Pujols bashes three homers, five total hits, six total RBIs in game 2 Cardinals romp.
The offenses finally showed up at the Ballpark in Arlington last night as the Cardinals and Rangers, who combined for only eight total runs in the first two games of the World Series struck for a a combined 23 runs in game 3, a 16-7 Cardinals romp to regain home field advantage. But the story of the night certainly wasn't the awakening offenses, but the one man who has been the story of St. Louis for the last decade.
All-world first basemen Albert Pujols, coming off a bizarrely unproductive game 2, exploded in historical fashion in game 3, putting up numbers whose closest analogues are the likes of Jackson and Ruth. Indeed, if there is a player whose name sounds right at place with those Yankee legends of yester-year, its Albert Pujols.
Pujols went 5-6 for the game with three home runs, including a mammoth three run shot in the sixth inning to quell a burgeoning Rangers rally. His three home runs tied a World Series single game record shared by baseball legends Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. His five hits also tied a World Series record, each coming off a different Rangers pitcher. His six RBIs tied yet another fall classic record, this one most recently achieved by former Yankee outfielder Hideki Matsui during the 2009 World Series. "Tonight was something special" said a shell-shocked Texas manager Ron Washington.
Indeed it was, possibly a career-defining performance by a sure fire hall of famer whose career is already littered with displays of other-worldly talent. With the World Series hanging in the balance, Pujols turned it in favor of the Cardinals, his record-setting night making sure there was no doubt.
A trip to the cozy confines of Arlington proved to be the necessary treatment for an offensively-challenged World Series. Both teams combined for 28 hits, including six home runs. A combined 11 pitchers were used.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, when Allen Craig hit a solo home run in the top of the 1st inning. With some help from the Rangers defense---and a blown call by first base umpire Ron Kulpa---the lead ballooned to five by the fourth inning. Texas responded in the home half of the fourth with three runs of their own, capped off by another Nelson Cruz homer. After the Cardinals got the runs back in the top of fifth behind catcher Yadier Molina's (4 RBI) two run double, the Rangers were able to pull the game to within two runs. That's when Pujols launched a devestating three run bomb, sealing the game for the Cardinals and starting Pujols' march into the history books.
For the Rangers, manager Ron Washington has to come to terms with the fact that his team has been outplayed for 26 of the series' 27 innings, and could easily be a game from elimination. A start is to not pitch to number 5 anymore. Asked how he would deal with Pujols from here on out, Washington said, "...I'm not going to let him swing the bat."
-OneHop
All quotes courtesy of the Associated Press. All stats courtesy of si.com and baseball-reference.com
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