This was one of the most heart-breaking games I have ever seen.
HOUSTON - The Houston Astros were one strike away from their first World Series with the home crowd worked into a frenzy and hard-throwing Brad Lidge — who else? — in control. Turn out the lights and get the party started, right? Not so fast.
The crowd was screaming, jumping up and down, they were there, man. They were on their way to the World Series. If you could ignore George and Barbara Bush behind home plate (and I had a hard time doing that), you could really get behind them and feel the emotion. I love sports moments like that- I literally get chills.
And then? Boom. It all came unglued.
It's back St. Louis instead after the Cardinals pulled out a 5-4 victory against Lidge in Game 5 of the NL championship series Monday night.
David Eckstein grounded a two-strike, two-out single through the left side of the infield and Jim Edmonds drew a five-pitch walk. Still, the Astros had a 4-2 lead when manager Phil Garner made a trip to the mound to talk to his closer.
Two pitches later, Albert Pujols hit a towering three-run homer and the Cardinals forced the series back to Busch Stadium for Game 6 on Wednesday.
If the roof hadn't been closed, that ball that Pujols hit would still be traveling. It was that mammoth.
And all the air went out of the stadium, and it got real quiet.
Sad.
Can Houston come back after that?
Do I really care? The play-offs are a Cubs fan's nightmare. A World Series between the Cardinals and the White Sox is our version of Hell, with a capital "H". I can't decide who irritates me more.
Bah.