The Quiet Dynasty: World Series in the Cards for St. Louis

By Kevin Aherne (@KAherne17)

Carlos Beltran (36) will now play in his first World Series.

One half of the 2013 World Series is now set.  For the fourth time in the last ten seasons, and the 19th time in franchise history, the St. Louis Cardinals will represent the National League in baseball's Main Event. 

Clayton Keshaw was shelled in Game 6

The Cardinals will now have to wait to see who comes out on top in the Junior Circuit, after they finished off the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.  Clayton Kershaw was unable to replicated his regular season ability to shut down the lineup, as he was rocked for seven runs in four innings.  The Dodgers, who had an incredible turn-around, led by rookie-stud Yasiel Puig this season, were clearly overmatched by the effective but non-flashy Cards.

The Cardinals have quietly created a veritable dynasty.  Since the 2000 season, they have only failed to reach the postseason four times. In that span, they reached the World Series four times.  In the first two, St. Louis played the Red Sox (2004) and Tigers (2006), splitting a win and loss between the former and latter. In 2011, they faced off against the Texas Rangers, narrowly escaping with another title in seven games. Since then, they made a change in Managers, replacing the retired Hall of Fame bound Tony LaRussa with the inexperienced Mike Matheny after the 2011 Series. 

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So now, regardless of how the ALCS shakes out,tThe World Series is set up to be an interesting rivalrous showdown.  Either the Cardinals will have the opportunity to avenge Boston for their four-game sweep in the 2004 Series, or Detroit will look for payback for their 2006 loss on the way to winning their first title in 29 years.  The Fall Classic is upon us, and when some of the best baseball cities in America;  St. Louis, Boston, and Detroit are all in play, it is guaranteed to be a fun ride.