ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - To say the final 31 games for the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals were a sprint may be an understatement. But after beating the Houston Astros 8-0 in Houston on September 28, 2011, behind a complete game shutout from Chris Carpenter, the team was forced to wait. And wait. And wait.
The Cardinals were tied atop the National League Wild Card standings with the Atlanta Braves after 161 games, entering the regular season's final day. After Carpenter and the Cardinals dispatched Houston in just two hours and twenty minutes, the team huddled in the visitors' clubhouse at Minute Maid Park to watch the Braves and Phillies.