St. Louis Cardinals players celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox, 4-2, in Game 2 of baseball's World SeriesThe Associated Press
Just when you kind of got the sense that nobody around here knew how to play this game for the St. Louis Cardinals along comes Michael Wacha.
It took the calm sensibilities of the 22-year-old to set things right for the Cardinals with the right-hander displaying once again that he has the right stuff on the immense stage that is the World Series.
A day after the Cardinals displayed uncharacteristic yips in the opening game on Major League Baseball's biggest stage, Wacha enters to smooth the waters.
Adam Kurkjian writes in the Boston Herald that while Wacha was not perfect, he was good enough to lead the Cardinals to a 4-2 victory to even the best-of-seven game series at 1-1.
With the victory, Wacha is now 4-0 in the postseason with a formidable 1.00 E.R.A.
Tom Verducci writes on SI.com that Wacha is stating his case as the greatest young pitcher in the history of the World Series as the playoff now shifts to St. Louis for the next three games.
After playing like a little league team in the Game 1, an 8-1 victory by the Red Sox, the Cardinals rebounded with what was considered a must-win effort.
Of the last 16 teams who have fallen behind 2-0 in the World Series only one, the 1996 New York Yankees, have managed to pull themselves back to win the championship.
And it was largely due to Wacha, a soft-spoken Texan who prevailed despite throwing a career-high 114 pitches, allowing just two runs off three hits and four walks during a clutch six-inning performance.
Bill Shaikin writes in the L.A. Times that everything is falling into place for Wacha who even has a milkshake now named after him.
Bob Nightengale writes in USA Today that with the win the Cardinals now have achieved the pitching matchups they desired heading into the next three games.
Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn and ace Adam Wainwright are slated to toe the rubber over the next three games and if the Series returns to Boston the Red Sox will once again have to deal with Wacha, who is slated to be the starter if Game 6 rolls around.
With the win writes Bernie Miklasz in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals played the type of clean, intelligent baseball that produced to top record this season in the National League.
Jon Lester, the Game 1 winner for the Red Sox, is having to deal with a bit of controversy writes Ricky Doyle on NESN.com
Pictures clearly show that Lester was pitching with some sort of a green substance resting on the inside of the lefthander's glove, which caused Red Sox minor league pitching Tyler Melling to Tweet that Lester was relying on some extra help to juice up his pitches.
Lester addressed the allegations of cheating prior to Game 2 writes Tim Brown on Yahoo.com, saying the splotch on his glove was just rosin.
Lester did admit that the offending stain may have looked "like a giant booger."
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