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ST. LOUIS (AP) #8212;The Rangers #8217; big bats finally came alive.Too bad for Texas: So did the Cardinals #8217;.Adrian Beltre(notes) and Nelson Cruz(notes) hit back-to-back homers Thursday night, andTexas was poised to win its first World Series when Josh Hamilton(notes) hit a two-runshot in the 10th inning. But the Cardinals answered the call each time, andDavid Freese #8217;s(notes) leadoff football game homer in the 11th gave St. Louis a stunning 10-9 victoryand forced a deciding Game 7 for the first time since 2002. It #8217;ll be played Friday night at Busch Stadium. #8220;You know, it #8217;s not easy to win a world championship, as we found outtonight, #8221; Rangers manager Ron Washington said. #8220;We had the right people in theright spot and they beat us. #8221;Texas had built a 7-4 football game lead in the seventh when Beltre and Cruz hitconsecutive home runs off Lance Lynn(notes), and Ian Kinsler(notes) added an RBI single offOctavio Dotel(notes).Allen Craig #8217;s(notes) second homer of the World Series cut the gap in the eighth,and the Cardinals tied the game in the ninth when Freese delivered a two-runtriple with two outs off Rangers flamethrower Neftali Feliz(notes) #8212;universa football game llyregarded as one of the best closers in the game.Hamilton had been quiet most of the series while struggling with a groininjury, but he got the pitch he wanted from Cardinals closer Jason Motte(notes) in the10th. His first homer of the World Series silenced a record crowd of 47,325 thathad been rocking after the Cardinals #8217; rally. #8220;It #8217;s about time, that was my first thought, #822 football game 1; said Hamilton, who finished3 for 6 with three RBIs and two runs scored. #8220;But you #8217;ve got to finish the gameoff and we didn #8217;t do that. #8221;Ryan Theroit drove in a run with a groundout in the 10th, and LanceBerkman #8217;s(notes) two-out single brought in John Jay with the tying run. That set thestage for Freese, whose homer in the 11th off Rangers reliever Mark Lowe(notes) set football game offa raucous celebration on the field. #8220;A ridiclous game, weird game. But I bet it was fun for the fans, #8221; Kinslersaid. #8220;The postseason is never easy. We showed that tonight. Got to get thefinal out. #8221;The celebration on the field looked a lot like the one the Rangers hoped tobe enjoying. #8220;I understand that it #8217;s not over until you get the last out, #8221; Washington football game said, #8220;and I was just sitting there praying that we #8217;d get that last out, and wedidn #8217;t get it. And you have to tip your hat to the Cardinals, the way theyfought tonight and took the game from us. #8221;Texas #8217; power surge was as abrupt as the outage it had experienced most ofthe series.The Rangers only managed six hits in losing the opener 3-2, and five hitswhile evening the football game series with a 2-1 victory in Game 2. Both teams came aliveduring a Game 3 shootout, but the bats went quiet again over the next two gamesin Arlington, which Texas eeked out by scores of 4-0 and 4-2.The lack of offense was surprising given the way the Rangers were built.With a power-packed lineup, Texas finished second behind the New YorkYankees in homers and third behind the Yankees and Boston Red football game Sox in runs scoredthis season. Their .283 batting average as a team was the best in baseball.The Rangers played to formula in the ALCS against Detroit, when Cruz poundedout six homers and drove in 13 runs #8212;both total the most by any player in anypostseason series.St. Louis largely managed to shut the Rangers down, so they resorted tosmall ball.Texas stringed a walk and a couple singles toget football game her for a run in the firstinning, and then coaxed another run across with a single and double in thesecond. The Rangers took advantage of errors in the fourth and fifth for twomore runs, and the game was tied 4-all when the bats finally awoke.Beltre was the first to come through, and Cruz and Hamilton eventuallyjoined in the fun.It was the Cardinals, though, who wound up celebrating at the end. #8 football game 220;I #8217;m not going to lose any sleep over it, #8221; Hamilton said. #8220;We #8217;re justgoing to do everything we can to prepare. Guys are already talking about it.We #8217;re ready for Game 7. Shake it off and come back tomorrow. That #8217;s just ourmentality. But it goes both ways. Seems like they had that mentality, too. #8221; Follow Yahoo! Sports' MLB coverage on Twitter. Updated football game 19 minutes ago football game
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