St. Louis Cardinals: The decade’s 12 most memorable moments

ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 27: David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a walk off solo home run in the 11th inning to win Game Six of the MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on October 27, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 10-9. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 27: David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a walk off solo home run in the 11th inning to win Game Six of the MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on October 27, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 10-9. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 27: David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrats at third base after hitting a game-tying two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth inning during Game Six of the MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on October 27, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 10-9 in 11 innings. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 27: David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrats at third base after hitting a game-tying two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth inning during Game Six of the MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on October 27, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 10-9 in 11 innings. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

2. 2011 World Series Game 6 (Oct. 27, 2011)

That’s right, this isn’t No. 1 on my list. But that isn’t to take anything away from the most amazing game I’ve ever seen. I don’t need to explain it in detail; if you’re reading this, you know what happened. David Freese capped off his postseason magic with his two best tricks, hitting a triple and a walk-off home run to force a Game 7.

This game is in many lists of the greatest World Series games ever; indeed, it featured back-and-forth scoring and clutch hitting, putting me and millions of others on the edges of their seats, at one moment jumping for joy and at another groaning in dismay.

It also escalated Freese from a postseason monster to a Cardinals legend. Even though I don’t agree with putting Freese in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, he deserves recognition and admiration for his accomplishments in the postseason. He was a true “St. Louis kid done good” story.

St. Louis Cardinals
ST LOUIS, MO – JUNE 23: Albert Pujols #5 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acknowledges a standing ovation from the fans prior to batting against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 23, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

1. Albert Pujols’ return to St. Louis (June 23-25, 2019)

I absolutely love the fans in St. Louis. When a former Cardinal comes back, the crowd gives him a warm welcome. I once read a post on an opposing team’s subreddit that Cardinals fans don’t know proper booing techniques, and for that, I couldn’t be prouder.

When Albert Pujols signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2012 season, I, along with many other Cardinals fans, fell into a depression. But once I got over it, I kept looking forward to when the Cardinals would play the Angels at Busch Stadium, getting progressively antsier as each season’s schedule failed to provide the matchup.

Finally, the 2019 schedule provided what I had long been waiting for. Now I was worried Pujols would be hurt when the series came around. But he was healthy, and the series was what I can only describe as a transcendent experience. It was an amazing display of what Pujols meant to the fans and what the fans meant to Pujols. The greeting, the home run and the jersey exchange with Molina — I can’t call it anything other than perfect.

dark. Next. 20 states and their best-ever Cardinals players

These 12 moments indicate why baseball is a lifelong passion and why 2020 has been tough to stomach so far. Hopefully the Cardinals can get on the field soon and start creating memories for the new decade.