Michael Young still hasn’t gotten over the Texas Rangers’ loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 World Series.
The veteran shortstop retired on Friday after 14 seasons in the major leagues, 13 of which were spent in a Rangers uniform. Young enjoyed an impressive career as one of the best offensive shortstops of his era, but he never won a championship.
Speaking at a press conference Friday afternoon in Texas, Young said that the 2011 Rangers were better than the Cardinals team that beat them in a thrilling seven-game Fall Classic.
[tweet https://twitter.com/JeffWilson_FWST/statuses/429384048549449728 align=”center”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/JeffWilson_FWST/statuses/429381154102185984 align=”center”]
The Rangers were one strike away from beating the Cardinals in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, but instead of celebrating their first championship in team history, they surrendered a ninth-inning lead. Texas took a 9-7 advantage in the 10th inning and once again found itself one strike away from the title, but the Cardinals tied the score on a single from Lance Berkman. In the 11th inning, David Freese hit a walkoff home run for a St. Louis win.
The Rangers started Game 7 with two runs in the first inning, but were shutout the rest of the game and the Cardinals won the series with a 6-2 victory.
It’s understandable that Young feels this way, but it’s difficult to agree with him. The 2011 Rangers might have had more talent than the Cardinals, but if Texas was “flat out” better, it would have closed out that series.
Check out some highlights from the memorable Game 6 in the video below.
