MLB World Series 2011: Rangers Hold Gobs of Momentum Heading Home

In about a five-minute period of time, the Texas Rangers went from dead ducks to alive and well in the 2011 World Series.

Down 1-0 in the ninth inning with St. Louis Cardinals flamethrower Jason Motte attempting to put his team up 2-0, the Rangers used small ball to knot up the Fall Classic at one game apiece.

Two singles by Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus seemed harmless enough, but the heady base running by Andrus to go to second on a bad cutoff by Albert Pujols left the team with runners on second and third with zero outs.

Arthur Rhodes was brought in to induce a Josh Hamilton fly out, but it was deep enough for Kinsler to tie the game and it was also to right field, which allowed Andrus a chance to advance to third. Michael Young merely needed a routine fly ball to get the second sac fly of the inning and the Rangers finally had their first lead of the series after 17 innings.

It’s a backbreaking loss for the Cardinals. They had only given up three hits to the Rangers before that fateful ninth inning. They were playing spectacular defense and got seven innings of almost flawless baseball from Jaime Garcia. Everything was leaning in the Cards direction.

A commanding 2-0 lead was only three outs away. The fans could smell it.

Now the Rangers head home to Arlington with all of the momentum in the series.

It may not have been fair to award the 90-win Cards home-field advantage over the 96-win Rangers, but now it’s Texas with the next three games at home.

With the crowd at a feverish noise volume and the thought of losing last year’s World Series still fresh in their minds, expect the Rangers to take 2 of 3 as they head back to St. Louis needing to win just one of the last two games of the 2011 baseball season to win the championship.

Funny how five minutes can change everything after seven long and laborious months.