^[53][54][55] In Game 6, Freese posted the bestwin probability added inMajor League Baseball postseason history, with a 0.969, which is 0.099 better than theLos Angeles Dodgers'Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the1988 World Series. The third- and fourth-best WPAs are .854 (by theSan Diego Padres'Steve Garvey in Game 4 of the1984 National League Championship Series) and 0.832 (by the Cardinals' Lance Berkman in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series).^[56]

The Cardinals set two World Series milestones in their Game 6 win—the first team to come back from deficits in both the 9th and 10th innings, and the first team to score in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings.^[57] David Freese and Lance Berkman became the third and fourth players^[58] in World Series history to get game-tying hits with their team one out from elimination.^[59] It was also the first such occurrence in MLB history of a team tying a game after twice being one strike away from elimination. OnMike and Mike in the Morning the next day,ESPN senior baseball analystBuster Olney called it the greatest game in the history of baseball.^[60]

Before Game 7, the Cardinals replacedMatt Holliday, who sprained his wrist in Game 6, on their roster withAdron Chambers.^[61]

Josh Hamilton and Michael Young had RBI doubles in the first inning against Chris Carpenter, who became the first pitcher in a decade^[62] to make three starts in one Series thanks to the unnecessary postponement of Game 6 due to forecasted rain that did not occur. David Freese had a game-tying two-run double in the bottom of the first, breaking the postseason RBI record, and Allen Craig hit a go-ahead homer in the third. Craig even robbed a home run fromNelson Cruz in the sixth. St. Louis added two runs off Scott Feldman in the fifth inning without getting a hit. Yadier Molina walked with the bases loaded, C. J. Wilson came on to relieve Feldman and promptly hit Rafael Furcal with his first pitch, forcing in another run to make it 5–2.^[63] In the seventh inning, Lance Berkman scored on a Molina single to make it 6–2.^[64]

Chris Carpenter was relieved after pitching six innings and was credited with the win in yet another quality outing. The Cardinals used fourrelievers to hold Texas scoreless over the final three innings. The final out was recorded when Jason Motte gotDavid Murphy to fly out to Cardinal left fielderAllen Craig as Busch Stadium went into a frenzy.^[65][66]

David Freese became the sixth player in history to earnLeague Championship Series andWorld Series MVP awards in the same postseason.^[67] Freese also won theBabe Ruth Award as the postseason MVP.^[68] In Game 7 of the World Series, Freese hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, bringing his 2011 postseason RBI total to 21, an MLB record.^[69][70]

The Rangers set a Series record by issuing 41 walks, breaking the previous record held by theFlorida Marlins when winning the1997 World Series after issuing 40.^[71]

The Rangers became the first team to lose in the World Series in consecutive years since theAtlanta Braves in1991 and1992 and the first American League team to do so since theNew York Yankees in1963 and1964. The Cardinals meanwhile, became the first wild card team to win the World Series since theBoston Red Sox won the2004 World Series (coincidentally, against the Cardinals).

2011 World Series(4–3):St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.) overTexas Rangers (A.L.)

The series was televised in the United States and Canada byFox.Joe Buck calledplay-by-play on his 14th World Series for the network, dating back to1996, whilecolor analystTim McCarver handled his 22nd World Series since1985.Ken Rosenthal served asfield reporter for the games, whileChris Rose hosted the pregame and postgame coverage with analystsA. J. Pierzynski andEric Karros.^[73]

Joe Buck's call of "...we will see you tomorrow night!" on David Freese's walk-off home run echoed his fatherJack's call ofKirby Puckett'swalk-off home run from Game 6 of the1991 World Series, occurring 20 years and a day apart from each other, given the similar situations: Game 6, 11th inning, first batter of the final inning, and breaking a 3–3 tie to win the game 4–3, and extend the series to a 7th game.

MLB International syndicated television coverage of the Series (withGary Thorne andRick Sutcliffe announcing) to viewers outside of North America.^[74]

The ratings started off poorly, averaging just 8.4 through its first 5 games (at this time, the record for lowest World Series rating was 8.4, set by five games of the 2008 World Series and five games of the 2010 World Series). Game 3 also produced a 6.6 rating, making it the second lowest World Series rated game of all-time (behind the 6.1 rating in Game 3 of the 2008 World Series and Game 3 of the 2012 World Series).^[75]

However, Games 6 and 7 generated massive ratings that brought the overall average to 9.9. The 14.7 rating for Game 7 was at the time the network's highest for a World Series telecast sinceGame 4 of the 2004 World Series.^[76]

ESPN Radio also broadcast the games nationally. This was the first World Series for play-by play announcerDan Shulman and analystsOrel Hershiser andBobby Valentine.^[77]ESPN Deportes Radio aired the Series forSpanish language listeners, with Ernesto Jerez and Guillermo Celis announcing.

