As the Phillies-Dodgers and the Red Sox-Rays square off in the NLCS and the ALCS, respectively, it’s the appropriate time to relive the most memorable moments in league championship history for the St. Louis Cardinals.*


* It’s also time to take my gratuitous shot at fans of the Chicago Cubs, whose team was inexplicably swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS last week. Check out this video clip from a recent “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” episode.
 

In 1985, the championship series expanded to its current best-of-seven format. It was the same year that the Cardinals squared off against the Dodgers in the NLCS. The Cards, in the playoffs for the first time since 1968, went on to win the series in 6 games (you may remember a couple big home runs). It marked the first of four National League titles for the Cardinals in the NLCS era ('87, '04 and '06).  


Conversely, the El Birdos have lost 4 NLCS, each painful in their own way. The Cards let a 3-1 lead slip away in the ‘96 NLCS against Atlanta. In 2000, the Cards lost in five games to the Mets, highlighted by Rick Ankiel's meltdown in Game 2. Two years later, the despised Kenny Lofton punched the Giants’ ticket to the Fall Classic with a game-winning single off Steve Kline in the bottom of the ninth. (I’m still upset by the horrible throw home by J.D. Drew, giving catcher Mike Matheny no chance to tag out David Bell.) Finally, in 2005, the Astros clinched its first trip to the Fall Classic in what turned out to be the final game at Busch Stadium II.


Here's my list of top moments in chronological order:

1) 1985, Game 5 vs. Dodgers
Ozzie Smith’s shocking home run off a stunned Tom Niedenfuer in the bottom of the ninth gave the Cardinals a 3-2 win and a 3 games to 2 lead in the series. It never gets old watching the video of Ozzie circling the bases and pumping his right arm in the air and leaping in the arms of teammates at home plate. And, Jack Buck’s classic “Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy!” perfectly summed up the moment.

2) 1985, Game 6 vs. Dodgers
The Cardinals, trailing 5-4 in the top of the ninth, have runners at second and third base with two outs. With Niedenfuer on the mound again, Jack Clark came to bat. Why Tom Lasorda elected to pitch to the slugger instead of Andy Van Slyke continues to be a mystery. Clark’s monstrous 3-run homer essentially clinched the Cardinals’ 14th National League pennant before a stunned crowd at Dodger Stadium. You may also recall Pedro Guerrero slammed his glove to the ground as the ball sailed over his head and deep into the left-field bleachers.  

3) 1987, Game 7 vs. San Francisco
After a 1-0 win the previous night, the Cardinals carried the momentum into the seventh game at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals received offensive support from an unlikely source. Light-hitting Jose Oquendo smacked a three-run homer off starter Atlee Hammaker in the second inning. Behind a 8-hit shutout by Danny Cox, the Cardinals rolled to a 6-0 win and the club clinched its third World Series trip of the decade. Take that Jeff Leonard.

4) 1996, Game 4 vs. Atlanta  
The Cardinals were up 2 games to 1 against the defending World Champions. But, the Cards trailed 3-0 after 6½ innings and it appeared the Braves would tie the series. But, magic struck in the bottom of the seventh. Rookie Dmitri Young, who took hitting tips from Ron Gant in the dugout prior to his at-bat, lined a two-run triple to trim the score to 3-2. Royce Clayton then tied the game with a single. Next, with the game still tied in the eighth, Brian Jordan homered into the left-field bullpen off reliever Greg McMichael. The Cards hold on for a 4-3 victory and moved just one game from the Fall Classic. Sadly, the Redbirds failed to win again. The Braves won the final three games by a combined score of 32-1.

5) 2004, Game 6 vs. Houston
The Cards, who lost three straight games at Enron Field, entered this game in a must-win situation at the friendly confines of Busch Stadium. The Cards led 4-3 in the ninth, but closer Jason Isringhausen gave up a game-tying single to Jeff Bagwell. The game entered extra innings, and in the bottom of the 12th, Jim Edmonds crushed a two-run homer off Dan Miceli to force the seventh and deciding game. Edmonds’ homer, punctuated by his emotional reaction immediately after he connected with the pitch, forever solidified Mr. Half-Shirt’s popularity in the Gateway City. The Cards won its first pennant in 17 years the next night, thanks in part to Edmonds’ tremendous catch early in the game.

6) 2005, Game 5 vs. Houston
Down 3 games to 1, the Cards hold a precarious 2-1 lead in the seventh. But, Lance Berkman flipped a 3-run homer into the Crawford Boxes off Chris Carpenter, giving the Astros a 4-2 advantage. In the ninth, closer Brad Lidge recorded two quick outs and was just one strike away from leading the Astros to the World Series. With the crowd roaring, David Eckstein and Edmonds reached base. Then, Pujols proceeded to hit a monstrous 3-run homer and gave St. Louis the 5-4 lead. The silenced and stunned crowd watched Jason Isringhausen slam the door in the bottom of the ninth to secure the remarkable win. Sadly, the Astros closed out the series two nights later in St. Louis.

7) 2006, Game 7 vs. Mets
It’s hard to pick out the best moment in this game. Was it Jeff Suppan’s gutsy pitching performance? Was it Endy Chavez taking away a 2-run homer from Scott Rolen? Was it Yadi Molina’s 2-run homer in the ninth that gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead? Or was it Adam Wainwright freezing Cardinal-killer Carlos Beltran with a knee-buckling curve ball to close out the game and the Cardinals’ second N.L. pennant in four years?  

Gabriel Kiley is a freelance sports writer based in St. Louis. His e-mail address is WillTheThrill22@gmail.com or post your comments below.