Revisiting The 2004 NLCS 10 Years Later

Yes, I am with everyone else when I say that we should still be watching Cardinals postseason baseball right now. I am still upset with their NLCS loss to the Giants. But, that’s not what I want to talk about right now. I think we have discussed this enough over the past week and endured enough heartache to finally move on.

On that note, it’s hard to believe that this week marks the 10 year anniversary of one of the greatest postseason series in Cardinals baseball. You know, back when the Astros were relevant and still in the National League; when Matheny was still catching and Jason Isringhausen was on top of his game; when it was a fun Central Division rivalry featuring the Killer B’s vs The MV3. The 2004 NLCS was so intense and entertaining to watch as the Cardinals won in dramatic fashion. St. Louis went 105-57 in the regular season, and I still think that this is perhaps the best postseason lineup that they’ve had. If you don’t remember, here’s why:

1. Edgar Renteria

2. Larry Walker

3. Albert Pujols (Silver Slugger)

4. Scott Rolen (Gold Glove)

5. Jim Edmonds (Gold Glove, Silver Slugger)

6. Reggie Sanders

7. Tony Womack

8. Mike Matheny (Gold Glove)

9. Pitcher Spot

NLCS MVP: Albert Pujols

That is just scary. Now throw in the rotation for the Redbirds. 4 out of 5 won 15 games: Matt Morris 15-10, Jason Marquis 15-7, Jeff Suppan 16-9, and Chris Carpenter 15-5. Woody Williams was in the rotation as well, going 11-8.

All seven games were close, and I think everyone may still be at the edge of their seats from Game 6 and Game 7. Down 3-2 in the series and on the brink of elimination, the Cardinals took Game 6 into extra innings where Jim Edmonds hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 12th to send it to a decisive seventh game. You can relive the magic here:

Enter Game 7. Jeff Suppan pitching against Roger Clemens. Suppan allowed two runs, one earned, and only three hits through six innings. Jim Edmonds kept it close with an unbelievable catch in centerfield that still gives me goose bumps watching. You can watch it here like I have thousands of times.

Then came the sixth inning. Although Suppan was pitching an outstanding game, he still trailed Roger Clemens and the Astros 2-1. Albert Pujols got the bottom half of the inning going by doubling in Roger Cedeno to tie the game up 2-2. With one out, Scott Rolen came up and did this:

Izzy came in the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning to send the Cardinals to their first World Series appearance since 1987.

St. Louis definitely has some spoiled baseball fans. This city has been able to enjoy a winning tradition year in and year out. We never take it for granted, however we might not realize just exactly how long this has gone on until you see it with your own eyes.

@RLeopando