If someone said the Cardinals were going to be in the World Series, it’s pretty likely the majority of people in America would think Albert Pujols would be the World Series MVP.
But like one Yankees broadcaster always says “You can’t predict baseball,” and that was never more true than during this postseason.
Cardinals third baseman David Freese ended up winning World Series MVP, as he and the Red Birds beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7.
Nobody would believe that a guy who batted .297 with 10 home runs, 55 RBI during the regular season would take home the World Series MVP crown, but he did.
The hometown kid, who actually quit baseball, capped off his remarkable playoff run with two more RBIs to give him 21 for the entire post season—breaking the previous record.
His World Series numbers: .348 batting average, seven RBIs and one home run. Freese started getting hot in Game 4 of the divisional series against the Phillies when he had 4 RBIs. He then kept that hot streak going through the NLCS, and all the way through the World Series.
His total playoff numbers: .397, five home runs, 21 RBIs, eight doubles and .465 OBP.
“I’ve had plenty of days of my life where I thought I wouldn’t be even close to being a big leaguer,” Freese said, according to the Associated Press. “I’m here because of everybody around me. They’ve put so much trust in me to accomplish not only baseball but just stuff in life, and to do this is — I’m just full of joy, finally.”
After his Game 6 performance in one of the greatest playoff games ever played, it seemed set in stone that Freese would be the MVP. All the Cardinals had to do was win Game 7—and they did.
