Tony La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager, and last managed in 2011 when the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. Obviously there have been some rule changes, and process changes, but I thought it would be fun to breakdown how he managed each series in 2011. Obviously he was managing in the National League and now is managing in the American League, but he has won a World Series as an AL Manager as well. However, that was in 1989, and things are VERY different now. The White Sox, at the time I am writing this, still technically aren’t in the playoffs, but should be, relatively soon. Its been a grind in the 2nd half of the season, playing 1 game under .500, but that doesn’t always reflect how a team will play in the playoffs. It may have some lingering wake up call, or just a terrible thing that is being foreshadowed. I am hoping for the former, but we shall see. Let us take a look at the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Now this is all about the playoffs for them, not their regular season. So I am going to only highlight the playoff games they played. However, for fun, let’s look at their final 15 games of the 2011 regular season. They finished their season 11-4. Averaging 5.2 runs per game and allowing 3.86 runs per game. They outscored opponents 78-58 over their last 15 games. That is what I would call, getting hot at the right time. They finished the season 90-72. Finishing 2nd in the NL Central, behind the Milwaukee Brewers, but clinched the 1 Wild Card spot back that was there, by 1 game over the Atlanta Braves. So let’s dive in to the 2011 NLDS.

The Cardinals had to take on the 1 seed Philadelphia Phillies, which had won 102 games that season. Names like Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels in their starting pitching staff. The Phillies were also coming off of back to back World Series trips, winning in 2008 and losing in 2009. Game 1 was Roy Halladay vs Kyle Lohse, Game 2 Cliff Lee vs Chris Carpenter, Game 3 Jaime Garcia vs Cole Hamels, Game 4 Roy Oswalt vs Edwin Jackson, and Game 5 Roy Halladay vs Chris Carpenter. Leading into game 5, the run differential was +3 in favor of the Phillies 21-18. Enter in Chris Carpenter on short rest vs HOF Roy Halladay. Game 5 was one for the ages, in terms of a pitching duel at that time. Knowing what was on the line, La Russa played the hot hand and put in Carpenter over Lohse. The Cardinals scored one run, in the first inning after a Rafael Furcal triple, and a Skip Schumaker double to drive him in. That. Was. It. Only 1 run in Game 5 of a playoff series. That’s because Roy Halladay then settled in only giving up 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 7 SO over 8 IP. Which in 97% of games is going to win you the ballgame. Unless you have Chris Carpenter going 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER. Tony La Russa took a gamble throwing Carpenter on short rest, but Carpenter only threw 3 innings in game 2. Giving up 5 H and 4 ER in those 3 innings. So it was a gamble in more ways than one, and it paid off, big time. The final run differential was 21-19 in favor of Philadelphia, mostly from that 5 run win in game 1. The Cardinals clawed and scratched their way through a Phillies team trying to go to 3 straight World Series. The big diffference being St. Louis’ team OPS being .703 to Philadelphia’s .604. Even though St. Louis posted a 4.09 ERA to Philadelphia’s 3.89, it was enough to advance. St. Louis’ starting pitchers combined for 30.1 IP and the bullpen covering the other 13.2 IP, together posting a 1.023 WHIP for the series. Cardinals’ batters had 15 XBH in the 5 games, 10 2B, 3 3B, and 2 HR. Philadelphia only having 11 XBH, 7 2B, 1 3B, and 3 HR. The Series win probability chart looks like a lie detector test with how this series went:

Let’s talk about the NLCS, where the Cardinals took on their divisional rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers. The series went 6 games, obviously with the Cardinals advancing, so here were the pitching matchups. Game 1: Zack Greinke vs Jaime Garcia, Game 2: Edwin Jackson vs Shaun Marcum, Game 3: Chris Carpenter vs Yovani Gallardo, Game 4: Kyle Lohse vs Randy Wolf, Game 5: Jaime Garcia vs Zack Greinke, Game 6: Shaun Marcum vs Edwin Jackson. Some pretty old names and still some active names, in that mix. Only game 3 was decided by 1 run, and game 4 by 2 runs. every other game was won by 3+ runs. It wasn’t a particularly close series, you either had it that night, or you didn’t. Games 3 and 4 saw the Cardinals offense go quiet, then really wake up ripping off 7 runs in game 5 and 12 in game 6. They scored 12 runs in game 2 and game 6. Which is pretty wild for playoff baseball. Cardinals team OPS was .864 to the Brewers .776, which is a large margin. Cardinals outscored the Brewers 43-26, again, a large margin. Cardinals ERA was 4.25 and the Brewers team ERA was 6.58(!) which is never good to see pitching collapse like that. Lance Lynn, our beloved big bastard, pitched in 5 games 5.1 IP and 0 ER, in his rookie year. He was credited with a win in game 2. Cardinals WHIP was 1.226 and the Brewers with 1.654. Tony had this team ready offensively in this series, the pitching took a step back against a lesser lineup as well. Baseball is wacky, nothing ever seems to be consistent, especially in the playoffs. This series win probability chard stayed with St. Louis pretty much after game 2. Lol David Freese NLCS MVP (but wait, there will be more!)

I know what you’re thinking by this point, what does any of this have to do with Tony La Russa managing? I was going to do a game by game breakdown, but I would need weeks for that. So I am looking at the series statistics and going off of those. Also there are highlights. Anyway, onto the World Series!

