World Series 2011: Allen Craig's Heroics Foreshadow Series Win for Cardinals

Allen Craig of the St. Louis Cardinals became a hero last night by batting in the go-ahead run in Game 1 of the 2011 World Series. While it was an instrumental at-bat for the Cardinals as they kicked off the series with the 3-2 win, a certain stat suggests the pinch hitter's at-bat may be much more than that.

According to ESPN, five pinch hitters in World Series history have ever hit the go-ahead, game-winning RBI. In all four previous instances, those pinch hitters' teams have gone on to win the series.

The Rangers lost in the World Series last season to a scrappy team that seemed destine to win it all. The Giants snuck into the postseason and caught fire at the right time. While the Cardinals may not be that sort of Cinderella story, it seems as though fate will propel another team past the Rangers in the World Series.

Nelson Cruz's inability to handle Craig's line drive has many people blaming Cruz for the loss. Cruz shouldn't be too worried about becoming the next Bill Buckner, but by coming up short on that play, Cruz has put his team in a position where it now has to make history.

So, is the pinch hit that forced the Rangers to drop the first game a silly statistic, or is something more at work? Some may write this stat off as a fluke, but in the instance that a pinch hitter knocks in the go-ahead run, it suggests one manager is making the right moves at the right time.

The fact of the matter is that Tony La Russa outfoxed the Rangers. It's his intuition and feel for his team that will have his team adding to history, rather than defying it.

The Rangers are up against it now. Craig stepping up at the right time and Cruz failing to make the tough play may seem like a stroke of luck, but it's much more than that. For the second time in a row, the Rangers are going to fall short to a team that is "luckily" firing on all cylinders.