ST. LOUIS -- Forget catching a Tiger by the tail. How about catching a David Eckstein by the tail?
That has been one of the most difficult tasks for opponents for years, and it was never in evidence like it was in Game 4 of the World Series.
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| Lil' David Eckstein swings a big bat in Game 4. (Getty Images) |
It was Eckstein who hit the screamer against flame-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya that just ticked off Craig Monroe 's glove in the eighth inning to drive home the winning run in St. Louis' 5-4 win over Detroit.
The guy is 5-feet-7 worth of grit; 165 pounds worth of determination.
The guy everybody overlooked helped push the Anaheim Angels to the 2002 World Series championship, and now the guy lots of people continue to overlook is grinding the path toward what could become St. Louis' first World Series title since 1982.
Not bad for a guy whom the Angels found on waivers from Boston ... and whom the Cardinals signed as a free agent after the 2004 season when the Angels decided that Orlando Cabrera would be an upgrade.
"He's the definition of a clutch player," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "And then you try to give an example of what that means, game-winning hit against a guy throwing 100 ... That's all you need to know.
"A guy with that talent, he's the toughest guy I've ever seen in uniform."
He has been banged up, knocked around and beaten down, yet nothing keeps him there for long. He finished the season with a strained left oblique muscle and a strained hamstring.
Then he sprained his shoulder and bruised three fingers on his right hand during Game 5 of the NLCS against the New York Mets -- both injuries worrisome enough that the Cardinals sent him for X-rays immediately following the game before the team charter jetted off late that night for New York.
It quieted him at the plate for a spell -- he did fall into a 1-for-20 slump running from Game 5 in the NLCS through Game 3 of the World Series -- but he has come roaring back.
Beginning with his fifth-inning at-bat in Game 3 of the World Series, he now has six hits in his past seven at-bats with a walk. In leading St. Louis in Game 4, Eckstein was 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
