The keepers of baseball history were waiting for David Freese shortly after he made it Thursday night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals' third baseman slugged a game-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 6 to force the World Series to a winner-take-all Game 7 on Friday at Busch Stadium. Freese had two of the most pivotal hits (so far) in the Cardinals' season, as he went down to his final strike before delivering a game-tying triple in the ninth inning and then hit the clout that won the game, 10-9, in the 11th.
His teammates were there at home plate to to greet him and, in the language of the realm, "shred" him.
That is: Tear the very jersey from his shoulders.
What's left of the jersey is headed to Cooperstown.
Representatives from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., met Freese shortly after he came off the field and were able to acquire the bat he used to hit the homer and the tattered remains of the jersey he wore. The Hall reps left the ballpark with both items in their possession. (The picture that accompanies this blog entry is the jersey.)
The jersey is torn because of the "shredding" practice that the Cardinals have adopted for some late-season celebrations. The "Shredder" is the nickname given to Nick Punto, who this season has gone up to teammates, grabbed them by the top button of their dresse shirts and yanking. The result is a spectacularly explosion of buttons, collars, and thread -- or a "shred."
Now, the shredded is going to the Hall of Fame to represent this game, easily the most compelling (best?) in Busch Stadium III's short history.
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