6. David Freese, 1.102, 2011 World Series
It’s no exaggeration to say that Freese’s accomplishments under the most intense MLB postseason pressure were the reason the St. Louis Cardinals claimed the 2011 World Series title over the Texas Rangers.
Freese’s star began to shine during Game 3 of a series tied at a game apiece at the time. In the top of the fourth, Freese came up with two on, one out, and his Cardinals holding a 1-0 lead. His double scored one run and opened the door to a four-run inning.
It began an onslaught that didn’t let up until the Cardinals walked away with a 16-7 win.
But as those who saw it well remember, Freese really grabbed center stage in the sixth game. With St. Louis trailing 3 games to 2 and down 7-5 with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Freese delivered a two-strike triple to the wall in right that scored Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman with the tying runs.
The game was still tied when Freese led off the bottom of the 11th with a game-winning home run off Mark Lowe.
But that hit only squared the series at three games each. The Rangers scored twice in the top of the first inning in the seventh game, only to see Freese negate that with a two-out double in the bottom of the first that scored two game-tying Cardinal runs. The Cardinals went on to win 6-2.