A performance to remember from rookie Maine
NEW YORK -- Seven? Why not? It's not as if either of these teams has established any superiority through the first six.
Here were the St. Louis Cardinals, winners of a rousing 83 regular-season games, unable to put the Mets away with their best pitcher on the mound. And now here are the New York Mets, unquestioned masters of all they surveyed during the 162-game regular season, attempting to get back into the World Series tonight while depending on a pitcher who was 3-13 in the regular season with an ERA over 6.
To say that these teams are flawed is to say that the Big Dig needed a wee bit more quality control.
The folks in St. Louis were a bit giddy following Tuesday's Game 5. They bade adieu to their beloved Redbirds, waving them off the field in a blizzard of white towels following a 4-2 win that gave the Cardinals a 3-2 edge in the National League Championship Series. They had 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter, primed and ready to pitch Game 6. The Mets had rookie John Maine.
(This is the part where we present the idea that the great thing about sports is that you actually have to play the game.)
We'll all be back here tonight because, among other reasons, John Maine outpitched Chris Carpenter.
Who is John Maine? Fair question. He is a 25-year-old righthander who was part of the package the Mets obtained last January for Kris Benson. And you'd have to assume he was regarded as the throw-in. Jorge Julio was the catch.
In his 5 1/3 innings last night, Maine was borderline great, giving up just two hits, both in the first inning. He had first and third with one out and the bases loaded with two outs in that inning, but he kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard by fanning Jim Edmonds and then, after hitting Juan Encarnacion, retiring Scott Rolen on a fly ball to right.
``He pitched great baseball," lauded Mets manager Willie Randolph. ``He kept his poise. He made the pitches when he had to. His M.O. has been consistent."
``I'm sure they're very happy with him," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. ``That first inning he faced a big problem and he got out of it, and it seemed like after the early part of the game he got more confident."
Maine had to work. He ran up long counts. And after he got rid of Encarnacion on a fly ball with the leadoff man on in the sixth, Randolph came out and asked for the ball. But they had been the most important 98 pitches he's ever thrown in his life.
Funny game, baseball. Tom Glavine fails on Tuesday and John Maine succeeds on Wednesday. The irony didn't escape La Russa. ``Yesterday, you had a guy going to the Hall of Fame who was the losing pitcher," La Russa pointed out. ``Baseball, there's no script. I think we have an even chance [in Game 7] to win the game, as well as the Mets, and we'll take that going in."
This will not go down as a great series. But it has had its charm. Each team had a blowout win in which the other team's bullpen collapsed. Each team has had at least one truly outstanding starting pitching performance from a veteran, the Mets getting a big game from Glavine (seven shutout innings in Game 1) and the Cardinals getting a big game from Jeff Suppan in Game 3 (eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball). Each received a needed starting performance from an auxiliary source, the Cardinals coaxing six solid innings out of Jeff Weaver in Game 5 and the Mets getting an exquisite outing from Maine last night.
So, let's go to Game 7.
La Russa sure sounds ready. He even delivered a brief Game 7 dissertation to his team.
``Well, one of the things I said right there real quickly is Game 7 starts right now," he explained. ``They are getting ready to have the experience of a lifetime if you're in professional sports. It's an experience you never forget. It will be one of the most enjoyable things, especially if you do it right as far as getting ready and doing the best that you can. You'll never forget it."
You think Tony was done? Nah. This whole Game 7 thinking has him fired up.
``I haven't been in a lot of them," he admitted, ``but every time I have a friend that's in one of them, I'm always picking their brains. Tom Kelly was in them. Jim Leyland was in them. Dave Duncan was in one in '72. That's a fascinating conversation, so that's why I want our club to look forward to it, because it's the experience of a lifetime."
Willie Randolph had his own take.
``They are all very unique and exciting in their own way," he declared. ``I just want to be part of my own and get a victory tomorrow and move on."
On paper, you'd rather be La Russa than Randolph. La Russa will send an experienced pitcher who is coming off a superb performance to the mound. Don't forget that he won a Game 7 two years ago against Roger Clemens. Who knows? Randolph has to rely on a pitcher who was showered with praise for ``only" allowing five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in Game 4. Oliver Perez will also be going on short rest.
There was a moment of levity when the Mets' skipper was asked who will pitch Game 7, and why.
``Oliver Perez is pitching," Randolph replied. ``Because I like him."
The lefthander is one of the most improbable Game 7 starters in the history of baseball. Koufax, he is not. He came to the Mets July 31 in possession of a 2-10 record. Now due to a chain of negative circumstances he gets to start the game that will determine who goes to the World Series. He is a classic trick-or-treater, a hard-thrower who has won as many as 12 games in a season, but who basically had a brutal year. But Randolph defends his man, as if he has any other choice.
``He's done a nice job since he's been here," Randolph maintained, ``very similar to Johnny Maine in a lot of ways. He's throwing the ball real well. He needs to give us another quality start, and then we'll just go with everything we've got tomorrow."
Logic says go with the Cardinals. But if there's any justice, the Mets get a reward for their wonderful regular season. No predictions here. I propose we just sit back and watch.
Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is ryan@globe.com. 
