The Aughts Part 7: 2006

Written by: Bill Ivie on 4th January 2010

The Aughts Part 7: 2006 | read this item

The year was 2006. The United States population, according to the census bureau, has reached 300 million people. Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death. Italy wins the World Cup of soccer. Microsoft will release Windows Vista and Apple will release the first Macintosh computer with an Intel chip inside. And, there was baseball…

The Cardinals would christen their brand new stadium in 2006, the third of its kind in St. Louis to be known as Busch Stadium. Known as Busch III, it would feature an open air feel with an emphasis on the St. Louis skyline, leaving the left field area of the stadium open for the fans to be able to see the Arch and other landmarks. The ownership nicknamed it “Baseball Heaven” and the fans and team reacted positively.

Yadier Molina returned for his sophomore season as one of the most respected backstops in history. After taking over for fan favorite Mike Mattheny, he quickly won the hearts and support of the fanbase. Albert Pujols would continue his domination at first base, hitting .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI all while bringing home his first Gold Glove of his career and finishing second in the voting for National League Most Valuable Player. In what became a recurring theme, the Cardinals would start the season with another new second baseman in Aaron Miles and would later add Ronnie Belliard through a late season trade. David Eckstein would return to play shortstop and lead off and Scott Rolen would return to form playing third base and producing a .296 batting average with 22 home runs and 95 RBI.

Jim Edmonds would anchor an outfield but start to show a decline in his own production, hitting .257 with 19 home runs and 70 RBI. he would be joined by Juan Encarnacion, a free agent acquisition, who would match Jimmy Ballgame’s 19 home runs while hitting .278 and producing 79 RBI of his own. So Taguchi, a professional Japanese player who signed with the Cardinals a few years before, would patrol left field for the Cardinals and hit .266 in a solid support role. The son of pitching coach Dave Duncan, Chris, would join the club and hit 22 home runs in a part time role.

Chris Carpenter would return to lead the Cardinal pitching staff, posting a 15-8 record with a 3.09 ERA. Jason Marquis and Jeff Suppan would add 14 and 12 wins, respectively. From there, the rotation would be a mixture of reclamation projects Jeff Weaver and Sidney Ponson and young Anthony Reyes as Mark Mulder would spend most of the season on the disabled list. Jason Isringhausen would go on to save 33 games, but would end the season hobbled by injuries and ineffectiveness leading the Cardinals to rely on young Adam Wainwright, who the organization touted as the next big starting pitcher for the Redbirds.

The Cards would finish 2006 with a 83 win and 78 loss record, limping through the end of the season yet still winning the National League Central Division. As they went into the postseason that year, most experts gave them no chance to go much further than their opening round series with the San Digeo Padres. The Cards would win that series 3 game to 1 and advance to the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.

The Mets were heavily favored to win the series after a 97 win season as well as a commanding sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round. The series would swing back and forth and lead to a seven game climax. Carlos Beltran, a thorn in the Cardinals’ sides since the earlier series of the decade against the Houston Astros would come to the plate with the game on the line against young Adam Wainwright. In a moment burned into memories of Mets and Cardinal fans for the remainder of their lives, a long sweeping curve from Wainwright would freeze Beltran at the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and send the Cardinals to their second World Series this decade.

The 2006 World Series would pit two of baseball’s greatest managers, and long time friends, Tony LaRussa and Jim Leyland, against each other. The Cardinals would go on to take four of only five games played in the World Series that year, getting a masterful performance from Jeff Weaver, dominating closing from Adam Wainwright and an unlikely World Series Most Valuable Player performance from David Eckstein along the way.

For the first time in 24 years, the Cardinals would bring home a World Championship to the city. They solidified the opening of a new stadium, a devoted fan base, a (fairly) new ownership group, and silenced many critics along the way with a World Title and hope for the future with young stars like Molina, Pujols, and Wainwright.

Share on Tumblr

Topics: Albert Pujols, Backstops, Baseball Heaven, Busch Stadium, David Eckstein, Free Agent Acquisition, Intel Chip, Italy Wins The World Cup, Japanese Player, Jim Edmonds, Juan Encarnacion, Macintosh Computer, Ronnie Belliard, Scott Rolen, second baseman, Sophomore Season, St. Louis Cardinals, The Aughts, Third Of Its Kind, United States Population, World Championship, World Cup Of Soccer, Yadier Molina