Game 7: Comeback Complete as Cardinals Win Crown

St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina reacts after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning of Game 7 of baseball's World Series Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in St. Louis. (Matt Slocum/AP Photo)

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Sports Writer October 29, 2011 (AP)

The comeback is complete, and the Cardinals are the champs! St. Louis beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 to win its second World Series title in six years.

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Lance Lynn pitches a perfect eighth, striking out Adrian Beltre to end the inning. It's been a wild ride of a season for the Cardinals, who were 10½ games out in the wild-card race on Aug. 25.

And don't forget, this team lost a legitimate ace in spring training when Adam Wainwright had major elbow surgery. Wainwright, who won 39 games the past two years and had a pair of top-3 finishes in Cy Young Award balloting, has missed the entire season.

Nelson Cruz, Mike Napoli and David Murphy due up in the ninth for Texas against closer Jason Motte. ——— Murphy's leadoff double chased Chris Carpenter in the seventh. Strong effort on three days' rest by the Cardinals' ace. Arthur Rhodes and Octavio Dotel got out of the inning with St. Louis' three-run lead intact. Yadier Molina added an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-2.

After scoring twice in the first inning, the Rangers haven't been able to push anyone else across. Texas pitchers have issued 41 walks in the World Series, breaking the previous record of 40 set by the 1997 Florida Marlins

A close call goes to the Cardinals in the fifth inning. With first base open, Texas intentionally walked David Freese to load the bases with two outs. Scott Feldman fell behind 3-1 on Molina, then threw a strike. The full-count pitch also looked like a strike, right on the outside corner, but this time Feldman didn't get the call from plate umpire Jerry Layne.

Ball four, 4-2 Cardinals. Hard to argue with walking Freese in that spot, even though Molina has a clutch pedigree. Freese has just been on such a tear lately, especially in big situations. It was the first time he was intentionally walked all year. C.J. Wilson came on and hit Rafael Furcal with his first pitch, forcing in another run. Skip Schumaker strikes out to end the inning.

St. Louis leads 5-2. ——— Allen Craig makes a leaping catch at the left-field fence in the sixth, probably taking a home run away from Cruz. Carpenter works a 1-2-3 sixth.

——— Big sequence in the top of the fifth inning. Ian Kinsler hit a leadoff single and was sacrificed to second by Elvis Andrus. Carpenter fell behind 3-1 on Josh Hamilton — the only strike may have been a generous call. Hamilton then swung at an inside pitch that might have been ball four and lofted a foul popup wide of third. Freese caught it at the dugout railing for the second out.

Freese had a similar chance Thursday night but was unable to make the play. Michael Young struck out to end the inning. Feldman has replaced Texas starter Matt Harrison in the bottom of the fifth. The Cardinals still lead 3-2

. ——— Harrison worked a scoreless fourth. He pounded Skip Schumaker in on the hands, shattering his bat on a groundout, and retired Carpenter on an easy fly with runners at second and third to end the inning. Furcal, dropped from his leadoff spot to seventh in the lineup, is 2 for 2 with a pair of singles.