Baseball Guru
11-15-2001, 07:19 PM
2001 Season in review
St. Louis had the best home record in the National League
By Patrick Mulrenin
Stlcardinals.com
ST. LOUIS -- The 2001 season for the Cardinals contained more ups and downs than a roller coaster. The team stormed from mediocrity at the All-Star break into the playoffs, only to fall in a fifth and final game of the NLDS to the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
April 2 at Colorado -- St. Louis opened the season with an 8-0 loss to the Rockies as Mike Hampton limited the Cards to five hits over 8 1/3 innings pitched. Darryl Kile got the call as the Opening Day pitcher for St. Louis, but faltered as he allowed six runs over five innings.
April 6 at Arizona -- After suffering a three-game sweep against Colorado, St. Louis got on the winning track with a 12-9 victory over the Diamondbacks. Dustin Hermanson picked up his first win as a member of the Cardinals despite allowing six runs over five innings pitched.
April 8 at Arizona -- Rick Ankiel, in his first start since Game 2 of the 2000 NLCS when he allowed three walks and two wild pitches and failed to get out of the first inning against the New York Mets, pitched five innings and defeated the Randy Johnson-led Diamondbacks, 9-4. Ankiel allowed two runs on three hits and struck out eight. With the win, the Cardinals completed the three-game sweep of Arizona without Jim Edmonds and Mark McGwire in the lineup.
April 9 vs. Colorado -- St. Louis thrilled the hometown crowd in the opener at Busch Stadium with a 3-2 win over the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth inning. Ray Lankford scored from third base on a wild pitch with two outs. Mike Timlin picked up the win in relief.
May 7 vs. Pittsburgh -- Matt Morris, back in the starting rotation for the first time in three years, pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout in a 7-0 win over the Pirates. He struck out six and walked one en route to his first complete game since Sept. 22, 1998 against Houston. Albert Pujols, J.D. Drew and Ray Lankford homered for the Cards.
May 11 -- With wildness plaguing Rick Ankiel for the second Major League season, the Cardinals option the left-handed pitcher to Triple-A Memphis. After three starts with the Redbirds, Ankiel was 0-2 with a 20.77 ERA, 17 walks and 12 wild pitches in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Ankiel was moved to Rookie League Johnson City to regain his form. He went on to lead the Appalachian League with a 1.33 ERA and 158 strikeouts.
May 17 at Pittsburgh -- The Cardinals won their 10th straight game behind a three-run homer from J.D. Drew and a 4-for-5 performance from Ray Lankford in a 12-2 victory over the Pirates. The winning streak was St. Louis' longest since a 12-game win streak in 1982. Matt Morris benefited from the abundant offense and won his fifth consecutive start.
May 25 at Cincinnati -- Craig Paquette hit his first career pinch-hit homer, a three-run shot off Reds closer Danny Graves with two outs in the ninth inning, as the Cardinals rallied for a 5-4 victory. In a steady rain, Paquette fell behind 0-2 in the count before tagging his fourth homer of the season.
June 5 -- The Cardinals selected right-handed pitcher Justin Pope out of the University of Central Florida with their first pick in the June Amateur Draft. Pope was the 28th selection overall.
June 7 at Chicago Cubs -- Sammy Sosa gave the division-leading Cubs a comeback, 4-3 win over St. Louis, as he drove in the tying run in the eighth and scored the winning run in the 10th. Matt Morris took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before having it broken up by a Matt Stairs double.
June 15 vs. Chicago White Sox -- Mark McGwire hit two home runs and Bobby Bonilla had a solo blast as St. Louis ended a four-game losing streak with a 10-3 win over the White Sox. The Cardinals started their 12-game homestand with a win, following a 1-8 road trip, which was their worst since July 1995.
June 17 vs. Chicago White Sox -- Left-hander Bud Smith made his Major League debut and defeated David Wells and the White Sox, 8-3. Smith allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings pitched. Mark McGwire was ejected from the game in the first inning by home-plate umpire Mike Everitt for arguing a third-strike call.
