page_title: 2013 World Series
section_title: St. Louis Cardinals
hierarchical_section_title: 2013 World Series / Background / St. Louis Cardinals
caption_attribution_description: English: The Massachusetts State House on October 26, 2013, displaying a banner in honor of the Boston Red Sox's 2013 World Series appearance. Taken in Boston with a Canon Powershot S50 digital camera.
context_page_description: The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League champion Boston Red Sox and the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Red Sox won, 4 games to 2. The Red Sox had home field advantage for the series, based on the AL's win in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game on July 16. This was the first World Series since 1999 to feature both #1 seeds from the American League and National League. The Series started on Wednesday, October 23, ending on Game 6 the following Wednesday, October 30, 2013.
  The Red Sox won the first game at Fenway Park on October 23, followed by the Cardinals winning the second game on October 24 to tie the series 1–1. The series then moved to Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals won the third game on October 26 to gain a 2–1 lead. The Red Sox won the fourth game on October 27 to tie the series at 2–2, then won the last of three games at Busch Stadium on October 28 for a 3–2 lead. The series then moved back to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox decisively won the final game on October 30, becoming the World Series champions for 2013.
context_section_description: The Cardinals finished the 2013 regular season at 97–65, earning the best record in the National League. They set a new Major League Baseball record for hitting efficiency with runners in scoring position, hitting .330 (447–for–1,355), the best in baseball since the Boston Red Sox hit .312 in 1950, also beating the 2007 Detroit Tigers, and 1996 Colorado Rockies with a .311 average.
  Despite losing first baseman Albert Pujols to the Angels and manager Tony La Russa to retirement, the Cardinals under new manager Mike Matheny still came within one game of a return trip to the World Series, but lost the final three games to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants in the 2012 National League Championship Series. However, with the help of Matheny and general manager John Mozeliak, the Cardinals were able to stay in contention even with a roster consisting mostly of rookies, free-agent veteran additions, and a few holdovers from the 2011 World Series championship team.
  The Cardinals' offense was led by catcher Yadier Molina, second baseman Matt Carpenter, and first baseman Allen Craig, all of whom finished in the top 10 in batting average. They were joined by outfielders Carlos Beltrán and Matt Holliday, third baseman David Freese, and first baseman Matt Adams. The Cardinals' pitching staff were led by Adam Wainwright, who returned to form after posting an NL-leading 19 wins. Wainwright was joined by youngsters Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller, and late-season call-up Michael Wacha. Wainwright's return to form, along with the emergence of the young starters, helped fill the void left by star pitcher Chris Carpenter, who missed the entire season due to various injuries. The bullpen were also powered by youngsters, led by closer Trevor Rosenthal, set-up man Carlos Martínez, and middle relievers Seth Maness and Kevin Siegrist.
  St. Louis opened the playoffs by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in five games in the Division Series. Then, in their third consecutive National League Championship Series appearance, St. Louis defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to two for their 19th National League pennant.
caption: The Massachusetts State House displaying a banner in honor of the Boston Red Sox's 2013 World Series appearance
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