The convenient story peg was that Mexican-born Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style on Thursday, blanking the Philadelphia Phillies for two hits over seven innings in a 4-0 Cardinals triumph at Busch Stadium.
But, as Garcia quickly pointed out afterward, May 5 is not nearly as important a date for Mexicans as Sept. 16, which is celebrated as Independence Day, or Revolution Day of Nov. 20. On May 5, 1862, the Mexican Army staged an unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla.
This day might seem to many to be the date of Mexico’s independence.