Locally, the two teams'flagship stations broadcast the Series with their respective announcing crews. The Rangers' broadcasts aired onKESN (withEric Nadel andSteve Busby announcing),^[78] while the Cardinals' broadcasts aired onKMOX (withMike Shannon andJohn Rooney announcing).^[79] Due to contractual obligations, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts of the games, although the local broadcasts were available onXM Satellite Radio and to Gameday Audio subscribers atMLB.com.

In the United Kingdom,Simon Brotherton andJosh Chetwynd called the games forBBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.^[80]

The 2011 World Series was only the second World Series ever in which a team, one strike away from elimination, came back to win—with the Cardinals, in fact, achieving this feat twice in Game 6. The first was the1986 World Series, in which the New York Mets rallied from a 5–3 deficit in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 to win the game and, later, the decisive Game 7.^[81][82] As such, the 2011 World Series was remembered as an instant classic.^[83]David Freese's heroics in Game 6 is widely considered the greatest moment in St. Louis Cardinals history.^[84][85][86]

This was the third and final World Series title for Cardinals managerTony La Russa, who initially announced his retirement on October 31, 2011, after 33 seasons as a major league manager.^[87] This made him the first manager to end his career with a World Series win and with the most managerial victories (1,408) in franchise history.^[88][89] La Russa had previously led the Cardinals (2006) andOakland Athletics (1989) to World Series championships. Former Cardinals catcherMike Matheny, who played for the2004 Cardinals that lost the World Series, was hired to replace him. He would be inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.^[90] La Russa later came out of retirement and served as manager of theChicago White Sox in 2021 and 2022.

After theNew York Giants wonSuper Bowl XLVI during the offseason, some news organizations, among themThe St. Louis Post-Dispatch, compared the Cardinals to the Giants, invokingAl Michaels's call of the Giants winning the Super Bowl: "The New York Giants, given the last rites by many in December, are the Super Bowl Champs in February."^[91]

On December 7, theHouston Astros hiredJeff Luhnow as theirgeneral manager, culminating his rise through the Cardinals ranks as a top player developer.^[92]Baseball America would bestow the Cardinals with their Organization of the Year award for the first time, an award given since1982. It was given in part to recognize the increased productivity of the Cardinals farm system. Seventeen of the 25 players on the Cardinals' 2011 postseason roster were drafted and developed by the Cardinals. Along with Luhnow,John Mozeliak helped fulfillownerBill DeWitt, Jr.'s mission to make Cardinals' farm system a consistent producer of prospects who would be key in the club's success.^[93][94] Luhnow helped rebuild the Astros, culminating in a championship in2017; however, he would later be temporarily banned from MLB due to his role in theHouston Astros sign stealing scandal in 2020.

Albert Pujols andC. J. Wilson signed with theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the offseason, in one of the deepest free-agent classes in recent MLB history, while the Rangers obtained therights to sign Japanese star pitcherYu Darvish to replace Wilson. In his first press conference as a Ranger, Darvish was asked about Game 6 of the World Series where David Freese hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th, and said "If it was last year [2011], I would have given up a home run and lost the game. This year [2012] I won't let that happen."^[95] Pujols returned to the Cardinals in2022, which was the last season of his career.^[96]

Both teams would advance into the postseason again in the following year, both as wild cards. The Rangers lost to theBaltimore Orioles in the inauguralAmerican League Wild Card game, and would not make the postseason again until 2015. The Cardinals won the inauguralNational League Wild Card game against Atlanta. They then defeated theWashington Nationals in theNLDS before falling to theSan Francisco Giants in theNLCS.

St. Louis would return to the World Series in2013, continuing the pattern of Giants and Cardinals exchanging pennant victories. However, the Cardinals lost to theBoston Red Sox in six games before losing toSan Francisco again in the2014 NLCS, 4 games to 1.

The Series marked the beginning of a decade in which all currentMissouri-based teams in thefour major American sports leagues would win a championship. TheKansas City Royals won the2015 World Series, theSt. Louis Blues won the2019 Stanley Cup Finals, and theKansas City Chiefs wonSuper Bowl LIV following the2019 season.

10 years after the 2011 World Series,Ron Washington would finally win aWorld Series ring after 44 years in MLB, as he served as the third base coach for theAtlanta Braves. In addition, four players from the 2011 Rangers' World Series team later won a world championship with theBoston Red Sox:Mike Napoli andKoji Uehara in2013, andIan Kinsler andMitch Moreland in2018.

The Rangers would return to the World Series again in2023, where they would finally win it all as they defeated theArizona Diamondbacks 4 games to 1 to clinch their first title in franchise history. Pitching coachMike Maddux was on the coaching staff for all of Texas' World Series appearances, having served under Washington for the first two before he was rehired underBruce Bochy during the third.

• 2011 Asia Series
• 2011 Japan Series
• 2011 Korean Series

• 2011 World Series atBaseball Almanac
• 2011 World Series atBaseball-Reference.com
• The 2011 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) atRetrosheet
• "Cardinals Win Like Never Before",Bernie Miklasz,St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• "The Cardinals Will Win the World Series",Joe Posnanski,Sports Illustrated