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2006 World Series Game 4 recap
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DTMagazine Home Player comparisons and series prediction
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 -- -- vs. -- -- 
St. Louis Cardinals 5 Detroit Tigers 4
Rick Gagliano | 10/26/06
David Eckstein proved once more that the true measure of a man is not in inches, but by the yearning in his heart. The gritty 5' 7" Cardinals' shortstop went 4 for 5, including the clutch game-winning hit, propelling St. Louis to a commanding 3-1 lead in the 2006 World Series.
Down two games to one and on the road, the Detroit Tigers were under pressure to win game 4 of the series, as Jememy Bonderman took the hill against the Cardinals' Jeff Suppan.
Suppan, MVP of the NLCS, started fast, needing only 7 pitches to cut down the top of the Tigers lineup to open the game, finishing with a 3-pitch K of Carlos Guillen.
The strategy of the Cardinals was evident from the first pitch, a strike by Bonderman, which Eckstein took. The shortstop took the next pitch, fouled off a few and then beat out an infield hit. Duncan and Eckstein were quickly erased, however, on a double play. Pujols struck out to end the inning.
Sean Casey took a 1-0 offering by Suppan out to right with one out in the 2nd and the Tigers led, 1-0. Ivan Rodriguez followed that by poking the quintessential seeing-eye single between 1st and 2nd for his first hit of the series. Guillen flied out to center, but Rodriguez tagged and took 2nd. The Cards walked Inge to get to pitcher Bonderman, who grounded to first.
Granderson broke his 0-13 slump with a double into the right field corner to lead off the Tigers' 3rd. After Monroe grounded out, Guillen walked, Ordonez flied out to left. Sean Casey delivered again, stroking a single to left to plate Granderson. 2-0 Tigers. Rodriguez chipped in with his 2nd straight hit, scoring Guillen from third to make it 3-0 Detroit. Polanco ended the inning by grounding to short.
Aaron Miles singled with one out in the bottom of the 3rd and stole second on a missed hit-and-run opportunity by Suppan, who made the second out. Eckstein doubled to left-center, scoring Miles, and the Cardinals were on the board, but still trailed, 3-1, as Bonderman got Pujols to ground out with runners on 1st and 2nd.
Suppan regained his composure in the top of the 4th, putting the Tigers down in order.
In their half of the inning, the Cardinals closed the gap to 3-2 when Scott Rolen stroked a one out single to left, and took second on Monroe's miscue on the hit. Rolen moved to 3rd on Wilson's ground out and scored on Yadier Molina double into the left field corner. After a walk to Miles, Suppan grounded to 3rd for out #3.
The Cardinals threatened when Rolen led off the 6th with a double down the left field line and Wilson sacrificed him over to third. Bonderman walked Molina on 4 pitches, and was finished as manager Jim Leyland called on his bullpen, bringing in rightie Fernando Rodney, who struck out Aaron Miles for the second out. John Rodriguez, in his first World Series at-bat struck out, flailing at Rodney's fastball for the third strike and out.
Kinney relieved in the 7th for St. Louis and allowed a one out walk to Guillen, who stole second with Ordonez at the plate. Ordonez struck out, bringing on Tyler Johnson who thwarted the Tigers with one pitch to Sean Casey, inducing a harmless fly out to right.
Eckstein led off the bottom of the 7th with a double to center which should have been the first out, but Granderson slipped and fell in the wet outfield. So Taguchi pinch hit for Duncan, and laid down a perfect sac bunt that turned into the tying run for the Cardinals when Rodney threw what should have been a routine out into left field. Eckstein scored and Taguchi ended up at second. Pujols was intentionally passed; Rodney recorded his 3rd and 4th strikeouts by whiffing Edmonds and Rolen, but Preston Wilson unknotted the score with a screamer between third and short that drove in Taguchi, Pujols tagged out going to third to close the frame. 4-3 Cardinals.
Looper came on in the 8th, but surrendered a leadoff double to Ivan Rodriguez, his third hit of the night. Polanco moved Rodriguez to third by grounding to second. That was enough for La Russa to pull the double switch, bringing in Adam Wainwright from the bullpen (Encarnacion in at right, Taguchi moved to left field). Inge crushed one to center over Jim Edmonds for a double, scoring Rodriguez, tying the game at 4.
Gomez pinch hit, and struck out swinging, Granderson struck out looking at a 12-6 curve for the third out, stranding Inge.
Zumaya started on the mound for the Tigers in the bottom of the 8th, but walked Molina on four pitches. Miles grounded into a fielder's choice, Molina out at second. Encarnacion, 0-7 in the series, struck out on three pitches, but Miles advanced as the pitch eluded catcher Rodriguez. Then, the smallest man on the field delivered the biggest hit of the series. David Eckstein doubled to left, the ball skipping off the webbing of Craig Monroe's glove. Taguchi popped out to first, but the Cardinals were three outs away from a 3-1 lead.
In the 9th, Wainwright struck out Monroe, induced Guillen to ground to first and fittingly, got Magglio Ordonez to ground out to the game's hero, David Eckstein. Cardinals 5 Tigers 4.
Tigers' skipper Jim Leyland had to address the hitting problems in his lineup and moved Placido Polanco from the #3 spot to 7th. Guillen will bat 3rd, followed by Ordonez, Casey and Rodriguez, who is reportedly in pain and hasn't had a hit yet.
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