June 23 vs. San Francisco -- Barry Bonds became the fastest player to hit 39 home runs, but the Cardinals beat the Giants, 6-5, on an RBI single from Mike Matheny in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jim Edmonds scored from third base when Matheny drilled an 0-2 pitch from closer Robb Nen beyond the infield.
July 4 -- Matt Morris and Albert Pujols were named to their first All-Star Game.
July 7 at Cleveland -- Jim Thome, who hit three home runs the day before, slammed the first pitch he saw from Dave Veres in the 10th inning for a walk-off homer and a 7-6 Cleveland win. The Cardinals continued to struggle, heading into the All-Star break by dropping the last eight of 10 games. Mark McGwire gave St. Louis an early lead with his first grand slam in nearly two years and 14th of his career.
July 8 at Cleveland -- The Cardinals salvaged a 4-3 win in the last game before the break. With one out in the top of the ninth, Edgar Renteria singled off closer John Rocker to drive home Mike Matheny. At 43-43, St. Louis was in third place in the NL Central, trailing the Cubs by eight games after the first half of the season.
July 13 vs. Detroit -- Manager Tony La Russa later deemed this the lowest point in the season for the Cardinals. Following a 4-1 loss to Detroit, St. Louis (43-45) dropped to a season-high nine games behind the division-leading Cubs.
July 14 -- Mitchell Page relieved Mike Easler as the Cardinals hitting coach for the rest of the season.
July 18 at Houston -- The Cards lost to the Astros, 17-11, in the highest-scoring game in Enron Field history. Houston's Jeff Bagwell hit for the cycle and St. Louis' Bobby Bonilla connected for his 2,000th career hit.
July 28 at Chicago Cubs -- Placido Polanco hit the go-ahead RBI single and Albert Pujols smacked a two-run double in the eighth inning as the Cards defeated the first-place Cubs, 7-4. Dave Veres picked up the win despite allowing a game-tying solo homer to Sammy Sosa in the seventh inning.
July 29 at Chicago Cubs -- In an effort to bolster their playoff chances, the Cubs acquired Fred McGriff from Tampa Bay, and he paid immediate dividends. He went 1-for-3 and made a nifty defensive play in Chicago's 7-5 win over St. Louis. Fortunately for St. Louis, McGriff would not be enough to get the Cubs into the postseason.
August 4 vs. Florida -- The Woody Williams era began in St. Louis as a post-deadline trade was completed with San Diego in exchange for outfielder Ray Lankford. Many would say that Williams was the key component in the Cardinals' run to the postseason, as he went 7-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch. Williams defeated the Marlins in his Redbird debut, 3-0.
August 8 at Montreal -- Geoff Blum hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth inning and scored the winning run on Michael Barrett's RBI double in the 11th as the Expos beat the Cards, 6-5. St. Louis scored three times in the top of the ninth to take a 5-3 lead, only to see it evaporate in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals (57-55) fell eight games back for the last time this season.
August 11 at New York -- Mark McGwire moved past Harmon Killebrew for fifth place on the all-time list with his 574th home run, leading the Cardinals to a 6-3 victory over the Mets. McGwire's last 10 hits were home runs, the longest such streak in 25 years according to Elias Sports Bureau.
August 17 vs. Philadelphia -- Placido Polanco's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning stretched St. Louis' win streak to nine games as the Cardinals beat the Phillies, 4-3. Edgar Renteria scored the game winner.
August 18 vs. Philadelphia -- Recently acquired Miguel Cairo hit his first career pinch-hit homer in leading St. Louis to a 6-3 win over the Phillies. The Cardinals won 10 straight games for the second time in the season, which was a first since 1941. Cairo hit a three-run homer off reliever Dennis Cook in the seventh inning to snap a 3-3 tie.
August 20 at Cincinnati -- In a wild game that featured four errors by Cardinals fielders, a disputed obstruction call on Fernando Vina in the ninth inning, and blown St. Louis leads in the ninth and 10th innings, Ken Griffey Jr. won the game for Cincinnati on an inside-the-park homer in the 11th inning for a 5-4 Reds victory. The loss snapped the Cardinals' 11-game win streak.
