DETROIT – The Tigers put the Yankees to sleep and the Cardinals did the same to the Mets.
Now, a Cardinals-Tigers World Series that opened last night at Comerica Park was attempting to keep baseball fans from drifting into dreamland.
With little star power after Albert Pujols, the Series featured one good team – the Tigers – and a club – the Cardinals – that won 83 regular-season games.
The best storyline was good friends Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa faced each other trying to join Sparky Anderson as the only manager to win a World Series in each league.
The star-studded Yankees were no match for Leyland’s Tigers, a team built on pitching and long on fundamentals.
The Mets took the Cardinals to seven NLCS games before losing.
Las Vegas installed the Tigers as huge favorites. Typically, that made the Tigers, who were listening, wince.
“I think we view ourselves as underdogs,” Tigers Game 1 starter and rookie Justin Verlander said. “We were underdogs all the way through the entire season up to now.” While his players poured champagne after Game 7 at Shea Stadium, La Russa defended his club getting to the World Series for the second time in three seasons.
“They say to be a good team you have to win 90 games,” La Russa said. “This was our 90th win, so we are a good team.” Good enough to beat the Tigers, who swept three games from the Cardinals during an interleague series?
“I’ve watched the Tigers a lot,” La Russa said. “They’re very sound and they’re going to be a handful. But I think we can compete against them. I know we can compete with them. We could have competed with them in June, we just didn’t very well.” In order for the Cardinals to compete, their rotation would have to match the Tigers’ foursome of Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson and Jeremy Bonderman.
That may have been too much to ask from Anthony Reyes, Jeff Weaver, Chris Carpenter and Jeff Suppan.
After facing NL teams that usually have six strong hitters, the Cardinals pitchers will be working against nine bats in a lineup that has received production from the lower third all season.
Of course, Leyland refused to buy into the belief the Cardinals were a speed bump on the Tigers’ way to their fifth World Series title and first since 1984.
“Let me remind everybody that club’s been in the World Series two out of the last three years,” said Leyland, a Cardinals scout for six years in between managing gigs with Colorado and Detroit. “We have great respect for the Cardinals and believe me, I know a lot about the organization, their manager and how they go about their business. You can argue all you want, but they have earned their way here and they are a tremendous ballclub.” Leyland may not be blowing smoke. Prior to facing the Yankees in the ALDS, Leyland said people were wrong to believe the series was the “Yankees against the freshman team.” Leyland said his team would compete with the heavily favored Yankees and after a Game 1 loss, the Tigers reeled off three straight.
From there it was four straight over the A’s in the ALCS. The Cardinals required four games to toppled the Padres and needed a ninth-inning, two-run homer by Yadier Molina to win Game 7 over the Mets.
Tigers vs. Cardinals
At a glance
Game Date Site Time TV
Game 1 Last night Detroit
Game 2 Tonight Detroit 8:23 p.m. Fox
Game 3 Tuesday St. Louis 8:33 p.m. Fox
Game 4 Wednesday St. Louis 8:27 p.m. Fox
Game 5* Thursday St. Louis 8:27 p.m. Fox
Game 6* Oct. 28 Detroit 7:57 p.m. Fox
Game 7* Oct. 29 Detroit 8:00 p.m. Fox
*-if necessary Radio: All games on ESPN (1050 AM)