Mike Gonzalez was so danged close to baseball history. So danged close. With two outs in the seventh inning, he could have tied the all-time World Series record for fewest runs allowed in an inning. It would have been an oasis of brilliant pitching in the middle of a bog of runs and offense and runs.
Then Albert Pujols had to spoil it all by hitting another bazillion-foot home run, this one to left-center field. So greedy, that Pujols.
The Pujols home run was probably the last kick to the Rangers' cadaver in Game 3. After the Cardinals extended the lead to 12-6 in the top of the sixth inning, Elvis Andrus led off the bottom-half of the inning with a single. The Texas crowd roared, thinking that the cycle of unstoppable offense was going to keep spinning.
Then Josh Hamilton hit into a double play.
Then Albert Pujols hit that bazillion foot home run.
And that sucked most of the remaining life out of the Texas crowd. It is Texas, though, so they aren't giving up entirely. They know that a couple of deep posts and a two-point conversion is all the Rangers need to get right back in this.