Series Wrapup

Story

The National League featured two extremely close divisional races that went right down to the wire in 2006.  After posting the best record in baseball in each of the previous two seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals edged out the Houston Astros for the N.L. Central title by just 1 ½ games with a decidedly mediocre mark of 83-78.  Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres won 22 of their final 31 games to capture their second consecutive Western Division crown.  San Diego and Los Angeles finished the regular season with identical 88-74 records, but the Padres claimed first place on the strength of their better record within the division.  The Dodgers, who also played well down the stretch, winning nine of their final 10 contests, advanced to the postseason as the senior circuit’s wild-card representative.  

While the Cardinals and Padres had to wait until the season’s final days to lay claim to their respective division titles, the New York Mets ran away with the N.L. East.  Ending Atlanta’s 11-year reign as division champions, the Mets compiled the National League’s best record – a mark of 97-65 that left them 12 full games ahead of the runner-up Philadelphia Phillies.  The Braves slipped to third in the division, 18 games off the pace.

The Braves’ poor showing certainly could not be traced to their offense, which led the league with 222 home runs and placed second with 849 runs scored and a .270 team batting average.  Andruw Jones followed up his 50-homer 2005 campaign with another outstanding performance, hitting 41 home runs, knocking in 129 runs, and scoring 107 others.  But, with longtime pitching coach Leo Mazzone accepting a lucrative offer to join the Baltimore Orioles during the off-season, the Atlanta pitching staff faltered badly, finishing in the bottom half of the league rankings with a team ERA of 4.60.  As a result, the Braves finished below .500 for the first time in 16 years.  

The Mets took advantage of Atlanta’s decline to claim their first division championship in 18 years.  The senior circuit’s most well-balanced team, New York placed high in the league rankings with 834 runs scored, 200 home runs, and a 4.15 team ERA.  Tom Glavine and Steve Trachsel led New York’s deep starting rotation by winning 15 games apiece.  Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez each posted nine victories.  Closer Billy Wagner anchored the bullpen, saving 40 games and striking out 94 batters in 72 innings of work.  

On offense, catcher Paul LoDuca batted .318 and scored 80 runs.  First baseman Carlos Delgado hit 38 home runs, drove in 114 runs, and scored 89 others.  Third baseman David Wright hit 26 homers, knocked in 116 runs, scored another 96, and batted .311.  Centerfielder Carlos Beltran batted .275 and led the team with 41 home runs, 116 runs batted in, and 127 runs scored.  Shortstop Jose Reyes served as New York’s offensive catalyst, hitting 19 home runs, knocking in 81 runs, batting .300, placing among the league leaders with 122 runs scored and 194 hits, and topping the circuit with 17 triples and 64 stolen bases.  Both Beltran and Reyes earned top-ten finishes in the N.L. MVP voting.

Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard ended up being named the league’s Most Valuable Player.  In just his first full season, the slugging first baseman batted .313, scored 104 runs, and topped the circuit with 58 home runs, 149 runs batted in, and 383 total bases.  Howard’s exceptional performance led the Phillies to within three games of a spot in the playoffs as the league’s wild-card entry.
   
The Padres edged out the Dodgers for first place in the West primarily on the strength of their solid pitching.  Although the Padres ranked just 13th in the league in runs scored (731), they compiled the circuit’s lowest team ERA (3.87).  No one on the staff won more than 12 games.  But Woody Williams, Chris Young, Jake Peavy and Clay Hensley each posted double-digit win totals.  Meanwhile, closer Trevor Hoffman led the league with 46 saves.

The Cardinals faltered badly down the stretch, losing seven of their final 10 games, to almost blow a 6 ½-game lead they held over the Astros with only 10 games remaining on the schedule.  Houston finished just 1 ½ games behind the division champions, while the Cincinnati Reds came in a relatively close third, only 3 ½ games off the pace.

The runner-up Astros received outstanding performances from Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman.  Oswalt compiled a record of 15-8 and a league-leading 2.98 ERA.  Berkman batted .315 and placed among the league leaders with 45 home runs, 136 runs batted in, and a .621 slugging average, en route to earning a third-place finish in the N.L. MVP balloting.

Finishing one spot ahead of Berkman in the voting was Albert Pujols, who had another huge year for the division-winning Cardinals.  Athough Pujols missed almost three weeks of the season with an injury, he placed among the league leaders with 49 home runs, 137 runs batted in, 119 runs scored, and a .331 batting average.  He also topped the circuit with a .671 slugging average.  

Despite struggling as much as they did during the final two weeks of the regular season, the Cardinals regrouped in the playoffs.  After disposing of the Padres in four games in their first-round matchup, they won a closely-contested seven game NLCS against a New York Mets team that earlier swept the Dodgers in the other Division Series.  Catcher Yadier Molina delivered the big blow of the NLCS, propelling the Cardinals into the World Series by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning of Game Seven that gave St. Louis a 3-1 victory.    

St. Louis subsequently took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy defensive play by a Detroit Tigers club that appeared rusty after a one-week layoff.  The Tigers made three errors in Game One of the Fall Classic, in helping the Cardinals to a 7-2 win.  A throwing error by rookie pitcher Joel Zumaya contributed to a 5-0 St. Louis win in Game Three, and a key Detroit miscue led to a 5-4 Cardinals triumph in Game Four.  Another throwing error by the Tigers helped the Cardinals post a 4-2 victory in Game Five that gave them their first world title in 24 years.   

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• April 6 – Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-4 in Philadelphia’s 4–2 loss to St. Louis, ending his multi-season hitting streak at 38 games.

• April 10 – The Cardinals played their first official game at the New Busch Stadium, winning the contest by a score of 6–4 over the Brewers.

• May 20 — Barry Bonds hit his 714th career home run, to tie Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time list.

• May 28 – Bonds hit home run number 715, to take over sole possession of second place on the all-time list.

• September 22 – Washington’s Alfonso Soriano collected his 40th double of the season, establishing himself as the first player in baseball history to amass 40 homers, 40 steals, and 40 doubles in the same season.

• The Cardinals’ 83 victories represent the lowest win-total ever by a World Series champion.

• Arizona’s Brandon Webb (16-8 and 3.10 ERA) earned N.L. Cy Young honors.

• Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez led the league with a .344 batting average and 53 doubles.

• Trevor Hoffman's 46 saves gave him 482 for his career, putting him into first place on the all-time list.

• On September 6, Marlins rookie Anibal Sanchez pitched the first no-hitter in more than two years.

• Philadelphia's Chase Utley hit 32 home runs, knocked in 102 runs, batted .309, collected 203 hits, and led the league with 131 runs scored.

• Phillies teammate Jimmy Rollins hit 25 homers, drove in 83 runs, scored 127 others, and stole 36 bases.  

• Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (.292 batting average, 119 runs scored, and 51 stolen bases) earned N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

• The New York Mets snapped Atlanta's record of 14 consecutive division titles.

Seasons of the National League

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