2011 World Series: Game 7

Posted on October 30, 2011

The St. Louis Cardinals pose with the Commissioner’s Trophy after winning Game Seven of the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos)

 

It has taken me almost two full days and a long plane flight home to fully digest Game 7 of the 2011 World Series and what it all means. The Cardinals beat the Rangers 6-2 on Friday night to claim their 11th World Series Championship in a very forgettable game. After Game 6, the Series finale was truly a letdown as the Rangers failed to show up after their historically demoralizing loss the night before. The Cardinals did what they needed to do to win, and I was left a little bitter because the post-game jube kinda sucked, and sad because the baseball season was over.

Game 6 was so amazing and the pictures were so good that my hopes were very high for the clinching game. Everyone got to the park early in anticipation of the final game of the Series and the season. Once we were all at the yard there was not much to do but hang out and tell stories for the final time during the 2011 campaign. Some photographers even found time for a quick pre-game nap (see above). After shooting Game 6 on the field from third base I would be rotating up to our sweet overhead spot on the first base side of home plate. I shot from there in Game 2 and loved the position. I was determined to make it work some magic for me on this night.

Since the Series began I was rooting for a Game 7. We have not had one since 2002 and I was ready to extend the drama and the season as long as I could. I had my wish on Friday night and settled into my spot ready to try and tell the story the best I could. The game was close early, but I had a sense that the Cardinals were about to pull away as the Rangers pitching was pretty awful and their bats had fallen asleep. I began cherry picking and trying to make pictures of the Cards doing good things and the Rangers doing bad things.

Shooting overhead allows a photographer like myself to see the entire field and react quickly to any ball that is hit. I am able to make pictures of defenders making plays much easier than when I am on the field, and I tried to use this to my advantage to get some pictures of the Cards making plays in the field.

As the game reached the later innings the Cards had built up a small lead, but it might as well have been a ten-run lead as the Rangers weren’t going anywhere. I then started keying on Cards reaction, especially  from the pitchers as they got key outs down the stretch (like Dotel, above). I was also trying to get some images of the Rangers looking sad to tell their side of the story, but nothing looked good from my angle.

As the game got into the 8th inning I knew the Cards were gonna win, so now it was decision time. Who was the MVP? I figured that Game 6 hero David Freese would claim the award, so I wanted to key in on the third baseman at the end of the game to get him celebrating. From my spot he would be looking right at me, and I figured the home town kid would go nuts. Of course, that would be too easy. Skipper Tony La Russa took Freese out of the game at the start of the 9th inning for defensive purposes as he is a real butcher at third. He put Daniel Descalso into the game at the hot corner. Nothing against Daniel, but no one wants a picture of him leading the 2011 World Series celebration. I would have to go to the mound and shoot the traditional, safe picture of the catcher and pitcher jumping in the air and hugging. Sounds easy right?

I kept my camera on Cards closer Jason Motte after the final, making sure not to fill up the buffer in my camera by shooting too many frames too early. I was very selective with my trigger finger waiting for Motte and his battery mate Yadier Molina to hug. I waited, and waited. What the Hell was taking so long? By the time the two players met in mid-air there were Cardinal players from the dugout already in the foreground of my frame, blocking the activity and ruining my picture. The hug sucked big time from my angle. I was toast.

I quickly tried to find other celebrating players on the field before it all became one big pile. Finally I was left with the bottom of the barrel- the mascots! Whenever a Series like this ends you dream of getting a great photograph that tells a story. There are so many variables that dictate whether you will be successful or not. Where is the final out made? Strikeout? Fly ball? Play at first? I did everything right on Friday night, but I had no idea that Molina would drop to his knees after the final out, thus delaying the hug I was waiting for. If he would have come straight out to the mound I would have had a clean view of the two hugging. Alas, I had garbage.

Once it was all over I stayed in my up position to shoot the trophy ceremony on the field and anything else that might happen. My boss at MLB Photos Rich Pilling (see above) was down below covering the scene on the field for us. As everything died down I became very sad and nostalgic. Pilling is retiring in a few months after covering the last 34 World Series. I have been lucky to photograph that past 12 with him as part of the MLB Photos team. He had the faith in me to have me join his squad for the 2000 Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees, and I have been at every one since. This ended up being a dream Series for Pilling. He got the seven games he always wants, and his beloved Cardinals won it all. He also put an amazing set of bookends on his Fall Classic career. He photographed Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs in one game in his first World Series in 1977 and then shot Albert Pujols hitting three home runs in one game in his last World Series in 2011.

Fewer and fewer old-school photographers are shooting the World Series every year. Next year Pilling will not be there and things will not be the same. Thanks for having the faith in me Rich. My season would end much earlier each year if it was not for you.