St. Louis – David Eckstein stood at the door of the clubhouse, his right hamstring no longer aching, his torn oblique muscle no longer throbbing. Champagne dulled the pain, his body bathing in celebratory sprays from all directions.
The snapshot of Eckstein receiving hugs from teammates, tears in many of their eyes, will serve as the lasting image of the 2006 World Series. In the history books it will look more like a classic than it played out, but the result will resonate forever from the top of the Arch to the Missouri Bar and Grill that shook with the final out.
The St. Louis Cardinals clobbered the Detroit Tigers over the head with their glass slipper, winning 4-2 on Friday night to claim their 10th World Series title and first in 24 years.
“It wasn’t about one guy or one play, it was about a team coming together,” said Eckstein, the series MVP after batting .364 with six hits and four RBIs in the last two games. “It takes heart, it takes hustle, it takes confidence that you can achieve your goal.”
Everybody in St. Louis loves Eckstein. He’s their puppy – with a spiked collar and fangs. And while his underdog story belies his talent, he symbolized the Cardinals’ improbable run. He’s the afterthought. He’s not supposed to do anything terrific. His team had 83 victories, making it the least-accomplished World Series champion ever.
“Well, when you win the title, you can’t be the worst at anything,” said outfielder Preston Wilson, who claimed his ring 20 years to the day that his stepdad, Mookie Wilson, walked away a champion with the New York Mets. “Nobody is going to remember the record. They are going to remember this scene in this clubhouse.”
For those who keep track of such things – this was clearly an “I was there event” for an entire region – rookie Adam Wainwright terminated the Tigers’ final breath. He struck out Brandon Inge on a curveball, sending a crowd of 46,638 into delirium. It was the perfect exclamation point to Jeff Weaver’s eight-inning, two-run performance.
An hour after the final out, relatives, players and coaches were taking pictures on the mound, some kissing home plate.
“You have to understand I didn’t even think I was going to be on the playoff roster. And I never thought I would be a closer,” Wainwright said. “It’s something you can’t really put into words. I never thought this would happen.”
Neither did baseball reporters or oddsmakers. The Cardinals entered the playoffs as a 12-to-1 longshot. Even after vanquishing the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, nobody gave them much of a chance. But this wasn’t the same Cardinal team that general manager Walt Jocketty admitted played “terrible the last two weeks of the season.”
When the Cardinals arrived in San Diego for the first playoff game, Eckstein, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen returned to the lineup. Swagger followed.
“We were a totally different team,” Jocketty said. “We won 100 games and 105 games in seasons before this and didn’t win it. It just shows how important it is to play your best at the end.”
That certainly wasn’t the case for the Tigers. After developing into a charming story, the rainbows and candy canes and all things sweet dissolved into a puddle of despair. When starter Justin Verlander fired wildly to third base in the fourth inning, it marked the fifth consecutive game that Tigers pitchers had committed an error. It was bad enough that Detroit forgot how to hit. But the Tigers couldn’t offer resistance when they couldn’t field or catch.
“It’s disappointing to get this far and not play well,” Detroit closer Todd Jones said. “But there’s no shame in losing to that team. Who cares if they only had 83 wins?…The reality is they beat us. There is a reason they are the world champion.”
The Cardinals did the little things. No one more than their 5-foot-7 shortstop, last seen Friday night with a smile on his face and champagne in his hand.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
