Cards get a bizarre 5-4 win in true Fall Classic

St. Louis • Allen Craig slid home and it sure looked as though he was out.

Didn't matter.

A rare obstruction call by an umpire let Craig score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, finishing off a mad-cap play that sent the St. Louis Cardinals over the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

It was as crazy an ending in a World Series game as anyone had seen, and created a wild scene at home plate. The Cardinals rushed out to congratulate an ailing Craig while the Red Sox rushed to the exact same spot to argue the call.

A walk-off win? More like a trip-off.

"I'm in shock right now," Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina said. "Wow, it's unbelievable."

Third baseman Will Middlebrooks tripped Craig after a wild throw got away following Jon Jay's ninth-inning grounder.

Boston tied the score with two runs in the eighth before Molina singled with one out in the ninth off loser Brandon Workman. Craig, just back from a sprained foot, pinch hit and lined Koji Uehara's first pitch down the left-field line for a double that put runners on second and third.

With the infield in, Jay hit a grounder to diving second baseman Dustin Pedroia. He made a sensational stab and threw home to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who tagged out the sliding Molina.

But then Saltalamacchia threw wide of third while trying to get Craig. After the ball got by, Middlebrooks, with his stomach on the field, raised both legs and tripped Craig, slowing him down as he tried to take off for home plate. Third base umpire Jim Joyce immediately signaled obstruction, and even though a sliding Craig was tagged by Saltalamacchia at the plate following the throw by left fielder Daniel Nava, plate umpire Dana DeMuth signaled safe and then pointed to third, making clear the obstruction had been called.

"It's part of the game," Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday said. "The guy was in his way. ... We'll take it."

Craig returned for this Series from a sprained left foot that had sidelined him since early September. After an awkward slide on the final play, he hobbled off the field in apparent discomfort.

The Red Sox scored twice in the eighth inning to tie it 4-all. Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single and Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch for the sixth time this postseason. Both runners moved up on Pedroia's groundout, and David Ortiz was intentionally walked.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny went to hard-throwing closer Trevor Rosenthal with the bases loaded, hoping for a five-out save from a rookie who has looked almost untouchable this October. But the Red Sox pushed two runs across.

Daniel Nava drove in one with a short-hop grounder that was smothered by second baseman Kolten Wong, who had just entered on defense in a double-switch. Wong went to second for the forceout, but Nava beat the relay and Ellsbury scored to make it 4-3. Xander Bogaerts tied it when he chopped a single up the middle.

Brandon Workman jammed Holliday and retired the slugger on a routine fly with two on to end the bottom of the eighth. That sent the game to the ninth tied at 4. Holliday's two-run double puts the Cardinals on top 4-2 in the seventh.

It was a tough inning for Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow. Matt Carpenter reached safely when he checked his swing on an infield single to shortstop. Carlos Beltran was grazed on the elbow pad by a pitch — making no effort to get out of the way.

Beltran, in fact, almost appeared to stick his elbow out just a tiny bit to make sure the ball made contact.

Junichi Tazawa came on and Holliday pulled a grounder past Middlebrooks at third. The ball kicked into the left-field corner and Holliday went all the way to third on the throw to the plate.

Tazawa then got a couple of strikeouts and prevented further damage. —

In short

O St. Louis' Allen Craig scores on a rare obstruction call to give the Cardinals a 5-4 win and 2-1 lead in World Series. Cardinals 5,Red Sox 4

Boston AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Ellsbury cf 5 1 2 0 0 2 .250

Victorino rf 2 2 0 0 1 0 .000

Pedroia 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .273

D.Ortiz 1b 2 0 1 0 2 0 .625

Nava lf 4 0 1 2 0 1 .333

Bogaerts 3b-ss 4 1 2 1 0 0 .200

Saltlamacchia c 3 0 0 0 1 2 .000

Drew ss 2 0 0 0 0 2 .111

c-Middlebrooks ph-3b

2 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Peavy p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

a-Carp ph 1 0 0 1 0 0 .000

Doubront p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-

d-J.Gomes ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Breslow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-

Tazawa p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-

Workman p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Uehara p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-

Totals 32 4 6 4 4 9

St. Louis AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

M.Carpenter 2b-3b

5 2 2 0 0 0 .231

Beltran rf 2 1 0 0 1 1 .286

Holliday lf 5 1 2 3 0 0 .385

Ma.Adams 1b 5 0 2 0 0 3 .231

Y.Molina c 4 0 3 1 1 1 .417

Freese 3b 2 0 0 0 2 0 .125

1-Dscalso pr-3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Rosenthal p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-

e-Craig ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 .375

Jay cf 5 0 1 0 0 0 .182

Kozma ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .000

J.Kelly p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000

b-S.Rbinson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Wong 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 1.000

Totals 37 5 12 4 4 7

Boston 000 011 020 — 4 6 2

St. Louis 200 000 201 — 5 12 0

Two outs when winning run scored. a-grounded into a fielder's choice for Peavy in the 5th. b-popped out for Maness in the 6th. c-flied out for Drew in the 7th. d-lined out for Doubront in the 7th. e-doubled for Rosenthal in the 9th. 1-ran for Freese in the 7th. E—Ellsbury (1), Middlebrooks (1). LOB—Boston 6, St. Louis 12. 2B—Holliday (1), Ma.Adams (1), Craig (1). 3B—Bogaerts (1). RBIs—Nava 2 (2), Bogaerts (2), Carp (1), Holliday 3 (4), Y.Molina (2). SB—Wong (1). S—Beltran.

Runners left in scoring position—Boston 3 (Nava, Bogaerts, Saltalamacchia) St. Louis 6 (Jay 2, M.Carpenter 2, Freese, Holliday). RISP—Boston 2 for 9 St. Louis 4 for 15. Runners moved up—Pedroia. GIDP—Bogaerts. DP—St. Louis 1 (M.Carpenter, Kozma, Ma.Adams).

Boston IP H R ER BB SO ERA

Peavy 4 6 2 2 1 4 4.50

Doubront 2 1 0 0 1 0 0.00

Breslow 0 1 2 2 0 0 54.00

Tazawa 1 1 0 0 1 2 0.00

Workman L, 0-1

11⁄3 2 1 0 1 1 0.00

Uehara 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 0.00

St. Louis IP H R ER BB SO ERA

J.Kelly 51/3 2 2 2 3 6 3.38

Choate 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00

Maness 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 0.00

Siegrist 1 0 0 0 0 1 6.75

Ca.Martinez 1⁄3 1 2 2 1 0 8.10

Rosenthal W, 1-0

12⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 0.00

Choate pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

Breslow pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored—Tazawa 2-2, Uehara 1-1, Choate 1-0, Maness 2-1, Rosenthal 3-2. IBB—off Doubront (Y.Molina), off Workman (Beltran), off Ca.Martinez (D.Ortiz). HBP—by Breslow (Beltran), by Ca.Martinez (Victorino).

Umpires—Home, Dana DeMuth First, Paul Emmel Second, Bill Miller Third, Jim Joyce Right, Mark Wegner Left, John Hirschbeck.

T—3:54. A—47,432 (43,975).