The 2011 World Series featured the St. Louis Cardinals, as we know, and the AL Pennant winning Texas Rangers. With the St. Louis Cardinals winning in 7 games. Some of the names in this series: Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter, Rafael Furcal, David Freese, Lance Lynn, Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland, Derek Holland(!), and C.J. Wilson. The pitching matchups for the World Series were: Game 1: Chris Carpenter vs C.J. Wilson, Game 2: Colby Lewis vs Jaime Garcia, Game 3: Kyle Lohse vs Matt Harrison, Game 4: Edwin Jackson vs Derek Holland (8.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER!), Game 5: Chris Carpenter vs C.J. Wilson, Game 6 (The David Freese game): Colby Lewis vs Jaime Garcia, Game 7: Matt Harrison vs Chris Carpenter. I know Derek Holland and C.J. Wilson from the Rangers, and that’s it. The other names of their bullpen and starters, I can’t remember. Game 1: Cardinals, Game 2: Rangers, Game 3: Cardinals, Game 4: Rangers, Game 5: Rangers, Game 6: Cardinals, Game 7: Cardinals. The Rangers had a 3-2 stranglehold on the series after a 4-2 win in Game 5. They didn’t have home field advantage, so they had to go into St. Louis to close it out. After Game 5, Tony La Russa talked about miscommunications with the bullpen coach because of the noise in Arlington, they couldn’t hear them over the phone. Lance Lynn came in over Motte, after throwing 47 pitches the game before, had to intentionally walk a batter, so they could get the right guy in. This snafu, can remind fans of issues early on in this season with La Russa and crew not knowing rules. We are hopeful by the playoffs, there are no issues with rules or bullpen calls like there were in 2011. That bad call ultimately cost the Cardinals game 5. Game 6 of the 2011 World Series may have been one of the most exciting and painful games to watch for fans of the Cardinals and Rangers. The Rangers lead 7-5 going into the bottom of the 9th inning. Things were looking ever closer to winning the World Series. Due up were Ryan Theriot, Albert Pujols, and Lance Berkman. If anyone was to get on Allen Craig, after him, David Freese. Theriot strikes out, Pujols hits a double to CF, Berkman draws a walk. So you have runners on 1st and 2nd, 1 out. This is where Tony La Russa had to make a decision, does Allen Craig risk a bunt, swing away, hope he makes contact, he decides not to sac bunt. Allen Craig strikes out looking on a 1-2 pitch. In comes David Freese, the NLCS MVP, with the last hope for the Cardinals. He is 0-2 coming into this plate appearance, with a walk. Runners are on 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, David Freese hit a fastball in RF, which looked like it was going to be caught. Nelson Cruz mistimes his jump, the ball clangs off the wall, and 2 runners score on a 2 RBI triple to tie the game. Then comes the top of the 10th after all this chaos, the rangers have Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, and Josh Hamilton due up. In comes Jason Motte for a 2nd inning. Kinsler pops out to 1B, Andrus hits a single. This bring ups Josh Hamilton with a runner on, and he takes the first pitch and demolishes it to right center field for a 2 run HR. Mitch Moreland and Adrian Beltre to follow, one flyout, one groundout. To the bottom of the 10th, all this drama in game 6. Due up for the Cardinals are Daniel Descalso, Jon Jay, and the pitchers spot. Both Descalso and Jon Jay get on base with singles. 2 men on, nobody out, Kyle Lohse picks up a bat. Sacrifice bunts the runners over to 2nd and 3rd, now one out. Rangers bring in Scott Feldman. Ryan Theriot hits a ground ball to 3rd, Desclaso scores. They intentionally walk Albert Pujols, bringing up Lance Berkman. Lance Berkman hits a 2-2 pitch on a bullet to CF, scoring Jon Jay and tying the game up, AGAIN. Allen Craig then grounds out, to go to the 11th. Cardinals bring in Jake Westbrook who quickly gets a flyout, gives up a single, another flyout, and a groundout, only throwing 10 pitches. Now comes the bottom of the 11th, due up, is David Freese. The Rangers bring in Mark Lowe, 3-2 count, bottom of the 11th in the World Series, and David Freese takes a fastball into CF, “and we will see you, tomorrow night” an all time Joe Buck call.

Game 7, Tony La Russa goes with Chris Carpenter for the 3rd time in the World Series, again on short rest. The Rangers counter with Matt Harrison. Chris Carpenter gives up two in the 1st on back to back doubles by Josh Hamilton and Michael Young. That would be all the Rangers would score. The Cardinals counter in the bottom of the 1st with a David Freese (lol) 2 run double. Another run in the 3rd, 2 in the 5th, and 1 in the 7th. Jason Motte closed out the series for the Cardinals on 11 pitches, 3 batters, 3 outs. Tony La Russa managed a 7 games series to win his 3rd World Series, with an underdog team. The Cardinals outscored the Rangers 38-30. The team ERA was 3.86 to the Rangers 4.65, the WHIP 1.365 to the Rangers 1.565. David Freese winning the WS MVP just as he did the NLCS with his heroic moments in game 6 and adding to it in Game 7. Tony La Russa quickly learned from his game 5 errors, and got his bullpen right for games 6 & 7. Players have to do their job, but managers have to put those players in position to do their jobs. Tony La Russa was hired by the White Sox, to win a World Series, this year. There have been lulls and highs of this season, he is managing for health, and to be at full strength. He has managed all sorts of teams, and has done it in the playoffs a multitude of times. 162 is a grind, and there are going to be mistakes, the goal is to be sharpened for when it matters most. I believe he has what it takes to manage this team to a World Series, but if they don’t get there, it isn’t on him, either. For the final time, here is the series win probability chart for the World Series:

Let’s go White Sox, its time to show the MLB and the world, what you can do.

Sam