Cardinals ‘shocked the world’ to clinch Series

Weaver stymies Detroit in Game 5; St. Louis wins 10th crown, 1st since ’82

ST. LOUIS - No Fall Classic, for sure.

Flatter than the Midwestern heartland and a flop in the TV ratings, this World Series crowned a champion that barely made it to the postseason and then had to survive rain and cold as much as the bumbling Detroit Tigers.

The St. Louis Cardinals will take it, though.

They beat the Tigers 4-2 in Game 5 on Friday night behind castoffs Jeff Weaver and David Eckstein and sore-shouldered Scott Rolen to wrap up their first Series title in nearly a quarter-century and 10th overall.

“I think we shocked the world,” Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds said.

Manager Tony La Russa’s team had just 83 regular-season wins, the fewest by a World Series champion, and nearly missed the playoffs after a late-season slump.

But St. Louis beat San Diego and the New York Mets in the first two rounds, then won their first title since 1982 by taming a heavily favored Tigers team that entered the Series with six days’ rest and looked as stale as unharvested corn — Tigers pitchers made five errors, two more than the previous Series record.

After closer Adam Wainwright struck out Brandon Inge for the final out, the ballpark erupted. Wainwright raised his arms in triumph, catcher Yadier Molina ran to the mound and the pair bounced off toward second base, where they were joined by teammates running from the dugout and the bullpen. Ace starter Chris Carpenter and injured closer Jason Isringhausen gave La Russa bear hugs.

Minutes later, fireworks filled the sky above the ballpark as the Cardinals prepared to receive the gold-colored Tiffany trophy.

“No one believed in us, but we believed in ourselves,” said Eckstein, the 5-foot-7 shortstop who won selected Series MVP after batting .364

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