St. Louis had the best home record in the National League
By Patrick Mulrenin
Stlcardinals.com
ST. LOUIS -- The 2001 season for the Cardinals contained more ups and downs than a roller coaster. The team stormed from mediocrity at the All-Star break into the playoffs, only to fall in a fifth and final game of the NLDS to the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
April 2 at Colorado -- St. Louis opened the season with an 8-0 loss to the Rockies as Mike Hampton limited the Cards to five hits over 8 1/3 innings pitched. Darryl Kile got the call as the Opening Day pitcher for St. Louis, but faltered as he allowed six runs over five innings.
April 6 at Arizona -- After suffering a three-game sweep against Colorado, St. Louis got on the winning track with a 12-9 victory over the Diamondbacks. Dustin Hermanson picked up his first win as a member of the Cardinals despite allowing six runs over five innings pitched.
April 8 at Arizona -- Rick Ankiel, in his first start since Game 2 of the 2000 NLCS when he allowed three walks and two wild pitches and failed to get out of the first inning against the New York Mets, pitched five innings and defeated the Randy Johnson-led Diamondbacks, 9-4. Ankiel allowed two runs on three hits and struck out eight. With the win, the Cardinals completed the three-game sweep of Arizona without Jim Edmonds and Mark McGwire in the lineup.
April 9 vs. Colorado -- St. Louis thrilled the hometown crowd in the opener at Busch Stadium with a 3-2 win over the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth inning. Ray Lankford scored from third base on a wild pitch with two outs. Mike Timlin picked up the win in relief.
May 7 vs. Pittsburgh -- Matt Morris, back in the starting rotation for the first time in three years, pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout in a 7-0 win over the Pirates. He struck out six and walked one en route to his first complete game since Sept. 22, 1998 against Houston. Albert Pujols, J.D. Drew and Ray Lankford homered for the Cards.
May 11 -- With wildness plaguing Rick Ankiel for the second Major League season, the Cardinals option the left-handed pitcher to Triple-A Memphis. After three starts with the Redbirds, Ankiel was 0-2 with a 20.77 ERA, 17 walks and 12 wild pitches in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Ankiel was moved to Rookie League Johnson City to regain his form. He went on to lead the Appalachian League with a 1.33 ERA and 158 strikeouts.
May 17 at Pittsburgh -- The Cardinals won their 10th straight game behind a three-run homer from J.D. Drew and a 4-for-5 performance from Ray Lankford in a 12-2 victory over the Pirates. The winning streak was St. Louis' longest since a 12-game win streak in 1982. Matt Morris benefited from the abundant offense and won his fifth consecutive start.
May 25 at Cincinnati -- Craig Paquette hit his first career pinch-hit homer, a three-run shot off Reds closer Danny Graves with two outs in the ninth inning, as the Cardinals rallied for a 5-4 victory. In a steady rain, Paquette fell behind 0-2 in the count before tagging his fourth homer of the season.
June 5 -- The Cardinals selected right-handed pitcher Justin Pope out of the University of Central Florida with their first pick in the June Amateur Draft. Pope was the 28th selection overall.
June 7 at Chicago Cubs -- Sammy Sosa gave the division-leading Cubs a comeback, 4-3 win over St. Louis, as he drove in the tying run in the eighth and scored the winning run in the 10th. Matt Morris took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before having it broken up by a Matt Stairs double.
June 15 vs. Chicago White Sox -- Mark McGwire hit two home runs and Bobby Bonilla had a solo blast as St. Louis ended a four-game losing streak with a 10-3 win over the White Sox. The Cardinals started their 12-game homestand with a win, following a 1-8 road trip, which was their worst since July 1995.
June 17 vs. Chicago White Sox -- Left-hander Bud Smith made his Major League debut and defeated David Wells and the White Sox, 8-3. Smith allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings pitched. Mark McGwire was ejected from the game in the first inning by home-plate umpire Mike Everitt for arguing a third-strike call.
