Freese WINS MVP of World Series after October magician

St. LOUIS (AP) — gave David Freese credits to Albert Pujols to put him on the right path. He praised manager Tony La Russa to believe him. He thanked Mark McGwire for swing tips that paid dividends a few could have imagined. Perhaps it should just give a little credit for Freese itself. Hometown boy who once Quit baseball finished by an October to remember with the MVP of the World Series on Friday night. St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up their 11th championship in dramatic fashion, 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers in the first game 7 since 2002. Freese batted. 348, with seven RBIs, three doubles and one big homer. He is the fourth Cardinal player to win the MVP award, joining Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson in 1964 and ' 68, catcher Darrell Porter in 1982 and David Eckstein in the 2006 victory over Detroit. Freese was 21 runs in the postseason, shattering the previous record. "I've had plenty of days of my life where I thought I would not be even close to being a major leaguer," Freese said. "I am here because of everyone around me. They've put so much confidence in me to achieve not only baseball, but the only thing in life, and to do this is, I'm just full of joy, finally. " Freese was burnt out of baseball after a standout career in suburban St. Louis, so he decided to spurn a scholarship offer from Missouri to be just a college student. He dismissed the Tigers ' coaches when they called midway through his first semester to see if he had changed his mind. It wasn't until about a year out of high school as the claws to play eventually returned. Freese gave in and registered at St. Louis Community College-Meremec, and his play it caught the attention of the coaching staff of South Alabama. Freese flourished in Padres ' ninth round draft pick in 2006, and a trade to the Cardinals finally brought him home. "If you wrote an article like that-a guy is being sold, going back to his hometown, he is a hero — if you sent that in your script, it would be thrown back in his face," Commissioner Bud Selig said. This was not a perfect fairy tale, though. It would be too easy. After he arrived in St. Louis, Freese was arrested for DUI and found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.232 — almost three times the legal limit. He needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right ankle last year, and he broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch this season. He was hit by a pitch in August and sustained a concussion. Every time he came back better than before. "I am so proud of him, '' McGwire said. "I kept telling him it shows the characters as you begin to break through these walls, these stumbling blocks. There is always something good at the end of the road, and here you are. " Freese hit a three-run homer in game 6 of the NLCS against Milwaukee, earning MVP of the series. His performance against Rangers made him the sixth player to be the MVP of the League championship series and World Series in a single season. Down to the Cardinals final strike in the game 6 delivered a bound to Freese run triple in the ninth-inning Thursday night. Freese did one better: a leadoff homer in the 11th that gave St. Louis a dramatic victory and forced the first Game 7 since 2002. "You're the game 6 performance, David, will prove to be one for the ages," Selig said in announcing the MVP award. "I am sure that this is a dream for the St. Louis native." Often overlooked in a selection with Pujols,

Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, Freese left his own impression on baseball's grandest stage of necessity. Holliday fought most of the series before spraining his right wrist during the game, taking him off the roster Friday. Pujols was intentionally walked every time he was a threat. Freese made the Rangers pay for believing he was a simple way. "I said before, I don't have any words yet to describe David Freese," Pujols said. "Humble guy, I liked him immediately, as soon as we got him. In order to go through the things he's done in his career, just as David Freese is. " In World Series opener provided with the game tied in the sixth inning Freese a timely double. Let he moved to third base on a wild pitch, allowing him to easily score for the winning run on Allen Craig single to right field. Freese scored the Cardinals only run in a 2-1 loss in Game 2, and drove in pair of runs in a 16-7 victory in Game 3--a performance that will be eternally overshadowed by Pujols ' three homers. Nobody could overshadow Freese in game 6. After committing a fatal error when a single pop-up returned by his glove Freese more than made up for with his bat. Down to his last strike for his two-run triple in the ninth forced extra innings, and he joined Bill Mazeroski, Carlton Fisk, Kirby Puckett and Joe Carter as the only players to hit a homer in the game to end game 6 or a later version of an f