Top 10 postseason moments etched in St. Louis Cardinals lore

10. Whitey Kurowski hits go-ahead World Series Game 5 home run (1942)

The dominant New York Yankees, led by Joe DiMaggio, were hungry for another title in 1942, and as they squared up against the Cardinals and their own formidable group comprising Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter, the Yankees were generally considered the favorites to win it all. But after winning the first game, the Yankees crumbled. The fatal blow came not from a star Cardinal, but from a relatively unheralded rookie named Whitey Kurowski.

Kurowski, a third baseman, had just hit .254 with nine home runs in his first full season in the league. With the Cardinals up in the series three games to one, the Yankees sent Red Ruffing to the mound to try and stave off elimination. With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Kurowski uncorked a two-run shot off of Ruffing to put the Cardinals up by two.

Cardinals pitcher Johnny Beazley retired the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth after a single and an error, picking Joe Gordon off of second base and getting the next two batters out to award the Cardinals their fourth championship.

9. Jack Clark homers to clinch the pennant (1985)

After Ozzie Smith's home run to put the Cardinals ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers three games to two in the 1985 NLCS, the Dodgers took a 5-4 lead going into the top of the ninth inning. The Dodgers, seemingly unfazed by Smith's heroics against closer Tom Niedenfuer in Game 5, trotted Niedenfuer out again.

A single and subsequent steal of second by Willie McGee ignited the inning for the Cardinals, and after an intentional walk to Smith, Tommy Herr grounded out to second to move McGee to third. Next up was the team's big bopper and home run leader, Jack Clark.

Rather than walk Clark and load the bases, Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda decided to pitch to him. Clark clobbered the first pitch from Niedenfuer over the left field fence to put the Cardinals up 7-5. The Dodgers failed to score in the bottom of the frame, and St. Louis was on its way to the World Series, which they would lose to the Kansas City Royals in seven games.