The St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after the ninth inning of Game 1 of baseball’s World Series against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 3-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.ST. LOUIS – Nobody plays a hunch like Tony La Russa. Not this October, anyway.
The St. Louis manager once again looked like a genius, especially when Allen Craig pinch-hit for ace Chris Carpenter and delivered a go-ahead single that sent the Cardinals past the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Wednesday night in the World Series opener.
Craig’s slicing hit in the sixth inning fell inches in front of sliding right fielder Nelson Cruz. Game 1 was just that tight throughout a cold, damp evening.
“Man, he’s tough,” Craig said of hard-throwing reliever Alexi Ogando. “He came right at me with fastballs, and I missed the first two. Then that last one I was trying to get the barrel on it, make the defense make a play. Fortunate, kept it fair, and Cruz made a great attempt on that. It was a great play all-around.”
It was a game perfectly suited for the National League style – lots of bunts, intentional walks and pitching changes. And in a postseason in which he’s made all the right moves, the 67-year-old La Russa was at the top of his game.