June 23 vs. San Francisco -- Barry Bonds became the fastest player to hit 39 home runs, but the Cardinals beat the Giants, 6-5, on an RBI single from Mike Matheny in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jim Edmonds scored from third base when Matheny drilled an 0-2 pitch from closer Robb Nen beyond the infield.
July 4 -- Matt Morris and Albert Pujols were named to their first All-Star Game.
July 7 at Cleveland -- Jim Thome, who hit three home runs the day before, slammed the first pitch he saw from Dave Veres in the 10th inning for a walk-off homer and a 7-6 Cleveland win. The Cardinals continued to struggle, heading into the All-Star break by dropping the last eight of 10 games. Mark McGwire gave St. Louis an early lead with his first grand slam in nearly two years and 14th of his career.
July 8 at Cleveland -- The Cardinals salvaged a 4-3 win in the last game before the break. With one out in the top of the ninth, Edgar Renteria singled off closer John Rocker to drive home Mike Matheny. At 43-43, St. Louis was in third place in the NL Central, trailing the Cubs by eight games after the first half of the season.
July 13 vs. Detroit -- Manager Tony La Russa later deemed this the lowest point in the season for the Cardinals. Following a 4-1 loss to Detroit, St. Louis (43-45) dropped to a season-high nine games behind the division-leading Cubs.
July 14 -- Mitchell Page relieved Mike Easler as the Cardinals hitting coach for the rest of the season.
July 18 at Houston -- The Cards lost to the Astros, 17-11, in the highest-scoring game in Enron Field history. Houston's Jeff Bagwell hit for the cycle and St. Louis' Bobby Bonilla connected for his 2,000th career hit.
July 28 at Chicago Cubs -- Placido Polanco hit the go-ahead RBI single and Albert Pujols smacked a two-run double in the eighth inning as the Cards defeated the first-place Cubs, 7-4. Dave Veres picked up the win despite allowing a game-tying solo homer to Sammy Sosa in the seventh inning.
July 29 at Chicago Cubs -- In an effort to bolster their playoff chances, the Cubs acquired Fred McGriff from Tampa Bay, and he paid immediate dividends. He went 1-for-3 and made a nifty defensive play in Chicago's 7-5 win over St. Louis. Fortunately for St. Louis, McGriff would not be enough to get the Cubs into the postseason.
August 4 vs. Florida -- The Woody Williams era began in St. Louis as a post-deadline trade was completed with San Diego in exchange for outfielder Ray Lankford. Many would say that Williams was the key component in the Cardinals' run to the postseason, as he went 7-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch. Williams defeated the Marlins in his Redbird debut, 3-0.
August 8 at Montreal -- Geoff Blum hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth inning and scored the winning run on Michael Barrett's RBI double in the 11th as the Expos beat the Cards, 6-5. St. Louis scored three times in the top of the ninth to take a 5-3 lead, only to see it evaporate in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals (57-55) fell eight games back for the last time this season.
August 11 at New York -- Mark McGwire moved past Harmon Killebrew for fifth place on the all-time list with his 574th home run, leading the Cardinals to a 6-3 victory over the Mets. McGwire's last 10 hits were home runs, the longest such streak in 25 years according to Elias Sports Bureau.
August 17 vs. Philadelphia -- Placido Polanco's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning stretched St. Louis' win streak to nine games as the Cardinals beat the Phillies, 4-3. Edgar Renteria scored the game winner.
August 18 vs. Philadelphia -- Recently acquired Miguel Cairo hit his first career pinch-hit homer in leading St. Louis to a 6-3 win over the Phillies. The Cardinals won 10 straight games for the second time in the season, which was a first since 1941. Cairo hit a three-run homer off reliever Dennis Cook in the seventh inning to snap a 3-3 tie.
August 20 at Cincinnati -- In a wild game that featured four errors by Cardinals fielders, a disputed obstruction call on Fernando Vina in the ninth inning, and blown St. Louis leads in the ninth and 10th innings, Ken Griffey Jr. won the game for Cincinnati on an inside-the-park homer in the 11th inning for a 5-4 Reds victory. The loss snapped the Cardinals' 11-game win streak.